Scotts Park Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Scotts Park Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe in school.

Parents and carers typically described the school as a 'friendly community'. They appreciate the range of extra-curricular activities, including dance and cheerleading, that leaders offer to pupils.

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils.

These expectations are embedded through the broad curriculum. The school's nine core values, including kindness and creativity, support the curriculum and are celebrated by leaders in assembly time.

Pupils work with their peers in class to support their learning, reflecting the schoo...l's motto 'Learning together for a brighter future.'

They behave well in lessons and during break times. Bullying rarely happens. If it does, leaders act quickly and work with pupils and parents to resolve it.

Leaders ensure that educational visits extend what pupils are currently learning in lessons. For example, a recent trip to an open-air museum in Kent helped pupils to deepen their historical knowledge about the Romans.

Leaders create leadership opportunities for pupils.

Pupil junior leaders, who are elected by their peers, gather and share pupils' views with leaders. The school's houses are named after well-known authors, which helps to raise the profile of reading and encourages pupils to read for pleasure.

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

All pupils study a broad and ambitious curriculum.

Key learning begins in the early years and the development of knowledge is well planned and sequenced over time. For example, in physical education (PE) children in early years practise developing their early physical skills of jumping, hopping, throwing and catching. Pupils use and build on these skills in Year 1 and beyond when they start to take part in individual and team sports such as football and gymnastics.

In Reception, teachers ensure that there is a sharp focus on number and counting. This focus acts as a foundation for pupils when they encounter more demanding mathematical concepts such as measurement, algebra and multiplication in later Years.

After pupils returned from the third national COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, teachers checked what knowledge pupils remembered.

Leaders adapted the curriculum, where needed, to address any gaps in pupils' recall.

Teachers are knowledgeable. They use resources that support pupils' understanding of the curriculum.

For instance, in mathematics, teachers encourage pupils to use physical props to help them with addition. Leaders use planned assessment tasks to check what concepts pupils understand from the curriculum over time. However, occasionally in lessons, teachers do not check pupils' understanding of new content.

This means that sometimes teachers do not identify or address pupils' misconceptions quickly enough.

Teachers encourage pupils to use subject-specific vocabulary in lessons accurately. For example, in art, pupils in Year 5 confidently used the term 'foreground' to describe specific elements in a painting by Rousseau.

Key language is displayed in classrooms so that pupils can readily refer to it. Pupils remember essential learning over time and achieve well. However, occasionally teachers do not prompt pupils to use or make connections with subject content that they have already learned from across the curriculum.

When this happens, pupils do not get to practise using subject-specific vocabulary again or to enhance their knowledge of previously taught key concepts.

Leaders ensure that early reading is prioritised. Pupils read daily.

Leaders carefully monitor the phonics that pupils have been taught so that they can develop reading fluency quickly. If any pupils need extra help, this is offered straight away. Teachers work with parents to help them to support their children's reading at home.

Books match the phonic sounds that pupils have been taught. Pupils enthusiastically described familiar story narratives. The focus on early reading fluency helps pupils to access the rest of the curriculum.

For example, pupils in Year 6 described reading a book called 'The Journey' and how it helped them to understand war and the plight of refugees.

Pupils behave well in class and at break time. Behavioural routines are clear and understood by all pupils and staff.

Lessons are calm. Pupils listen attentively, which helps the teaching of the curriculum. Leaders quickly identify any pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They work alongside parents and outside agencies to provide appropriate support. Teachers support pupils with SEND appropriately, for example by prioritising communication and language development.

Leaders create opportunities for pupils to contribute to wider society and to understand current international issues.

Recently, pupil junior leaders took the initiative to run an event to raise money for charity. Pupils are resilient in their learning and show persistence when they do not get things right the first time.

Staff generally appreciate the way that leaders listen to them and sample their views around workload and well-being.

Governors support leaders in this focus. The trust provides helpful curriculum training for teachers.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have made sure that parents and pupils know to speak to staff if they have any safeguarding concerns. Leaders have put in place a range of strategies to enable staff to gather pupils' views. This means that leaders with responsibility for safeguarding can act quickly to make sure that pupils are safe and heard, should any issues arise.

Leaders understand safeguarding issues specific to the local context and work together with external partners to teach pupils through the curriculum how to manage any risks to their safety and well-being. For example, they work with the police to encourage pupils to take effective steps to keep safe online. Important concepts, such as trust and healthy friendships, are also taught.

Leaders work closely with outside agencies to support pupils, where needed. Staff receive up-to-date safeguarding training and know how to identify possible signs that a pupil may be vulnerable and what leaders expect them to do should any concerns arise.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, teachers do not check effectively what pupils have learned and remembered from the curriculum before moving on to teach new subject content.

When this happens, teachers do not have the full picture of pupils' current knowledge and where there may be gaps or misconceptions. Leaders should ensure that teachers use strategies to systematically check pupils' understanding and recall of key knowledge so that any misunderstandings or gaps can be identified and addressed. ? Sometimes teachers do not encourage pupils to draw on prior learning from other subjects when teaching new material.

When this happens, pupils do not have opportunities to use and build on their existing knowledge across subject areas. Curriculum leaders should make sure that teachers know what concepts pupils have learned previously across the curriculum that are relevant to new learning so that pupils have opportunities to draw upon skills, knowledge and vocabulary that they already know and use it in learning new knowledge and skills.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 first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2017.

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