King William Street Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

King William Street is a school where pupils feel welcome and included.

They told us that they feel safe and that staff care about them. Relationships are positive because pupils are respectful of their classmates and the adults they work with. Pupils told us that although bullying does happen occasionally, it is dealt with swiftly by the adults in school.

All staff expect pupils to behave well. Therefore, incidents of poor behaviour are rare. Pupils told us that if they have any worries there is always someone to help them.

Pupils play well together at social times. Pupils enjoy the additional responsibilities given to them, including peer mediation which de...velops their moral and social skills well. They are taught how to make a positive difference within their local community and wider society by living, and putting into action, their Christian values.

Leaders and staff want the very best for the pupils and have high expectations of what pupils can achieve in English, mathematics and science. Pupils enjoy their learning because teachers make it interesting for them. They like the educational visits that the school provides and the opportunities they get to debate issues relating to current affairs.

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

The headteacher and the staff work on the right aspects of improvement to ensure that the school continually improves. Good-quality training has improved staff's subject knowledge and skills. As a result, the quality of education that pupils receive is good.

Staff morale is high because they get the right support and feel valued.

Leaders in the early years make sure that the curriculum develops children's language effectively. As a result, children are confident, independent and achieve well.

They make a good start in Reception.

Pupils read well. Effective phonics teaching in Reception and key stage 1 means that pupils practise their sounds and use their knowledge to read words and sentences accurately.

Pupils who fall behind with their reading are quickly identified and extra support helps them to keep up with their peers. Pupils in key stage 2 enjoy reading books from their class library and they like talking about them. This enables pupils to gain a love of books and understand what they read.

All teachers and leaders are ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teachers meet their needs well and use a range of ways to support pupils' learning. Teachers ensure that pupils' support plans meet their academic and social needs.

As a result, these pupils have appropriate access to the full curriculum and learn well.

Leaders have improved the school's science plans which identify what pupils will be taught and when. The order of learning builds pupils' knowledge and skills successfully so that, over time, pupils know more and remember more.

For example, pupils in Year 2 can demonstrate their understanding of their previous learning about carnivores, herbivores and omnivores. In Year 4 pupils are able to share their detailed knowledge about the function of different parts of plants. In other subjects, the order of the work planned to build on pupils' knowledge is less well developed, for example in geography.

Pupils learn well in mathematics. Teachers use their knowledge of what pupils can do to revisit what they have learned previously. As pupils develop their fluency in mathematics: they are able to apply this to more demanding work, solve problems and explain their answers confidently.

However, teachers do not use all the information they have about what pupils can do in each subject. Therefore, teachers do not plan work in some foundation subjects that is consistently demanding enough over time.

Pupils know how to keep themselves healthy.

They understand and can explain the importance of eating well, exercising, and how to look after their own mental health and well-being. They enjoy the wide range of clubs, including tag rugby and art club.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have clear systems in school for staff to report and record any concerns. All staff understand these systems and use them diligently. Staff use and apply their safeguarding training to keep pupils safe.

The designated safeguarding leader is quick to follow up any concerns and seek advice and the support of other professionals when they need to.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The school's curriculum is not yet coherently planned and ordered in some subjects. Subject plans in foundation subjects including art, geography and physical education are not as well developed as they should be.

Leaders need to ensure that the school's curriculum is ambitious in all subjects. Teachers need to ensure that the right depth of knowledge is planned for. .

Teachers do not consistently use assessment effectively to plan future work for pupils. As a result, work given to pupils is not as demanding as it needs to be. Leaders need to ensure that teachers use their assessments of what pupils can do to deepen pupils' knowledge and understanding.