Priory Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Priory Primary School is a happy school, which serves a richly diverse community. There are warm, nurturing and respectful relationships between staff and pupils.

New pupils, whenever they join the school, quickly make friends. Staff work hard to get to know their pupils and offer the right support at the right time.

All pupils, including the youngest ones, behave well in and out of lessons.

Pupils know and follow the school rules of 'Be Ready, Be Respectful, Be Safe'.

Over the last few years, the school has worked hard to raise standards. As a result, standards have improved significantly in English and mathematics.

Outcomes are also improv...ing for children in the early years.

The school offers a large number of personal development opportunities for pupils. For example, 'Prioryfest', the school's summer music festival, is now a highlight of the school year for both parents and carers, and pupils.

There is also a growing number of popular after-school clubs.

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

From nursery through to Year 6, the school has given clear thought to what it wants pupils to learn. An ambitious curriculum is in place.

This includes for those pupils with special needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are assessed as soon as they join the school in order to identify any unmet special needs.

Children starting in the nursery are well supported to settle into school life.

Parents value the positive relationship they build with nursery staff. This has reduced the anxiety of many parents who worry about their child starting school. Early years staff have rightly prioritised children's social, emotional and communication skills.

Children get to explore a wide variety of interesting activities that help them to do this. Focused adult support then helps build children's knowledge across all of the seven areas of learning in the early years.

The school has prioritised reading.

Books are carefully matched to the phonics level of pupils. The school quickly provides pupils, who are at risk of falling behind with their reading, extra phonics and reading sessions. This includes those pupils who need specialist support because they speak English as an additional language.

Reading lessons remain in place until pupils become fluent readers. The school is working with parents to build their confidence so that they can support their child with reading at home.

The school ensures pupils with SEND get effective support and that they are involved in the full life of the school.

A very small number of pupils with the most complex SEND benefit from a bespoke provision. This 'Sunflowers' provision is highly effective. The school tracks pupils with SEND to ensure that they are making progress.

Staff have received a wealth of training in the core subjects of mathematics and English. This means that they know how to teach these subjects well. Teachers check pupils' understanding and fill in any gaps in their knowledge quickly.

As a result, pupils perform well in these core subjects. Teachers are still to receive some important training in some other subjects. As a result, they do not always check pupils' understanding and address gaps in pupils' knowledge effectively in those subjects.

Pupils take part in competitive sport and activities that develop their talents and interests. The school's personal, social, health and economic education curriculum teaches pupils how to be healthy and stay safe, and prepares them for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about different cultures and religions and understand the importance of tolerance and respect.

The school recognises the link between poor attendance and safeguarding. When pupils' attendance falls below the accepted level, the school works with families to provide the right support to bring about improvement. The school has also sought effective external support to help address persistent absence.

The school has taken action to address historic concerns with behaviour. It has introduced a new approach to behaviour management. Pupils behave well.

To strengthen its work further, the school has introduced new initiatives. However, the school's approach is not always well understood by all parents. Leaders know this.

They are exploring new ways to communicate with parents using digital technology.

Trustees and trust executive leaders know the school well. They have effectively supported and challenged the school to improve outcomes.

Everyone is determined to improve pupils' life chances.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum is not consistently well taught in some non-core subjects.

Gaps in pupil knowledge are not always identified. This means that pupils do not learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff use assessment effectively in all subjects to identify and then address gaps so that pupils can effectively learn all of the curriculum.

• The school does not always share new policies and procedures effectively with parents. This means that some parents are not always clear what is happening in school for their child. The school should continue to improve its communications with parents so that they are fully informed about what is happening in school.