Robin Hood Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this school. Parents and carers describe the school as having a 'village feel'.

The school is a welcoming and friendly place.

Pupils are polite and generally show positive attitudes to their learning. The school works hard to ensure that all pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, both socially and academically. Pupils know and understand the school's values of being 'ready, resilient and responsible'.

Staff and pupils use these values to guide their interactions, and, as a result, pupils learn well together. Pupils feel safe and know that they can talk to any of their trusted adults should they have any concerns....

Provision for pupils' wider personal development has been carefully considered.

The school ensures that all pupils can access the opportunities on offer. Pupils take part in a multitude of sports events, drama and singing. They also learn about the importance of keeping safe.

For example, a well-known national charity gives pupils a presentation on water safety.

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that supports all pupils well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school is highly inclusive and all pupils follow the school's ambitious curriculum.

Staff have high aspirations for what pupils can achieve.

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

Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour. These expectations are shared through the school's values.

Relationships in the school are respectful and positive. The school emphasises the importance of regular attendance. Nevertheless, a significant proportion of pupils do not attend school as often as they should.

While the school works closely with parents to stress the importance of their children not taking time off from school, some of this work is not as targeted as it could be.

The school has designed a curriculum that is broad and ambitious. Leaders have identified precisely what pupils need to learn and when they should learn it.

This learning journey is shared with pupils so they know what they are learning currently as well as what they have learned in previous years.

The school has ensured that systems for identifying pupils with SEND are effective and that appropriate support is implemented. Leaders have recently focused on making sure that learning in class enables all pupils, especially pupils with SEND, to learn the curriculum well and keep up in their learning.

Leaders check closely on pupils' learning and progress. The school's recent work is starting to have an impact on pupils' achievement, including in their published outcomes in reading. There are times when teaching is not as sharp as it needs to be in helping pupils to learn and remember knowledge.

This can mean that some pupils have gaps in their learning.

The pupils who attend the specialist resourced provision benefit from a curriculum tailored to each of their personal goals. They learn well and achieve positive outcomes.

Pupils across the school benefit from the expertise and experience of staff who work in the specialist resourced provision.

Children in early years develop the foundational knowledge they need to be successful later on in the curriculum. For example, children develop their mathematical skills well through counting, number rhymes and matching numbers to resources.

Children are curious about what they are learning. Teachers use children's first-hand experiences to develop their language and understanding of the world. For example, children spent time hunting for snails in their outdoor area.

They enjoyed learning and talking about how the snails move and the different parts of their bodies. In a few instances, the early years provision does not help children to be fully engaged in planned activities. This can mean that they do not get involved in tasks and miss out on important learning.

The school has invested in resources and training for staff to ensure that they can teach early reading effectively. In Reception and Year 1, pupils learn the sounds that letters make and use these to read and write. Books that pupils are given are closely matched to what they have been taught so that they can practise their new knowledge.

Many pupils join the school at the very early stages of speaking English as an additional language. Staff quickly identify what pupils know and remember. This information is used to help pupils to catch up and keep up with what is being taught in class.

Older pupils develop a love of reading. They make recommendations of books that they think their friends will enjoy. They enjoy a wide selection of books by a range of authors.

Leaders have put in place a well-designed personal, social and health education programme. This helps pupils to learn about keeping themselves safe, including online and on their way to school. Pupils have a strong understanding of how democracy works.

Sensitive topics are taught in an age-appropriate way. The school enriches the curriculum in a variety of ways. For example, pupils have the opportunity to work with a local museum.

Staff appreciate the school's focus on developing their practice and managing their workload and well-being. Those responsible for governance have needed to make some challenging decisions about the school. They have focused on what is in pupils' best interests, while continuing to consider the welfare of the school staff.

They share leaders' high ambitions.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A significant proportion of pupils do not attend school regularly.

As a result, these pupils miss valuable learning time. The school should enhance its strategies to improve attendance by working closely with parents and implementing targeted interventions. ? At times, teaching is not consistently and precisely focused on addressing gaps in pupils' learning.

Consequently, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. To secure further improvements in pupils' outcomes, the school should continue to sharpen its oversight of teaching practices, including any extra help with learning that is provided. It should ensure that teaching consistently enables pupils to learn well, and, where necessary, targeted support is provided to address any learning gaps.