Northside Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the care that staff show towards them.

Adults put pupils' well-being at the heart of everything they do. Attendance and punctuality levels are high because pupils enjoy coming to learn at school.

Northside Primary is an exciting place to learn in.

This is underpinned by leaders' high expectations. They are determined that every pupil will achieve well academically. The curriculum is carefully planned and enables pupils to learn successfully in different subjects.

Staff also provide a wealth of engaging curriculum days to supplement what pupils learn in lessons. Pupils explained that these days motivate them to feel part of the schoo...l community.

Pupils feel inspired to behave extremely well.

The school atmosphere is orderly, and pupils are polite and highly respectful. They strive to follow the values that shape the school's ethos. Pupils said that this has helped them to improve their attitudes to learning.

Pupils learn about bullying and understand the importance of reporting it. Adults take any concerns seriously and deal with incidents swiftly.

Pupils enjoy the extensive range of clubs on offer, such as gardening, netball and basketball.

These clubs are well attended. Many pupils learn to play an instrument and take part in concerts. Pupils spoke positively about events that leaders organise which help them to understand and consider the needs of others.

They want everyone to feel welcome at their school.

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

Leaders have high expectations of what pupils should learn and achieve. They have established clear aims in all subject areas.

The academic curriculum is broad, and enriched by a wide range of experiences outside of the classroom, such as being an eco-ambassador.

Teachers deliver the English, mathematics and science curriculums in a way that ensures that pupils' knowledge becomes secure. In some other wider curriculum subjects, the delivery of the curriculum is not as well focused on developing pupils' understanding of key concepts.

At times, activities overly emphasise helping pupils to get better at writing rather than the subject that pupils are learning. This makes it harder for pupils to fully grasp and retrieve previous learning, and to link new subject content to what they have learned before.

Leaders and teachers are determined for all pupils to be confident readers.

Children in the early years get off to a strong start. From Nursery onwards, the curriculum for early reading is ambitious and well planned. Nursery-age children are taught the knowledge they need to be ready for their learning in Reception.

Teachers are confident and knowledgeable in teaching phonics. The order that pupils should learn and practise phonic knowledge is clearly set out, and teachers follow this consistently. Pupils' reading books are well matched to the sounds that they know.

Leaders work closely with parents and carers to support them to read with their children at home.

Leaders have designed the reading curriculum around a range of 'terrific texts'. These have been chosen to provide pupils with a rich variety of reading experiences.

Teachers share their enjoyment in reading. Pupils love listening to stories and rhymes, and this helps to improve their vocabulary.

Leaders have also thought about how the curriculum in other subjects supports the development of language and communication.

This work is well established in the early years. Staff expertly develop children's ability to express themselves, teaching them to understand and use new words with confidence. In other year groups, however, leaders' work to help pupils to understand and use important vocabulary in some of the wider curriculum subjects is less firmly established.

This remains an area of priority for leaders and staff.

In the early years, children have great fun learning together. For example, they enjoy developing their physical skills as they stretch, slide and carry objects in the classrooms.

Staff help children to do this sensibly. They support children to follow routines, play well with each other and use resources independently. In older year groups, pupils behave in a consistently kind and respectful way.

They are confident and include others. The high expectations for behaviour also exist for attendance. Staff manage attendance with rigour.

Leaders and staff have created a school community that promotes inclusion exceptionally well. The design of the curriculum caters effectively for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils are fully involved in lessons and their needs are understood.

Teachers make effective adaptations in lessons and step in, as required, to support pupils with SEND to learn successfully.

The school's personal, social, health and economic education programme is exceptionally strong. It aims to encourage pupils' awareness and understanding of concepts such as inclusion and pride.

Staff arrange many outings to enrich pupils' educational and cultural experiences. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about how these trips support them with their learning. For example, Year 6 pupils were keen to explain what they had learned and remembered following a visit to the RAF Museum as part of their Second World War topic.

All pupils have the opportunity to be a leader. These leadership roles are designed to develop pupils' confidence and resilience.

Leaders and staff are committed to giving pupils the best possible start.

Dedicated leaders, including governors, help to successfully secure improvements in the school. Governors fully support the school and are closely involved in its work. Staff feel valued, and leaders are considerate and supportive of their well-being and workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff receive regular guidance from school leaders on what they need to do to identify vulnerable pupils.

Leaders take suitable steps to protect pupils from risks, including those in their local community. Guidance from external professionals is sought and acted on when needed. Staff are well aware of the individual safeguarding needs of pupils.

Pupils are taught about how to stay safe online, including how to report things that are worrying them. They are taught to behave in a safe and respectful manner.

Leaders work well with other agencies to make sure that pupils are kept safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some of the foundation subjects, the delivery of the curriculum is sometimes not well focused on the knowledge set out in leaders' curriculum thinking. Some activities are not as helpful as they could be in ensuring that pupils build up knowledge step by step and remember their learning in the long term. Leaders should support staff to plan learning which enables pupils to learn more and remember more of the intended curriculum.