Parklands Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Resilience, respect and a love of learning are actively promoted and celebrated at this vibrant and lively school. Working relationships within the school community are strong.

This ensures that the school is a positive and inclusive community. Leaders make sure that every child thrives, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils are kept, and feel, safe here.

This is because leaders have high expectations for all pupils. Pupils have a clear understanding of their rights and responsibilities. They demonstrate kindness and consideration towards others.

In the rare instances when bullying does occur, staff address... it promptly and effectively.

Pupils learn and behave well. They listen attentively to staff and their peers, fostering a collaborative learning environment.

Children in the early years are curious and engage happily in cooperative play and learning. Classrooms are calm and pupils work purposefully in their lessons. Pupils achieve well and are ready for the next stage of education.

A wide range of activities enhance pupils' school experiences. They look forward to and enjoy visits to the school farm. Pupils enthusiastically work together to maintain the farm environment.

They particularly enjoy feeding the goats and watching the farm manager shearing the sheep. This hands-on experience helps them to understand their social responsibilities. Staff nurture important values such as respecting nature, empathy and teamwork.

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

The curriculum is broad and ambitious. Leaders have carefully considered the fundamental knowledge and key skills that they want pupils to learn. These have been clearly sequenced to ensure that pupils develop and deepen their understanding.

For example, younger children engage in activities such as counting objects, identifying shapes and recognising patterns. Older pupils draw on this knowledge to extend their understanding of fractions and make connections to decimals and measures. In art, pupils have the opportunity to extend their knowledge of contemporary artists.

Staff enrich pupils' understanding of diversity in both artistic expression and cultural perspectives.

In a few subjects, the school's curricular thinking is not as fully developed. On occasion, staff do not have sufficient expertise to ensure that pupils learn the planned curriculum well.

This means that some pupils have a less secure understanding of important subject content, which limits their deeper subject-specific knowledge and skills.

Leaders have identified and prioritised the specific areas of the curriculum that contributed to low national outcomes at the end of key stage 2 in reading in 2023. The school has a well-organised and systematic approach to the teaching of reading.

This is helping to enhance pupils' fluency, confidence and enjoyment of reading. Pupils have access to a library, where they can choose books that excite and interest them. For instance, during an exploration of literary classics, such as 'Alice in Wonderland', pupils delighted in a whimsical Mad Hatter's tea party, bringing the story to life in a memorable way.

Staff implement the new phonics programme with fidelity, ensuring a consistent approach across all year groups. They meticulously check that pupils remember what they have previously learned. Pupils who fall behind receive targeted support so that they catch up quicky.

Staff address misconceptions as they arise. For example, they ensure that pupils pronounce and sound out letters accurately.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND accurately.

Pupils' individual needs are carefully considered and met so that they can access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. They are fully included and form a very important and respected part of the school community. Pupils with SEND learn to be independent and to develop a range of communication skills over time.

Promoting pupils' personal development is a key strength of the school's ethos. Through visits to museums and other places of interest, the school strives to enrich pupils' experiences.

Pupils behave well.

The school is a calm and orderly environment. In early years, staff develop children's routines well so that they are ready for learning. Pupils concentrate on their work and do not disrupt learning.

Attendance is high. The school has robust procedures in place and works in close partnership with parents and carers to support pupils. As part of this effort, some pupils are invited to join the 'snack and chat' breakfast club, to motivate them to attend school regularly.

Those responsible for governance have a clear understanding of the school's strengths and areas for improvement. They offer effective support and challenge. All staff, including those in the early stages of their careers, appreciate the support of leaders for their well-being and workload.

Staff are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few foundation subjects, the school's curricular thinking is not as well developed.

This means that, at times, staff do not have the subject expertise to ensure that pupils learn and remember more. The school should provide high-quality professional development to ensure that staff at all levels develop their subject expertise. This will support teachers to implement the planned curriculum and check that pupils have learned important subject content.