Sharp Lane Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides an ambitious curriculum in most subjects, including the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. Pupils achieve well in these subjects. There is a strong curriculum offer in most other subjects, including physical education (PE).

The school is still refining curriculum plans in some curriculum subjects.The school has identified characteristics of effective learning, which include being resilient, resourceful and reflective. These characteristics are well understood by pupils.

The school rewards pupils when they show these positive traits. Pupils are eager to show that they are building positive relationships. This helps pupils to behave w...ell and treat others with kindness.

It helps everyone to feel safe and happy at school.The school has designed a 'journey' for pupils in each key stage. Each journey booklet lists a wide range of experiences for pupils in each year group.

In the early years, children look forward to searching for butterflies outdoors, or planting some bulbs and watching the flowers grow. In Years 3 and 4, pupils visit an art gallery and go to the theatre. Pupils enjoy recording each activity in their personal booklets.

These journeys enrich the wider curriculum and provide rich and interesting cultural experiences that pupils might not have had before.

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

The school has provided high-quality training for the whole staff team to improve the curriculum for early reading and phonics. Phonic teaching has been transformed since the last inspection.

Pupils are making good progress now. As a result, a higher proportion of pupils can read as well as they should for their age. Leaders are continuing to check that pupils' reading books are well matched to their phonics knowledge.

Pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to their learning. Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a strength of the school. The school makes reasonable adjustments for pupils with SEND.

For example, there is sensory circuit equipment in all key stages for those pupils who have sensory or processing difficulties. Pupils who need this can have movement breaks by bouncing on mini-trampolines or using climbing equipment. Some pupils calm down in 'the den', where sensory lighting helps pupils to settle.

This helps all pupils to get ready for learning.The school has designed an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum in the early years. Phonic lessons start straight away in Reception.

Improving children's communication and language skills is prioritised in Nursery. Staff prioritise high-quality interactions between staff and children in the early years. There are plenty of opportunities for children to receive individual or small group attention from adults when they are speaking, listening and learning.

The curriculum is well sequenced in most curriculum subjects. Pupils are excited by the engaging investigations that the school provides when pupils are working scientifically. For example, in a Year 4 science lesson, pupils made predictions based on their prior knowledge about solids and liquids.

Pupils with SEND kept up with their peers. Pupils observed a bath bomb dissolving in water, using scientific vocabulary accurately. They enjoyed spotting gases escaping in the coloured bubbles.

By the time that pupils are in upper key stage 2, they recognise and control variables when planning experiments.The school is continuing to develop the curriculum and assessment systems in those foundation curriculum subjects that are not as well established as others. Assessment is used skilfully where the subject curriculum is fully in place, to check precisely the progress of pupils' knowledge and skills.

The school supports parents and carers well to develop pupils' good character. The pupils in this school are confident young people who are developing good citizenship skills. 'Responsibility' is one of the characteristics of effective learning that the school has identified.

Pupils are developing a good understanding of their responsibilities to take care of people who are less fortunate than themselves.Pupils are rightly proud of their 'inclusive' school, and they use that word to describe it. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of equality and diversity and respect, and they know that people should not be treated unfairly.

This is a strong aspect of the school's work.Leaders ensure that pupils learn about positive role models from a range of different cultures. For example, pupils learned about a train guard called Asquith Xavier who successfully challenged racism in 1966 and had a train named after him.

Pupils learn about more recent examples of exceptional scientists and authors from a range of different cultures. There is rarely any bullying in this school, and pupils are proud of the fact that there is never any racist bullying. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

The school supports staff workload well. This includes providing the time needed for mentors to meet early career teachers (ECT) regularly to train and support ECTs, providing an effective ECT induction programme.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A small number of foundation curriculum subjects are not fully established. Therefore, pupils do not have the substantive and disciplinary knowledge that they need, broken down step by step across all subjects, to learn and remember. The school should ensure that the crucial knowledge is identified in the design of all wider curriculum subjects so that pupils build well on their prior learning.

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