Newchurch Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Newchurch Community Primary School is a happy, friendly place. Pupils are proud to be 'Newchurch Robins'. They are polite and considerate towards one another and staff.

Pupils behave well in class and at breaktimes.

Pupils benefit from staff knowing them very well as individuals. Across the school, staff treat pupils with kindness and respect.

Staff are willing to help pupils and to listen to any concerns that they may have. This helps pupils to feel happy and safe.

The school has high expectations for what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), will learn.

Pupils demonstrate the school's values of... resilience, respect, responsibility, resourcefulness, reciprocity and reflection. Pupils learn what these values mean and why they are important. Pupils mostly achieve well and are well 'prepared to fly' by the time they move on to the next stage of their education.

Pupils are proud of the positive contribution that they make to school life. They are enthusiastic about their many responsibilities. These include taking on roles like subject leaders, sports leaders and buddies.

Older pupils particularly enjoy supporting children in the early years with their learning. They retell with fondness the many magical memories of their journey through school.

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

The school has successfully developed a broad and rich curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND.

The curriculum has been designed to ensure that children in the early years and pupils in the rest of the school build on their prior learning confidently. Much thought has gone into shaping the Newchurch 'chocolate box' curriculum, where every child can find their favourite subject.

Teachers benefit from high-quality training that helps them to deliver the curriculum effectively.

In most subjects, they use their subject knowledge well to design activities that help pupils learn the curriculum successfully. In the main, teachers carefully check pupils' understanding and address any gaps in their knowledge. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not identify and remedy gaps in pupils' knowledge as well as they could.

At times, this hinders how effectively some pupils learn.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND accurately and swiftly. These pupils benefit from carefully tailored support to enable them to access the curriculum easily.

They achieve well as a result.

Reading has a high profile throughout the school. Children begin to learn how to read words from the start of the Reception Year.

The phonics scheme is delivered consistently well by staff. Pupils practise regularly with books that contain the sounds that they know. They become accurate and fluent readers.

Staff quickly identify any pupils who find reading more difficult. These pupils benefit from well-thought-out additional support. This helps them to keep up with the phonics programme.

The school ensures that pupils benefit from reading a wide range of books from different genres. In key stage 2, pupils build up secure reading knowledge. They read with enthusiasm and expression.

Pupils find reading pleasurable, which enhances their learning across the curriculum.

Children in the Reception Year quickly learn the school's high expectations for their behaviour. They learn to listen carefully to instructions and enjoy sharing and taking turns with their friends.

There is a calm and orderly atmosphere around the school.

The school's approach to developing pupils' personal development is exceptional. Pupils have access to an extensive range of opportunities that prepare them very well for life in modern Britain.

Visits, visitors and clubs are carefully mapped out to enhance pupils' learning beyond the classroom. Pupils develop a deep knowledge of important concepts such as democracy and respect through a range of activities. They learn how to be healthy, including looking after their own mental and physical health.

Pupils learn how to stay safe online and in their community. For example, they know about the dangers of knife crime.

The school carefully tracks pupils' participation in the wide range of extra-curricular activities and extensive trips throughout their school journey.

Pupils, including pupils with SEND, are asked what kinds of activities they are interested in. These are then added to the provision on offer such as forest school and film club.

Governors support and challenge the school well.

They ensure that any changes to the school are well managed. Governors consult and conduct regular check-ins with staff to ensure that any change is positive. Staff appreciate this consideration for their well-being.

Staff, including those at the start of their careers, are proud to work at the school.

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 approach to assessment in a few subjects is in the early stage of development.

This means that there are some gaps in pupils' knowledge that are not addressed as effectively as they should be. The school should ensure that staff are equipped to swiftly identify and remedy these gaps in pupils' knowledge. This is so that pupils can build their knowledge and make sense of new information in these subjects more easily.