Guildhall Feoffment Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Guildhall Feoffment is a happy place to learn. Pupils enjoy coming to school and look forward to their fun learning activities.

From Reception, pupils learn a well-balanced curriculum. The school has high expectations for pupils. Staff explain learning clearly to pupils.

Pupils achieve well, and in reading, writing and mathematics, their attainment in Year 6 is high.

Staff have positive and warm relationships with pupils. Pupils feel confident talking to the staff about their worries and concerns, which helps them to feel safe and happy.

Pupils try their best and are interested in their learning. From Reception, they listen well to instructions. They... want to try their best and they follow the routines carefully.

Most pupils move around the school sensibly. Older pupils are proud to have responsibilities, with roles such as school council and pupil governors.

Pupils enjoy the range of clubs available.

They are enthusiastic about lunchtime clubs such as gardening and coding club. During playtimes and lunchtimes, pupils benefit from the organised games led by sports coaches. Pupils benefit from trips and experiences and talk about how this connects to their learning.

Pupils listen well to each other. They respect each other's views, and they understand the importance of respecting differences between people.

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

The school has developed a curriculum that sets out what pupils will learn from Reception.

Knowledge is broken down into manageable steps so that pupils can progress quickly. Staff are skilled at asking key questions. They check pupils' understanding before moving on to more complex learning.

However, there are instances in some curriculum subjects, aside from English and mathematics, where the school has not identified the key knowledge as clearly. Where this is the case, staff are not as confident in checking if pupils have learned what they need to know. As a result, pupils have gaps in what they know and remember.

Staff are highly skilled at identifying pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff are well trained to meet the needs of pupils. They adapt learning to meet pupils' needs in lessons, and as a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

From early years and throughout the school, staff teach pupils the key vocabulary that they want them to learn. Staff encourage conversation and ensure that pupils get the opportunity to talk about their learning. This means that pupils become confident in successfully using subject-specific vocabulary.

The school's well-established and well-delivered phonics programme helps pupils learn the sounds that letters make. Pupils quickly grasp the reading code and use this in their reading and writing. Children in Reception use their knowledge of letters and sounds confidently when they write.

For example, they accurately write lists of bones they have dug up in the sand pit. Staff identify the pupils who are not keeping up with the phonics programme. Staff provide effective support so that pupils become confident, fluent readers.

The love of reading filters throughout the curriculum. The carefully structured reading programme helps staff to ensure that pupils read widely. Pupils enjoy reading and talk confidently about the stories that they have read.

Pupils look forward to coming to school. The school monitors pupils' attendance closely. It identifies patterns and trends and works closely with families to improve attendance.

Leaders are tenacious in working with external agencies to seek support for pupils and families, so pupils become regular school attenders.

Pupils know the school values and why it is important to respect others. They listen carefully to instructions and learn to make positive choices.

Staff set high expectations for behaviour. Where some pupils need reminding of how they should behave, they listen quickly to staff and make sensible choices.

The school ensures that pupils' personal development is enriched by many interesting activities and opportunities.

These help pupils learn about the world around them and their place in it. For example, pupils sing at the local church for town celebrations and enjoy participating in the annual performances for parents. Pupils learn about their local area and enjoy the seasonal walks.

This helps pupils to understand local history and why the school is an important part of the community.

The school's leadership team ensures that pupils achieve as highly as possible. The governors know the school's strengths and areas for development.

They work in partnership with the school and hold it to account for curriculum improvements.

Staff are positive about the changes in the curriculum. Morale is high and teachers enjoy working at the school.

Staff share the leadership team's high expectations for what pupils can achieve.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, the key knowledge has not been identified clearly.

This means that pupils have gaps in what they learn and move on to new learning before they have learned what they need to. The school should identify its expectations for the content of its curriculum, so that staff know what pupils know and remember. This will ensure staff can adapt and assess their teaching accurately to ensure pupils do not have gaps in their knowledge before they move on to teach new learning.