Northfield Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Northfield Primary and Nursery School is welcoming and friendly. Pupils are happy and proud members of the school.

As one pupil said, 'I feel so happy here. The teachers are kind, and they keep us safe.' Throughout the school, pupils engage positively with adults and their peers.

Pupils behave well around the school and in classrooms. They are polite. Playtimes are happy and friendly occasions.

Bullying is rare. Pupils know that adults will help them if they are worried about anything. There are high levels of trust between staff and pupils.

Consequently, pupils feel safe.

Leaders want the best for their pupils. They make sure that pupils ex...perience a wide variety of trips and visits to support their learning.

Pupils have enjoyed Royal Ballet workshops and Viking visits. Children in the nursery love their 'Welly Wednesdays'. Pupils develop their interests and talents in after-school clubs, which include gardening and cooking.

Pupils work hard and want to do their best. They enjoy learning. Leaders have clear intents for their subjects.

They have introduced an ambitious curriculum for pupils. This is helping pupils to learn. Leaders know there is more work to do to make sure the curriculum is delivered as intended.

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

Leaders know their pupils well and the needs of the local community. They are committed to making the improvements needed to ensure all pupils receive the highest quality education. Leaders have identified the core knowledge and skills that pupils will learn from the early years to Year 6 in most subjects.

This includes in reading and mathematics. In some subjects, including personal, social and health education, this is less developed. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

Curriculum leaders are enthusiastic about their subjects. Pupils experience a broad range of learning activities. Some curriculum leaders have had limited opportunities to check the development of their subjects across the school.

This means that they do not reliably know how well pupils learn across the school. The intended curriculum is not always delivered as leaders would like.

Leaders make sure that pupils begin to learn to read as soon as they join the reception class.

Children in the Nursery Year enjoy listening to songs and rhymes to develop their vocabulary. Leaders have introduced a systematic approach to the teaching of phonics. Staff have been trained, so that they can support children to get off to the best possible start in their reading.

Staff check and put appropriate support in place for those who need to catch up. Reading is promoted well throughout the school. Pupils enjoy their daily reading lessons.

One pupil, typical of many, told an inspector, 'I love reading. I can get lost in a book for hours.' Pupils enjoy their visits to the local library and going on the reading van to choose books to read at home.

Leaders understand the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. They create useful learning plans for pupils to help staff meet their needs effectively. Teachers undertake regular training about SEND.

Pupils with SEND access their learning in the classrooms with their peers. They enjoy school and feel successful.

Children in the early years settle well to school life due to the caring and supportive staff.

They develop positive attitudes to learning. Staff have high expectations of children and have planned an ambitious curriculum. Staff model early language and communication skills well.

As a result, children are confident to talk about their learning. Children are happy and cooperate well when learning together.

Pupils behave well in lessons and when moving around the school.

Leaders place a lot of importance on pupils' emotional development. They work with pupils to help them understand their emotions. Pupils value the school's rewards system and love being the 'star of the day'.

School leaders are innovative and seek opportunities for pupils to have experiences they may not ordinarily have. Pupils loved the recent visit from a British swimming champion. They take part in sporting competitions and raise money for charities.

Pupils speak with respect when discussing differences in people. While pupils learn about the British values, their knowledge of these is not secure.

Governors know the school well.

They provide appropriate support and challenge to leaders. They think carefully about how their decisions might impact on pupils. Staff are proud to work at the school.

They value the consideration leaders have for their workload and well-being. Teachers who are at the early stages of their careers feel well supported.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Those responsible for safeguarding have put effective policies in place to identify pupils who might be at risk. Staff receive regular training updates to ensure they are knowledgeable and alert to any concerns. Safeguarding concerns are shared in a timely manner.

Leaders work well with external agencies to support families to access and receive the help that they need. They carry out the necessary recruitment checks on adults to make sure they are suitable to work with children.

Pupils learn how to keep safe, including when they are learning or playing online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some subject leaders do not have a clear enough picture of how well the curriculum is enabling pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding in their subjects. The intended curriculum is not always delivered how leaders expect. School leaders need to ensure that subject leaders have the time and support needed to check how well pupils are learning in each subject.

Subject leaders should use these checks to ensure that the intended curriculum is implemented effectively and to inform their improvement plans. ? Staff check what pupils know, for example, by using quizzes at the start of lessons. They do not always use the outcomes well enough to inform subsequent teaching.

Some staff are not using the information to identify pupils' different starting points. Consequently, work is not always closely matched to what pupils already know and can do. Leaders should ensure that teachers use the outcomes of their checks when they plan lessons, so that pupils make good progress and remember their learning in the longer term.

• While leaders promote British values, pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop a secure and deep understanding of these. This means they cannot explain these well or give examples of how they are lived out within school life and beyond. Leaders should review the curriculum to identify and maximise every opportunity to promote pupils' understanding of British values within and across subjects.