Marshwood CofE Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are confident and happy.

They are polite and considerate to one another. Pupils treat their friends and adults with respect. They listen carefully to each other when learning.

Pupils know staff will help them in school. Older pupils are proud to show younger pupils how to share and take turns when they play together.

The school has developed a new curriculum to help raise standards and widen pupils' horizons.

Carefully planned experiences, such as the live link up to an international space station, help pupils learn about science and future career opportunities. However, the school's work to check and fill gaps in pupils' curriculum knowledge ...is in its infancy.

Pupils appreciate the wide range of clubs on offer.

Pupils learn important life skills such as how to cook healthy food. They particularly enjoy helping to care for the animals at farm club. Pupils value trips, sporting events and learning from visitors to the school.

For example, pupils are enthused by the opportunity to perform with other schools at local events. Pupils' personal development, talents and interests are nurtured. Parents describe the school as a place where staff care, are kind and know their children well.

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

Since the previous inspection, trust and school leaders have worked together to understand the school's strengths and areas for development. The trust supports school leadership to improve the school's provision and raise standards. This work is underway.

For example, a sequenced mathematics curriculum is now in place. However, changes to the school's curriculum have not yet improved pupils' outcomes in some subjects.

The curriculum is not implemented as the school intends in some subjects.

This is because the essential curriculum knowledge is not structured in clear, achievable steps. Where important curriculum content is not clearly identified, pupils do not learn essential knowledge. As a result, some learning activities are not suitable.

At times, teaching does not check pupils' knowledge effectively. When this occurs, learning moves on to the next activity before ensuring every pupil has retained the subject's required knowledge. This leads to pupils having insufficient subject knowledge to help them to securely build future knowledge, skills and vocabulary.

Pupils are unable to make links between important concepts. They do not know more and remember more over time.

In contrast, the school has improved its phonics and reading curriculum since the last inspection.

Staff nurture children's love of reading from the early years onwards. Children are introduced to a wide range of high-quality books in the early years. Staff select story, poetry and non-fiction books that interest children in the carefully planned learning activities.

For example, children enjoy acting out traditional tales in the role-play area.The teaching of phonics is effective. Teachers and teaching assistants have a secure knowledge of phonics.

As pupils increase their phonics knowledge, the books they read match the letters and sounds they know. This helps pupils to develop their reading speed and accuracy well. Pupils' reading comprehension grows through the regular opportunities to explore different books with staff support.

Most pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have individual targets that reflect their needs. However, some targets are not precise. As a result, some teaching and resources are not adapted effectively to meet the needs of those pupils.

When this occurs, some pupils with SEND are not supported sufficiently well. Work to rectify this has already started.

Staff care for pupils' well-being.

They teach pupils how to be physically and mentally healthy. Whole school worship and discussion support pupils to understand and appreciate that everyone is different and unique. This learning starts in the early years where children are encouraged to make positive choices.

Some pupils need additional help to manage their emotions and feelings. Support plans are in place for pupils who require this extra help. The school's routines and expectations for pupils' behaviour ensure a calm and orderly environment.

Pupils understand the importance of fundamental British values. Their knowledge of democracy, tolerance, rule of law and justice is developed through debates and carefully planned experiences. Most pupils talk about cultures, religions and people's lives that are different from their own with maturity.

Pupils look forward to attending school. The school works well with parents and external agencies to help pupils to attend school regularly. Together they identify and remove the barriers that prevent a pupil from attending school regularly.

This work is successful.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school does not implement its new curriculum as intended.

The important knowledge in some subject curriculums is not sufficiently detailed and carefully sequenced. This means pupils do not learn essential concepts. The school needs to ensure important content is well sequenced and sufficiently detailed to make sure the curriculum is implemented effectively.

• Learning activities do not always provide pupils with the opportunities to secure and deepen their subject curriculum knowledge. Pupils cannot build on prior learning and make connections between concepts taught. The school needs to ensure pupils have appropriate opportunities to review and apply their knowledge and skills to know more, do more and remember more over time.