Shortbrook Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Shortbrook Primary School is a warm and welcoming place for pupils and parents.

Leaders have high expectations and aspirations for what pupils learn and achieve. This is realised through a curriculum that is carefully designed and sequenced.

Adults at the school foster positive and caring relationships with pupils.

As a result, pupils feel happy and safe in school. Pupils say that if they had any worries or concerns then they could speak to an adult and that adults would listen and take them seriously. The behaviour of pupils is generally positive.

Pupils say that bullying happens but that adults always sort this out successfully.

The school... engages well with parents. The school shares information through parent meetings and class assemblies, and offers visits into lessons.

This ensures that parents are in a position to support pupils with their learning, for example when reading books that their children have borrowed from the library.

The school provides a range of opportunities for pupils' wider development and citizenship. Pupils enjoy taking part in physical activity, such as football and dance.

They also take part in sponsored walks and in community litter picking. This enables pupils to understand how they can contribute positively to society and help others.

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

The school's curriculum is well crafted across all subjects from the beginning of the early years.

The curriculum follows a clear sequence so pupils build knowledge and understanding. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive high-quality care and learning support. There are carefully considered adjustments so that pupils access learning alongside their peers.

This often involves breaking learning into smaller steps or using sentence frames.

The school uses a systematic approach to the teaching of reading. Training for staff ensures they teach pupils the sounds that letters make through consistent teaching strategies.

This helps pupils to learn. Where required, pupils access additional sessions that help them practise reading and improve their fluency. Pupils regularly take books home to practise their reading.

All books are appropriately matched to supports pupils' confidence and enjoyment of reading. Pupils enjoy class books read by teachers. These books have been carefully considered to broaden pupils' vocabulary and foster a love of reading.

Behaviour in lessons is generally positive. However, in some lessons, pupils can be passive and off task. At these times, adults are not always successful in re-engaging pupils in their learning.

Furthermore, the approach adults use is not consistent across the school. As a result, expectations are not always maintained and, at times, learning opportunities are missed.

The school uses assessment effectively across a range of subjects, including reading, writing, mathematics and geography.

In these subjects, teachers check pupils' learning regularly and with precision. However, in some wider curriculum subjects, assessments are not as precise at checking the key learning that leaders intend. This means the school is not as prepared as it might be to efficiently address these gaps.

In the early years, adult and child interactions are nurturing and positive. Adults model high levels of communication. This supports children's early language development.

Learning activities are aligned to the children's learning needs but also to what they will learn in subsequent years. As a result, children are well prepared for Year 1 and beyond.

The school supports pupils' social development well.

This encourages independence and self-regulation. For example, if there are disagreements, pupils use carefully considered sentence starters to help them understand, reflect and think about the situation. This is effective and supports pupils to work through issues.

Pupils take responsibility and make better choices. Pupils acknowledge how this has helped them. For example, one pupil remembered the sentence starters when friends fell out at the local park.

He said that they used them and that it helped everyone to get along well.

The school has a curriculum that includes learning about different faiths and fundamental British values. However, the opportunities to learn are not frequent enough.

They are not yet effective in supporting pupils. As a result, pupils are unable to develop a clear understanding of other religions and aspects such as tolerance.

Governors are well informed and fulfil their responsibilities.

They are committed and provide leaders with appropriate challenge. As a result, the school is in a positive position to identify appropriate next steps.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• At times, the gaps in pupils' learning in some wider curriculum subjects are not identified or tackled. This means that pupils cannot build their knowledge effectively over time. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment information more effectively to identify and address any gaps in pupils' learning.

• The way that adults address behaviour in lessons is not always as effective as it could be. As a result, pupils are not always on task and can miss learning opportunities. Leaders need to ensure that the approach to behaviour is effective and consistently applied.

• Some pupils are not prepared for life in modern Britain. Teaching is not supporting them to develop understanding around equality, tolerance and different faiths. Leaders need to ensure that lessons support all pupils in understanding and celebrating differences.