Peatmoor Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Peatmoor Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's motto 'enjoy learning, enjoy life' is certainly true, and is expressed in the way the pupils talk about their school. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning and their love of reading is infectious. The curriculum is designed to enable all pupils to achieve well.

Parents particularly value the way leaders keep them informed and how they work supportively alongside them.

Adults have high expectations for both pupils' learning and their behaviour. Pupils rise to these expectations.

They want to be successful. Pupils show positive attitudes to learning. The...y behave well in class and around the school.

Pupils are confident that staff listen to them when they have concerns. They say incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils know that staff would deal with such incidents quickly should they occur.

Pupils develop positive relationships with staff and each other. Several pupils commented that the best thing about school are their teachers. They appreciate the wide range of opportunities leaders provide for their personal development.

Parents comment that teachers and teaching assistants are friendly and nurturing. Support is provided across every aspect of schooling. Through assemblies and lessons, pupils are taught about the importance of their mental health and how to stay happy.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to gain deep knowledge across a broad curriculum.They ensure the teaching of reading is given high priority. Staff have expert knowledge in order to help pupils learn well.

As soon as children enter the Reception Year, they begin to learn phonics. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind are identified quickly. Extra support is given when needed.

Pupils take home carefully chosen books that allow them to practise the sounds they are learning. As a result, pupils quickly learn how to sound out words and read them accurately. This helps them to become competent and fluent readers.

Older pupils say they love reading. Pupils choose books from the large selection available in the school library. Pupils select interesting books that introduce them to a range of vocabulary.

This includes contemporary fiction and classical writers. Pupils say that sometimes they have to be told to actually stop reading.

Curriculum leaders work with staff, including those from other local schools, to identify the knowledge that pupils need to learn.

Across all subjects, leaders have sequenced the teaching of what they want pupils to know in a logical way. This helps pupils gain new knowledge and build on previous learning. For example, in history, they build on what pupils have learned in the early years in order to develop historical concepts, such as chronology.

However, not all planned learning in some subjects deepens pupils' understanding of important concepts. Where this is the case, pupils' knowledge and understanding are less well developed.

The mathematics curriculum is well designed and sequenced.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use a range of strategies to help pupils learn key mathematical knowledge. From the Reception Year, children quickly secure their knowledge of number.

They actively engage in every opportunity to practise counting. Pupils, including in the early years, use equipment independently in order to support their learning. This means pupils who find mathematics challenging, including some of those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn useful ways to support their own learning without adult intervention.

Pupils behave well and make the most of their learning time. In the Reception Year, children concentrate and follow instructions well. These attitudes and behaviours help pupils gain new knowledge effectively.

Pupils with SEND learn the same ambitious curriculum as other pupils. Staff know pupils well. They work closely with parents and seek help from specialist agencies where necessary.

Consequently, pupils are provided with sharply focused additional support, so individual learning needs are met.

Pupils enjoy a wide range of experiences, which are provided to enhance their broader development and raise their awareness of the world around them. Staff teach and encourage pupils to become responsible citizens.

Every year, pupils raise money for charity. They are proud to have helped fund children to be able to go to school in The Gambia. Leaders actively support pupils in developing their talents.

Pupils take part in a wide variety of enrichment activities, including visits, residential trips and opportunities to learn a musical instrument.

Trustees want the best for all pupils. They provide valuable support and challenge to leaders in order to improve the school further.

Trustees' expectations are high. They ensure leaders carefully consider the workload and well-being of staff.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils feel safe in school. They know there are trusted adults they can talk to. Leaders hold regular meetings with all staff, in which concerns about pupils' welfare can be raised.

They take seriously all referrals made. Leaders are aware of each pupil's circumstances and monitor pupils' well-being closely.

Staff recognise the importance of promoting pupils' health, well-being and emotional development.

Leaders have developed trusting partnerships with families. They are proactive in getting pupils and their families the help they need.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, learning is not designed well enough to deepen pupils' understanding of key concepts and ideas.

As a result, some pupils' knowledge is less well developed. Leaders need to ensure that learning is designed effectively in all subjects to enable all pupils to further develop their knowledge.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2017.