Monteagle Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Monteagle Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Monteagle. They feel happy, safe and well looked after. Staff are ambitious and have high expectations.

Pupils work hard in lessons and produce good-quality work in different subjects. They behave well because expectations are clear. If misbehaviour occurs, leaders act swiftly.

Pupils told inspectors that they felt protected from bullying, on the rare occasions it happens.

Pupils learn the full range of subjects. Leaders have reviewed their curriculum plans and have ensured that these meet national curriculum requirements.

However, not all... plans are organised in a way that best helps pupils build knowledge and understanding over their time at the school.

The curriculum is enriched through a range of experiences. These usually include visits to museums and other sites in London, visits to the coast and overseas visits to France.

Pupils have benefited from working with professionals, such as from the Royal Opera House.

Monteagle Primary School is at the heart of its community. Staff know its families well and have supported them through providing food banks, parenting classes and adult education.

All these make a positive difference to pupils' learning and well-being.

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

Pupils' reading is a priority, starting with children learning phonics in the Nursery. Leaders assess pupils' reading regularly.

Those that fall behind are supported to catch up by well-trained staff. Most pupils develop into confident readers, who are motivated to read widely. However, some weaker readers guess words they do not recognise.

This limits the fluency of their reading.

Pupils follow a broad curriculum. Schemes of work have been reviewed and match the content of the national curriculum.

Some subjects are sequenced very well. For example, in history, leaders have identified migration as an idea they want pupils to understand. This is developed over different time periods, from the Romans through to the recent migration of workers to the local area.

Pupils develop a better understanding of this concept as they move through the school because they learn about it in different contexts.

However, not all plans are sequenced so well. In physical education (PE), a published scheme of work is drawn upon.

Leaders select aspects from this programme. Pupils learn to climb, jump, throw and catch successfully and develop generic teamwork skills. However, plans show that pupils have more limited opportunities to practise individual sports.

This includes, for example, football, which is only planned as a curriculum activity in Year 6. This does not promote progression of pupils' specialised skills as well as it could.

The computing curriculum was updated in September 2019 because of limitations with previous plans.

These revisions make clear what pupils need to learn and remember. Training has been provided to help teachers in this subject. Leaders had planned to implement these changes in January 2021 but, due to COVID-19 (coronavirus) restrictions, this was delayed until May 2021.

In the early years, children use an increasing vocabulary to describe their learning in different subjects. Pupils across the school are expected to speak clearly and in full sentences. Leaders have identified that pupils need to develop their spoken and written language.

This has been a school priority since before the pandemic. While some curriculum plans include vocabulary that pupils should be taught, this is not consistent. While most pupils are confident speakers, this confidence is not as apparent in older pupils' vocabulary and punctuation when speaking or writing.

In the Additional Resource Provision, leaders are clear what they want pupils to know and understand. The curriculum is broken down so that pupils can practise what they need to learn. However, the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in the main school are not always as well considered.

While individual teachers adapt their plans, some pupils are asked to complete tasks they are not ready for.

Pupils concentrate and behave well in lessons. At breaktimes, they join in with organised games and play sensibly with their friends.

Most parents who responded to the online survey stated that behaviour was well managed.

Pupils enjoy a range of extra-curricular activities that develop their interests in music, sport, science and technology. Leaders have found ways of providing these experiences despite COVID-19 restrictions.

For example, the end of year musical will be performed online to the local nursing home rather than the usual live performance to residents.

Staff feel well supported by leaders. They told inspectors that leaders managed workloads effectively and that they felt involved in decisions about the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are well trained to recognise and report any concerns they have. Leaders work closely with external agencies, securing swift support for pupils and families, when required.

Leaders understand the risks pupils might face in the local area. They have ensured that such risks are addressed through the curriculum. For example, work has taken place with older pupils on the risk of gang crime and radicalisation.

Most parents who completed the online survey stated that their children were safe and happy at school. Pupils told inspectors that they felt safe. They knew how to stay safe online and knew whom to report any concerns to.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some subjects are well sequenced. However, this is not the case in all subjects. Leaders should ensure that all subjects, including PE, are consistently planned so that pupils build on knowledge they have learned previously as they move through the school.

• While work in the Additional Resource Provision is well planned to support pupils, the curriculum in the main school is not always as well considered for pupils with SEND. Leaders should ensure that all staff adapt their teaching so that these pupils are able to access the curriculum by doing tasks that they are ready for.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that a good school could now be better than good, or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in April 2016.