Newhey Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well cared for by staff. Pupils genuinely care for and respect each other. They readily talk about how they enjoy school.

They make everyone in the school feel welcome. Pupils support each other and value each other's contributions. Their positive attitudes help make the school a happy place to be.

Leaders have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), work hard to meet these expectations. Pupils typically behave well and are attentive in lessons.

They benefit from the improvements that leaders have made to the curriculum. Pupils now achieve more consistently in ...all subjects.

Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities.

All pupils can be 'learning detectives'. They take this role very seriously. Pupils make suggestions to improve the school.

They are proud that leaders listen to their ideas and take their proposals on board.

Most parents and carers are very supportive of the school. However, a small minority of parents feel that leaders do not deal with their concerns well.

Despite this, pupils said that staff help to sort out problems effectively, including when bullying happens. They trust staff with their worries. This helps pupils to feel safe.

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

Over time, leaders have carefully considered how to improve the school's curriculum. They have brought about many positive changes to the way the curriculum is planned and led. The result is a well-organised curriculum that enables pupils to learn in a logical way.

Curriculum leaders are passionate and knowledgeable about the subjects they lead. They are ambitious for their subjects and for all pupils, including pupils with SEND.

Curriculum plans in some subjects are fully embedded.

Leaders have trained teachers and provided them with the support that they need to deliver these plans well. Teachers carefully introduce, revisit and check the essential knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in these subjects. Pupils build their knowledge securely as a result.

In a minority of subjects, leaders have more recently refined their curriculum plans. Pupils now remember the knowledge that leaders have identified as essential in these subjects. For instance, pupils confidently use the key vocabulary they have been taught recently.

Previous curriculum plans did not offer teachers the same level of guidance. Teachers' checks on what pupils know and remember lacked precision. Consequently, pupils' next steps in learning were not well planned in all subjects.

Some pupils struggle to remember their previous learning as a result.

Leaders are determined that all pupils learn to read well. They have improved the way that phonics is taught by introducing a new phonics programme.

They have made sure that teachers and other staff are well trained to deliver it. Staff use the phonics programme consistently well. Pupils read books that match the sounds they are learning.

They develop secure phonics knowledge. Teachers check pupils' phonics knowledge accurately. They quickly put additional support in place for pupils who start to fall behind.

Leaders also want pupils to enjoy reading. Staff begin to bring stories to life for children as soon as they enter the Nursery class. Children enjoy acting as characters from well-loved stories, such as 'Goldilocks and the three bears'.

All pupils, including those with SEND, are supported effectively to sustain this early love of reading. Pupils across the school read every day from a wide range of well-chosen texts. They enjoy listening to their teachers read to them.

Teachers select books that help pupils to reflect on important issues such as equality. Most pupils enjoy reading and read regularly at school and at home.

Staff are trained to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

This enables these pupils to access the same curriculum as their classmates. These and other pupils typically behave well in class. This helps them to get the most out of their lessons and the support that their teachers and other staff provide.

A range of additional activities and responsibilities promote pupils' personal development effectively. Pupils are keen to play their part in the school community. They readily take on positions of responsibility and engage in regular fundraising and charity work.

Pupils develop a wide range of interests through the many clubs on offer. They develop their cultural understanding through links with a school in Eswatini. Pupils leave the school ready for the next stage of their education.

Governors bring a wealth of experience and expertise to their roles. They have strengthened their knowledge of the school. Governors offer leaders well-informed support and challenge as a result.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know how to spot any slight changes in behaviour that may indicate a pupil is at risk of harm. Leaders act promptly to ensure pupils get the help they need.

They work closely with families as well as external agencies to help keep pupils safe.

Pupils' mental health needs are prioritised. Pupils who need extra help benefit from support provided by highly trained school staff.

All pupils spoken to said that they feel safe in school. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. They learn about healthy relationships.

Older pupils recognise acceptable behaviours. They understand about appropriate touch and consent.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders' revised subject plans are at varying stages of implementation.

In a small number of subjects, leaders have only recently begun to implement these plans. As a result, pupils' knowledge in different aspects of their learning is not equally secure. Leaders need to ensure that recently revised plans are fully implemented so that pupils benefit from a consistently high-quality curriculum.

• Over time, teachers have not ensured that essential knowledge is carefully introduced, revisited and checked in some subjects. This means that, in these subjects, pupils do not have secure knowledge on which to build as they move through year groups. Leaders should continue to refine their approach to assessment to ensure pupils embed key knowledge in their long-term memory.