Mordiford CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's motto to 'Treasure each individual' underpins the caring ethos in this close-knit, community school. It values every pupil and sees them as unique. Parents and pupils are full of praise for the school.

Parents appreciate the dedication of staff and strong leadership of the headteacher. Pupils like their teachers and enjoy learning. These positive attitudes contribute to pupils' high attendance.

The school offers a wide range of exciting opportunities to realise its ambition for pupils to 'be the best they can be'. Learning experiences encourage pupils to explore and discover their interests and talents beyond the classroom. These include clubs such as foo...tball, debating, yoga and quidditch.

Enrichment afternoons also provide opportunities for pupils to extend their skills and interests, such as through forest school, participation in competitions and theatre performances.

Pupils feel safe at school. They know they can turn to a trusted adult in school if they are worried about anything and they will be listened to.

They are confident that adults deal with any behaviour or bullying incidents quickly. Personal safety is interwoven into the curriculum. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in different situations, for example, online.

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

The school has worked hard and has created an interesting and ambitious curriculum. Staff have identified the precise knowledge, skills and subject vocabulary they want pupils to know and remember. New learning is introduced in small logical steps in most subjects so that pupils build their knowledge gradually.

However, some fine tuning is still to happen in a small number of subjects. The curriculum shows clear progression from Year 1 to Year 6, but it is not yet linked sufficiently with the early years curriculum.

Staff provide plenty of warm encouragement to children in the early years.

They focus on developing their early communication, social and physical skills. In key stage 1 and 2, some subjects are taught by specialists. This helps pupils develop greater accuracy and expertise in these subjects.

Staff have good subject knowledge and present tasks clearly. They revisit prior learning before moving on to new content. They question and check pupils' understanding during lessons and at the end of units taught.

Information gathered is used effectively to help staff identify and address any misconceptions or gaps in learning.

Reading is a whole school priority. A range of incentives and different events encourage pupils to develop a love of reading.

The school expects even the youngest children to read regularly in school and at home. Robust systems are in place to ensure that this happens. Home reading books are checked and changed frequently.

Additional time is given to pupils who struggle with reading. This helps them develop their fluency and confidence. However, not all books that pupils read, closely match the words they learn in phonics lessons.

This hinders the progress they make.

The school has effective methods in place to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This starts in the early years.

It works closely with staff and parents to plan the support that individual pupils need and receive. Teachers adapt the curriculum to ensure that pupils access the same content as their peers. Additional adult help, specialist equipment and external advice are used well to ensure that pupils achieve well.

Overall, pupils behave well in school and at breaktimes. Most are polite and courteous. However, in a small number of classes, some of the younger pupils do not always listen and behave as well as they should.

This leads to low level disruption in some lessons. This is not always addressed consistently by staff.

Pupils have a clear understanding of the school values and the importance of respect and equality.

Pupils can recall and compare facts about different faiths. They have an early understanding of British values. This helps prepare them well for life in modern Britain.

Pupils enjoy the educational visits, competitions and community events in which they are involved. Roles such as young leaders and house captains help build pupils' confidence and leadership skills.

Governors are knowledgeable about the school.

They use their areas of expertise well to support and challenge leaders and staff. They ensure that the school is safe and that they fulfil their statutory duties. They are mindful of staff well-being and workload and keep a careful check on all staff, including the headteacher.

Staff are proud to work at the school and feel well supported. The school actively encourages, and supports staff, to undertake further professional qualifications to improve their classroom practice and develop their leadership skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum in some areas of the early years curriculum, and a few foundation subjects, is not as well organised as in other subjects. This leads to variation in how well pupils understand and remember what they learn. The school should continue to develop the curriculum in these subjects so that pupils build their knowledge sequentially and securely from Reception to Year 6.

• Some pupils access reading books which are not phonically decodable. This hinders their ability to develop the skills needed to be successful early readers. The school should ensure that all reading books allow pupils to practise and apply the phonic skills they learn in lessons.

• Some pupils in a small number of classes do not behave as well as they should. They sometimes become distracted and disengage from learning. The school should ensure that all staff have high expectations of behaviour and that the school's behaviour policy is implemented consistently by staff in each key stage.

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