Rushbury CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This a school proud to be at the heart of its community. Because of its size, everyone knows and cares for everyone else.

There is a shared commitment to helping everyone feel valued, even if they only join the school for a short time. As several pupils explained, the school 'is one big family' in which they feel safe and happy. This is why attendance is so good.

This sense of caring responsibility to each other is evident in the way older pupils actively support younger pupils. For example, the sports ambassadors help younger pupils try new sports and play safely at lunchtime. It is also visible in lessons when younger pupils learn from their older classmates.
...r/>Behaviour is exemplary.

Staff want pupils to achieve well and be confident about taking the next steps in their education. Pupils are keen to do well in their lessons.

They work well together and independently. They achieve good outcomes and participate fully in the opportunities available to them. For example, younger pupils love their weekly walks.

Older pupils enjoyed their trips to the beach and RAF Cosford. Many pupils attend the Friday sports club led by the headteacher, as well as sewing and homework clubs.

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

The school has made changes to its curriculum over the last two years to make sure that it is broad and suitably ambitious for all children and pupils.

Staff are becoming more confident in how to lead and deliver this curriculum effectively. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

Leaders have thought carefully about how to sequence the steps in learning pupils need to build in each subject.

The curriculum has been designed to enable pupils from different year groups to make progress towards the same end point, for example in a piece of persuasive writing. However, sometimes the learning is not adapted to reflect the different starting points of pupils. There are occasions when pupils are given tasks they are not yet ready for, or tasks that do not provide them with enough opportunity to deepen their learning.

Sometimes, this is because teachers have not checked closely enough how much pupils already know. In some subjects, such as mathematics, this checking of understanding is more robust. The school is tackling these small areas of inconsistency as part of its work to improve the curriculum.

Children in Reception benefit from being in the same environment as key stage 1 pupils. They learn how to communicate, behave and learn because they see it modelled well by the older pupils. Their progression into Year 1 is seamless.

There is a clear process in place to identify accurately any pupils with SEND. External support is used to assess needs and ensure that teachers know what adaptations to make for these pupils.

A high value is placed on reading.

Children in Reception develop a love of reading and books from the outset. They learn to read well, thanks to the strong phonics teaching. As pupils get older, they become confident, fluent readers because the school has carefully considered how to help them develop their reading skills as they move through the school.

There is a shared love of reading, with many opportunities to read together and independently during the day. Opportunities such as author visits and participating in a book festival help pupils to see reading as an important part of their wider development.

The 'ready, respectful, safe' school rules are firmly embedded.

Pupils are keen to make the right choices as they understand their decisions impact others. Relationships are warm and respectful. There are clear routines in place to support excellent behaviour.

Even the youngest pupils follow these well, entering the school quietly and putting their coats away independently after playtime.

Independence is an important part of personal development at Rushbury. Pupils spend time in lessons working independently and they concentrate well, persisting when they find tasks challenging.

They have a strong sense of social responsibility. This is taught within the curriculum but also learned practically through the many ways in which they actively support each other and the community. For example, the school council and the 'Rushbury Rotakids' raised the money for a community defibrillator.

The school has excellent relationships with parents and carers, the local community and other external partners, including involving them in shaping the school's new values. Governors work diligently to ensure the school is fulfilling its responsibilities. Staff feel valued.

Everyone is proud to be part of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Learning tasks are not always adapted well enough for pupils.

Sometimes, this is because teachers have not checked carefully enough what pupils already know. As a result, gaps in some pupils' knowledge go unnoticed and others are not enabled to deepen their learning when ready to do so. The school should ensure that teachers are confident in adapting learning when needed and check that this is happening in all subjects.

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