Palgrave Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe. They have excellent behaviour and attitudes towards learning. Pupils all know each other and play happily in the woodland environment of the village green at breaktimes.

Older pupils help the younger ones at these times. They have key responsibilities for helping the school run effectively. Pupils organise collective worship and act as house captains.

The learning is enhanced by many activities. Leaders do not let the very small school site limit this in any way. All pupils use the large forest school area in the village.

They develop skills in perseverance and independence. They are taken to use specialist sports facilities to take... part in sports such as tennis and golf. A wide range of extra-curricular clubs run every lunch and after school.

Trips add to the broad and balanced curriculum, highly engaging the pupils' interest.

Teaching is highly effective and most pupils' attainment is high on leaving the school. Leaders have reviewed their curriculum and are clearer on exactly what they want pupils to learn in each year group.

There is further work for subject leaders to do to know how well each subject is taught. There are some occasions across the curriculum where teachers could further deepen and extend pupils' learning.

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

Leaders prioritise activities and experiences that will develop pupils' attitudes to learning and life, perseverance and resilience.

Their high expectations are shared by all adults in the school. As all adults know every pupil, this leads to consistency, resulting in excellent behaviour and confident pupils. Bullying and poor behaviour are extremely rare.

Pupils are sure that adults would sort out any problems quickly.

Teachers provide a well-rounded education to the pupils in this school. The curriculum is broad and balanced, covering the full requirements of the national curriculum and more.

Pupils have high attainment and make strong progress in their time in the school. Many pupils achieve the greater depth and/or the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2. There are times, however, when teaching activities and methods chosen could develop pupils' understanding even more.

Leaders have recently reviewed the curriculum. They are making it even clearer exactly what skills and knowledge should be learned in each class. However, a few subjects do not have this fully in place and not all subject leaders know exactly what has been taught.

The curriculum is enhanced by a wide range of extra-curricular clubs, with high take-up. Many trips out add to the core curriculum. They extend pupils' confidence and knowledge of the world.

For example, the upper two classes took part in a mock trial at Ipswich Crown Court. They achieved second place for their debating skills, above many larger schools. All pupils in Year 4 learn a brass instrument and many continue playing into Year 5 and 6.

The pupils across the school regularly perform to local community groups. There are close links with the next-door church.

Reading is taught effectively.

Pupils enjoy taking part in acting out stories, this is also built on with links with local drama societies and yearly productions. Any pupils who are at risk of falling behind with reading are given prompt support to catch up.

Pupils particularly enjoy mathematics and science.

In both, they regularly undertake investigations. They can keep going when these are tricky and give good explanations of what they find out.

Physical education (PE) and outdoor education are strengths in the curriculum, turning the limitations of the site into a success story.

This is done by leaders arrange for pupils to use specialist sports facilities elsewhere. Pupils regularly take part in competitive and non-competitive events. They are taught PE at the community centre by a specialist teacher.

Throughout the year all pupils have outdoor forest school sessions. The youngest have this weekly.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are extremely well supported.

They are given support planned at an individual level to enable them to make excellent progress. The very few disadvantaged pupils also have individualised support as and when needed, enabling them to do well. They can all access extra-curricular activities on offer.

The school is well led and managed. The headteacher leads by example and staff feel well supported. The school works closely with other local schools and those in the multi-academy trust.

Teachers and subject leaders are benefiting from working with colleagues in the MAT. Staff share their skills and expertise.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff in the school have received high-quality training and are clear on what the risks are to pupils. They know what to do if they have a concern and any of these are dealt with promptly.

Governors and leaders ensure that all appropriate checks have been made on adults regularly in the school.

They check that staff have a good understanding of the training that they have received. Leaders also ensure that their own knowledge of current potential risks is up to date.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

There are some occasions where the activities and teaching methods chosen by teachers could deepen pupils' understanding further.

Subject leaders have begun a wholescale revision of the already broad and balanced curriculum to enhance it further. These revisions, to make it clearer exactly what knowledge, content and skills they expect to be taught in each class, are in place for some subjects but not all. Some subject leaders need to develop further how they will know what has actually been taught.