Sharneyford Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Sharneyford Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Sharneyford Primary School is a welcoming learning community where pupils are happy. Staff and pupils greet visitors with warm and friendly smiles.

Many pupils said that this small school is like being part of an extended family.

Staff treat pupils with respect and kindness. Pupils understand the importance of demonstrating the same qualities to their peers.

Pupils feel safe in this supportive and caring environment. They trust staff to help them when they feel worried or upset.

Leaders and staff are ambitious for every pupil, including those with special educ...ational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders expect pupils to achieve highly. Staff are successful at making this happen. Adults are keen to celebrate pupils' achievements at every opportunity.

Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning.

Staff model and expect high standards of behaviour. Pupils respond to this by being polite and well mannered.

Pupils know how to spot the different kinds of bullying. They said that bullying was very rare and that it is dealt with quickly when it does occur. Parents and carers agree.

At this small school, teachers are keen to offer plenty of extra learning experiences to bring the curriculum to life. For example, pupils develop their outdoor skills, imagination and scientific knowledge through the work they do in the local woodland area.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn.

From the early years to Year 6, they have ensured that the curriculum is well designed in almost every subject. Overall, staff deliver the curriculum well. This is because leaders' design of the curriculum successfully takes account of the different needs of the mixed-age classes.

The key knowledge that staff must teach to pupils is clearly set out in the majority of subjects. In most curriculum areas, ideas and concepts build successfully over time. This helps pupils, and children in the early years, to know and remember more of their learning.

In one or two subjects, however, the curriculum is still being refined. The knowledge that teachers want pupils to learn is not as clear as it could be. The curriculum in these remaining subjects has not been fully adapted to take sufficient account of the needs of pupils from mixed-age groups.

Sometimes, this hinders pupils' ability to get the most out of the curriculum on offer. Despite this, pupils, and children in the early years, achieve well across the curriculum. Overall, leaders have created a broad, interesting and relevant curriculum that prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

Teachers' knowledge of the curriculum motivates pupils. Teachers, including those in the early years, explain new ideas clearly. They use leaders' assessment systems well.

Teachers pick up and deal with misconceptions quickly and provide pupils with regular opportunities to revisit and recap important learning.

Learning to read is one of leaders' top priorities. A love of books and reading is an important feature of school life.

Teachers provide engaging and innovative reading competitions. For example, they encourage pupils to read stories to animals. Older pupils value reading and recognise that it fires their imagination.

They said that reading fluently will help them to build their knowledge and vocabulary.

Children get off to a good start with learning to read in the early years. They enjoy songs, rhymes and stories.

In the Reception class, children quickly get to know letters and sounds, and how to blend them together to make words. As they move into key stage 1, pupils read books that match the sounds they already know. They practise often and become confident readers.

Pupils who struggle to read receive appropriately targeted support. This successfully builds their confidence and increases their fluency in reading. These pupils are identified quickly and very few of them fall behind their peers.

Staff know and understand the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders make sure that these pupils' needs are identified correctly. Staff across the school work well with external agencies to support those pupils with complex needs.

Leaders ensure that these pupils have the same opportunities to access the school's ambitious curriculum as their classmates.

Pupils behave well around school and in class. They enjoy learning and are keen to do their best.

They are confident to contribute to lessons by sharing their ideas and opinions. Pupils enjoy playing together at breaktimes. Younger pupils really appreciate the care that the older ones show them.

Older pupils relish their role in school and take up the opportunities they are given to invent new clubs and responsibilities for the good of the school community. For example, some pupils have been trained as mental health ambassadors and run a 'feelings club' for their peers. Pupils enjoy the range of clubs and activities on offer, including skiing, yoga and sports tournaments.

Pupils with SEND join in all that the school offers.Staff feel well supported by leaders with their workload and well-being. They are proud and happy to work at the school.

Governors hold leaders fully to account for their work to improve the curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff understand their responsibility to keep pupils safe.

Regular training ensures that all staff have up-to-date safeguarding knowledge. The procedures in place for reporting concerns are well understood by all staff.

Leaders maintain a close oversight of the pupils that they know to be vulnerable.

They work closely with parents and external agencies. Pupils and families get the timely support that they need.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including how to manage risks when online.

For example, pupils learn about cyber bullying and can clearly describe how to stay safe when on the internet. Pupils know what to do if they have a concern about their safety.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In one or two subjects, leaders have not adapted the curriculum sufficiently well to take account of the needs of mixed-age pupils who are learning in the same class.

As a result, some pupils are missing out on the essential knowledge that they need to achieve highly. Leaders should revise their curriculum thinking in these subjects so that teachers know exactly what knowledge they want pupils of different ages in the same class to learn and when this should be taught.

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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in April 2014.