Ecclesfield Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school life at Ecclesfield Primary School. Pupils are happy and safe in school.

They know they can talk to a trusted adult if anything is worrying them. Pastoral support for pupils is strong. Children in the early years quickly settle into expected routines and show positive attitudes to their learning.

The school has high expectations for the achievement of all pupils. However, outcomes in national tests and assessments for pupils at the end of Year 6 in 2023 were not as high as the school's expectations. Improvements are already underway to improve the achievement of current pupils.

Across the school, current pupils are making good progress fro...m their varying starting points.

Most pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and enjoy coming to school.

However, the school's expectations of behaviour are sometimes not lived out as well as intended.

Through the wider curriculum, pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They can talk about how to stay safe both online and within their community.

Pupils appreciate the school trips they experience and meeting visitors who come to school. For example, pupils have opportunities to raise their aspirations through visitors from different professions, including the Royal Navy and local industries. Pupils enjoy a variety of responsibilities on offer.

Opportunities to be a peer mediator or an eco-warrior, for example, give pupils the chance to develop their leadership skills.

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

The school has a broad and ambitious curriculum, which is exciting for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Learning activities are adapted in classrooms to allow all pupils to access a broad curriculum.

Curriculum plans are in place for all subjects. The knowledge that pupils need to know is carefully sequenced. Pupils benefit from practical learning opportunities across a range of subjects.

For example, in early years, caterpillars are observed in their life cycle towards being a butterfly. In music, pupils learn to play instruments, which culminates in a whole-school performance. Pupils speak positively about these experiences.

However, the implementation of the curriculum is not consistent across all subjects. In some subjects, pupils are sometimes unclear about what they are learning or why. Sometimes, activity choices do not support pupils' learning effectively.

This hampers pupils' progression through the curriculum.

The school ensures that the early years curriculum prepares children well for learning in key stage 1. Children learn the essential knowledge and attributes they need for successful future learning.

As children start school, any additional communication and language needs are identified swiftly. This aspect of learning is a high priority within the school's curriculum. The school's speech and language assistant supports pupils to ensure that they are able to achieve well.

The school has effective systems in place to check what pupils know and remember. Where there are gaps in pupils' knowledge, they receive the support they need to help them catch up. Interventions are swiftly put in place and adaptations to the curriculum are made.

Pupils with SEND learn successfully alongside their peers. They are well supported in lessons. Support for pupils' emotional well-being is a strength of the school.

Children learn phonics from the start of Reception. Phonics is delivered consistently well by all staff. Books are well matched to the sounds that pupils know.

Younger pupils enjoy learning to read. Any gaps in their knowledge are swiftly identified. A range of interventions is used so that children 'keep up'.

The majority of pupils read confidently and with increasing fluency.

Pupils' behaviour around school is generally good. Typically, lessons are calm and there is an atmosphere where pupils are ready to learn.

Most pupils behave well. Some staff make their high expectations for pupils' behaviour clear and, when they do, pupils respond positively. However, expectations of behaviour are not consistently high.

Sometimes, this leaves pupils unsure of expectations. On occasions, the poor behaviour of some pupils can disrupt the learning of others.

Most pupils attend school regularly.

However, for a small minority of pupils, attendance is too low, especially for pupils with SEND. Some pupils miss out on their learning as they are taken out of school to go on family holidays. This hampers their progress.

The school is already working hard to improve attendance. For example, it works with external agencies to ensure that families receive support when needed. Systems are in place to check the attendance of different groups of pupils.

However, there is more work to do supporting parents to ensure their children attend school every day.

The governing body is aware of the school's strengths and the areas it needs to develop further. Together, leaders and governors are already making improvements to ensure that pupil outcomes by the end of Year 6 improve.

This is paying off. Staff feel well supported by leaders. They are proud to work at Ecclesfield Primary School.

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 small number of subjects, the curriculum is not implemented effectively. Pupils struggle to connect new knowledge with what they have already learned.

Some activity choices do not match the intent of the curriculum or support pupils to make these connections. The school must ensure that there are clear expectations in how all subjects are taught and implemented so that pupils build strong knowledge in all subjects. ? The school does not have clear, consistent expectations for managing pupils' behaviour.

On occasions, the poor behaviour of some pupils is not managed consistently well by staff. The school must ensure that consistently high expectations of behaviour are understood and adhered to by all. ? Attendance for a small minority of pupils is too low.

Pupils miss out on important learning. This creates gaps in their knowledge and hampers their progress. The school should continue to work with parents to help them understand the importance of making sure their children attend school every day.