Poringland Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Poringland Primary is a welcoming and vibrant school.

Pupils are happy and embody the school's values of respect, kindness and honesty. Leaders and teachers have high expectations. Pupils listen carefully to their teachers in lessons.

They have positive relationships with their friends and the adults in school.

Pupils behave well and feel safe. Bullying is rare.

If it happens, staff take effective action. When pupils are worried, they know that staff will listen to them. Pupils move around the school calmly and are polite to each other.

They play happily on the playground.

Pupils enjoy their learning. One pupil commented, 'You learn... lots of things and people are kind.'

Pupils are determined and work hard. They enjoy learning from the enrichment opportunities the school offers, like playing a musical instrument or trying a new sport. These activities help pupils develop confidence and skills.

Their learning is enhanced by going on exciting trips. These include singing at the Royal Albert Hall and visiting How Hill Environmental Study Centre.

Pupils are proud to be given responsibilities that help their class and school run smoothly.

The school councillors share responsibility for working with their class to help make the school a better place.

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

Leaders have constructed an ambitious curriculum. It outlines the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to know and remember.

In many subjects, the curriculum is carefully planned from the early years to Year 6 to ensure that pupils learn what they need to achieve well throughout the curriculum. For example, in history, themes including 'how people lived' and 'customs' are revisited to build on pupils' learning.

Leaders have provided training so that staff teach the curriculum well.

In many subjects, teachers check pupils' knowledge at the end of each unit of learning. Teachers identify and teach new vocabulary that pupils need to know. Leaders monitor how the curriculum is taught.

This all contributes towards the curriculum being taught well so that pupils know and remember more.

Reading is a priority in the curriculum. The approach to teaching reading from the early years helps pupils learn to read quickly.

Teachers prioritise pupils who need extra help to learn to read. They are given effective support to catch up. All teachers have been trained to teach reading.

The books that help pupils learn to read match the sounds they know. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the books that are read to them in class. They know to ask their teachers when they come across words they do not understand.

There is a wide range of books for pupils to enjoy in the carefully curated library. This contributes towards leaders' promotion of the enjoyment of reading.All pupils have access to the wider curriculum, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

In lessons, adults skilfully support pupils with SEND. They adapt activities effectively to help these pupils succeed in their learning. The curriculum is not as precisely planned for pupils with SEND as it might be.

Reviews of pupils with SEND do not routinely and accurately reflect the needs of pupils. Reviews do not identify what pupils need to learn next based on their prior learning. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not make the progress they should.

In early years, there is a structured induction programme from Nursery into Reception. Teachers' skilful questioning promotes quality interaction between adults and children. In a few subjects, the early years curriculum links to the key stage 1 subjects are less explicit.

As a result, learning in key stage 1 does not routinely build on children's prior learning from early years. Leaders acknowledge this is an area to develop.

There is a consistent approach to managing pupils' behaviour.

Pupils understand the rewards and consequences system. Leaders analyse behaviour patterns. They plan support for pupils using the information they have gathered.

Support includes help for pupils and their families from the Parent Support Advisor.

Pupils benefit from the well-considered personal development programme. They are taught sensitively about sex and relationships through the structured scheme.

Teachers develop pupils' understanding of difference and how to treat new pupils considerately when joining the school. Pupils talk knowledgably about the features of different religions. They enjoy the range of clubs on offer.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel supported by leaders. Staff comment that leaders and governors carefully consider their workload.

Leaders, including governors, work closely together to improve the school. Governors understand and fulfil their responsibilities diligently. Governors effectively hold leaders to account.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff build positive relationships with pupils.

The curriculum content effectively teaches pupils how to keep themselves safe, including how to stay safe online.

Staff are well trained and know how to keep pupils safe. They can identify concerns and know how to respond swiftly.

Leaders feed back the actions they have taken to staff. Leaders are tenacious in challenging external agencies if pupils do not receive the support they need.

Governors closely monitor safeguarding systems, including checks on staff.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Learning plans for some pupils with SEND do not have clear, regularly reviewed targets. As a result, support for these pupils and the progress they are making is not always clear. Leaders need to sharpen the approach to agreeing and reviewing these plans to reflect the high-quality support pupils receive in class, to ensure that pupils with SEND achieve consistently well.

• In a few subjects, the links between the early years curriculum and key stage 1 subjects are not explicit. This means that pupils do not always build on their learning after leaving early years. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum in early years takes into account pupils' learning in key stage 1, so that when children leave early years the next stage of their education builds on their prior learning.