Grade-Ruan CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve with increasing success at this improving, inclusive village school. They benefit from the school's values of aspiration, respect, wisdom and relationships running through their learning experiences.

This helps to ensure that pupils learn to work and play together well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities or pupils who are disadvantaged. As a result, this is a safe and welcoming place to come and learn for all pupils.

The school's recent work to improve the curriculum, supported significantly by the trust, is having a positive impact.

This is particularly the case in English and mathematics. However, due to the a...mount that needs to improve, pupils do not learn consistently well across all subjects and in the early years. For example, pupils' learning in subjects such as history, art, music and geography remains limited.

Pupils are happy and like school. They recognise that staff care for them. They behave well and take pride in their work.

Sometimes, pupils could do more because more could be expected of them. Nevertheless, parents, pupils and staff agree that the school is a safe and positive place. Pupils believe staff sort out issues well, on the rare occasions this is needed.

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

The school and trust have worked together effectively to turn around a previous decline in standards. Since the school joined the trust, both have utilised the opportunity to improve the curriculum systematically and determinedly. They have rightly started by ensuring pupils' learning in reading, writing and mathematics is secure.

The impact can be seen in pupils' abilities and learning in these subjects. As a result, pupils are increasingly well prepared for their transition to secondary education.

However, other aspects of the school's curriculum are not as secure.

The school and trust know there is a lot to do. They have planned carefully to ensure they improve the right things, in the right order and at the right pace. This means that, although the school now has clear, sequenced plans for all subjects, the implementation and impact remain too varied.

For example, the trust has taken effective action to improve how provision in the early years is organised and the quality of resources available to support children to learn through their play. However, staff do not consistently help children learn vocabulary with precision. The resources used to support learning are not chosen carefully enough, which limits how much children learn.

Similarly, older pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge in some subjects. For example, pupils lack basic geographical knowledge and are not secure in their understanding of key historical concepts and vocabulary. As a result, gaps in pupils' knowledge from the historical weaknesses in the curriculum inhibit their ability to reach their full potential.

The use of assessment is more established in the stronger areas of the curriculum. Teachers use assessment in English and mathematics very effectively, including in the early years. However, the approach to assessment in other subjects is newer and so not as refined.

This means that staff do not identify gaps in pupils' knowledge consistently. As a result, key gaps in pupils' knowledge persist.

Reading has the highest priority.

The reading curriculum ensures pupils learn and enjoy reading. From the moment they start in the Reception Year, children begin to learn phonics sounds. This is built on effectively as they move into Key Stage 1 and beyond.

Staff assess pupils' understanding regularly and robustly to ensure pupils stay on track. Support is given to those at risk of falling behind. Books taken home match precisely with the sounds pupils know.

Staff share key texts and read regularly with pupils. Consequently, pupils make very strong progress in reading and learn to love stories, books and plays.

Pupils' wider development is promoted well.

The school's distinctive ethos runs through all aspects of school life. The school has ensured that the curriculum extends well beyond the academic and that all pupils have equal access to what is on offer. For example, pupils participate in trips, visits and clubs and are encouraged to do so.

Pupils are supported to be mentally and physically healthy in a range of ways. They enjoy the opportunity to learn to sail, for example. They understand why water safety is particularly relevant to help them to stay safe.

Pupils learn about healthy relationships and know how to look after themselves.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Although curriculum planning is now secure, the teaching of the curriculum is inconsistent.

This means that the quality of pupils' learning in different subjects varies, so they do not reach their full potential. The trust and school should build on and strengthen the implementation of the curriculum so that gaps in pupils' learning are closed and their outcomes continue to improve in all subjects. ? Provision in the early years needs refinement.

The implementation of the early years curriculum is not considered carefully enough. This means that opportunities to learn through play or when working with adults are not used consistently to support children's progress. The school and trust should strengthen the organisation of learning in the early years to ensure children are better prepared for key stage 1.

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