Punnetts Town Community Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school at the heart of its community where pupils feel happy and safe. Staff prioritise getting to know every family individually and are ambitious for every pupil to succeed.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in school life. Adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum and to the environment work effectively to support all learners. As a result, most pupils achieve well.

Pupils live up to the school's high expectations for their behaviour. They behave well and develop positive attitudes to learning. The federation's values of love, care, respect and friendship are fully integrated into school life.

...>Pupils understand how these values help them to be successful, for example by focusing on supporting each other on a recent residential trip.

The school's recent addition of a Nursery has strengthened practice in the early years. Children are well prepared to start in the Reception Year.

The curriculum across all subjects starts from the early years. Wider opportunities are planned to enhance pupils' learning and, where possible, link to the local context. Pupils are keen to represent their school in a variety of ways.

Leadership roles such as the school council and librarians provide a real-life context for pupils to learn about democracy.

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

The school's curriculum is ambitious and well ordered in most subjects. Writing has been a whole-school focus and is enhanced through other subjects such as history and science.

In those subjects where the curriculum is less developed, leaders are working to build on stronger practice. Staff have strong subject knowledge and are confident in teaching the curriculum. This has been supported by the federation.

Activities for each subject are generally well matched to the intended learning. This is more successful in those subjects where the curriculum is clearly mapped out. In these subjects, pupils build and remember their knowledge over time, for example their understanding of chronology in history.

This starts right from the early years where both the indoor and outdoor learning environments enhance all areas of learning. The checking of what pupils remember is also stronger in these subjects.

The teaching of reading has been a whole-school priority.

All staff are effectively trained in the approach to phonics. This, alongside the 'five-a-day' approach to sharing books, ensures children get off to a strong start with their reading. Most pupils learn to read confidently and accurately and are enthusiastic about reading.

The school's library provides an enticing space for pupils to enjoy books. The school gives the weakest readers extra help. However, this is not precise enough.

This means that some of the weakest readers are not learning to read as well as they could.

Pupils enjoy school. There are strong relationships between staff and pupils.

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and concentrate well. Their learning is rarely disrupted by the behaviour of other pupils. Pupils are treated fairly and consistently by staff.

The school has prioritised attendance. Pupils, parents and carers and staff understand the importance of good attendance.

The whole-school approach to pupils' personal development has been well thought through.

The school's values are explicitly taught to all pupils, alongside a well-developed understanding of fundamental British values. As a result, pupils learn to value and respect difference. This starts from the beginning of the Nursery Year.

Trips and visitors are linked to the curriculum. This supports pupils to remember and understand their learning. Leadership opportunities for pupils are meaningful.

They ensure pupils have ownership of changes that happen at their school. The school council's development of the playground is one example of this.

The school's vision is well embedded and understood by all stakeholders.

This extends beyond the academic provision. The school has taken swift and effective action to refine much of its curriculum. It is clear about the improvements needed in the few remaining subjects.

Staff spoke positively about the support they receive, including those who are new to teaching. Workload and well-being of all staff are considered thoughtfully. Those responsible for governance know the school well.

They challenge and support the school effectively and are rigorous in carrying out 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)

• The order of learning in a few subjects is not yet fully developed.

This means in these subjects, pupils do not build on or remember knowledge over time. The school should identify and carefully map out the specific knowledge to be taught in these few remaining subjects. ? The support for the weakest readers is not precise enough.

As a result, some of these pupils cannot blend accurately. This hampers their ability to read with fluency and comprehension. The school should strengthen its approach to supporting the weakest readers to enable these pupils to catch up and keep up with their peers.