Shurdington Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where everyone is keen to be the 'B.

E.S.T' they can be.

These school values underpin daily life. Pupils know how to believe, enjoy and succeed together. Everyone is welcome and included.

Pupils who have joined the school after Reception, and many with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), say they settled well and feel accepted here. Parents and carers echo this warm, inclusive ethos.

Pupils' attitudes to their learning are exceptional.

Right from their start, pupils learn that adults have very high expectations of them. Pupils enjoy meeting these expectations. They consistently give of their best.

...Pupils listen respectfully to adults and one another and they take great care with their written work.

The school widens pupils' experiences through its well-considered enrichment offer. Pupils have an active voice in the types of clubs on offer.

The range of these is vast. The school ensures there is something for everyone. The school upholds its vision for equality by removing any barriers to pupils attending these clubs.

Most pupils participate in at least one club. Disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND, consistently benefit from these opportunities.

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

The school is determined that every pupil will learn an ambitious curriculum.

This includes deliberate choices of enrichment experiences. These bring learning to life and build pupils' cultural capital and character.

The school identifies clearly the knowledge that pupils need to learn.

The 'knowledge stems' in each subject are broken down into small steps of knowledge within units. This knowledge is shared with pupils at the beginning of each unit of learning. This helps them to be clear about the sequence of learning and to make links with previous knowledge.

Pupils have a good recall of the knowledge they have learned. They make links to other areas of the curriculum. For example, 'eco-week' encourages pupils to apply their moral, religious and scientific knowledge to real and current issues.

This helps them to develop into responsible and active citizens.

Reading is a priority throughout the school. The phonics curriculum is ambitious and well-structured.

Children in Reception start learning phonics as soon as they start school. They quickly learn the routines of phonics lessons and join in enthusiastically. Well-matched books help pupils to develop accuracy and fluency in their reading.

The emphasis is on pupils keeping up with the programme, which most do. There is, however, a small proportion of pupils who do not keep up with the programme. Support for these pupils is not always securing their ability to read fluently.

Once they have finished the phonics programme, pupils enjoy learning a range of reading skills using increasingly complex books.

The school has made significant improvements to the mathematics curriculum. Forensic analysis identifies the curriculum gaps that need a greater focus.

The impact of this is visible in the improved outcomes of pupils across the school. Within lessons, checks are made to identify gaps quickly so that pupils keep up. For example, the 'maths meetings' enable pupils to revisit aspects of the curriculum that they have found tricky.

Ambition is high for pupils with SEND and they learn alongside their peers. However, at times, staff do not ensure that learning is suitably adapted to pupils' needs. Where this is the case, pupils with SEND do not routinely build on the vocabulary, concepts or knowledge that they are secure with.

The school invests in its staff, which they appreciate. Subject leaders support staff well. As a result, staff have strong subject knowledge.

Staff work together to design and evaluate the curriculum. This helps staff to implement the curriculum with consistency across the school. The school have identified specific strategies for teaching.

These have a positive impact on pupils' learning.

The school's commitment to pastoral care is visible everywhere. Pupils receive high-quality support and feel safe.

It is this ethos and skill that has secured success for any pupil who may need help to manage their feelings or behaviour. This is also helping with pupils' attendance. The school has significantly reduced the number of pupils missing out on learning due to absence.

Governors have a clear, strategic vision for the school. They are effective in fulfilling their statutory responsibilities. They challenge and support the school well and check the impact of developments in a range of ways.

As a result, the school is a single team, working together for continuous improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The work given to some pupils with SEND does not always precisely match their prior knowledge.

Barriers are not always reduced for them. As a result, some work given to pupils with SEND does not support them with their learning. The school must ensure staff adapt or scaffold work in a range of ways so that pupils with SEND can secure knowledge across the curriculum.

Also at this postcode