North Heath Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

North Heath Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and secure at North Heath Community Primary School. They grow in confidence during their time here because they are valued and listened to.

Pupils know that they are expected to work hard and behave well. They strive to meet these expectations. Pupils are clear about the school's values such as respect and happiness.

They can give examples of what this means to them. Pupils say that their school is a kind place. This is evident in the warm and nurturing relationships throughout.

Most pupils behave well. The school is a calm and orderly enviro...nment. Social times are well organised and run smoothly.

Everyone knows and follows the routines. This helps lunchtime and playtimes to be a hive of happy activity. Pupils are confident that adults will support them and deal with any unkind behaviour.

Any incidents of bullying are responded to quickly and resolved.

Pupils value the positions of responsibility they have, for example as members of the school council or as house captains. They enjoy helping organise charity days and being consulted on new playground equipment.

Pupils are proud of opportunities to represent the school by being on one of the many sports teams, such as cross country.

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

Leaders and governors bring both ambition and experience to their roles. Staff are highly supportive of leaders.

They value the structures that have been created, such as the curriculum teams, to help support their workload and develop the curriculum. Staff are proud to work at the school. Leaders have ensured that the school regularly works with other local schools.

Staff benefit from the projects and links they develop as a consequence.

Ensuring that pupils learn to read quickly and well is of central importance here. This starts right from the beginning in Reception with the well-established phonics programme.

Staff are experts in the teaching of early reading. A rigorous assessment system quickly identifies any pupils at risk of falling behind or who need additional support. Carefully matched reading books ensure that pupils experience success and grow in confidence.

Pupils read well. They value reading and enjoy the books that they read and enjoy listening to stories. Children in Reception visit the local library.

Pupils across the school are excited by the new library space in school and the wide range of books that are available to help support their learning across the curriculum.

The curriculum in other subjects is ambitious. It has been well developed in clearly sequenced steps.

This starts in Reception and enables children to build strong foundations for future learning in key stage 1. Pupils build on knowledge well as they move through the school. Teaching connects ideas and revisits concepts appropriately to help pupils to remember and link their knowledge.

Pupils explain their learning clearly and develop a depth of understanding which prepares them well for the next steps in their education. However, sometimes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not have their barriers to learning considered carefully enough. When this happens, learning for these pupils can slow.

Pupils enjoy their learning. In mathematics, they are inspired to learn their tables by using the 'multicoloured multiplication' challenges. Their secure understanding of these facts and a range of methods helps them tackle increasing complex problems with enthusiasm and accuracy.

In subjects such as geography, they develop a secure understanding of their locality and can compare this to the wider world. Pupils apply their geographical learning well through activities such as orienteering and regular fieldwork.

In classes, pupils mostly behave well.

They listen to their teachers and each other. They like learning together. Pupils are inspired by the house points they earn for working well.

They try their best and are keen to learn and achieve.

The curriculum for personal development is well considered and adapted to meet pupils' needs. Pupils have a well-developed sense of equality.

They apply this to their own lives, for example in playground games. Pupils also extend this to others through being welcoming and inclusive. They are well informed about a range of cultures and beliefs.

This helps them to be considerate of others and interested in the wider world.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that comprehensive training enables staff to identify pupils who may be at risk and report any worries promptly.

Leaders respond appropriately and swiftly to any concerns. They seek advice and support for pupils and families, when appropriate. Governors check safeguarding records and systems.

All necessary pre-employment checks are completed.

Leaders ensure that pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. They adapt the curriculum to respond to any needs such as pupils using certain apps.

Pupils feel safe. They are confident in reporting any concerns through using systems such as the worry boxes, which are checked regularly by staff.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes pupils with SEND do not have their needs considered precisely enough.

This means that pupils needs are not always supported in lessons, and therefore, they do not learn as much as they could. Leaders should ensure that support for all pupils with SEND is tightly aligned with their needs.

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2017.

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