Earl Soham Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love to learn and are very happy at this school.

They have positive relationships with each other and their teachers. Pupils enjoy learning a broad and balanced curriculum and typically achieve well at this school.

Behaviour is excellent.

Expectations of pupils' behaviour are high, clear and consistent. Pupils show high levels of engagement and interest during lessons.The playground is a hive of activity.

Younger and older pupils play together happily. Pupils routinely do the right thing to make the school a positive place for all those who visit and attend.

Pupils have a genuine voice at this school.

There are a wide range o...f roles and responsibilities for older pupils. Weekly house assemblies are pupil led. This enables house captains to develop their confidence and leadership skills.

They discuss local and world issues with the whole school and bring about change through their meaningful discussions.

Pupils benefit from the different clubs on offer, including sports, art and the opportunity to learn a musical instrument. They learn to respect and care for the environment in the forest school and conservation areas.

The eco-team ensures pupils are conscious of the environment in the decisions they make.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have implemented a clear and progressive curriculum. They have identified the knowledge pupils need to learn to achieve well.

Staff have been trained to teach the curriculum as leaders intend. As a result, the curriculum, particularly in the core subjects, is taught effectively and consistently across the school.

Reading is encouraged and celebrated.

The planned early reading curriculum identifies the sounds pupils need to learn week on week. Staff deliver this well. Pupils read books that match their stage in learning.

Adults regularly check how well pupils are doing. If any pupil falls behind, they are supported to catch up. As a result, pupils become confident and fluent readers.

Children in Reception get off to a positive start. They settle into school life quickly, as staff are consistent with routines and expectations. Children learn to take turns and collaborate with each other through play.

They learn key number facts and build a strong bank of vocabulary. They are well prepared for their next stage of education.

The wider curriculum is developing well.

Where it is well established, pupils are learning successfully and building on their knowledge as they move through the school. For example, in history, pupils talk confidently about key concepts in their curriculum, such as power, empire and monarchy. They use their knowledge of these concepts to make connections between periods of history.

Consequently, pupils are building up a strong knowledge on which to build future learning.

In a small number of subjects, the wider curriculum is less well developed. The school has recently adopted new schemes of learning in these subjects.

While the planned learning identifies the knowledge pupils should learn year on year, previous approaches were less precise, and pupils have developed gaps in their learning. The school has not yet completed its work in considering the prior knowledge pupils need to be fully successful in accessing the new curriculum content.

The school carefully identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and puts into place the support that they need.

Individual plans ensure that pupils access the same learning as their classmates. Staff skilfully make adaptations to pupils' work. This ensures pupils with SEND successfully access the full curriculum.

Pupils are motivated to learn. There is no disruption in lessons. Staff and pupils treat each other with respect.

Behaviour is managed well. The simple rules of 'ready, respectful, safe' are known by all. Staff set these expectations clearly and pupils meet these.

Attendance is a priority. The school communicates with parents the importance of pupils attending school regularly. There has been a reduction in the number of pupils who are persistently absent from school.

However, there are still some pupils who miss too much school. Leaders understand the importance of refining the approaches they take to reducing absence.

Pupils' wider personal development is a strength.

Staff provide strong support for all pupils so that they learn to stay physically and emotionally safe. Pupils have a good understanding of different religions. They accept that different beliefs should be respected.

Pupils are well prepared to contribute positively to society as respectful citizens.

Governors know the school's strengths and areas to develop. They offer an equal balance of support and challenge to ensure that school leaders act promptly to make improvements when required.

Staff appreciate the support they get as part of a close-knit team. They feel fully supported by school leaders around their professional development and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few areas of the curriculum, the school has adopted new schemes of learning. Where approaches are new, the school needs to consider the prior knowledge pupils have missed, and that they need, to be successful in the new schemes of learning. This will ensure pupils are successful in their learning and achieve well across all curriculum subjects.

• There are some pupils who are persistently absent from school. This means they miss important learning. The school, including governors, should ensure that its systems for securing positive attendance result in reduced levels of absence.