Sherington Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Sherington Primary School is a vibrant community that is full of singing, music, art and sculpture. Pupils said they enjoy coming to school and feel safe.

They particularly value the many wider opportunities, including an exciting residential trip to Wales in Year 6, where they learn outdoor rock climbing.

All pupils are held to high standards of behaviour. The school teaches them how to understand emotions.

They also learn how to make friends, manage conflict, and how to persist when learning is difficult. As a result, pupils behave well around the school and in lessons, and they concentrate on their learning.

The school's ambitious curriculum is ro...oted in its immediate context.

Pupils learn about historic Greenwich and the many significant events that took place in the local area. The curriculum brings the school's values to life by including excellent opportunities for pupils' cultural development. The school has high expectations for all pupils' learning, which are mostly realised.

Pupils said that if they are worried about anything, they know what to do. They explained that everyone is treated with respect, and bullying is not a problem. Any issues are resolved effectively by staff.

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

This is a school where pupils love reading. Staff teach phonics with precision from the start of school, in Reception. Where pupils are struggling in a lesson, they are given extra help on the same day, so they can keep up with the rest of the class.

Any pupils who find reading difficult, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from focused additional teaching. This helps them to develop their fluency. Once fluent, pupils take part in a wide range of activities that help them learn to read quickly and with accuracy and expression.

Teachers help pupils learn important reading skills, such as finding key information and understanding the emotions of characters. There is a daily focus on new vocabulary in every class. New words are taught through extended discussion.

For example, discussing the word 'quake' helped pupils to make links with words they already know, like 'earthquake'. This approach enables pupils to make connections between words and ideas, deepening their understanding.

The school's curriculum gives pupils secure foundations from the start.

In the early years, the school teaches children about cooperation, sharing and managing strong emotions. This helps children learn to meet the school's high expectations for behaviour. The school has effective approaches to identifying children's developmental needs.

Staff offer extra help swiftly to children and their parents, when needed. These approaches are effective in resolving many early developmental difficulties. Activities in the early years are generally well planned.

On occasion, however, children are busy and purposefully taking part in activities that have an insufficient focus on the learning set out in the curriculum.Typically, the school checks how well pupils are following the curriculum over time. In some subjects, like physical education, staff check how well pupils are developing their skills and knowledge in lessons.

They allow time for extra teaching or practice, where needed. In other subjects, there are regular checks on pupils' understanding, so misconceptions are swiftly picked up. Staff revisit knowledge at the start of the next lesson or arrange focused support for any pupils who need it.

There are some occasions, however, when staff do not check that pupils with SEND have a sufficiently secure understanding of important concepts. When this happens, pupils with SEND do not fully understand the basic ideas necessary to grasp the new concepts they are being taught. In these instances, pupils with SEND are not being as well prepared as they could be for the demands of their next stage of learning.

The school promotes pupils' wider development exceptionally well. This work builds on the rich curriculum in subjects such as music and art and design. For example, in Year, 3 pupils receive small-group tuition to learn to play a range of different instruments.

As a result, some pupils discover musical talents they were unaware of. Many go on to have individual music lessons and learn to play their chosen instrument to a high standard.

Pupils can take part in many different clubs after school.

Visits are carefully linked to the curriculum. For example, during their trip to Wales, pupils carry out the geographical fieldwork they learned about in class. Staff encourage pupils to understand and respect difference.

Pupils are supported to develop sophisticated views about equality. For example, one pupil summed up a discussion on this topic by saying that 'some people need extra help, and that's fair'.

The school works effectively to ensure that all pupils attend regularly and punctually.

There are well-established support structures for early career teachers, who are learning the professional knowledge that they need. Some staff said that leaders do not fully consider the pressures that they face in carrying out their roles. Leaders have taken steps to address this.

For example, they have updated the school's marking policy to reduce unnecessary workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On occasion, support for pupils with SEND in class is not as effective as it needs to be.

It does not help pupils with SEND to build precisely on what they already know. As a result, in some cases, pupils do not securely understand what they have been taught. The school must ensure that all staff have the further training they need to consistently meet the specific needs of pupils with SEND.