Penruddock Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school.

They get on well with each other and with staff. They look forward to spending time with their friends at breaktimes. Children in the early years love the games that they play with adults outdoors, such as those with the class parachute.

Pupils of all ages feel safe and secure because of the warm relationships that they have with adults in the school.

Adults want pupils to succeed. They expect them to try hard in lessons and achieve well.

Many pupils learn the content of the curriculum and achieve well. However, some pupils have not learned all of the important knowledge that they need to be ready for the next stage in ...their learning. This is preventing them from achieving as well as they should.

Staff have high expectations of behaviour. There are clear rules and routines for pupils to follow. For example, children in the early years know that they must treat toys and resources with care.

Pupils usually behave sensibly when they have lunch in the village hall next door. Adults take swift action to address any bullying behaviour that occurs.

Leaders provide plenty of activities for pupils' development beyond the academic.

For example, pupils take part in sports competitions with other schools. They visit the theatre and take part in singing festivals. All pupils are able to participate in these activities, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

Since the last inspection, leaders have made a number of improvements to the curriculum. For example, in each subject, they have decided the order in which pupils should learn important knowledge. This helps pupils to build on previous learning securely.

As a result, pupils' achievement at key stage 2 is improving. For example, changes in the English curriculum mean that pupils now develop better comprehension of texts. Improved achievement is reflected in pupils' results in national tests in 2022.

By contrast, a prolonged period of turbulence in staffing has slowed the improvement to the quality of education in some classes. Leaders did not take the swift action needed to ensure that all pupils were well prepared for the next stage in their learning in 2022. The school has recently resolved the staffing turbulence.

Leaders have put in place a range of steps to help pupils to catch up on lost learning. These steps are having a positive impact for most pupils. Nevertheless, changes are too recent to have had the desired impact on the quality of education for all pupils.

Leaders have made reading a priority. Children in the early years begin learning phonics straight away. Since the last inspection, leaders have made sure that the words in children's reading books contain only the letters and sounds that they have learned.

This helps them to read more successfully. Over the last two years, some pupils have experienced disruption to their education as a result of staffing issues. This has led to some lost learning in phonics, reading and spelling.

However, the actions that leaders are taking are now helping these pupils to catch up. Leaders have provided all pupils with a wide range of literature to support their learning. Pupils enjoy visiting the well-stocked library to select books for themselves.

Pupils of all ages develop a love of reading.

In the early years, children benefit from a clearly organised curriculum that builds up their learning in well-ordered steps. However, some subject leaders do not have a clear overview of the curriculum for their subject in the early years.

This prevents them from making sure that children learn everything that they need to know to be ready for key stage 1.

Teachers check in lessons to make sure that pupils have understood before they move on to the next steps in learning. This helps them to build up knowledge securely.

Leaders use information from assessments to make improvements to the curriculum, for example in the way that staff teach it. However, on occasions, in some subjects leaders do not ensure that staff implement the curriculum in ways that help pupils to learn well. For example, some activities do not make important learning memorable.

Sometimes, pupils find it distracting when other pupils are engaged in different, livelier activities nearby. When these things happen, pupils' learning is hampered.

Pupils who may have SEND are identified quickly.

Leaders work with staff to make any necessary adaptations so that these pupils can follow the same curriculum as their peers. Leaders communicate effectively with parents and carers and with professionals such as educational psychologists and speech and language therapists. This ensures that pupils receive expert support if they need it.

Pupils with SEND achieve similarly to other pupils in the school.

Pupils typically settle down to work and try hard not to disturb others. This means that lessons are orderly and everyone can get on with their learning.

Through the curriculum, pupils develop an appropriate understanding of people's differences and similarities. For example, they understand that other people may have faiths, cultures or family structures that are different from their own. They learn about relationships and friendships and to consider the views of others.

All of these experiences help to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.

Governors take a keen interest in school life. They ask leaders a range of questions about the curriculum and about provision for pupils' wider development.

However, they do not have a clear enough overview of the impact of staffing turbulence on the outcomes of some pupils. This prevents them from holding leaders fully to account for their work to improve the school.

Governors and leaders are considerate of staff's workload and well-being in the decisions that they make about the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and governors ensure that all staff receive regular safeguarding training. Staff know how to recognise when pupils may be at risk from harm.

They understand and follow the school's procedures for reporting any concerns that they may have about a pupil's welfare.

Leaders work effectively with staff and with a range of agencies such as health visitors, local authority children's services and safeguarding teams. This helps to ensure that pupils and their families receive extra support if they need it.

Pupils learn important lessons about how to stay safe when they work online. The improvements that leaders have made to the school grounds help pupils to feel safe when they play outdoors. Pupils know who to speak to if they have any concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils in key stage 1 have not acquired all of the knowledge that they need, especially in phonics, reading and spelling. This puts at risk their readiness for the next stage in their education. Leaders must ensure that these pupils continue to receive the support that they need to catch up quickly so that all pupils in key stage 1 are well prepared for key stage 2 when the time comes.

• Some subject leaders do not have a clear understanding of the curriculum content in their subject in the early years. This prevents them from ensuring that the curriculum contains all of the knowledge that children need to have. Leaders must ensure that all subject leaders develop an appropriate understanding of their subject curriculum in the early years so that they can make sure that children are appropriately prepared for key stage 1.

• In some subjects, leaders do not provide staff with enough guidance on how to implement the intended curriculum. This means that, on occasions, staff's choice and organisation of activities do not help pupils to learn as well as they should. Leaders must ensure that, in all subjects, staff receive appropriate guidance and support to implement the curriculum effectively.

• Governors do not have a full understanding of how well younger pupils are learning the curriculum content. This prevents governors from holding leaders effectively to account for the decisions that they make to improve learning for these pupils, for example in response to staff absence. Governors must ensure that they develop a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of the curriculum for all pupils.