Shafton Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Shafton Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they enjoy school and particularly like their teachers.

Pupils are happy and say they have many friends. Pupils enjoy, art, mathematics, physical education and reading. They study a broad and balanced curriculum.

Pupils beamed with pride when reciting poems they had learned by heart. They show enthusiasm for learning. Staff expect pupils to do their best and have high expectations.

Pupils enjoy the range of educational visits and visitors. All classes have at least one visit annually. Classrooms are bright and attractive.

The vast majority of pupils be...have well and are polite. When pupils do not behave well, staff have effective systems in place to help. Pupils can attend the 'Sunshine Room', which provides activities to support a range of individual needs.

Pupils say bullying does sometimes happen, although it is rare. When it happens, adults work hard to sort things out. Pupils say they feel safe in school.

They show a real understanding of what bullying is.

Most parents and carers are happy with the progress their children make. They particularly like the whole-school assemblies.

One grandparent said: 'It is amazing what the children can do. I wish education had been like this when I went to school.'

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

Leaders are highly ambitious for all pupils.

The school places reading at the centre of everything they do. Attractive reading and library areas encourage pupils to pick up a book and read. Teachers plan daily reading time into the curriculum.

Pupils speak about the range of authors they have read and show a love of reading.

The teaching of early reading skills is effective. Most children can read by the end of Year 1.

Teachers spend time making sure that children can pronounce sounds correctly. All teachers receive training in the school's phonics programme. This helps them to provide extra support where needed.

Sometimes, pupils use picture clues rather than sounding out the words. Most pupils leave key stage 1 as fluent readers.

Detailed mathematics planning sets out what pupils need to learn and in what order.

Regular revision helps pupils remember knowledge from previous lessons. Alongside this, daily arithmetic sessions help pupils keep their number skills sharp. Pupils enjoy the timed challenges which they all take part in.

Challenge tasks support the most able mathematicians. There is some inconsistency in how these are being applied. Too few pupils have reached the highest standard by the end of key stage 2.

Leaders have reviewed and improved the curriculum. They have ensured that teachers have strong subject knowledge through providing appropriate training. Regular staff meetings provide opportunities for staff to share work samples.

They are beginning to check progression across the curriculum. Medium-term history plans are still in their early stages. They do not always show how each topic builds on the skills and knowledge from previous years.

Where teaching is strongest, pupils remember significant amounts of knowledge from previous years. For example, pupils in Year 3 could explain why the Great Fire of London spread so quickly. In another class, pupils struggled to remember key information.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. They receive detailed plans which set out the support they need. Staff communicate regularly with families.

This ensures that staff keep parents well informed about how their children are doing.

Leaders consider the impact new initiatives will have on staff workload. Staff feel valued and say that their workload has improved.

Newly qualified teachers feel confident in their new roles. They are well supported by other staff members. Effective training has helped all staff to improve their subject knowledge.

Children in the early years are happy and settled. They have already learned routines for tidying up and listening. They behave well.

This is because staff form positive relationships with both children and parents. Teachers understand the needs of young children. They make sure that they provide a wide range of learning activities.

Children have daily phonics sessions. At the moment, home reading books do not help children to practise their phonics skills at home. However, children do take home the sounds and key words they are learning.

The majority of children leave the early years with the skills and abilities they need for Year 1.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide regular safeguarding training for all staff.

This means that staff know what to do if they have any concerns about any pupils' welfare. The safeguarding team works well with outside agencies. Members make sure that pupils receive the support they need.

Record-keeping is organised and thorough.

The trust makes sure that all staff have the right checks before they begin working at the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The curriculum has been improved and rewritten.

It takes into account the national curriculum and the changes in mixed-age classes at the school. Medium-term history plans currently consist of a list of which aspects of the topic will be covered. Further work is required to ensure more coherence and better sequencing of what needs to be taught and how it links to prior learning.

Teachers need to be clear about what knowledge they want pupils to remember. . The proportions of pupils achieving the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics are well above the national averages.

However, not enough pupils are reaching the higher standards, particularly in mathematics. Leaders need to ensure that teachers consistently provide opportunities for pupils to apply their knowledge in order to deepen their understanding.

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 the school to be good on 17–18 November 2015.