Nailsworth Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection.

However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's interim leadership team have made rapid improvements to safeguard pupils.

There is a clear plan of action to increase pupils' knowledge of the school's curriculum. Regular checks on the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/ or disabilities (SEND) are now in place. This ensures the schoo...l knows if the additional support pupils with SEND have is effective.

Nevertheless, improvements to the quality of education, including in the early years, are in their infancy.

Pupils are happy, polite and safe. They enjoy playtimes together.

Older pupils are 'buddies' with the youngest children and help them settle into school. More recently, pupils welcome their parents and carers to 'Marvellous Mondays' to share their books and classroom displays.

The personal development of pupils is a strength of the school.

Pupils are taught to be active citizens through their work with the local community. For example, pupils complete litter picks and grow produce in the shared community garden. Pupils' talents, interests and characters are nurtured through the wide range of clubs, trips and visitors to the school.

Many parents attribute their children's increased confidence to the care of staff and the school's enrichment opportunities.

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

There is a whole-school curriculum in place. However, the school has not identified the essential knowledge it wants pupils to know and remember in all subjects.

This includes in the early years. The curriculum is not broken down into small, sequential steps to help teachers plan learning effectively. The school does not check pupils know and remember the school curriculum's essential knowledge.

As a result, gaps in knowledge and misconceptions increase over time. Pupils learn superficial knowledge. They recall learning activities rather than the subject's essential knowledge.

For example, pupils remember some historical facts and lessons but cannot place the people and events studied in chronological order on a timeline.

The school has plans to help subject leaders refine the curriculum. It intends to support teachers to use the curriculum to plan suitable learning activities based on accurate assessment information.

However, this is not yet in place. For example, children's starting points are not considered in the early years when planning learning. Checks on the impact of extra help provided for pupils with SEND have recently started.

However, this work is new and has not started in all subjects.

Leaders rightly prioritise pupils learning to read well. Phonics is taught and books are available to match pupils' phonic knowledge.

Most pupils learn to segment and blend phonemes successfully. Until recently, pupils who found reading difficult, and pupils with SEND, did not receive the additional support they needed to secure their phonic knowledge. Consequently, some older pupils cannot apply their phonic knowledge to reading and writing well.

Carefully selected, high-quality texts enrich the new reading curriculum. Teachers read and discuss the books with their classes to expand pupils' vocabulary and improve their reading comprehension. The books also help to build pupils' knowledge of cultures and religions from Britain and around the world.

Visitors to the school are welcome as pupils are keen to find out about the lives of people beyond the school gates. Broadening pupils' horizons through trips and visits is valued by the school. The school's curriculum and enrichment opportunities ensure pupils know how to keep themselves safe online and in the community.

Pupils know the importance of being physically and mentally healthy.

The school has high expectations for pupils to attend school regularly. Leaders work with families and external agencies to identify and remove barriers that prevent parents from sending their children to school.

This work is successful.

Pupils behave well. Most pupils move around the school in a calm and orderly way.

The school's new behaviour policy, alongside tracking of behaviour incidents, helps the school recognise which pupils need extra support. Staff are completing training to know how to successfully support pupils to understand and manage their own feelings.

Governors do not understand their roles and responsibilities fully.

They are currently receiving support from the diocese to improve their knowledge and understanding of the school governor's role.

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's early years curriculum is not implemented as intended.

This means provision and learning activities do not always meet children's needs effectively. The school needs to ensure that early years provision and learning activities are precisely matched to children's needs. ? The school has not identified the essential knowledge it wants pupils to know and remember in some subject curriculums.

In addition, learning activities do not always provide children with opportunities to secure and deepen their knowledge sufficiently well. This means pupils do not remember essential knowledge and important concepts. They are unable to build on prior learning.

The school needs to identify the essential knowledge in all subject curriculums. It needs to ensure teaching enables pupils to know more, do more and remember more of the school's curriculum. ? The role of the subject leader is not sufficiently well developed.

This means leadership at this level does not have the expertise required to raise the standards of education across all subjects. The school needs to ensure subject leadership is developed, so that teachers are supported well to improve their subject knowledge and select appropriate learning activities across all subject areas.

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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

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

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2017.

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