Mabe Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a much-improved school. Pupils benefit greatly from the changes made since the previous inspection.

They now understand what the school expects of them and always do their best. Staff at all levels share the same vision. This helps pupils to learn more across the curriculum than in the past.

Pupils enjoy school. They show positive attitudes to learning and behave well. In the early years, children listen attentively to adults during story time.

The school's work on oracy is deeply embedded within the school's culture. Pupils learn to give extended responses to explain their thinking. This helps them to become articulate and confident individuals.
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In turn, they listen and respond to their peers' points of view. If bullying occurs, the school deals with incidents swiftly.

Pupils experience a well-considered offer beyond the academic.

They participate in a range of clubs. This helps them to pursue their talents and interests. Pupils develop their resilience through residentials.

They take an active part in the running of the school through roles such as the school council and playtime leaders. This gives pupils a sense of responsibility and pride. Pupils understand difference.

For example, they know that some of their peers get extra support but understand why this is fair.

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

The trust has supported the school substantially. It has overseen a period of rapid and sustained changes which have significantly lifted the quality of education.

Following the previous inspection, the trust carried out a thorough review of the school's work. It concluded that the school's curriculum needed a complete overhaul. Using expertise from within the trust, the school now has an ambitious curriculum.

It states clearly what pupils should know and when. This starts in the early years. As a result, teachers know what to teach and in what order.

The school has invested a significant amount of training to support subject leadership. This has proven to be highly effective. Staff check regularly how well pupils are learning in their subjects.

They use this information to make further improvements so that pupils learn even more.

The school has supported staff to ensure that it turns the high ambition of the curriculum into reality. Using agreed teaching approaches, they implement the curriculum closely in line with its intent.

Teachers give work that helps to deepen pupils' knowledge. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified early. They receive appropriate adaptations to help them learn well.

Consequently, pupils have started to recall impressively their learning over the long term.

Teachers check what pupils have learned through quizzes. They use these to help address any gaps in knowledge.

However, due to the historical weaknesses in the curriculum, some pupils still have gaps in their knowledge. The school has worked hard to address these. This has affected provisional outcomes at the end of key stage 2.

While overall pupils' outcomes are in line with national averages, too few pupils achieve the higher standard. This is because pupils have not acquired the depth of knowledge over time needed to achieve these.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum.

This begins as soon as children arrive in the early years. They learn a range of familiar stories and rhymes. Pupils develop a love of reading through the carefully chosen books they read throughout their school life.

The school has ensured that staff are well trained to teach the phonics code. They make checks to ensure pupils understood what they have learned. Staff support quickly any pupils who struggle.

This includes those at the early stages of learning English. These pupils catch up and keep up. The school's strong start in reading continues into key stage 2.

Teachers question pupils well. This helps them to understand key themes and ideas in a text.

The school has changed its behaviour systems to help pupils behave well throughout the school day.

In lessons and at social times, there is a calm and orderly feel to the school. Pupils are polite and confident when talking to visitors.

Pupils use their oracy skills to discuss moral issues, such as the recent floods in Spain.

They know, and can exemplify, fundamental British values. Pupils know how to stay physical and mentally healthy.

The local governing body know the school well.

This is because it makes regular checks on the school's work. It knows how the pupil premium funding is spent. This helps disadvantaged pupils to achieve well.

Governors closely check pupils' attendance to ensure they attend regularly. They ensure that staff workload is also considered when changes are made.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not have a deep knowledge of the curriculum due to historical issues around its intent and sequencing. As a result, they have gaps in their knowledge which means they sometimes struggle to make links in their learning. The trust should support the school to continue to identify and address pupils' gaps in learning so that pupils learn in the depth of knowledge as expected in the school's curriculum by the end of key stage 2.