Sir Francis Hill Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at this school. Teachers and support staff know their pupils well and show pupils that they care about them. Pupils receive time during the day to share how they are feeling and any worries they may have.

Older pupils record these reflections in their 'happy confident me' journals.

Leaders have high expectations of all pupils. Both staff and pupils work hard at modelling some of the school values of respect, honesty, resilience and friendship.

Pupils know how to be a good friend.

Behaviour in lessons and in and around school is positive. There is a culture of mutual respect between staff and pupils.

There are a few ...pupils who struggle with their behaviour. Staff support these pupils to improve their own behaviour. Bullying does happen occasionally.

When it does, staff ensure that they deal with it quickly.

The school community prides itself on the provision for music and the arts. All pupils have an opportunity to play an instrument in the school orchestra.

The curriculum is not yet taught consistently well, including in early years. Leaders are not routinely checking how well the curriculum is being taught or what pupils can remember.

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

The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The curriculum is well planned. It is clear what knowledge pupils should learn and when.

The teaching of music is a strength of the school.

The teaching of the rest of the curriculum is not as strong as it should be, including in early years. Not all pupils are able to remember the knowledge they learn in lessons. In some lessons, teachers teach too much knowledge for pupils to be able to understand or remember it well.

Some teachers do not consistently use strategies to help pupils remember more about what they are learning.

Reading starts in early years. Staff do not teach phonics consistently.

There are too many pupils who are struggling with their reading. Teachers identify these pupils quickly. The support they provide, however, does not help these pupils to become confident readers quickly enough.

The books available for pupils to read do not always match the sounds that they know. Leaders promote a love of reading in school. The library is well stocked with books for all pupils to enjoy.

Teachers regularly check what pupils know in each subject. They do not always use this information to inform the next steps of pupils' learning.

Activities in early years do not always build on what children know or can do already.

Teachers do not always address misconceptions. On such occasions, they do not ensure that children's understanding is correct.

Pupils are proud of their school and are ready to learn.

Most pupils say that they enjoy their lessons. Children in early years settle well and follow their routines with ease. All pupils understand the 'good to be green' rewards system in school.

They work hard to earn house points and 'gold cards' for exceptional behaviour.

Pupils learn about healthy relationships and the need to respect those who are different from themselves. Through completing writing activities, they learn about different cultures.

Pupils know about some of the British values. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of different faiths. Teachers use texts well to help pupils start to think about jobs and career options.

This starts in early years. There are opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests through clubs. These include, but are not limited to, clubs for music and the arts, cricket and karate.

Leaders prioritise meeting the wider needs of all pupils, including those with SEND. The 'Ark' provision allows pupils with SEND time to settle and become ready to learn at their own pace. Most teachers adapt their teaching to meet these pupils' needs.

Leaders do not regularly check how well pupils learn the curriculum. They have not acted to bring about the necessary improvements in how the curriculum is taught, including in early years.

Leaders consider the workload and well-being of staff.

Governors know the school well. They support the school's leaders. However, governors do not always challenge leaders as robustly as they should.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that they prioritise the safeguarding of all pupils. Staff receive regular training and weekly safeguarding updates.

All staff know how to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. There is a strong culture of reporting incidents, no matter how minor they may appear. Leaders work closely with external agencies.

Pupils and their families get the right support they need.

Pupils know where to get help if they need it. Teachers ensure that they teach pupils how to stay safe.

Pupils know how to stay physically and mentally healthy. They know how to keep themselves safe when online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not made sure that teachers consistently use effective methods and approaches to help pupils know and remember more.

In early years, the activities teachers set do not always match what they intend children to learn and achieve across each area of learning. In key stages 1 and 2, in some lessons, teachers impart too much knowledge for pupils to be able to remember it well enough. As a result, children and pupils do not always learn new knowledge in a way that helps them to know and remember more over time, including by building on what they already know.

Leaders should ensure that teachers understand how best to teach knowledge across the different subjects in all year groups, so that children and pupils can securely build on their learning over time and are well prepared for their next stage of education. ? Staff are not consistent in how they teach the school's phonics programme. Some teachers do not use the pure sounds.

Some do not teach the right sounds at the right time. Some pupils who struggle to read receive support that does not enable them to become confident readers quickly enough. These pupils are given books that do not match their phonic knowledge.

As a result, some pupils are not becoming confident and fluent readers as quickly as they should. Leaders should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to implement the school's phonics programme consistently well, and to support pupils who are at an early stage of reading. They should make sure that the books pupils read match the sounds they already know.

• Some leaders are not monitoring how well teachers are teaching their subjects across the school. As a result, leaders do not have a precise enough understanding of where provision needs to improve to be able to bring about that improvement quickly enough. Leaders should ensure that they have a precise understanding of how well teachers are teaching the curriculum in all subjects, so that all pupils achieve the best possible outcomes.

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