Southcoates Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Southcoates Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Southcoates Primary Academy. Staff have high expectations of all pupils. The school works in partnership with parents and carers to benefit pupils in their development and learning.

Leaders and staff are at the school gates to welcome the pupils every day. Parents are able to discuss any concerns they may have about their child with leaders. Parents value this approach.

Pupils feel safe in school. Incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils learn about different types of bullying, including physical, verbal, social and cyber-bullying.

They know w...hat to do if they, or a friend, are being bullied. Staff address their concerns swiftly.

Pupils behave well in lessons and around school.

They are polite to visitors and conduct themselves with maturity. Classrooms are calm environments that enable pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to concentrate and learn. From a young age, pupils are supported to be independent and responsible.

This prepares them well for the next stage of their education.

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

Leaders have implemented an ambitious curriculum. All subjects are clearly sequenced, with key knowledge and skills carefully mapped out from the early years to Year 6.

Teachers use assessment effectively. They are aware of gaps in knowledge that have arisen because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers have addressed these gaps within the curriculum.

For example, in geography, teachers identified that pupils' skills in using maps to find locations were limited. This was rectified by teaching the skills that had been missed at the beginning of a new geography unit. Pupils were able to use and apply what they had learned to identify human and physical features in the local area well.

Outcomes from last year's end-of-key-stage tests indicate that leaders were unable to fully address gaps in pupils' learning. Leaders have taken appropriate action to address this. For example, they have implemented a consistent approach to the teaching of mathematics across the school.

This work is beginning to have a positive impact on pupils' learning.

Children in the early years complete challenges that enable them to use their skills in counting and reasoning. As pupils progress through the school, they use their developing knowledge of mathematics to solve problems.

Pupils recognise the importance of revising key knowledge and skills at the beginning of every lesson. This helps them to remember information they will need in future learning.

Reading takes high priority in the school.

All staff have been trained in the teaching of phonics. Phonics lessons are taught with consistency and fidelity to the school's chosen phonics scheme. Pupils learn to read with increasing fluency and accuracy as they develop their phonic knowledge.

The 'Southcoates 70', a selection of 10 books for pupils to read in each year group, fosters a love of reading from a young age. Through this, pupils enjoy exploring new authors and genres of texts.

Children in Nursery enjoy participating in songs, rhymes and games.

These help to develop children's speech, language and communication skills. This prepares them well for beginning to learn to read when they move into Reception.

Pupils with SEND are supported well.

They participate in class discussions and complete work that is well matched to their individual needs. Intervention work and support is provided effectively by adults. Teachers make sure that pupils receive this support when they need it.

Subject leaders carry out their role effectively. They regularly check that the curriculum is taught consistently across the school. They use their findings to identify areas of strength and development in their areas of responsibility.

Teachers value the time they are given to carry out this work. Staff appreciate the actions taken by leaders to make sure their workload is manageable.

Leaders have considered the development points required to improve the school further.

However, senior leaders have not clearly defined what they expect the successful completion of this work to look like. Subject leaders are uncertain about their role in addressing the initiatives in the school's improvement planning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have created an ongoing culture of vigilance to keep pupils safe. Staff and volunteers complete a programme of induction so that they know what to do if they have a concern about a child.

Regular training and weekly updates enable staff to keep up to date with current guidance so that safeguarding remains a high priority in school.

Leaders maintain clear records to support their work to keep pupils safe. Leaders work effectively with outside agencies, where appropriate.

Pupils with responsibility as digital leaders promote online safety messages by leading termly assemblies.

Pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They know what to do if they receive an online message from someone they do not know.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders' improvement plans do not set out the expected end points of their work consistently well.

Subject leaders do not understand how their work connects with the school's improvement priorities. Senior leaders should ensure that all staff know their role in the development of the school further.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in 23 and 24 May 2017.