Little Mead Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is starting to come out of a very unsettled time.

Since the return of the substantive headteacher and appointment of a new co-headteacher, there are positive signs of improvement. Leaders ensure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are fully included in the life of school. However, considerable changes in staffing since the last inspection have impacted the rate of improvement.

Pupils value their friendships. They understand the importance of inclusion and respect. They are polite and demonstrate good manners.

Pupils understand the school values, 'be safe, be kind, be respectful'. They hold doo...rs open for adults and engage in conversations politely. However, at times, staff expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough.

Pupils say they sometime struggle to learn because of poor behaviour.

There are a range of extra-curricular clubs, including multi-sport and gardening. Pupils enjoy attending local sports festivals and visiting the library.

There are strong links with the police community support officer. However, some aspects of the curriculum to help pupils develop personally are not fully developed.

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

The co-headteachers have an accurate understanding of the weaknesses in the quality of education pupils receive.

However, it is too early to see improvement in the actions they have taken across the whole curriculum.

Children get off to a flying start in early years. There is a well-sequenced and coherently designed curriculum, which helps children to learn well.

However, from Year 1 onwards, several subject curriculums are new and only recently implemented. Teachers do not systematically check pupils' understanding or correct misconceptions they have. This means that gaps in pupils' knowledge are not addressed.

Leaders have prioritised reading. As soon as children start nursery, they are fully immersed in stories, books and rhymes. There is a strong focus on developing children's speaking and early language.

This is modelled well by the adults in the early years. There is a new, effective phonics programme that supports pupils to learn to read quickly. All staff have the necessary expertise to teach reading well.

Pupils who fall behind are identified by teachers and receive the support they need to catch up. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. This helps them to develop as confident and fluent readers.

Older pupils say they enjoy reading and listening to the stories their teachers read to them each day.

Leaders have recently introduced a new mathematics programme. In Reception Year, children can confidently double numbers and identify missing numbers in a sequence.

Further up the school, teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve. Some pupils' work lacks pride and care. There are gaps in pupils' number and timetables knowledge, which impacts on problem-solving and reasoning skills.

As a result, pupils do not progress as well as they should through the mathematics curriculum.

Leaders accurately identify the needs of pupils with SEND. However, not all pupils have their needs met sufficiently.

At times, adults do not support pupils well or provide them with the opportunity to share ideas with their peers.

Subject curriculums are not designed well in foundation subjects. Some staff are new to their roles and do not yet have an accurate understanding about how effective the curriculum is.

Leaders have not yet identified the essential knowledge they want pupils to know and remember. As a result, pupils do not build their knowledge well and they struggle to recall what they have learned in the past. For example, in music, pupils have many opportunities to play musical instruments and create music; however, they are unable to recall the names of the instruments they play or use accurate vocabulary for musical notation.

Over time, staff have not had the necessary support they need to manage some pupils' challenging behaviour. This is now improving. However, pupils, parents and carers raise concerns about the behaviour of some pupils on a day-to-day basis.

Pupils say that disruption is a regular occurrence. When learning does not match pupils' needs well enough, they lose focus and become disengaged.

Leaders' work to enhance pupils' personal development is still evolving.

Pupils understand some aspects of British values, such as democracy. They are fully inclusive and celebrate difference. Pupils know how to keep themselves physically well and enjoy the daily mile.

However, pupils' knowledge beyond democracy and their understanding of religions, faiths and cultures is not developed well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that all staff have the necessary training in order to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm.

They have suitable policies in place to raise awareness among staff about the dangers of sexual harassment. Leaders communicate quickly with external agencies for pupils and families who need additional help. Leaders ensure that all adults who work or volunteer in school are suitable.

Pupils learn how to stay safe, including when online. They understand the importance of not sharing personal information with strangers.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some subject leaders do not have the necessary expertise they need to lead their subject area successfully.

They do not have an accurate understanding of how effective the curriculum is. Leaders need to ensure that subject leaders receive the appropriate professional development so that an effective curriculum is designed and implemented in all subjects. ? Some subject curriculums are new.

Leaders have not identified the most important knowledge they want pupils to learn. As a result, there are gaps in pupils' knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum design is ambitious for all pupils and supports them to build knowledge well over time and then check their understanding.

• Some adults do not have high enough expectations of pupils. As a result, pupils lose focus and lack pride in their work. Leaders need to ensure that all adults have high expectations so that pupils produce work that they are proud of, have positive attitudes and engage well with learning.

• Pupils do not have a secure understanding about different faiths, cultures and British values. As a result, they are not well prepared for life in modern Britain. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum fully prepares pupils as responsible global citizens.