Shute Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy school.

Right from the start, children in the early years learn how to share and take turns successfully. They quickly make friends. Pupils play together well across different age groups.

Year 6 pupils are proud to be 'Buddies' with the youngest children.

Parents describe staff as being kind and caring. Pupils are confident that staff will help them if they have a worry or friendship problem.

Pupils say that bullying rarely happens.

Pupils attend a range of enrichment activities such as clubs and sporting events. Many pupils like the games club organised by the school council.

Pupils value hands-on experie...nces during educational visits and outdoor learning sessions. For example, pupils learn how to cook healthy meals safely on an open fire. The key stage 2 residential visits nurture pupils' determination and resilience effectively.

Pupils learn the importance of teamwork.

The wider curriculum in Years 1 to 6 is not well organised. Leaders have not identified the important knowledge and vocabulary they want pupils to remember.

Teachers do not rectify gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly. Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not build new knowledge and vocabulary sufficiently well.

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

Leaders, including governors, have an accurate picture of the school's strengths and areas for development.

While a new curriculum is in place for pupils in Years 1 to 6, leaders still have much work to do. This includes ensuring that staff follow all policies and procedures consistently. Leaders support staff to improve the quality of education at Shute School.

Leaders' work to develop the role of subject leaders is in its infancy. As a result, subject leaders have not set out the essential knowledge and vocabulary they want pupils to remember in the wider curriculum. The curriculum content is not broken down into small, achievable steps.

Therefore, subject leaders are not able to support teachers to sequence pupils' learning in these subjects. Pupils do not know more and remember more of the intended wider curriculum.

Teachers regularly check how well pupils remember the knowledge and skills taught.

However, assessment information is not used effectively. Teachers do not adapt learning activities to close gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly enough. For example, some pupils do not have secure mathematical knowledge.

Teachers do not ensure pupils have learned mathematical knowledge successfully before they move on to learn new knowledge.

A clearly sequenced phonics programme is in place. Children in the Reception Year learn to segment and blend phonemes to read words accurately.

Teachers quickly spot children who need help to secure their phonic knowledge. Extra practice sessions take place straight away. Over time, pupils read with increasing precision and speed.

Teachers share carefully selected books to introduce pupils to the world beyond the classroom. Pupils who read often develop their confidence and a love of books. Staff ensure older pupils select books that match their reading ability.

Leaders have plans to increase the accuracy of this further.

Staff know pupils well. In the early years, staff develop children's independence with skilled support and established routines.

For example, children wash up their own cups and plates from snack time. Staff organise the indoor and outdoor learning environments to help children practise new skills successfully. Staff effectively identify and plan children's learning based on their strengths and needs.

The early years curriculum and learning activities meet the needs of children with SEND well.

In Years 1 to 6, pupils with SEND complete the full curriculum with support. Staff regularly identify what each pupil needs to learn.

However, targets for pupils with SEND are not sufficiently precise to build and secure knowledge swiftly. Leaders have plans to rectify this.

The introduction of 'Golden Rules' has raised staff expectations for pupils' behaviour.

Staff show a consistent approach to behaviour management. Pupils respond appropriately and behave well. They attend school regularly.

Leaders successfully support families to overcome barriers that prevent their children from attending school.

Positive relationships between staff and pupils are a strength of the school. Staff encourage pupils to eat healthily and take exercise to care for their physical and mental well-being.

Pupils know and understand what makes a healthy relationship. They have a strong sense of fairness and justice. Older pupils know about human rights.

Educational visits and class discussions about books and current affairs help pupils develop their knowledge of life in modern Britain.

Staff appreciate leaders' support for the management of their workload and well-being. They are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders complete essential checks before staff and volunteers begin working at the school. Leaders, including governors, regularly check the accuracy of these records.

Staff complete regular safeguarding training. They know how to report concerns for a pupil's welfare or concerns about staff conduct.

Leaders follow up on safeguarding concerns raised by staff.

However, actions are not always recorded with sufficient consistency to assure leaders of the effectiveness and timeliness of their responses.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including online and when cycling on the road.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not identified the essential knowledge they want pupils to know and remember across foundation subject curriculums.

This means pupils do not remember some of the core concepts. They are unable to build on prior learning and make connections between concepts taught. Leaders need to identify the essential knowledge pupils must know and remember across the foundation subject curriculum.

• Assessment is not used effectively to check what pupils have learned. It is not used well to identify the gaps pupils have in their subject knowledge. Leaders need to support teachers to use assessment information to identify and rectify these gaps to ensure pupils know more and remember more.

• Staff do not always follow school policies and procedures. For example, records of actions relating to safeguarding are not always precise enough. While safeguarding is effective, leaders need to ensure more precise information is collected so they have sufficient detail of actions taken.