Francis Baily Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils, but these are not consistently met because pupils cannot read confidently. Reading is not sufficiently prioritised.

Pupils who struggle with reading do not get the expert help they need to catch up. This prevents them from achieving as well as they could across the curriculum.

Pupils enjoy coming to this school.

They are safe and well cared for, saying their teachers help them if they have any worries. Pupils are proud to make a positive difference to the school through their roles as librarians, digital leaders, and house captains. There is a wide variety of clubs for pupils to join during and after the school day....

Parents comment that 'there are lots of opportunities for pupils to develop their interests, in particular through the sporting opportunities offered'.

Pupils are taught to be 'ready, safe and respectful'. They behave well in lessons and throughout the school.

Recent training has helped staff to better understand and implement the expectations for pupils' behaviour. Standards of behaviour have improved as a result. Teachers have high expectations for pupils' behaviour and address any instances of low-level disruption quickly, so learning is not interrupted.

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

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the school recognised that many pupils could not read fluently because they had gaps in their phonics knowledge. Consequently, the school's approach to teaching phonics systematically has been improved. However, not all adults have had the training they need to become expert teachers of reading.

This means that gaps in pupils' phonics knowledge have not closed quickly. Reading is not sufficiently prioritised when children join the Reception Year. As a result, when they move on to key stage 1, they are switched off to reading and cannot access the wider curriculum well enough.

Recent work with the trust has begun to enhance the reading curriculum, such as through the introduction of high-quality texts. However, these strategies are not helping those who most need help to become confident readers.

Assessment routines across the school help adults to check what pupils have learned.

Teachers revisit previous learning in most subjects, but the most important things pupils need to understand are often not included. As a result, pupils have gaps in their understanding and struggle to recall and connect what they have learned before.

Children in Reception are well cared for by adults, with whom they have warm and respectful relationships.

The Reception environment is well set up for pupils to develop agility, balance and coordination as they navigate the trim trail and explore the outdoor area. However, children in Reception do not develop language as well as they should. Adults do not engage children in discussions focused on learning that enable them to develop language and expand their vocabulary.

This, combined with the lack of rigour and consistency in early reading, means that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are not ready for the curriculum in key stage 1.

The school has developed a broad curriculum. It is ordered logically and identifies the core knowledge and skills that pupils must understand and learn.

The school is ambitious that pupils with SEND will follow the same curriculum as their peers. Currently, pupils are not following this broad curriculum as well as leaders would want because teaching does not build closely enough on what pupils have learned so far.

Pupils learn the school values of courage, resilience, collaboration, respect, aspiration, and curiosity.

They are recognised for demonstrating these values in weekly 'star assemblies', which pupils look forward to. Pupils learn about the importance of being tolerant in diverse, modern Britain. They develop an understanding of different faiths through their visits to places of worship.

Pupils know how to report anything that concerns them on the internet, and they know that they must not share personal information or images with anyone.

The board of trustees and local governing body are aware that pupils are not achieving as well as they should. They are determined that pupils will have a great start to their education.

The trust knows what must be done to achieve this vision and has plans in place to make the improvements needed. Trustees understand their statutory duties and ensure they are enacted.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Reading is not taught consistently well. Consequently, pupils struggle to become fluent readers, as they do not know how to blend sounds to read words. The school should ensure that all staff have the knowledge and training to become expert and confident teachers of reading.

• Teaching does not routinely focus on the most important content pupils need to understand and remember. As a result, pupils cannot remember what they have learned, and those with gaps in their learning do not catch up quickly. The school should ensure that the information gathered from assessments is used consistently well to identify what pupils know and what they need to learn next so that their knowledge builds securely over time.