Reid Street Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Reid Street Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Reid Street Primary School's values of 'respect, equality, independence and diversity' thread through pupils' daily experiences. Pupils understand why these values are vital to helping everyone. They enjoy choosing charities to raise money to help others.

Pupils understand and value 'walking in the shoes of others'. This is a happy and safe school, where pupils develop independence and respect.

Staff know pupils well and have high ambitions for all, from Reception through to Year 6.

Leaders ensure staff receive high-quality training. Teachers provide effective support ...for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, all pupils show positive attitudes to learning.

They behave well in lessons and around the school. The school day is calm and orderly. Pupils, including those who attend breakfast club, start each morning positively.

Bullying is rare because adults are quick to deal with it. Teachers help pupils to reflect on any incidents of bullying. This helps to ensure that they are not repeated.

Pupils benefit from a curriculum that provides for all. Teachers adapt lessons well to match the needs of each pupil. As a result, gaps in pupils' learning caused by COVID-19 are addressed quickly.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum to fit the needs of all pupils in the school, including those with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language. The curriculum sets out clearly what pupils must know and by when. Leaders' vision to create a culture that enables pupils and staff to excel is a motivating force for improvement.

COVID-19 has not prevented leaders from making necessary changes to the curriculum. However, the restrictions have limited the opportunities that subject leaders have had to monitor their subjects. This means they have a limited understanding of how effectively teachers are delivering the curriculum plans.

Governors have made key changes to the leadership structure. This is helping to ensure that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is being addressed. The new role of a dedicated phonics subject leader ensures children in Reception get off to a strong start when learning to read.

All staff are well trained in delivering phonics. Staff quickly identify those children who need extra support and ensure they get the help they need. Pupils read books that help them practise the sounds they learn in lessons.

Pupils are proud of the special books teachers have made for them to help them practise the letters and sounds they need to read well.

Leaders promote reading well. Pupils read regularly and enjoy the wide range of books available to them in the 'care and share baskets'.

They understand the importance of reading and enjoy the incentives on offer, such as reading to earn stamps to win books. In dedicated reading lessons, pupils are increasing their vocabulary by learning words that are new to them in the books they read. They know and understand the stories well, remembering what they have read.

The teaching of reading and mathematics is strong. Teachers think carefully about what they want pupils to know. They check pupils' understanding of the curriculum and correct misunderstandings quickly.

Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to practise what they have been taught, such as in Reception where children quickly practise adding numbers to make 10. This helps pupils to remember what they have been taught. Assessment is used well to identify and plan for pupils who need additional help.

Teachers plan opportunities for pupils to practise and become fluent in the essential knowledge and vocabulary of mathematics. However, some pupils struggle to use this vocabulary to reason mathematically. This is also true in science.

Leaders have invested in specialist sports coaches to ensure the revised curriculum for physical education is taught well. Teachers say that working alongside a physical education specialist has increased their knowledge and confidence in teaching the subject. Pupils show ability in a range of physical activities, such as gymnastics.

For example, in Reception, children demonstrate control and balance using a variety of apparatus.

Leaders develop pupils beyond the academic very well. There are a range of activities and events designed to teach pupils to show respect and become independent.

For example, teachers ensure pupils with SEND develop the skills they need for moving to secondary school. Members of the pastoral team work closely with teachers and other staff to help pupils cope with challenging personal situations. As a result, pupils are confident and resilient.

Pupils enjoy developing leadership skills and being positive role models by being sports ambassadors and participating in charity work for RotaKids.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the coaching, training and support they receive from leaders.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff have strong relationships with pupils and their families. The knowledgeable safeguarding team is quick to identify pupils who need early help or are at risk.

Staff refer to safeguarding partners and other agencies as appropriate. Leaders ensure that all staff receive a wide range of safeguarding training regularly. This ensures staff have the knowledge they need to take the correct actions to help.

Leaders adapt the curriculum to give pupils the knowledge they need to make them aware of safeguarding risks and to know where to get help if they need it.

Leaders make sure the appropriate recruitment checks have been carried out on all adults who work in the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, such as science and mathematics, teachers have not ensured that pupils are developing key subject vocabulary.

This means that some pupils are not able to articulate the knowledge that they have acquired as successfully as they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers have effective strategies for vocabulary development, to enable pupils to articulate and reason about what they have learned. ? The impact of COVID-19 has limited the opportunities for some subject leaders to monitor the implementation of the curriculum.

This means that in subjects other than mathematics, English and science, leaders have not fully checked that teachers are delivering the curriculum as it was planned. Leaders should make sure that monitoring across the whole curriculum ensures pupils develop detailed knowledge and skills and, as a result, achieve well.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012.