Ivydale Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Ivydale Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong and supportive community at Ivydale. Local families speak highly of the positive atmosphere and the care and support their children receive. There is a broad and ambitious curriculum in place in many subjects, and pupils do very well here.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the support they need and make excellent progress.

The school actively fosters pupils' independence. As they move up the school, pupils learn to make their own decisions and to resolve issues fairly.

Adventurous play is encouraged. In the weekly 'play ...assembly', pupils work together to plan new play equipment and learn how to assess and manage risk.

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is positive.

This is a result of the warm and respectful relationships between staff and pupils. Members of the school community work to embody the school values of responsibility, respect and positivity. There are regular opportunities for enriching experiences through the trips and clubs programme.

Pupils in Years 3 to 6 learn the recorder, ukulele, keyboard and steel pans, and many have individual instrumental lessons. Families enjoy the regular opportunities to see pupils perform.

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

There is a well-sequenced curriculum in place that clearly sets out the essential knowledge that pupils need to know.

Curriculum thinking begins in the early years where pupils learn the foundational knowledge and skills needed for future learning. For example, children in Nursery learn how to hold different tools, such as pencils and paintbrushes, and explore different kinds of mark making. In Reception, children start to explore colour and learn how to use different tools for colour mixing.

This lays important foundations for the art curriculum further up the school.

In some subjects, the curriculum is highly ambitious. For example, in Years 3 to 6, pupils learn to speak and read Mandarin with increasing fluency and independence.

By Year 6, pupils have mastered key words and sentences and write confidently using the Chinese script. In music, pupils learn how to keep a steady beat and how to vary speed and dynamics. Pupils develop their knowledge of music notation by learning instruments.

In Year 5, pupils learn to read the treble and bass clef and play two-handed melodies on the keyboard. In a few subjects, however, the curriculum is not as well developed or ambitious and pupils do not retain knowledge in as much depth.

Pupils' wider development is a key priority.

Pupils of all ages have opportunities to develop their confidence through public speaking, including as part of parents' evening. They are taught the conventions of discussion and debate and learn that everyone's voice is equal. Pupils also learn how to communicate their needs and emotions and seek help when they need it.

This helps keep pupils safe, including online.

Recent changes in leadership have been well managed and provide important continuity for the school. Staff are proud to work here and benefit from many opportunities to further their own professional development.

Leaders actively seek the views of staff when making decisions. This contributes to a positive culture where staff feel valued.

The school has a suitable approach to the teaching of phonics, which helps pupils to become fluent and confident readers.

Staff are expert in teaching phonics, and new staff get the support and training they need to deliver the programme with consistency. Phonics teaching begins promptly in the early years, and children read books matched to their level of knowledge. Additional, targeted support is given to pupils who struggle with their reading so that they can keep up with their peers.

Nursery children enjoy regular story time in the reading corner. Older look forward to choosing books from the new library.

There is a clear behaviour system and pupils are taught how to make positive choices with regards to their own behaviour.

Where younger pupils struggle to meet expectations, they are helped and encouraged to do so. The behaviour system is supported by the strong provision for active and adventurous play. This encourages pupils to learn the skills of exploration, negotiation and teamwork.

Staff are highly skilled at supporting pupils with SEND. Needs are identified early so that pupils get the support they need. The school has developed a specialist intervention for those pupils with high and complex needs.

This helps pupils to develop the skills and confidence to learn alongside their peers.

Pupils attend well. This is a result of the vigilance of leaders and the strong relationships between staff and families.

The school supports families to address barriers to attendance where needed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some subject curriculums are in an earlier stage of development.

Pupils' learning in these subjects does not reflect the scope and ambition of the more established subjects. The school should develop and strengthen the curriculum in these subjects so that pupils consistently develop secure and deep knowledge across subjects.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2019.

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