Elton CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small and welcoming school. However, the school has not ensured that pupils are safe, behave well and are able to learn.

The school has not ensured that pupils receive an acceptable standard of education.

The curriculum does not meet the needs of all pupils. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not get the support they need to access the curriculum. These pupils do not achieve well.

They are not well prepared for the next stage of their education.In lessons, some pupils do not always behave well. Staff frequently ignore pupils' poor behaviour.

At lunchtime, some pupils do not play safely. Staff do not always a...ddress this. Pupils are not always respectful to each other or towards staff.

Pupils report that bullying does happen. They say that adults do not deal with their concerns properly. The school does not follow up incidents robustly.

This means that pupils are not always confident that staff will deal with issues when they arise. Pupils do not always feel safe in school.The school supports pupils' wider development.

Pupils are taught how to be safe, including when using the internet. Pupils enjoy a range of trips and visits. Pupils take part in a variety of clubs.

They enjoy learning about cultures and religions different from their own.

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

Leaders and governors do not have a clear enough oversight of the work of the school. They are not fully aware of what needs to improve.

As a result, they are not doing enough to address the school's weaknesses. They have an overly positive view of pupils' behaviour and how well pupils learn. Leaders do not check effectively how well the curriculum is implemented.

The school has not ensured that there is a well-planned curriculum in place. The key knowledge and skills that pupils should learn have not been clearly identified. Consequently, pupils experience a disjointed series of lessons in many subjects.

Teachers do not check that pupils have understood what they have been taught. They do not address gaps in learning or misconceptions. Pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

Teachers regularly read stories to pupils. Younger pupils enjoy story times. Pupils start learning phonics as soon as they start in the Reception class.

The school follows a phonics scheme. However, staff do not deliver the scheme well. Staff do not always check what pupils know.

Staff do not help pupils catch up when there are gaps in their phonics knowledge. As a result, pupils do not gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, fluent readers. Pupils do not progress as well as they might in their reading.

The school does not accurately identify the needs of pupils with SEND. The school ensures that staff receive some information about how to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. However, this information is not clear and does not detail the strategies staff can use to support these pupils.

Staff do not adapt the curriculum to meet these pupils' needs. Expectations of what these pupils can achieve are too low and they do not achieve well.

The school's expectations of how pupils should behave are not high enough.

The school has not established effective systems to support pupils to behave well. Staff do not help pupils to understand how to behave in an acceptable way. Leaders do not support staff to consistently manage pupils' behaviour.

Some staff ignore poor behaviour. At times, some pupils ignore or rebut requests from staff. This results in poor behaviour in lessons and at unstructured times.

Some pupils say that they do not always feel safe. The school does not have effective systems in place to monitor pupils' behaviour and bullying incidents. This means that the school is unable to analyse incidents to gain an accurate understanding of what it needs to do to improve behaviour and reduce bullying.

Pupils enjoy taking part in a range of clubs and activities in school. Pupils value the lessons that develop their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) understanding. They understand that these lessons help to keep them safe and prepare them for later life.

Pupils learn about the importance of consent. They learn about tolerance and respecting difference. However, some pupils do not always treat others with respect.

The personal development curriculum has been written to reflect the needs of the school community. However, the school's wider work does not always support pupils to be confident and resilient learners. The school provides opportunities for pupils to develop beyond the academic curriculum.

For example, there is an off-site residential visit every year.

The school does not always address parental concerns well. Some parents and carers said that they do not feel that they, or their children, are listened to.

Staff say that they are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the efforts that the school makes to manage their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

The school carries out the appropriate checks on the suitability of adults before they start working with pupils.

Leaders, staff and governors complete the required safeguarding training. However, the school has not done enough to ensure that safeguarding has a high profile in the school.

Some staff lack the knowledge they need to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm.

The school does not respond to safeguarding concerns quickly enough. Specialist advice is not always sought.

Safeguarding records are not detailed enough. It is not clear what help pupils and their families have received. Key information is not always shared with agencies who could support pupils and their families.

Pupils learn how to stay safe online. However, some pupils say they have been able to freely access inappropriate material when online in school. Staff are not alert to the potential risks to pupils that this poses.

Supervision of pupils, both around school and when online, is not good enough. The school had routinely provided parents and pupils with the access code to the school's front door. Parents and pupils have been able to freely come and go into the school building.

Staff did not monitor who was entering and exiting the school. This puts pupils at risk of harm. This practice was stopped during the inspection.

Some parents said that their safeguarding concerns are not listened to. The school does not always take these concerns seriously.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not established a strong culture of safeguarding.

Safeguarding procedures are not rigorous enough. Staff are not confident when discussing safeguarding incidents. Leaders do not always act on safeguarding concerns raised by staff.

Some parents said that the school does not always listen to their safeguarding concerns. Safeguarding records are not clear. Important information is not always shared with other agencies quickly enough.

This means that pupils could be at risk of harm. The school should ensure that all staff understand the risks that pupils may face and that they follow safeguarding procedures in full. The school should also ensure that safeguarding records are clear, and actions are taken swiftly to keep all pupils safe.

• Teachers do not deliver the reading curriculum effectively. As a result, too many pupils cannot read well enough. The school must ensure that all staff deliver the phonics scheme consistently well.

• The school has not ensured that there is a coherently planned or well-sequenced curriculum in place. As a result, pupils' learning is fragmented, and they do not build their knowledge sufficiently well. The school should ensure that there is a well-sequenced curriculum for all subjects that meets pupils' needs.

The school should also ensure that all staff implement the curriculum as intended. ? The school does not meet the needs of pupils with SEND. These pupils are not having their needs identified accurately.

Staff are not given the appropriate strategies to support these pupils. They do not adapt the curriculum to meet pupils' needs. The school should ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are identified accurately, and that all staff adapt their teaching so that these pupils can access the curriculum and achieve well.

Staff do not have high-enough expectations of pupils' behaviour. They do not implement the behaviour policy consistently. The school does not have systems in place to monitor pupils' behaviour and bullying incidents closely.

Some pupils do not behave well, and some do not feel safe. The school should ensure that there are high expectations of pupils' behaviour and that all staff apply the behaviour policy consistently. The school should also ensure that it deals with any bullying incidents effectively so that all pupils feel safe.

• Leaders and those responsible for governance do not have sufficient oversight of the school. They do not recognise the school's weaknesses. Governors do not hold leaders to account.

The school should ensure that leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses so that issues can be addressed swiftly. The school should also ensure that everyone is held to account for the improvements that need to be made. ? The school may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection.