Slater Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils represent a diverse range of communities, backgrounds and families. Many pupils join, or leave, the school at different points in their school career. They are welcomed and helped to feel valued, happy and safe in this inclusive school.

They are kind and respectful to one another. However, pupils are not yet confident about all the values that are important to prepare them for life in modern Britain.

Pupils behave well most of the time.

Pupils say that there is little poor behaviour. The school's values help pupils to know the difference between right and wrong. They know how to raise a concern and they are confident that staff will help them.

...>The school places a high priority on the safety of pupils.

Pupils experience a variable quality of education. The school does not make sufficiently thorough checks on pupils' learning.

Some pupils do not recall the school's curriculum well enough.

There is a range of enrichment opportunities for pupils. As well as a variety of curriculum-linked visits, pupils are encouraged to participate in clubs, such as art and crafts, multi-sports and coding.

There are leadership roles for pupils. They can apply to be a school councillor. 'Inspiring' sessions give pupils a view of what it is like to be an architect or a graphic designer.

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

The school has sustained significant staffing and leadership changes. It is now in a more stable position. However, the school's curriculum thinking in some subjects is not developed well enough.

The leadership of some subjects is not fully developed. This means that leaders cannot fully evaluate the quality of education in their area of responsibility or determine precise next steps.

The school does not regularly check what pupils already know and can do in several subjects.

Subsequently, sometimes pupils complete work that is either too easy or too difficult for them. In some cases, pupils are learning new concepts before they have the fundamental knowledge to build on. As a result, pupils do not gain the depth of knowledge they need.

Learning in the early years lays a strong foundation for what children learn for the rest of their education. The classroom environment, both indoors and outside, is well organised, bright and engaging. Children share and take turns.

They maintain high levels of interest with activities that staff facilitate well. For example, the mathematical activities that children complete provide opportunities for them to confidently explore measurement and review their learning.

Pupils enjoy reading books.

They talk enthusiastically about favourite authors. Children in the early years learn about phonics from the start of the Reception Year. Staff provide activities that help the youngest children to develop strong listening skills.

This helps them to listen for letter sounds in words. They learn new letters and sounds each day. Staff identify children who need extra support with their reading.

These children receive support that helps them to keep up with their peers. However, sometimes phonics lessons are not as effectively delivered. For example, sometimes staff do not pronounce sounds correctly or they do not precisely follow the phonics programme.

As a result, not all pupils learn to read as well as they might and fall behind. Some pupils are unable to read with the accuracy and fluency that they should.

The school has introduced robust systems to check on, and improve, pupils' attendance.

However, some pupils are absent too often. This means they miss out on important learning, which hinders achievement.

The school has high expectations of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders work effectively with external agencies to access additional provision, where this is needed. Pupils with SEND receive effective support for their individual needs. Staff have detailed information that outlines the targeted support pupils should get.

However, staff do not adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of all learners well enough in all year groups.

There is a carefully considered personal, social and health education curriculum in place to support pupils' well-being and to prepare them for life in modern Britain. Pupils access a range of opportunities and experiences.

These include lessons to help them to develop mental and physical health and to learn about positive relationships. However, pupils are not confident when talking about fundamental British values or equality.

Most staff are proud to work at the school.

Governors support the school and recognise the areas that need to improve.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Levels of absence and persistent absence remain too high for a minority of pupils.

Some pupils miss too much learning and do not achieve as well as they should. The school should fully implement and embed its policies and procedures to improve attendance. ? Leadership is at an early stage of development in some subjects.

Some subject leaders are not yet fully taking responsibility for the implementation and impact of their curriculum. The school should ensure that subject leaders gain the necessary knowledge and understanding to measure the implementation and impact of the curriculum effectively, therefore, ensuring that all pupils achieve well. ? The school has not devised effective approaches to assessing pupils' knowledge in some subjects.

Staff are unclear about what pupils know and do not know. Some pupils are left with gaps in their learning, which makes any future learning difficult for them. The school should ensure that there are effective assessment systems in place to check what pupils know and remember and that they are used consistently well.

• Sometimes, phonics lessons are not effectively delivered. This slows some pupils' ability to read with accuracy and fluency as soon as they might. The school must ensure that phonics is consistently well taught.