King’s Somborne Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

King's Somborne Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and like coming to school.

Relationships between staff and pupils are respectful and positive. Pupils care about each other and know the adults that work in the school care about them. This makes pupils feel safe and develops their confidence.

Leaders have high expectations of what all pupils can achieve. Pupils respond well to these aspirations by working hard to improve their knowledge and skills. They are interested in their lessons, and this helps them to achieve well.

Leaders have ensured that staff and pupils understand the ...behaviour rules. As a result, behaviour around the school is calm. Pupils display positive and attentive attitudes when learning.

Pupils understand what bullying is. They know that their teachers will make it stop if it happens.

The school provides pupils with many experiences to deepen their knowledge about the wider world and to develop their personal skills.

Staff make use of the school's extensive outdoor areas effectively. For example, the yurt is a comforting and quiet place where pupils can work and talk to staff. Pupils appreciate and learn much from the extra opportunities they have, such as going on trips to a solar farm.

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

The curriculum is broad, interesting and ambitious. Leaders are determined to give all pupils the best possible start to their education. They have identified the key knowledge that they want pupils to learn and understand.

In many subjects, content has been logically organised into careful sequences of learning. As a result, teachers make sure that pupils build on what they have learned before and make strong connections. In mathematics, for example, staff make sure that pupils remember essential knowledge, such as times tables and calculation strategies, that they need for problem-solving and future learning.

Leaders have not yet worked through the curriculum planning in some subjects to the same extent. This means that some of the knowledge and skills that pupils should have learned in previous years have not been fully covered. Leaders are aware of this.

Much of the initial work to develop the curriculum has been led by the headteacher. Staff are now taking responsibility for further refining the guidance for staff, working methodically through the subjects.

Children get off to a strong start learning to read in the early years.

The phonics programme has been structured very clearly. It sets out the sounds that children will learn from the first few days after they start school. The reading curriculum provides a strong framework for the teaching of phonics beyond the Reception class.

Staff are well trained to deliver the programme and to help pupils develop a love for reading. The books that pupils read are closely matched to the sounds that they know. Pupils are given regular opportunities to practise their reading skills.

This helps pupils to develop their fluency, confidence and vocabulary. If pupils fall behind, they receive extra and effective support.

Teachers make accurate checks on what pupils know and can remember in different subjects from early years upwards.

Pupils have a positive approach to the feedback and help that they receive from the staff. They diligently correct mistakes. Teachers revisit learning with them.

This means that pupils have a secure understanding before moving on to something new. Leaders prioritise identifying pupils' needs from the time they begin in the Reception class and do so accurately. Staff know the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders seek external support from specialists for pupils with SEND when required. This is well chosen and planned carefully to focus precisely on pupils' needs.

Pupils benefit from a rich range of experiences beyond the taught curriculum.

In their personal, social and health education, pupils learn about how to live a healthy lifestyle. There are opportunities for pupils to take part in different out-of-school clubs and sports. These opportunities help pupils to become more confident and encourage them to develop new talents and hone existing skills.

For example, pupils learn how to play tag rugby and enhance their brick-building techniques.

Pupils are friendly and polite. They are taught the school's values and how to uphold them as they move through the school day.

There is very little low-level disruption in lessons because pupils understand what is expected of them. Pupils respect differences and the opinions of others.

Leaders act and make decisions carefully, with staff's workload and their well-being in mind.

Leaders know that they need to enhance the support for staff to develop their skills in leading the curriculum in some subjects.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have developed a strong culture of safeguarding across the school.

Staff are well trained to spot any signs of concern. The leadership team provide regular updates for the staff on current issues and any new guidance. Staff refer and record concerns promptly.

Leaders seek the support of outside agencies when families need their help. Records are well kept. Leaders make all the necessary checks on adults in the school.

The curriculum has been designed to help pupils learn how to stay safe. For example, they are taught how to stay safe when they are online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum guidance in some subjects has yet to be enhanced in the way it has been in reading and mathematics.

As a result, some gaps in pupils' learning remain. Leaders need to ensure that they continue to develop subject leadership so that staff have the expertise and skills to improve their subjects further.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2012.