Rillington Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Rillington Primary School is inclusive and welcoming. The school is a calm and orderly place. Pupils are polite and friendly.

The school's high standards are reflected in pupils' behaviour around school. Staff work effectively with pupils who struggle to regulate their behaviour. Pupils acknowledge that some of their peers require additional support.

The school's nurturing ethos and clear expectations help pupils to manage their feelings and behaviour increasingly well over time.

The school places great emphasis on working in partnership with parents and carers. Parents value and appreciate the care and support that the school provides to them.

Regul...ar communication ensures that parents know what is happening in school and what their child is learning. Staff greet families as they arrive for school in the morning. This contributes towards pupils starting their day in a positive way.

One parent described the school as 'amazing'. This comment typified the views of the majority of parents who provided feedback to inspectors.

Pupils recognise the improvements they have seen at the school in recent years.

They benefit from the school's high expectations of them and achieve well. This contributes to preparing pupils for the next stage of their education.

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

The school has adapted the trust's ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum well to meet the needs of its pupils.

Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a strength of the school. Skilled staff support pupils, who find communication challenging, well. They show pupils how to respond to questions and express their views.

Most pupils with SEND make progress in line with the school's curriculum. Where appropriate, some pupils follow a bespoke curriculum. This meets their needs well.

It enables pupils with SEND to work alongside their peers.

The school has implemented a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. Adults effectively teach pupils to use the strategies they need to read words.

This helps pupils to read with increasing fluency and accuracy. The school regularly checks that pupils know, remember and apply their phonics knowledge in their reading. Well-trained staff work with pupils in 'reteach' sessions later in the day if they have struggled to grasp a sound they have been taught.

Some pupils receive additional help to support them to keep up with the school's phonics programme. The vast majority of pupils, including those with SEND and/or who are disadvantaged, leave Year 2 with a confident grasp of phonics. As pupils progress through the school, they develop a love of reading.'

Drop everything and read' time and a 'pop-up library' that regularly visits the school inspire pupils to engage in reading a range of genres and authors.

Teachers provide pupils with regular opportunities to recall and apply prior learning. This enables pupils to remember important knowledge and skills that they need to succeed.

Pupils complete a range of tasks to extend their learning. In some instances, pupils do not fully understand how to complete more challenging work. Teachers do not routinely check that these pupils have grasped the concepts needed to develop their learning further.

Staff benefit from high-quality training. This enables teachers to deliver lessons with confidence and expertise. Pupils benefit from well-structured lessons.

On some occasions, pupils do not focus fully on their work. Pupils select work that is too easy for them. Where this is the case, pupils do not achieve as well as they could in lessons.

Children in the early years enjoy being with their friends and exploring their learning through play. They engage enthusiastically in activities, such as model making and den building, for sustained periods. Children independently access resources which enable them to be creative.

For example, during the inspection, some children used paper and writing materials to make signs for a toy shop that they had developed in the outside area. Attentive adults encourage the development of children's language and vocabulary. Through this support, children learn to use words to describe or compare objects.

They are well prepared for the demands of the curriculum in Year 1 and beyond.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. They are aware of the risks that they may encounter beyond school.

For example, given the very busy road in the middle of the village, the school provides frequent opportunities for pupils to learn about road safety. Pupils are developing an increased knowledge of different faiths. They recognise that this knowledge is important as it helps them to understand people's perspectives and views.

Pupils are proud of the contributions they make to the life of the school. This includes through their development of the school rules to create the 'Rillington Way'.

Leaders, including those with responsibility for governance, have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas of development.

They are realistic in the actions that they set. They take account of staff workload and well-being, while maintaining a sharp focus on providing a high-quality education for all pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers do not routinely check that pupils have grasped the concepts they need to deepen their learning. When this is the case, some pupils do not fully understand how to complete a task. The school should ensure that teachers check that pupils understand important concepts and know when pupils are ready to apply their learning in different contexts.

• Some pupils do not focus fully on their work. When this is the case, pupils do not achieve as well as they could in lessons. The school should further develop strategies to enable pupils to consistently apply themselves so that they fully realise the school's high expectations of them.