Queen Edith Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Queen Edith Primary is a school where pupils are encouraged to achieve well and to be happy.

Pupils speak with great pride when they reflect on their school. They are interested and excited by the high expectations that staff have for their learning. Pupils benefit significantly from the shared commitment to their wider, personal development.

Pupils share in leaders' remarkable drive to include everybody. This is reflected in the respectful way pupils talk about their peers. They see the cultural diversity in their community as a key strength.

Individuality is celebrated, and this helps pupils to form an impressive sense of personal identity.

Pupils ...are polite and cooperative. Through their good conduct, they contribute positively to the life of the school and the wider community.

This includes through their 'lighthouse squad' leadership roles. Pupils trust all adults in school to respond to any worry they might have.

The positive experiences pupils have at school motivate them to try their best.

They appreciate the way teachers and support staff help them to achieve. Ultimately, pupils achieve well and are well prepared for their next stage of learning. They leave school with the social and emotional skills they need to succeed.

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

The work of leaders and staff is united in a drive to include all pupils in every opportunity. As a result, pupils' academic, social and personal needs are well met. These values underpin the ambitious, progressive curriculum that leaders have created.

From the moment children join the school, they access carefully structured learning activities. These help them build strong knowledge over time.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge across the majority of the curriculum.

They provide activities that help pupils apply their learning in increasingly complex ways. Teachers routinely check that pupils are remembering what they learn. They then adapt lessons if pupils would benefit from a recap or extra practice.

In a few newer curriculum areas, staff are not as well trained or confident in the delivery of the knowledge. This means some pupils do not learn as consistently well as they do in more established subject areas.

Most teachers teach early reading well.

They are well trained in the school's chosen phonics scheme. Pupils receive regular, high-quality phonics practice to help them read more confidently. Pupils that need bespoke support are quickly identified.

Extra support from skilled adults helps pupils make swift progress and keep up. This includes the most vulnerable pupils, including some who speak English as an additional language. On occasion, some adults are less confident in delivering the school's phonics programme as well as leaders intend.

Staff are effective at identifying the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Adults working with pupils with SEND use their knowledge to effectively adapt the curriculum. This includes the Reception Year.

This leads to clear plans that make classroom learning accessible to all pupils. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well and grow in confidence.

There are clear and well-understood expectations for how pupils should behave.

This begins with the youngest children in Reception where they follow well-established routines. Staff know pupils very well. This helps when individuals might need support to manage their feelings.

Pupils say, 'Everyone is nice and check you are okay.' This sentiment is alive and is seen through the interactions of pupils at work and play. Leaders' effective work with families is ensuring that pupils with lower rates of attendance are starting to attend school more routinely.

The quality of pastoral support provided for pupils is exceptional. A sense of care and consideration infiltrates all aspects of school life. Adults know how to get the best out of pupils.

Highly skilled family workers consider the broader developmental needs of pupils. This leads to accessible, specialised support for both pupils and their parents when they need it. Pupils say that they value the help they receive when they are struggling to manage their emotions through strategies like the 'chill out' room.

There is a range of high-quality extra-curricular opportunities available. Clubs provide pupils with expert-led opportunities to develop their interests and talents. These opportunities include choir and embroidery.

Governors are curious and ask relevant questions to check what leaders are telling them. They have a wider range of experience and expert knowledge to draw upon. Governors have ensured that staff are protected from unnecessary workload and pressures.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Routines for safeguarding pupils are reliable and effective. Leaders have established clear, well-understood systems for staff to raise and record concerns.

Staff are well trained and knowledgeable about how to identify and act when they have concerns. They are confident in carrying out their safeguarding roles.

Leaders connect all relevant information about pupils and their circumstances.

They spot concerns early and take effective action, such as providing support from a skilled family worker or with relevant external agencies.

Leaders complete all mandatory recruitment checks on adults employed in the school.

The curriculum provides pupils with the knowledge they need to stay safe.

This includes when using the internet and online games.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff subject knowledge in a small number of curriculum subjects is at an earlier stage of development. This leads to minor variations in how some lessons are taught, including in phonics.

Consequently, some pupils' learning is not as effective as it could be. Leaders, including governors, should refine their monitoring approaches to precisely check the impact of growing staff expertise. This is to ensure that the ambition of the curriculum is reflected fully in practice, maximising pupils' progress in all subjects.

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