Pixies Hill Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy and welcoming school. Pupils benefit from a broad and rich curriculum that extends their experience and stimulates their interests.

Pupils are keen to share their learning. They achieve well. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Pupils of all ages readily explain the importance of values such as friendship, kindness, teamwork and respect. They talk about how their learning equips them to make positive choices and take responsibility for their actions. They describe empathy as 'putting themselves in other people's shoes'.

They understand how important it is that everyone feels valued and included in school.

P...upils are courteous and kind. They behave well in lessons and at breaktimes.

Relationships between pupils and adults are warm and respectful. Pupils feel safe in school. They are confident that adults listen to them and help them resolve any worries they may have.

Bullying is very rare. When it happens, it is dealt with quickly.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

They value staff's dedication to their children's learning and well-being. They appreciate the work of leaders and staff to create an ethos and environment in which their children flourish.

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

Leaders have thoughtfully constructed the school's curriculum across the full range of subjects.

In each subject, leaders have carefully considered the important knowledge that pupils should learn from the early years to Year 6. Some aspects of the curriculum are new. Subject leaders provide helpful guidance and support to staff to enable them to teach these subjects well.

Teachers plan lessons that build on what pupils have learned before. In lessons, staff check that pupils have secured their knowledge before they move on to new learning. They make sure that pupils have opportunities to practise and apply their learning so that they deepen their knowledge and understanding.

This helps all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to achieve well across the range of subjects that they study. A small number of pupils have not developed their accuracy in handwriting, spelling and punctuation as well as they should. This is impacting on their writing fluency, which means that their written work sometimes does not reflect what they know and understand.

Reading is promoted well across the school. Leaders have put in place a systematic approach to teaching phonics and early reading. They make sure that staff have the training and guidance they need to teach reading well.

Children learn phonics from the start of the Reception Year. Daily phonics practice helps all pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read to secure their phonics knowledge. They read books that are closely matched to the phonics they know.

This helps them to practise and apply their phonics knowledge to read texts. Pupils quickly become confident readers. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind in their reading are given the help they need to catch up quickly.

This includes older pupils who are not yet confident and fluent readers.

Pupils talk enthusiastically about the books they read. Well-chosen texts broaden pupils' reading knowledge and experience of different authors.

Pupils consider the choices authors make when they are depicting a particular character or mood. This deepens their understanding of the books they read. Older pupils particularly enjoy comparing the books they are reading now with books they have read in the past.

The provision for pupils' personal development is exceptional. Leaders' 'values curriculum' is purposefully threaded through all aspects of the school's work. Concepts such as diversity, equality and democracy are given a high profile.

Pupils deepen their understanding of their role as responsible citizens. They contribute positively to the life of the school through the work of the school council and well-being committee. Leaders actively promote opportunities for all pupils to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities that develop pupils' interests and aspirations.

Staff are positive about leaders' consideration for their workload and well-being. Governors bring relevant knowledge and experience to their role. Their strategic focus is formed through first-hand experience of the school and its community.

They hold leaders effectively to account for the quality of education pupils receive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding is at the forefront of everybody's mind.

Staff are knowledgeable and vigilant. They receive regular safeguarding training. They know how important it is to alert leaders to any concerns that a pupil may be at risk of harm.

Leaders act promptly and work closely with other agencies to ensure that pupils and families access the support they need. Pupils learn to keep themselves and others safe, including online.

Governors regularly check on the school's safeguarding arrangements to assure themselves that systems are robust and that all staff contribute positively to the school's safeguarding culture.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A small number of pupils do not write fluently and with accuracy. This is limiting the quality of their writing in English and in other subjects. Leaders should ensure that there is a consistent approach to supporting pupils to become confident and fluent writers.

• Some aspects of the curriculum are new. Staff are developing their confidence in teaching the curriculum in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that staff receive the guidance and support they need to deepen their subject knowledge and develop their teaching approaches so that all pupils achieve exceptionally well across the full range of subjects that they study.