Southwold Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk excitedly about many aspects of their learning.

They enjoy the activities in their lessons. A typical view is that teachers 'bring things to life' and this helps pupils to remember what they have learned. Pupils demonstrate an eagerness to learn.

Pupils who attend the school throughout their primary education achieve well.

Pupils have respectful and trusting relationships with adults and each other. They behave well, are safe at school and keen to help each other both when playing and in the classroom.

The curriculum includes many opportunities that enhance and extend pupils' knowledge and understanding outside of the classroom. This incl...udes fieldwork, participation in sustainability projects and arts festivals. Pupils can join clubs that develop many of their talents, for example sports, cooking, art and beach club.

Pupils can apply for a range of leadership roles, including house captains, digital leaders, reading and learning ambassadors. These opportunities enable pupils to develop their social skills and use what they have learned in a range of contexts. They collaborate in project work with local charities and wildlife trusts.

Pupils regularly sing at an old people's home and take part in the mayor's inaugural parade each year. Pupils are being well prepared for their future lives.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that generally supports pupils to build their knowledge and skills so they are prepared for the curriculum in the next stage of their education.

The school has high expectations of all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school continually reviews the curriculum to further realise these expectations, and this ensures pupils are successful.

The school prioritises learning to read.

Significant improvements have been made to the teaching of early reading. In early years, children develop good reading habits. They start to look at books and learn to read from the outset.

The love of reading is promoted throughout the school. Teachers skilfully check that pupils' knowledge of phonics is secure. This supports pupils to learn to read quickly.

For pupils who struggle with reading the checks mean pupils are quickly identified and receive appropriate support to become more confident and fluent readers. This helps pupils to access the rest of the curriculum in all areas.

The curriculum content is well considered to meet the needs of the mixed-age class profile of the school.

Teachers are well trained and effectively use a range of methods to support pupils to learn across all curriculum areas. However, where the curriculum is more recently implemented, for example in mathematics, there are occasions when pupils do not develop their reasoning and problem-solving skills well enough. Consequently, when this happens pupils do not use what they know in more complex areas of mathematics.

As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.The school has been focusing on improving pupils' writing skills. Currently, while the content of pupils' writing is a good standard, pupils are not routinely remembering to take care when using their knowledge of punctuation and grammar.

This impacts on the quality of what pupils are writing across the curriculum. Leaders are aware of this and are continuing to prioritise improving pupils' writing skills, so pupils are able to effectively communicate what they learn through their writing.

The early years curriculum has been reviewed since the previous inspection.

Children are curious and keen to learn. There is a focus on developing children's language and communication skills. Children have many chances to develop their vocabulary and knowledge in all areas of learning.

This stands them in good stead to access the key stage 1 curriculum.

The school accurately identifies all pupils with SEND as soon as they join the school. This is particularly the case for those pupils who join mid-way through an academic year.

Appropriate support is quickly put in place and reviewed regularly. Teachers receive training to adapt learning activities to ensure pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve as well as other pupils.

The school promotes pupils' personal development effectively. Pupils celebrate diversity through their personal, social and health education curriculum. They have access to diverse texts which underpin what pupils learn.

Pupils have a very well-developed knowledge of what it is like to live in Modern Britain. For example, they understand the principles of democracy. This is further exemplified by pupils' participation in the 'pupil parliament' hosted by the trust.

Staff enjoy working at this school. Leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being.Through their close checking of the school's work, the trust has a very secure oversight of the academy and its improvement journey.

This enables them to have an equal balance of support, while effectively holding leaders to account.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Where the curriculum has more recently been implemented, teachers do not routinely provide enough opportunities to consolidate and extend pupils' learning.

For example, in mathematics, there are occasions when pupils do not regularly practise their reasoning and problem-solving skills. This means pupils do not use what they know in more complex areas of mathematics. Leaders must ensure that teachers continue to receive the appropriate training and embed these regular opportunities within the curriculum so that pupils can achieve as highly as possible.

• Sometimes, pupils are not routinely remembering to take care when using their knowledge of punctuation and grammar in their writing. This impacts on the quality of what pupils are writing across the curriculum. Leaders must continue to prioritise improving pupils' writing skills so that pupils can effectively communicate what they have learned in their writing.