Measham Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming school, where staff know every pupil individually well. Pupils feel safe, nurtured and valued.

Parents greatly appreciate the community spirit and caring support for pupils and their families.

Pupils are polite and courteous. They behave responsibly by following 'The Measham Way'.

They follow instructions straightaway and try their best. Pupils show care for each other, and they play well together on the playground. Pastoral support is a notable strength of the school.

Trained staff help pupils when they have anxieties or struggle emotionally. This helps them settle quickly, so they are ready for learning.

Pupils enjoy sc...hool and appreciate the wide range of exciting opportunities.

They speak enthusiastically about whole class ukulele, glockenspiel and taiko drumming lessons. There is a large uptake of the many sporting, musical, art and poetry clubs. Through the school council, pupils appreciate that they can suggest activities that interest them.

To realise its ambition for pupils, the school has made recent improvements in the curriculum and how it is taught. Pupils are starting to benefit from these. However, they do not learn the curriculum as well as they should yet, particularly pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who have difficulty reading.

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

The school provides an ambitious and interesting curriculum for pupils. For all subjects, the school has identified the important knowledge pupils need to learn. The teaching plans order this logically to build pupils' knowledge over time.

The school has made substantial changes to the curriculum recently, so many plans are new. However, these changes are addressing weaknesses in some subjects, where pupils had not been learning as well as they should. Along with the new subject plans, the school is providing teachers with better support and resources to improve their delivery of the curriculum.

Teachers regularly revisit important concepts to help pupils remember them. They make regular checks on pupils' learning. Often, teachers identify and address pupils' misconceptions.

However, the thoroughness of these checks on learning varies. Sometimes, teachers do not notice pupils' misconceptions or if some pupils have not fully understood what is being taught. Sometimes learning moves on before addressing this, leaving some pupils with insecurities in their knowledge.

Teachers select appropriate and engaging activities for most pupils. Some pupils, particularly those with SEND and those who struggle with reading, do not always get the right support. Activities are sometimes not adapted well enough for them.

Tasks can be too complex for the stage of their learning. There are many staff available to support pupils but not all have the expertise to adapt the curriculum successfully. The school has provided some training but not to all staff.

The school has increased its expectations of pupils with SEND. These pupils are fully included in all aspects of school life. The school accurately identifies their needs and puts in place individual support plans.

Sometimes, however, the plans do not fully address these pupils' needs. They are not used effectively to enable all pupils with SEND to achieve well.

Children get off to a strong start in the pre-school and Reception Year classes.

Staff help children develop a secure understanding of new vocabulary. Children who need it get effective support with their speech and language. Staff model how to engage with all the exciting activities.

They check all children take part in the range of opportunities.

The school has made learning to read a priority. Pupils enjoy reading and look forward to the end-of-day story time.

Phonics teaching starts straightaway in the early years. Older pupils continue to study phonics to develop their spelling. The school works effectively with parents to encourage pupils to practise reading regularly.

Mainly pupils become confident and fluent readers. Pupils who struggle with phonics and reading, get extra help. However, as in other subjects, tasks given to them in phonics lessons are not adapted well enough.

The provision for pupils' personal development is an area of the school's work that they are rightly proud of. The school emphasises the importance of physical and emotional well-being. They teach the importance of sleep, healthy eating and perseverance.

The school encourages pupils to be reflective. Alongside the school's Christian values, pupils learn about values important for life in modern Britain. School events such as the 'Religion Roadshow' support pupils' understanding of inclusion and diversity.

Pupils are accepting of all others, regardless of their background.

Since joining the trust a few months ago, the school is going through a period of rapid change. There is renewed ambition for all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged.

The school knows what needs to improve now and is taking action, drawing on the expertise of the wider trust team. Staff are positive about the changes and appreciate the focus on their professional development. They feel well supported.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Individual support plans do not always precisely consider the identified needs of pupils with SEND. The plans, including the strategies and interventions set out in them, do not clearly set out the support provided for these pupils in the classroom.

This means that pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure the support provided to pupils with SEND addresses their needs. Some staff do not have the expertise to effectively adapt the curriculum for pupils at different stages of learning.

Pupils are sometimes given tasks that they do not have the foundational knowledge to complete, and adult support focuses on the completion of work rather than what pupils need to learn. This hinders pupils from building successfully on what they know. The school should ensure that all staff understand how to successfully adapt the curriculum.

• Teachers do not systematically check pupils' understanding. This means that some pupils develop and embed misconceptions and do not learn important knowledge as securely as they should. The school should ensure that pupils' learning is consistently and effectively checked so that misconceptions are quickly identified and addressed.

Also at this postcode