Orleans Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy at this warm and friendly school. The school has ensured that its curriculum helps pupils to learn well and receive a broad and enriched education. Pupils enjoy their learning and attendance is extremely high.

Pupils are highly motivated to learn in class and their conduct is orderly and calm around the school. Pupils are respectful to each other and behave with maturity. The school develops pupils' resilience and perseverance well so that pupils view challenges and setbacks as opportunities to learn.

Children in the early years quickly develop emotional awareness and routinely exhibit kindness to one another. Pupils across the school are co...urteous and polite.

The school provides an array of enrichment activities to ensure pupils gain valuable life experiences.

Pupils take part in trips, singing assemblies, a range of clubs and musical opportunities, as well as taking responsibility for the school's allotment and chickens. The school works with local secondary schools to both prepare pupils for this transition and deepen their learning in some subjects.

The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement.

Leaders are taking action to ensure that expectations are similarly high for those with special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND). Parents and carers are largely positive about their child's experience at the school, and there is a growing sense of community.

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

Pupils study an ambitious and broad curriculum.

Leaders have carefully chosen the important knowledge that pupils need to learn, and this is sequenced effectively to build strong understanding. The curriculum is carefully designed from the early years where children build strong foundations. For example, in science, a longitudinal study is included in each year group so pupils record and measure the changes in the school environment.

Reception children study the pond, Year 1 a tree, Year 2 the allotment and so on. Children in early years have an impressive array of resources available to explore the wider world with science sheds, magnifying glasses and light panels. The composition of number and patterns is taught to pupils from an early age, be it through making 'potions' or creating their own patterns to then navigate physically using hoops and obstacles.

Enrichment activities are skilfully chosen to bring learning to life. For example, pupils in Year 6 visit Bletchley Park to support their understanding of mathematics, the history of the Second World War and computing with their study of codebreaking. Alongside this, pupils read 'I Spy,' a novel that is set around these events, and consider the life of Alan Turing.

This approach develops pupils' wider understanding and encourages critical thinking.

Generally, teachers introduce new concepts imaginatively. There is an ethos of 'not a moment lost' so that when pupils move from one activity to another, they recite times tables or sing songs about the seven continents to commit these to memory.

Pupils typically produce work of high quality, and teachers ensure that pupils use ambitious vocabulary. However, teaching does not routinely check that pupils have understood important concepts before moving on to new content. In some subjects, pupils may not have misconceptions addressed and gaps identified in assessments are not consistently tackled.

Teachers have thorough information about the needs of pupils with SEND and these pupils learn in the classroom alongside their peers. The school is working on increasing its inclusive approach. The school offers additional support in mathematics and phonics before school, and most teachers make adaptions successfully where required in lessons.

Occasionally, however, expectations of what pupils with SEND can achieve are not as high as they should be and the necessary support is not implemented consistently.

Reading is a priority of the school. The phonics programme is delivered effectively by skilled staff.

Pupils take home books which match the sounds practised in class. Teachers check pupils' progress and additional support is swiftly provided if needed. As a result, pupils gain fluency and confidence in their reading.

Storytime and high-quality texts read by older children establish a strong culture of reading.

Pupils are focused on their learning in class and are respectful towards each other. They are typically confident and courteous towards adults and attend regularly.

Children in Nursery and Reception learn and play cooperatively. Teachers create purposeful and engaging activities in an exceptionally well-resourced environment. Children move from activities seamlessly and can sustain their concentration very well.

Adults foster children's social and emotional skills effectively.

Provision for pupils' personal development is excellent. The school takes pupils on numerous trips, including to local farms, museums and residential adventures.

Pupils often receive workshops such as an introduction to the steel drums and many are part of the school orchestra. Older pupils read with younger peers, support playtimes or become house captains. Personal, social, health and economic education is very well organised.

Pupils are taught how to stay healthy and how to keep themselves safe, including online. Equality and diversity are celebrated throughout the school, and pupils learn about a range of different cultures.

Staff are proud to work at the school and feel well led.

Leaders and governors are dedicated to further improvement after a period of challenge. One pupil captured the views of many in saying, 'Wherever you are from, and whoever you are, the school welcomes you with open arms.'

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school does not use assessment routinely well in all subjects to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge, errors or misconceptions. As a result, pupils sometimes do not fully understand the key knowledge they need to make progress through the curriculum. The school should ensure that teaching routinely checks what pupils have understood and addresses those gaps identified.

• Sometimes, teaching is not successfully adapted to enable pupils with SEND to meet their potential. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not consistently develop their skills or learn the knowledge presented in depth. The school should ensure that staff have consistently high expectations for all pupils and that teaching is successfully adapted so that these pupils make strong progress.

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