Sibford Gower Endowed Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel valued and cared for. They listen intently during lessons and are incredibly respectful towards staff and each other. Older pupils are positive role models for the younger ones, for example during lunchtimes when they help to organise playground games.

Pupils take great pride in their responsibilities. They enjoy roles such as reading ambassadors, sports leaders and school councillors. These roles help pupils develop confidence and independence.

Pupils appreciate the many extra-curricular activities the school offers, such as football, creative writing and mindfulness clubs. Staff take a determined approach to helping pupils to develop their talents and in...terests. Disadvantaged pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), consistently benefit from the excellent opportunities that the school provides.

Behaviour is exceptional. Pupils are impeccably polite to staff and visitors. Pupils manage their emotions well and settle quickly into school routines.

This starts strongly in the early years and continues throughout the school. Pupils have highly positive attitudes to their education. Pupils celebrate diversity and their individual differences through memorable lessons and assemblies.

Pupils feel safe. One pupil, whose comments summed up the views of many, said, 'You can really be yourself here, and no one will judge you.'

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

The curriculum is highly ambitious for all pupils.

This starts well in the early years, where staff combine thoughtful tasks with activities which build pupils' vocabulary. These help children to develop their communication and language skills well. Lessons in the early years help children to build on what they know.

As a result, children develop knowledge and skills successfully across the seven areas of learning. Staff manage children's transitions from the early years into Year 1 highly effectively, particularly for pupils with SEND. By the end of Reception, children are ready for their next stage of education.

Across the school, subjects are planned and sequenced well. Collaborative work with staff across the multi-academy trust helps to ensure that the curriculum is set out clearly. Across a range of subjects, such as history and art and design, staff have secure subject knowledge.

Staff implement the wider curriculum well. They ask insightful questions and make use of regular checks to see what pupils have learned. This helps pupils experience what staff call 'lightbulb moments' in their learning and helps pupils to make links across subjects.

However, the subject knowledge of some staff in some subject areas is not yet as strong as it could be. For example, in mathematics some staff model expert, precise support for pupils, but this is not yet consistent across the whole staff team. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and do not achieve as well as they could.

Pupils learn to read well and develop a love of reading. Staff teach phonics effectively. If pupils fall behind, they get close support that is tailored to their individual needs.

Pupils build their reading confidence through carefully chosen texts. Pupils value the school library. They enjoy the range of texts shared by their teachers and benefit from the chance to read to adults regularly.

Books that pupils take home are closely matched to the sounds they have learned. Some of the books are deliberately challenging and staff are unwavering in their determination to maintain high expectations so that pupils achieve positive outcomes. Most pupils' achievement in phonics is strong.

Pupils have high levels of attendance. This is monitored exceptionally well. If pupils have any barriers to attending regularly, staff take a focused approach to working with parents and families in an effective way.

Pupils are taught to demonstrate high levels of self-control. This begins in Nursery and builds purposely throughout the school.

Governors and trustees know the strengths and areas to develop for the school.

The school has a focused and committed approach to improvement. Governors and trustees know and understand their statutory responsibilities. They support and challenge the school well.

The school engages with parents and carers effectively. Pupils interests and the school's ethos are kept at the heart of decision-making. All staff say that they feel proud to work at the school.

They feel supported with their workload and well-being. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school, many shared the view of one parent, who said, 'I feel incredibly lucky that my children can attend such a welcoming, inclusive and safe environment every day.'

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the curriculum is not implemented as effectively as it could be. This means that some pupils have gaps in their understanding and do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff further develop and share subject knowledge so that existing strong practice is consistent across the whole staff team, supporting all pupils to achieve highly in all subjects.