Salusbury Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Salusbury Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and welcoming. They were keen to tell us about all they like about their school. We saw them socialising and working together happily.

They told us they feel safe at school.

Pupils respect their teachers' efforts to make lessons interesting and rewarding. Pupils behave sensibly, both in class and around school.

They respond well to their teachers' high expectations and work hard.

The school provides a wide range of exciting activities within and beyond lessons. Many subjects provide a rich and vibrant experience.

Pupils take part in ma...ny sports, art, music and language clubs, and regularly visit the local library to support their reading. They spoke about many activities that capture their imagination including Spanish day, links with partner schools in the Gambia, and Black History month. Pupils are highly enthusiastic learners.

Through the curriculum, pupils develop an understanding of the importance of tolerance and fairness. As a result, they do not put up with any bullying between each other. If any bullying occurs, adults make sure that it stops.

This shows how well leaders put the school's values into practice. Pupils are kind and supportive towards each other. Parents and carers are typically happy with the school and would recommend the school to other parents.

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

The school continues to provide a good quality of education. Leaders, following the example set by the headteacher, are ambitious for all pupils. They have considered carefully what pupils should learn in each subject, term by term, and plan activities in a sensible order to achieve a well-thought-out and imaginative curriculum.

The teaching of early reading has a high priority from when children join the school in the early years. Teachers and teaching assistants have benefited from extensive and specific professional development, so they teach phonics systematically. Leaders quickly intervene to ensure that all pupils are taught well and read well-sequenced, challenging texts.

Pupils achieve highly in the phonics check at the end of Year 1. Older pupils are taught to analyse text and discuss their findings in detail. This helps pupils to read, enjoy and understand a wide range of subject-specific books.

Leaders ensure that the subject content that pupils learn is well planned and methodical. In mathematics, history and most subjects, lessons follow in a logical order. This helps teachers to be sure that pupils learn and remember what they need before they tackle more challenging work.

For example, in history pupils use knowledge of the Victorian era to sequence key dates and events. Teachers also adapt plans to enable all pupils to gain knowledge and understanding. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well in these subjects, as do all pupils.

In a few subjects including science, recent subject planning is at an early stage of implementation. Leaders have not fully ensured that teachers present new science content in the best order to help pupils to learn and remember more. Teachers do not have secure enough science knowledge to challenge all pupils effectively.

Some pupils who have gaps in their scientific knowledge, particularly those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, do not catch up. These pupils do not receive strong support to access the science curriculum. Parents do not receive timely information about their child's achievement in science and other subjects including the impact of interventions to support their children.

Leaders have identified these issues and have a training programme in place to improve planning in selected subjects and the support for pupils with SEND.

Pupils enjoy a wide variety of extra-curricular activities including art, modern languages and drama. Pupils enjoy celebrating festivals from a range of cultures and faiths.

Pupils told us that they love coming to school.

Pupils' behaviour around the school and in lessons is calm and sensible. They show high levels of respect towards their peers and adults alike.

In lessons they are motivated, and full of energy and enthusiasm.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders work with parents and other agencies to promote a strong culture of safeguarding in the school.

Records of pre-employment background checks of staff are clear and well organised. There are well-understood systems in place for staff to report any concerns. Leaders, governors and the staff successfully implement the school's procedures to safeguard pupils including children in the early years.

In the online surveys, parents and staff agree that pupils are safe here. Pupils are happy at school. Parents' views of the school's work are also positive.

Pupils learn how to use the internet safely and the potential dangers of social media. Staff maintain high levels of supervision to protect pupils' safety and well-being.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Strengths in the planning, construction and implementation of many subjects are not matched in all subjects.

For example, the implementation of the science curriculum does not ensure that pupils build knowledge sequentially. As a result, pupils' knowledge in science is insecure. Leaders need to ensure that the content of all subject plans is well chosen, links effectively to other subjects, is carefully sequenced and is delivered as intended.

. Although completing regular training programmes, a few members of staff lack confidence and expertise in some curriculum subjects. This means that there is variation in the presentation of subject matter in a small number of subjects.

Leaders need to ensure that subject leaders and teachers continue to receive the right support and training to plan and deliver a well-designed curriculum across all subject areas. . In a very few subjects, the support and intervention for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are not as timely and effective as they should be.

Leaders need to ensure that the good practice seen in most subjects is reflected across the full curriculum. They should ensure that information about pupils' achievement in all subjects is communicated clearly and regularly to parents.

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 school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, 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 convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Salusbury Primary School to be good on 9–10 March 2016.

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