Earlsmead Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Earlsmead Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy, safe and well cared for. They appreciate that teachers are there to help them, and know who to speak to if they have concerns.'

Worry boxes' in every classroom provide all pupils with opportunities to share any issues they may have.

Pupils behave well. Clear routines and expectations are in place to support this.

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is courteous and respectful. Any incidents of bullying that occur are dealt with quickly and effectively.

Leaders expect all pupils to achieve highly.

The curriculum helps pupils to b...uild up their knowledge and make links between subject content. Over time, pupils develop a strong understanding in many subjects. However, recent improvements to the curriculum are not fully embedded in all subjects.

Pupils take part in many opportunities which aim to enhance their learning in different areas of the curriculum. For example, they have recently gone on educational visits to Westminster Abbey and the British Museum. Pupils appreciate their roles in decision-making in the school.

For example, school councillors meet regularly to discuss the improvements they would like to make. Leaders listen to pupils' ideas. For example, following a suggestion from pupils, leaders recently added new artificial grass in the school playground.

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

Phonics is prioritised and taught as soon as children begin their Reception Year. The teaching of reading is consistent across the school. This is because staff have been well trained.

Pupils are assessed regularly. Those falling behind are supported to catch up quickly. Assessments identify gaps in learning and assist teachers to match books to the sounds that pupils have learned.

Opportunities for pupils to practise and build fluency are frequent and purposeful. Pupils demonstrate a clear love of reading. They very much enjoy visiting the school library and hearing stories read to them.

Early mathematics is also well considered. The curriculum has been designed to break down important ideas about number, shape and measure into small steps. Children practise these steps each day, for example through joining in with familiar stories and songs.

This prepares them well for the next stage of mathematics in Year 1 and beyond.

Pupils study a full curriculum that matches the breadth and ambition of the national curriculum. Leaders have identified the key knowledge and vocabulary that they want pupils to learn and understand.

Subject content has been carefully organised and sequenced. This ensures that all pupils, including the two-year-olds in the Nursery, receive a curriculum which aims to prepare them well for learning new ideas.

The curriculum has been sequenced so that pupils practise what they need to remember most.

For example, in history, pupils learn about concepts of monarchy, invasion and religion across different periods of time. This helps pupils develop a deep understanding of these concepts. However, in some subjects, leaders' aims for the curriculum are not securely established.

Teachers do not use check consistently what pupils have learned and remembered. Where this is the case, pupils struggle to recall important ideas and make connections in their learning.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified accurately and well catered for.

Adaptations, such as additional help, enable pupils to access and understand the same curriculum as their peers.

Pupils are well behaved. They are enthusiastic about their learning.

This helps to create a calm and purposeful atmosphere around the school.

Leaders have prioritised pupils' broader personal development. Assemblies and lessons are underpinned by the school's values and promote respectful and kind attitudes.

Pupils also regularly explore and debate current affairs. These opportunities are used to promote pupils' understanding of fundamental British values and to prepare them for life in modern Britain.

Teachers are overwhelmingly positive about the consideration given to their workload and well-being.

They said that leaders are approachable, and that they can go to them if they need help.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding.

All staff, including governors, are well trained to identify pupils at risk of harm. They know their responsibilities and report any concerns they have quickly.

Leaders know families well.

They seek support and advice from the local authority and other agencies when needed, to ensure the best possible outcomes for pupils and their families. Learning mentors offer bespoke support to those pupils who need it.The curriculum has been designed to help pupils learn how to stay safe.

For example, they are taught about how to stay safe when they are online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, checks on learning do not help teachers to make sure that pupils have remembered important knowledge and are ready to learn more demanding subject content. Sometimes, pupils' recall of essential ideas is not secure, and this prevents them from progressing securely through the curriculum.

Leaders should ensure that teachers check what pupils have learned. This will help pupils to build up their knowledge securely and progressively.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2012.