Nonsuch Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where adults are determined that pupils will do well no matter their background. Teachers are developing a sound knowledge of the subjects they teach and enjoy working at the school.

Leaders make sure that teachers are improving their skills all of the time. Pupils learn a lot during their time at Nonsuch Primary School as a result. Pupils love telling people about what they have learned.

For example, pupils told inspectors lots of details about the role of women over time from what they had studied in their history lessons.

Pupils are proud of their school. They behave well, are kind to one another and treat each other with respect.

...>This means the school is a calm place where pupils are ready to learn. Bullying is rare in school, and pupils are confident to talk to a grown-up if it ever happens.

Parents and carers appreciate what the school does for their children.

They feel that the school is warm and friendly. Staff are always there to listen and help when there is a problem.

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

Teaching pupils to read is very important to leaders.

They train teachers thoroughly so that they can teach pupils to read well from the start of the early years. Teachers make sure that pupils practise their reading a lot. They use books which are at just the right level for pupils.

Pupils who fall behind in their reading go for short catch-up sessions. These work well because teachers know exactly what pupils need to catch up on. Leaders help parents to support children's reading.

They put on workshops and provide online resources.

Teachers have a well-developed understanding of how pupils learn. They repeat key knowledge to make sure that pupils understand the work.

They encourage pupils to talk about what they are learning. The focus on talking is helping pupils in the early years to develop their language and communication skills. Teachers explain things carefully.

They break the curriculum down into small steps to help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders check that teachers use appropriate resources to support pupils with SEND. They work with staff to ensure that the individual needs of pupils are met.

This helps pupils learn the curriculum successfully.

Leaders have made staff training a priority. Teachers' skills and confidence to teach the full range of subjects are developing well.

Leaders check to see how well different subjects are being delivered. They know that there is still work to do. For example, in music, teachers are less confident to use musical instruments in lessons.

Pupils study the full range of curriculum subjects, which leaders have carefully planned. This means that teachers have plenty of guidance on how they should plan their lessons and can check pupils' understanding as they go along. Teachers assess very regularly in lessons.

However, assessments at the end of a unit or a year are not as helpful to teachers or pupils as they could be.

Leaders have thought about how the early years prepares children for key stage 1. For example, children learn about time, including the past and the present.

This prepares them well for their history topic 'toys over time' in key stage 1.

Pupils' relationships with their teachers are warm and pupils work hard for their teachers as a result. Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy behaving well inside and outside.

They have plenty of opportunities at Nonsuch Primary School to go on trips, meet visitors and experience the wider world. Leaders plan these activities carefully, thinking about what pupils need to know. For example, there are visits from a history specialist and visits out to local high schools.

Leaders provide bespoke opportunities for pupils with specific needs so that they are better prepared for life after school. For example, some pupils go to local community organisations to learn about how different adults help in society. Others develop their social skills by working in small groups.

All pupils visit a range of places of worship, the theatre and local landmarks during their time at school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The trust supports the school to make sure that all of the required checks on staff are made before they start work.

Leaders make sure that records are well kept and concerns are acted on quickly. Staff know how to report any concerns they have. Leaders provide high-quality safeguarding training on many different topics.

These include safeguarding issues that are common to the local area. This means that staff are confident to see potential problems and provide help for pupils who need it. Pupils learn about keeping themselves safe in the curriculum.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Ongoing assessments are working well but summative assessments are not as useful as they could be. This is because they do not relate to the curriculum well enough. Leaders should make sure that summative assessments have a clear purpose and can be used to evaluate the quality and implementation of the curriculum.

• Some teachers need to improve their knowledge in some subjects. Leaders should make sure that staff are confident and effective in teaching the full range of subjects. This should include a focus on subject-specific knowledge and teaching, so that teachers are more confident, for example, to use school instruments when teaching music.