Felsted Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite, friendly and helpful. They have positive relationships with staff.

Staff support pupils with their learning and friendships. Pupils are very accepting that everyone is different.

Pupils behave well in class and focus on their learning.

They enjoy talking about what they are learning and have positive attitudes towards the activities that they are doing. However, outside of lesson times, some pupils' behaviour does not always meet the same high expectations that the school has.

Pupils enjoy learning a broad, interesting curriculum.

Overall, they achieve well. They leave ready for learning at secondary school.

A wid...e variety of clubs are available for all pupils.

These enable pupils to extend their experiences and try new things, including cross-stitch club, choir and various sports. All pupils have the opportunity to learn to swim as well as be part of a sporting competition.

Pupils have a number of leadership opportunities available to them, including school parliament, play leaders and reading ambassadors.

These opportunities develop pupils' independence and confidence, as they ensure they have their say about the way the school grows.

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

The school has a broad, ambitious curriculum for all pupils. Pupils build on their previous learning in each subject and recap key concepts.

This ensures that they remember more knowledge. The detailed curriculum sets out exactly what the pupils should learn. This includes subject knowledge and vocabulary.

Subjects are taught well. However, pupils are yet to fully benefit from the teaching of newer curriculum plans in a few subjects.

Staff regularly check on what pupils know and give support where it is needed.

This enables staff to ensure that pupils build on what they already know so that they deepen their understanding. This helps pupils to progress well in most subjects.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported effectively to make progress.

Some pupils receive a more personalised curriculum, which is more appropriate. Staff have been well trained in how to adapt the curriculum successfully for a range of needs. As a result, teachers know how to help pupils with SEND to make strong progress.

The school prioritises reading. Phonics teaching starts from Reception. Teachers receive high-quality training, so they teach phonics and reading well.

They carefully choose books that match the sounds that pupils are learning so that pupils can practise these. The school shares the teaching of phonics with parents. This enables parents to support their children at home.

Pupils can access a variety of texts in the class libraries and their new school library. These cover a range of topics and themes that pupils enjoy. Pupils, therefore, make good progress with their reading as well as extending their knowledge.

The school has high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Pupils focus on learning in their lessons and enjoy lessons. The school provides different activities for pupils at lunchtime.

This ensures that pupils have a focus to engage them. Pupils of all ages play together, and the pupils who are play leaders support this. This has had a positive impact on reducing inappropriate behaviours.

However, outside of lessons, such as when moving around the school at lunchtime or breaktime, some pupils are not matching the high expectations for their behaviour. This results in some pupils being noisy and running around the corridors. This is because adults' expectations are inconsistent.

There is a vast range of opportunities available to the pupils. Trips and visitors to the school are carefully linked to the curriculum. These include links to sporting organisations where pupils can learn about different sports.

The school is an integral part of the local community. Pupils use the local church, fields and woods, as well as singing for the residents of a local care home. This helps pupils to develop as active and respectful citizens.

The school is considerate of staff's workload and well-being. The open-door culture in the school ensures that everyone feels that they can have a say. Staff receive high-quality training and actively seek additional training to help make teaching even better.

Governors know the school well and work with leaders to improve the 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 few subjects, the curriculum is new, and the school has not checked to ensure that the key knowledge is being taught to the same high quality as the other subjects.

Therefore, the school is not yet sure that pupils are remembering the taught knowledge in the same way as they do in other subjects. The school should ensure the curriculum in the newer subjects is being taught as intended and that pupils are remembering the key knowledge. ? Behaviour during unstructured times does not always meet the same high standard as inside the classroom.

Staff members' expectations of behaviour at these times are inconsistent. As a result, a small number of pupils sometimes display inappropriate behaviours at unstructured times of the day. The school should ensure consistent expectations of behaviour throughout the school day.

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