Manor Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school motto, 'aspire and contribute', is woven through the curriculum and school life. Pupils try their best in lessons and are active citizens.

They are currently organising an event to raise awareness for a diabetes charity. Pupils are friendly and accepting of one another. They enjoy learning and their behaviour is good.

The school has made lots of changes to improve learning recently. These changes have made the expectations of what pupils can achieve even higher. Pupils are striving to meet these expectations well.

Pupils aim to show the school values, such as ambition, tenacity and respect, in daily school life. They proudly wear the badges pinned ...to their school ties that show these values. Pupils enjoy the leadership roles they have in the school, such as pupil parliament and house captains.

However, they would like to have a bigger impact on school improvement through these roles.

The school encourages pupils' talents and interests well. All Year 3 pupils learn to play the violin.

Pupils are enthusiastic about representing the school in football and netball. They enjoy playing in the school orchestra. A recent visit from a professional tennis player has enthused pupils to learn to play the sport.

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

There is a carefully designed broad and balanced curriculum in place. The approach to teaching the core subjects of mathematics and reading is well established. Staff teach phonics well.

They provide effective extra instruction for any pupil who needs to catch up. Teachers read high-quality and diverse texts to their classes to promote a love of reading. Pupils enjoy this.

In mathematics, children in Reception build a sound understanding of number. This prepares older pupils well to calculate and solve problems. An increased focus on fluency is helping pupils recall their times tables better.

The school has just launched a trust-wide curriculum for science and many foundation subjects. Experts from the trust are on hand. They guide teachers to understand curriculum developments well.

The school has a well-considered professional development programme in place. The trust has a clear and accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas for further development. Those responsible for governance understand and carry out their roles well.

The new curriculum is exact in what teachers have to teach and well sequenced over time. Lessons are structured carefully and, on the whole, delivered well. Teachers say the precision in the new curriculum helps them with their workload.

They also appreciate the joint planning sessions with teachers from their trust cluster schools. Staff think the school is well led and the recent changes benefit their pupils. They are proud to work at this school.

However, pupils are not learning and remembering knowledge as well as they could in some subjects. This is due, in part, to pupils having gaps in their knowledge from weaker curriculum thinking in the past. The new curriculum ensures that teachers revisit prior learning to check pupils' understanding regularly.

Teachers spot any gaps and they address them well. However, the school understands the need to continue to check carefully how well pupils are learning in all subjects.Teachers make sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have support and adapted resources so that they can learn the same curriculum alongside their peers.

However, pupils with SEND do not always learn as well as they could. This is because, for some pupils with SEND, targets are too vague or not focused on what will make the most difference.Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour.

The school has introduced some new approaches to managing behaviour recently. Pupils are beginning to understand these changes. From early years onwards, children learn to identify emotions, share, take turns and listen to each other.

Older pupils behave well, concentrating on their learning.Pupils benefit from the school's personal development programme. There is a strong approach to supporting pupils' mental health and well-being.

Pupils understand the importance of a healthy brain and body. Pupils love their extra-curricular clubs, but wish there were more. The school chooses visitors and visits carefully to add value to learning.

For example, a local youth charity educates pupils about risks and dangers, such as county lines.Parents' and carers' views of the school are polarised. Some parents are very complimentary about the care and attention their children receive.

The school knows, however, that there are parents who continue to have anxieties about changes and provision. The school is rightly committed to building partnerships further and sharing the thinking behind the many changes that are happening.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Pupils have gaps in their subject knowledge in some foundation subjects. They do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects. The school should continue to implement the new curriculum, including the deliberate opportunities to revisit and use prior learning, and monitor the impact over time on pupils' learning and remembering more.

• Sometimes, the targets set for pupils with SEND are not precise enough for current needs. This means this group of pupils are not learning as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff are supported to swiftly identify pupils' most pressing needs and provide effective support to enable them to achieve consistently well.

• Some parents do not understand the school's work. This means they do not fully understand how best to support their children. The school should continue to extend the partnership with parents so they are better informed and confident that their views are thoughtfully considered.

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