Pipworth Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pipworth Community Primary School has high expectations and aspirations for all pupils. These are realised.

Positive relationships are central to everything at the school. Adults are nurturing. They model respectful interactions and communication.

This is effective. Pupils reflect these qualities when communicating with their peers.

Pupils are safe.

They behave well in class and at breaktimes. Relationships between adults and pupils are respectful and strong. Adults address pupils' concerns sensitively and quickly.

The school values pupils' opinions and canvases their ideas regularly about how to improve the school. The school acts on this i...nformation. This has led to bespoke, extra-curricular clubs taking place.

These include dance and girls' football. These clubs are valued by the pupils. They give pupils the opportunity to pursue their interests and develop their skills.

Pupils benefit from a range of educational visits. These are carefully considered. They link closely to the curriculum.

For example, pupils explore the local area to look at physical features of the landscape. These opportunities support pupils' understanding well. They give learning purpose and support pupils' engagement and interest.

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

The school has a sharp focus on reading. Staff access appropriate training. This ensures that teaching is accurate and consistent across the school.

The school regularly identifies what the pupils know and remember. This is used effectively to make sure lessons are well matched to the learning needs of pupils. Pupils who fall behind access additional phonics sessions.

These are tightly focused and effective. As a result, these pupils quickly catch up with their peers. Pupils practise what they learn by reading books that include the sounds they know.

This successfully supports their reading accuracy and confidence. Pupils have positive attitudes towards reading. As pupils progress through school, their positive attitudes develop further.

Pupils develop increasing fluency and begin to read for pleasure.

The school has high aspirations for all pupils. This is evident in the clearly sequenced, inclusive and ambitious curriculum.

The school has considered the most important information it wants all pupils to learn. This is highly effective in some curriculum subjects, for example in mathematics. In others, it does not support the pupils to build their understanding over time.

In these subjects, the amount of knowledge to be learned is overwhelming. At times, pupils struggle to remember the volume of knowledge. They are unable to make clear links between their knowledge and understanding in one subject with other subjects.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The school is thorough and timely in identifying pupils' needs. Staff engage with external experts, parents and carers well.

This ensures that pupils get the support they need. Adjustments are evident in lessons. These align with the needs of individual pupils.

The school supports pupils with SEND well to achieve their individual targets.

The early years is a strength of the school. The school ensures that activities undertaken by children successfully support their development.

There is a clear focus on communication and language. Adults extend the children's understanding of new words. They model this vocabulary clearly and effectively.

Children use this new vocabulary accurately when accessing learning activities.

Pupils learn about online safety successfully. They are clear about how to keep themselves safe.

They know what to do, and who to talk to, if they have any concerns. Pupils learn about fundamental British values thoroughly. This involves a range of visitors and assemblies.

This is effective. Pupils are respectful of others. They embody democracy when working together and discussing their opinions.

Leaders in the school value the staff team. They support staff to fulfil their responsibilities. The school provides access to training.

It ensures that staff get the time to check on the implementation of their subject area. Staff appreciate and value this consideration for their welfare and well-being.

Governors are actively involved in the school.

They take their responsibilities seriously and challenge and support leaders in equal measure. They access appropriate training, are well informed and fulfil their statutory duties.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the curriculum is overloaded with key knowledge for pupils to learn in each year group. This means pupils struggle to remember their prior knowledge in detail. The school should review what knowledge should be taught and when so that pupils develop detailed understanding over time.