Gedney Drove End Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this caring and welcoming school. The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve.

Most pupils progress well through the curriculum and produce high-quality work. In lessons, most pupils have excellent attitudes to learning. They concentrate well on learning activities.

Pupils are proud to get 'Gedney' reward points for demonstrating the school's values.

The school is calm and orderly. It has established clear learning routines that pupils understand and follow.

Pupils show respect to each other and to staff. At playtime and lunchtime, pupils enjoy socialising and playing games together. Older pupils happily help yo...unger pupils to take part in these.

Pupils are safe in school. They know that there are adults in school they can talk to if they are worried about anything.

Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities that develop their leadership skills and character.

For example, they are proud to be librarians, house captains, playground ambassadors, junior attendance champions and school councillors. The school has enhanced the curriculum through trips to local places of interest. Pupils take part in clubs that develop their interests.

They enjoy attending gardening club, choir, film club and a range of sports activities.

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

The school has constructed an ambitious and broad curriculum for pupils. It has detailed the key knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should learn and when.

This supports teachers in delivering a curriculum that builds on pupils' prior learning. By the end of key stage 2, most pupils achieve well.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge.

They explain new learning clearly to pupils and check pupils' understanding well. Teachers provide feedback that helps pupils to improve their work. Teachers identify and address any misconceptions or gaps in pupils' learning.

At times, and in some subjects, pupils are given activities which do not align well with the intended curriculum aims. This affects how well some pupils learn the most important subject content. As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as they could in some subjects.

The school ensures that pupils build their reading, writing and mathematics knowledge securely over time. Pupils benefit from well-considered opportunities to practise reading and multiplication tables. They particularly like their morning registration sessions where they get the chance to sharpen their knowledge and build their fluency.

The school is passionate that pupils develop the skills and knowledge they need to read fluently. Well-trained staff teach phonics from the early years up. Reading books are matched carefully to the sounds pupils know.

This helps pupils to develop confidence and fluency in reading. The school ensures that any pupils who fall behind are identified quickly. They get effective, additional support.

Throughout the school pupils have reading lessons and story times that help them to develop their reading skills and a love of reading.

The school accurately and swiftly identifies any additional needs that pupils may have. Staff get clear information about how to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They use this information well to adapt their teaching so that these pupils can access the curriculum and achieve well. Pupils with more complex needs get well-thought-out and effective support so that they meet their individual targets.

The school has high expectations of pupils' conduct and has established a clear set of expectations for pupils' behaviour.

Pupils understand and follow these expectations. The school supports pupils who need to improve their attendance. As a result, most pupils attend school regularly.

There is a well-planned programme for pupils' personal development. Pupils learn about healthy lifestyles and relationships, how to stay safe online, and different world religions and cultures. They have a detailed understanding of fundamental British values and equality.

Pupils learn to value diversity. They know how to treat others respectfully and fairly, however different they may be. Pupils are well prepared for their next steps.

The school is well-led and managed. Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel well supported by school leaders.

Those responsible for governance provide effective challenge and support. They fulfil their statutory duties well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, in some subjects, pupils are given activities to complete which do not help them to learn the intended curriculum content as well as they could. This affects how well some pupils build up their knowledge in these subjects. Where this is the case, the school should ensure that learning tasks are well matched to the intended learning set out in the school's curriculum.