Sharnbrook Primary

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love attending school where they learn skills they successfully use in their day-to-day life.

They are inquisitive. Pupils delight in exploring the rich opportunities to learn about themselves and the human experience. They do well in the academic curriculum.

Pupils also thrive in the meticulously planned enrichment programme, which complements the academic curriculum exceptionally well. They develop important characteristics such as confidence, resilience and the willingness to take calculated risks. After Year 6, pupils are well prepared to make positive steps into young adulthood.

In lessons, on the playground and around the school, pupils, and chil...dren in the early years, demonstrate the highest standards of behaviour. On arrival in the morning, they warmly greet staff and each other. Pupils show great kindness when learning and playing together.

When others need help, peers willingly step forward to provide any assistance they can. In the early years, children share, take turns and quickly learn how to manage their emotions and resolve disagreements.

Pupils benefit from the improvements made to the school's curriculum.

Overall, pupils learn what the school intends and achieve well. In key stage 1, pupils achieve exceptionally high standards in national assessments.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has thoroughly redesigned the curriculum.

The school now has a well-organised curriculum that enables staff to teach knowledge in a logical order. The school provides staff with clear guidance about the exact knowledge pupils must learn. Staff have been well trained, so typically plan effective learning activities.

They routinely check what pupils know and understand. When staff find pupils misunderstanding or forgetting something, they provide timely support to ensure pupils do not fall behind. As a result, pupils understand and remember much of the key knowledge.

However, staff sometimes miss when pupils are ready to grapple with more sophisticated ideas. When this happens, staff do not give pupils opportunities to think more deeply.

The school's new approach to the teaching of early reading is working well.

Starting in Nursery, staff develop children's communication and literacy skills with lots of high-quality discussions. In Reception, children learn the basics of reading and start learning the knowledge they need to understand what they read. By the end of key stage 1, nearly all pupils read fluently.

Staff support those that find reading difficult effectively. These pupils become fluent readers. Across the school, most pupils enjoy reading.

In the school's book clubs many pupils suggest books for their peers to read.

The school's provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is particularly noteworthy. With precision, the school quickly identifies pupils' needs.

It monitors closely how well these pupils are learning and ensures staff have the expertise needed to alter provision as necessary. Consequently, staff successfully address these pupils' exact needs so that they keep up with their peers.

Pupils understand and live up to the school's very high expectations of learning behaviours.

Starting in Reception, pupils work diligently in lessons free from any distractions. They sustain concentration for long periods of time. Pupils also support each other well when learning in groups.

They take pride in their learning and celebrate each other's achievements. Because pupils take learning seriously and enjoy school, they attend regularly.

The school has an exceptionally well-developed programme for pupils to learn about the wider world.

Pupils at an early age consider the different careers they could pursue as adults. They also learn about personal finance, including tax calculations, balancing monthly budgets and pensions. The school's commitment for every pupil to develop a hobby is evident in the extensive extra-curricular offer.

The list of clubs is regularly updated in response to pupils' interests and to ensure meaningful links with the academic curriculum.

The school ensures pupils are prepared to live alongside people with different lifestyles and beliefs. When discussing differing religious views, pupils speak sensitively and thoughtfully.

Pupils also show a mature understanding of relationships.

Parents are highly positive about the school. They are effusive with praise about what the school does for their pupils.

All staff are proud and enjoy working at the school. They particularly value the training they receive. Staff feel well supported to maintain a reasonable workload.

Governors have an accurate understanding of the quality of provision at the school. They identify areas to improve and hold leaders accountable to ensure the necessary changes are made.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff sometimes do not catch when pupils are ready to learn more complex ideas. When this happens, pupils do not get the chance to think with greater sophistication. The school must ensure that staff identify this and provide appropriate learning opportunities for pupils ready to think more deeply.