Severn Beach Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Severn Beach Primary School. They describe their school as a kind place, where everyone looks after one another. Pupils understand how the school's values, known as the 'Severn Beach Bees', help them to be responsible and to never give up.

Despite this, the quality of education that pupils receive is not yet good. Pupils do not always remember important knowledge in some subjects. They then struggle to make links to what they have learned before.

This means they do not learn as well as they should in these subjects.

The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour. This starts in the early years, where children share, play and wor...k well together.

Pupils are polite and well mannered. They follow the school rules well. This contributes to a calm atmosphere across the school.

Pupils feel safe. They value the warm and respectful relationships they have with staff. Pupils trust adults to listen and help them with any worries they may have.

Pupils take part in a range of extra-curricular opportunities, such as sports and library club. They are proud to become house captains or playground 'pals'. Pupils say these roles help them set a positive example to others.

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

The school is ambitious for all pupils and wants them to do well. With the support of the trust, it has ensured that the curriculum makes clear what pupils need to know and when they need to know it. However, this vision is yet to be fully realised.

The implementation of the curriculum does not yet enable pupils to build their knowledge well enough as they move through the school.

The school has put in place systems to monitor and evaluate the impact of its actions. In some cases, these are well used to improve the quality of education pupils receive.

However, at times, the school does not yet use these systems as effectively as it could. For example, the reasons for gaps in pupils' knowledge in some subjects are not yet considered with enough precision. This prevents the school from accurately understanding what is working well and addressing any shortcomings that may exist.

Published outcomes in September 2023 were significantly below national averages in phonics. With the support of the trust, the school is responding to this. It has recently adopted a new sequenced phonics programme.

Staff value the training they receive, which helps them to understand this new approach. However, it is too early to see the impact on pupils. There are still inconsistencies in the delivery of the phonics curriculum.

While children in the early years learn and remember their new sounds well, this is not yet the case for some older pupils. Some books are not well matched to the letters and sounds that pupils are learning. As a result, they are not securing phonics knowledge as quickly and effectively as they could.

In some subjects, such as mathematics, teachers implement the curriculum well. In the early years, for example, staff model mathematical vocabulary and check on what children know before moving on. As a result, children confidently use their knowledge of early number when counting objects.

However, in some wider curriculum subjects, the checks that teachers make are not yet used well enough to identify gaps in knowledge or to inform future learning. This means that some pupils struggle to remember key learning in the longer term.

The school has effective systems in place to identify the needs of an increasing number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Individual support plans are precise. Where this support is effective, pupils with SEND progress through the curriculum well.

Pupils display positive attitudes to their learning.

Children in the early years are eager to learn and follow instructions carefully. Pupils of all ages enjoy the range of activities on offer to them during social times.

The school manages attendance effectively.

It works well with families to understand and resolve attendance issues. As a result, most pupils attend school regularly.

The school's personal development offer is rich and varied.

Pupils understand the importance of fundamental British values, such as tolerance. They talk with confidence about different relationships. Pupils develop their character by raising money for a food bank or by completing projects with a local university.

Trustees and local governors now all have an accurate understanding of what the school does well and where it needs to improve. However, previously this oversight has not always been as rigorous as it should have been to ensure improvements are made swiftly and evaluated accurately. Staff value the professional support and training they receive.

Parents and carers talk positively about the school's inclusive and welcoming environment and the care that staff show to pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The new phonics programme is not yet implemented consistently well.

Staff do not routinely check pupils' understanding and the books that pupils read are sometimes not matched well enough to their reading stage. As a result, some pupils struggle with reading and are not as fluent as they could be. The school needs to ensure that the phonics programme is implemented as intended so that all pupils learn to read well.

• In some subjects, teachers' checking of what pupils have learned is not as effective as it could be. Consequently, some pupils struggle to remember key knowledge and skills they have learned. The school should ensure that all staff check pupils' understanding and retention of key knowledge and language so that it can be applied to future learning.

• In some areas, the school does not yet have an accurate overview of the impact of its actions. As a result, it is unable to fully evaluate the impact these actions are having on pupils. The school needs to ensure that all aspects of the school's work is evaluated effectively so that it can quickly address any shortcomings and build on the strengths that already exist.

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