Gainsborough Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this nurturing and caring school. All pupils, regardless of their race, gender or culture, receive a warm welcome.

Leaders and staff want the best for pupils socially and academically, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and children in the early years. Most pupils achieve well across a range of subjects.

Pupils are friendly and get on well together.

They are polite and well mannered. Relationships between staff and pupils are respectful. Pupils told inspectors that they are happy and that they feel safe.

They are confident that should bullying or name-calling occur, that staff will deal wi...th it swiftly.

Classrooms are calm and purposeful places for pupils to learn. High-quality displays around the school bring many aspects of the curriculum to life.

Leaders organise a varied range of opportunities to broaden pupils' horizons and develop their understanding of the world around them. For example, older pupils contribute to the life of the school through their roles as school councillors, anti-bullying ambassadors and play leaders.

Most parents and carers hold the school in high regard and would happily recommend it to others.

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

Leaders, governors and staff have made significant improvements to the quality of education at this school. As a team, they have redesigned the curriculum to ensure that it is suitably ambitious and meets the needs of pupils.

Many subject curriculums are well planned and sequenced from the early years to Year 6.

Within subjects, teachers are aware of the content that should be taught and in what order. Subject leaders monitor their areas of responsibility effectively. This helps them to understand how well the intended curriculums are being delivered in practice.

Staff have received subject-specific training to keep their teaching skills fresh and up to date.

That said, a few subject curriculums are relatively new. Teachers are less confident in delivering some aspects of curriculum content in these subjects.

There are occasions when this hinders pupils' progress through these curriculums.

Teachers present new learning clearly. They ensure that any misunderstandings are addressed before pupils are moved to more complex learning.

Pupils, including children in the early years, listen and concentrate well in class.

Some pupils can recall prior learning confidently. For example, pupils in key stage 1 talked enthusiastically about the different types of music that they enjoy, such as pop, modern and romantic.

Older pupils talked knowledgeably about how their coding skills in computing have developed over time.

Leaders quickly identify the needs of pupils with SEND, including for those children in the early years. Teachers adapt how they deliver curriculums through additional support and resources.

This allows this group of pupils to learn alongside their peers in class. Pupils with SEND access all that the school has to offer.

There is a hive of activity in the early years.

Children have lots of fun as they listen to stories and recite rhymes and poems. As children learn and play, conversation flows freely. Staff are skilled at seizing every opportunity to develop children's language skills.

Leaders have introduced a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics that all staff, including those in the early years, have embraced. Well-trained staff deliver this new programme well. For example, staff use their voices and body language to make phonics lessons engaging.

Pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds they know. Staff make effective use of assessment information to provide well-targeted support for those pupils struggling to read. However, due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders have been unable to offer additional support and guidance for some parents.

This hinders these parents when they come to help their children with reading at home.

Pupils' personal development is promoted well. They access an interesting range of trips and after-school activities to broaden their experiences beyond the academic curriculum.

Pupils have a secure understanding of fundamental British values. They appreciate and value difference. Leaders ensure that pupils' physical and mental health are promoted effectively.

Governors know the school well and are proud of leaders' achievements. Although supportive of senior leaders, they are not afraid to ask probing questions around all aspects of the school's work, including the quality of education.

Staff are proud to work at the school.

They appreciate all that leaders do to ensure that they have a manageable work-life balance.

Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Staff are appropriately trained.

They have a secure understanding of the signs and symptoms of abuse.

Staff can identify when pupils are showing signs of distress and when there is a change in their mood. They have a clear understanding of the procedures they must follow if they are concerned about a pupil's welfare.

Leaders ensure that vulnerable families receive the support that they need.

Pupils are taught to keep themselves safe. They recognise the dangers of the internet and of the importance of not talking to strangers and disclosing personal information.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, teachers are less confident about how to best deliver some aspects of curriculum content. From time to time, this hinders pupils' progress in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that teachers benefit from the support that they need to deliver these curriculums to the same high standard as other subjects.

• Leaders recognise that they do not provide sufficient support for some parents to enable them to help their children with reading at home. This hinders some pupils in becoming fluent and confident readers quickly enough. Leaders should ensure that these parents are supported well to become more active in developing their children's reading skills.