Newport Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides an oasis of calm where staff nurture and care for pupils.

The school's positive culture helps pupils to be safe and happy.

Leaders, staff and governors have high expectations for every pupil. Staff teach reading, writing and mathematics well.

Recent revisions to the curriculum in subjects such as science help pupils to secure important knowledge. Staff show pupils how these subjects can lead to future education and career pathways. Leaders are now refining other subjects in similar ways.

Pupils' behaviour in lessons is very good. At playtimes and lunchtimes, pupils play well together. Any minor disputes are quickly resolved by sta...ff.

Bullying incidents are rare. Staff take bullying seriously and act promptly to address this. Pupils are confident that staff are good at resolving any incidents of concern.

They know that staff will help them with any worries that they may have.

Leaders and staff know well the community that the school serves. They have a deep understanding of the needs of children.

Staff expertise helps pupils who come from a wide range of backgrounds to settle quickly into school and thrive. The school's wider curriculum work develops pupils' character and widens their horizons.

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

Leaders have created well-designed curriculums for reading, writing and mathematics.

Using suitable assessment approaches, teachers check that pupils have secured important knowledge. Leaders have effective systems in place to support the high proportions of pupils who join the school at different points of the school year. Staff successfully use assessment and a range of strategies to develop pupils' language acquisition if pupils arrive with little proficiency in speaking English.

Pupils make strong progression through the curriculum. This curriculum progression is not always reflected in published outcomes.

Leaders are refining the curriculum.

The impact of this is evident in science. Pupils successfully develop both their scientific knowledge and their ability to work scientifically.

Leaders' work to improve the curriculum in some foundation subjects, such as religious education, is less well developed.

Sometimes, the activities that pupils complete do little to develop their knowledge. Similarly, teachers' approaches to check pupils' understanding to help them retain knowledge are not consistently effective. Leaders are taking action to address both these aspects.

Leaders and staff have a clear focus on ensuring that pupils become confident, fluent readers. The vast majority of staff have received specific training on how to teach the phonics programme. Staff ensure that pupils make good progress in securing phonic knowledge.

An extensive range of strategies is in place to help pupils to catch up. This is effective in helping pupils who have gaps in learning or who have joined the school with limited or no phonic knowledge. Pupils read books that are well matched to their phonic knowledge.

Staff continue to develop pupils' reading expertise through teaching in lessons and exposure to good-quality texts. This has a positive impact on pupils' reading abilities and their love of reading. For example, Year 5 and Year 6 pupils could articulately explain the storyline of William Shakespeare's play, 'The Tempest'.

Children in early years are taught the school's routines and expectations for behaviour. Children in Nursery and Reception listen attentively to adults and work sensibly with other children. They respond well to instructions, such as during 'tidy-up time'.

Pupils' behaviour from Year 1 to Year 6 is very good in lessons. Pupils apply themselves well. Their books demonstrate the pride that they have in their work.

Despite leaders' extensive efforts, too many pupils have poor attendance. Where this is the case, this impacts on the knowledge and skills that pupils develop.

Leaders' provision for pupils' personal development is a particular strength of the school.

Pupils have access to a wide range of before- and after-school clubs. The broad range of opportunities for pupils to take responsibility in school develops their leadership qualities. The school's ethos and curriculum strengthen pupils' respect for people from a variety of backgrounds and their understanding of the need to treat everyone equally.

Staff's actions to develop pupils' physical and mental health are well matched to pupils' needs. There is an extensive range of pastoral support and expertise to help pupils who may need additional support.

Staff promptly identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Suitable staff support and resources are provided to enable these pupils to access the curriculum successfully. These pupils achieve well.

Leaders know the school's strengths and areas for further improvement well.

They have clear plans to strengthen the curriculum in some foundation subjects and to develop the expertise of leaders of foundation subjects further. Governors are knowledgeable about the school and the community it serves. They strategically check the quality of education.

Governors ensure that the school meets its statutory duties. Staff are positive about how leaders consider their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff promptly identify pupils and families who may be vulnerable to safeguarding risks. They work well with an extensive range of agencies to secure the help that pupils need. Leaders follow a range of processes to check the suitability of staff to work with pupils.

This includes pre-employment checks and responses to any other concerns raised.

The school's curriculum raises pupils' awareness of safeguarding risks, including those related to staying safe when online. Staff teach pupils to understand healthy relationships in an age-appropriate way.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not completed the revision of the school's curriculum in some foundation subjects. Pupils learn less well in some subjects than in others. Sometimes, activities for pupils in lessons do little to deepen pupils' learning, and teachers do not check pupils' understanding well enough.

Leaders should continue to refine the school's curriculum to help pupils to learn the most important knowledge in all subjects and to check that they remember this. ? Some leaders of foundation subjects lack expertise in checking how well the curriculum is being taught. Senior leaders need to develop curriculum leadership further in foundation subjects.

• Too many pupils have poor attendance. This restricts their learning. Leaders need to continue with their focused efforts to improve attendance and engage with the parents and carers of pupils who have low attendance.