Priestsic Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone receives a warm welcome in this caring school.

Pupils are happy and polite. They are proud of their school and uphold the school's values of respect, independence, resilience, kindness, self-belief and responsibility.

Pupils are well looked after at this school.

Staff care about each and every pupil. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the help and support they need to be successful. There is strong pastoral support for pupils who may need it.

Pupils behave well in lessons. Pupils who need additional support to behave receive it. Pupils can learn without distraction.

Pupils say that bullying happ...ens sometimes, but teachers intervene and stop it. A small number of pupils say that there is occasional poor behaviour during social times. Some pupils want a consistent approach to behaviour management.

Most pupils say that they feel safe.

Staff have high expectations of all pupils. Lessons are interesting and relevant.

Leaders have thought carefully about what the pupils at Priestsic need to learn.

Pupils relish the chance to be reading buddies, school councillors and members of the 'lunch bunch'. They play an active part in school life.

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

Leaders have designed an effective curriculum. It centres on four key elements: diversity, aspiration, vocabulary, and health and well-being. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is well planned from the start of the Nursery Year through to Year 6.

Leaders have thought about the important knowledge that they want pupils to learn and remember in all subjects. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They check that pupils remember what they have learned through 'flashbacks' at the start of lessons.

Pupils with SEND receive the help and support they need to access the same learning as their peers.

Leaders' checks on pupils' learning are more established in some subjects than they are in others. In these others, the systems for checking on how well pupils learn the curriculum are at an earlier stage of development.

As a result, leaders do not always have an accurate understanding of how well pupils are learning the essential knowledge in every subject of the curriculum.

Leaders have set out a curriculum plan to make sure every pupil learns to read well, which they do. Children in the Nursery Year experience a wealth of language development opportunities to help them to learn to read.

They listen to stories, songs and poems before they start learning phonics in the Reception Year. Adults are skilled at teaching reading. They are well trained.

Teachers provide immediate support for any pupils who fall behind. Pupils have positive attitudes to reading. One pupil told an inspector: 'Reading helps to develop my imagination.

It calms me down.' Leaders have selected books to develop pupils' understanding of difference and diversity. Pupils enjoy a wide range of high-quality books.

The leadership and management of provision for pupils with SEND are strengths. Staff have helped pupils to overcome significant challenges. Some pupils have complex needs.

Staff have high expectations for pupils with SEND. Individual plans for pupils have targets broken down into small, achievable steps. Leaders ensure that pupils with social and emotional needs receive specialist support.

Leaders promote good behaviour. They have effective programmes in place for pupils with behavioural needs. Despite measures in place, a minority of pupils show challenging behaviours during social times.

Leaders are reviewing the behaviour policy to ensure that all staff deal with incidents of poor behaviour well.

Staff put pupils and their families first. They know the challenges that some families face.

Leaders provide effective help and support. Pupils learn ways to not only look after their physical health, but also their mental health. They learn the importance of being responsible citizens.

Pupils learn about respect and tolerance. While pupils learn about different faiths and cultures, their knowledge is limited.

Pupils benefit from the range of trips and extra-curricular clubs that the school offers.

For example, pupils in Year 3 enjoy their residential trip to the farm. Pupils have opportunities to take part in music and dance festivals.

Leaders track and check on pupils' attendance closely.

They make it clear to families that if pupils are not attending school, they are not learning the intended curriculum. Where pupils have poor attendance, leaders look for the root causes. They take appropriate steps to improve attendance.

However, the number of pupils who are regularly absent from school remains high.

Leaders, including governors, are very mindful of staff's well-being. They are aware of the pressures that have been placed upon staff in the last two years.

Staff value the actions taken by leaders to reduce their workload without impacting negatively on pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have effective procedures in place to keep pupils safe.

Leaders' records are thorough. They show the effective communication between staff and external agencies to safeguard pupils.All staff receive the necessary training so that they can identify those at risk of harm.

Leaders have a clear understanding of specific, local safeguarding issues and address them with sensitivity. There are good relationships between pupils, staff and parents. This allows them to work together and act quickly on concerns.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum. They learn about the risks they may face as they grow up.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, leaders do not routinely check how well pupils are learning the curriculum.

They are not fully able to evaluate how well pupils are doing. Leaders should rigorously evaluate the quality of education to ensure that pupils learn more and remember more of the intended curriculum. ? A small number of pupils do not always behave well towards each other during social times.

Leaders ensure all incidents of poor behaviour are dealt with. However, not all pupils are confident that incidents of poor behaviour are dealt with effectively. Leaders need to ensure that pupils are confident that all staff have responded to any concerns about poor behaviour.

• The proportion of pupils who are regularly absent from school is too high. Pupils are missing out on learning. Leaders should continue their work to reduce this, so that the systems in place to help all pupils attend as well as they can are successful.