Perryfields Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Children get off to a good start at Perryfields Primary School. They become confident readers, and staff quickly identify any additional needs they may have.

Staff make sure that they provide a welcoming environment. As a result, pupils behave well and feel happy and safe. They have positive attitudes towards their work.

Bullying is uncommon as staff resolve disagreements quickly.

Leaders ensure that pupils study every subject in the national curriculum. They have high expectations for what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can achieve.

They have created an effective structure for the curriculum. Teach...ers in the main use this structure well.

Leaders have extended the curriculum to meet pupils' needs, for example through enrichment sessions on Friday afternoons.

Pupils benefit from visitors and school trips, such as the Year 6 residential trip to Snowdonia. Clubs for sports and cultural activities have recently restarted after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staff know the community well.

They make good use of an online app to boost their communication with parents. Leaders have checked on the impact of the pandemic. They have provided additional support for pupils' well-being and made appropriate changes to the curriculum.

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

The school has prioritised reading. Leaders have upgraded the library area and introduced a new reading scheme. A structured programme ensures that children learn about letters and sounds in an effective sequence.

Staff have established consistent routines and make good use of resources. They make sure that pupils read frequently to an adult. Books for younger pupils are well matched to their knowledge of phonics.

Pupils develop a love of reading.

Leaders are ambitious for what all pupils can achieve. The curriculum goes a little beyond the breadth of the national curriculum.

In each subject, they have identified what pupils need to know before they leave the school. Leaders have broken the learning down into smaller steps. Teachers generally use these steps well, but in geography and art, they need more help to identify the key knowledge for pupils to learn.

In the early years, children benefit from a strong curriculum. Staff identify at the earliest opportunity any additional needs. They prioritise vocabulary and the right language skills.

Leaders know that some work remains to be done to ensure that learning in the Reception Year forms the building blocks for key stage 1.

Leaders make very good provision for pupils with SEND and those at risk of falling behind. Teachers ensure that these pupils receive work matched to their abilities while keeping in touch with what the class is learning.

Leaders have taken particular care to support a small number of pupils with complex needs. Support outside lessons for the learning of phonics and mathematics is well organised.

Leaders have provided effective training, drawing on expertise from outside the school.

Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use the technical terms associated with each subject, and expect pupils to do the same. Teachers use a variety of strategies to check on how well pupils have understood the work.

They then adjust the learning accordingly. Pupils' work shows that they follow the intended curriculum to develop their knowledge and skills.

There is a coherent programme to support pupils' mental and physical well-being.

Pupils learn well about traditions other than their own. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, groups used to visit different places of worship. Teachers choose texts that introduce pupils to different cultures.

Leaders have introduced areas like gardening into the curriculum. This provides experiences that some pupils would otherwise lack. Older pupils engage in enterprise activities to raise money for charity.

Staff help vulnerable pupils to develop their confidence and social skills, for example in a lunchtime friendship club.

Pupils behave well in lessons, and play happily together at social times. Staff have supported a small number of pupils with social and emotional needs to improve their behaviour.

Disruption to lessons is uncommon. However, some routines have slipped a little during the pandemic. For a very few pupils, leaders use suspension as a last resort and do so appropriately.

Staff appreciate the support that they receive from senior leaders. They believe that the headteacher has taken appropriate steps to manage their workload. The governing body has wisely recruited governors with relevant experience, so that governors are knowledgeable and active in their support.

The governing body provides effective oversight of the school, including its safeguarding procedures.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders make sure that staff are well trained in safeguarding, so that they know how to identify pupils at risk.

They take the right actions to help children. Leaders take appropriate steps to involve other agencies that work with children. They are persistent when the need arises.

Teachers make sure that pupils learn about the risks that they may face, including that of sexual harassment.

The school keeps the necessary records. Leaders make the right checks on the staff who join the school.

Pupils know that there is always an adult to talk to. They feel safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's curriculum is not yet sufficiently well planned and sequenced in art and geography.

As a result, teachers are sometimes unclear about the knowledge and skills that leaders intend pupils to learn. However, it is clear from leaders' actions that they are in the process of bringing this about. Leaders need to complete the process of reviewing the curriculum in all subjects within their identified timescale.

For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied. ? In some foundation subjects, leaders have not checked how effectively learning in the early years prepares children for key stage 1. Senior leaders should ensure that these checks are completed so that, in every subject, pupils can make the best possible transition between the two phases.

• During the pandemic, circumstances meant that leaders were unable to maintain all their expectations for pupils. Currently, staff are not consistently upholding routines for assembly and re-entry to the building. Leaders should now take the opportunity to ensure that, while taking account of individual circumstances, all pupils meet the school's expectations.

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