Edgar Stammers Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this friendly school and enjoy working together. Pupils feel safe and say that adults in school will help them with any worries they have. Relationships between adults and pupils are positive.

Pupils understand what bullying means. They are confident that, if it happens, adults will sort things out appropriately.

Leaders set high expectations so that many pupils do well.

They make sure that pupils experience an interesting curriculum. Pupils enjoy lessons and have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils particularly enjoy reading and are keen to spend time in the school library.

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. ...They are polite and welcome visitors warmly. Pupils are kind and take care of each other and understand the importance of including everyone.

Older pupils act as good role models for younger pupils and to those who need support to follow the school rules.

Leaders plan a range of extra-curricular activities to broaden pupils' experiences. These include trips, visitors to school and clubs such as multi-sports, choir and football.

Parents and carers say that staff are friendly and approachable. Some parents were keen to tell inspectors how much the school has improved since the last inspection.

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

Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum.

They have set out the important knowledge and skills that pupils should gain in each subject. The curriculum is carefully sequenced so that pupils build on what they already know and can do. In some subjects, including mathematics, teachers use assessment information well to plan the next steps in pupils' learning.

Pupils enjoy mathematics and are keen to talk about their work in this subject. In the early years, children regularly practise their counting skills during play and when singing rhymes. Pupils make strong progress in this subject.

In other subjects, the use of assessment is less well developed. This means that teachers do not always know what pupils have remembered from what they have been taught.

Reading has a high profile in the school.

Children begin to learn to read as soon as they start school in the early years. Leaders have ensured that staff deliver the phonics programme well. Extra support is provided for pupils who need to catch up.

Pupils read books that match the sounds they know. This means they become fluent, accurate readers. Older pupils enjoy reading and readily accept the challenge to read 100 books while they are at the school.

Leaders have introduced a new approach to teaching writing. Pupils now have more opportunities to write in subjects across the curriculum. Most teachers have high expectations about the quality of work that pupils produce.

However, in some classes, these expectations are not high enough. Some pupils make repeated errors with basic spelling and punctuation.

Staff know pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well.

Leaders have ensured that there are effective systems in place to identify pupils with additional needs. Teachers provide the right support to ensure that pupils with SEND can access the curriculum alongside their classmates.

Children in the early years settle quickly into routines and build warm relationships with adults.

Children enjoy learning and make good use of the resources indoors and outside. Adults keep a tight focus on developing children's communication and language skills during all activities. Parents value the communication about how their children are getting on.

Leaders promote pupils' personal development effectively. Pupils learn about the importance of keeping physically and mentally well. They say they are encouraged to talk about how they are feeling.

Pupils have opportunities to take part in activities to build their resilience, aspiration and courage as part of the school's 'curriculum promise'. This helps to grow pupils' self-esteem and to prepare them for their next steps and future lives.

Pupils are proud of their school and behave respectfully.

Leaders have high expectations about attendance and are working hard to ensure that pupils come to school every day. They work closely with families to ensure that pupils are in school, ready to learn and achieving the best they can.

Trustees know what the school does well and what it needs to do to improve.

They provide the right level of challenge and support, particularly for senior leaders. They visit the school regularly to look at learning with teachers and pupils. Staff enjoy working at the school and appreciate leaders' support for their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is a high priority. Staff benefit from regular training so that they know how to recognise and respond to any signs of abuse.

They know pupils well and are encouraged to share any concerns, no matter how small they may seem. Leaders are diligent in their approach to record-keeping and monitoring of concerns. They work closely with parents and partnership agencies to make sure that pupils get the help they need.

The curriculum teaches pupils about keeping themselves safe. Pupils have a secure knowledge of how to stay safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some classes, teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve in their writing in subjects across the curriculum.

Some pupils make repeated mistakes with basic punctuation and spelling. This slows the progress that pupils make. Leaders should continue with their work to implement their new approach to teaching writing so that it is taught consistently well across the school.

• In some foundation subjects, assessment is not used precisely enough to identify what pupils have learned and remembered. This means that teachers do not have an accurate understanding of what pupils know and where gaps in learning may exist. Leaders should ensure that teachers use assessment consistently well across all subjects.

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