Shalfleet Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Shalfleet Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school? '

We have come so far because of our teachers.' This view of one Year 6 pupil sums up the warm and welcoming ethos that pervades throughout this school.

Staff get to know pupils well in order to meet their needs. Pupils look after each other and enjoy spending time with their friends.

Staff consistently have high expectations of pupils in both their learning and behaviour as part of the school's 'conscious community'.

Staff expect pupils to show respect, build resilience and develop strong relationships. As a result, pupils are morally grounded and make ...the right choices. They know staff will help them with any difficulties or worries that they may have.

The children in Reception love being in class and are eager to learn. They are well supported and guided effectively by adults in their learning.

Pupils enjoy and benefit from a variety of school visits, clubs and activities.

Pupils say there is something for everyone to do. The vast majority of older pupils have had the opportunity to represent the school at a sport. Staff consider each pupil's cultural experiences and aim to offer personalised opportunities for disadvantaged pupils who would benefit most.

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

The school has developed a curriculum that is ambitious and prepares pupils for their next stages of learning. Most pupils achieve well. The curriculum sets out clearly the essential knowledge pupils should learn and the order in which they should learn it.

Typically, teachers deliver the curriculum skilfully.

The school demonstrates a strong commitment to inclusion. They engage with external specialists to identify pupils' specific, additional needs and provide the timely support that pupils require.

There is a mantra of 'the child should not adapt to us, we will adapt for them.' As a result pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported to access the same curriculum as their peers, where this is possible. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

Where the curriculum has been in place for some time and training for staff made a priority, the impact on pupils' learning is impressive. Pupils take pride in their work. For example, in mathematics and in art and design pupils take the time and care needed to produce accurate, precise and high-quality work.

Teachers use a variety of checks to see how well pupils are learning. They usually act swiftly to address any gaps or misconceptions. However, while most pupils receive a strong, broad curriculum, there are some minor inconsistencies in the implementation of the curriculum.

This is because learning activities are not always well matched to pupils' needs. As a result, at times some pupils find work too hard or are not challenged enough in class which affects how much progress they make through the curriculum.

Reading is given high priority.

Staff teach phonics well. Pupils at risk of falling behind are swiftly identified and additional support helps them to catch up. Pupils in the early stages of reading have books that match the sounds they know.

As pupils go through the school, they are exposed to ambitious texts that broaden their language and understanding of key aspects of the curriculum. As a result, pupils read with increasing accuracy, fluency and confidence over time.

There are many pupil leadership opportunities available to give pupils a bigger voice in the school.'

Learning leaders', 'sports crew', 'peer mentors' and the 'spirituality group' all help to enhance day-to-day provision. The school are conscious to ensure these are representative of the groups of pupils at the school. For example, a quarter of the pupils on the 'Junior Leadership Team' are pupils with SEND.

Pupils' behaviour in school is calm and orderly. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes and are friendly towards each other in class, at lunch or on the playground. Attendance is an ongoing focus for the school.

The school works closely with external agencies to improve the attendance of pupils who have unauthorised absence. They rightly provide appropriate challenge and support to parents and carers to promote the importance of regular attendance.

Governors and staff are united by the school's vision across the school and federation.

This has been further strengthened in recent years. The school is streamlining some processes to make them clearer and more effective. Staff feel valued and are proud to work at the school.

The good quality of provision is appreciated by many parents. For example, one said, 'The school, teachers and everyone are brilliant and I can't fault them. My son loves going to school.

I am always recommending others to send their children to Shalfleet.'

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, some pupils are given work that does not accurately meet their needs.

This means that pupils can overly rely on adult support or not be challenged enough. The school should ensure that all pupils are given work that meets their needs and enables them to build the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that they are capable of.

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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2014.

Also at this postcode