Southwood Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where everyone is made to feel welcome. Pupils are thoughtful and show respect to others, and they are happy and feel safe.

Leaders have high expectations for pupils' behaviour and make standards clear.

Throughout the school, behaviour is sensible, and classrooms are calm, including in the early years. Pupils are encouraged to learn from any mistakes and to make amends to put things right.

Pupils are encouraged to take on various leadership roles, including as ambassadors for community and culture, reading, and health.

Pupils comment that they enjoy these roles because they include everyone in making decisions. Leaders ensure that th...e wider curriculum develops pupils' care for their community. For example, pupils regularly take food to the local foodbank and raise money for those in need.

Staff have high aspirations for pupils. Leaders have ensured that pupils have plenty of learning opportunities and experiences. Leaders organise a range of outings to consolidate pupils' learning in class, including a residential journey to Wales and visits to places of worship and to local government buildings.

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

Leaders have successfully strengthened the curriculum. Subject curriculums, including in the early years, are ambitious and build pupils' knowledge over time. In most subjects, the curriculum is well structured.

Leaders set out what pupils should learn and when. This helps pupils to build on what they already know and remember. However, in some subjects, subject content is not taught routinely in the order that leaders have planned.

Sometimes, key content is missed out from the intended sequence. This means that, in some subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

Teachers are experts in the subjects they teach.

They present information clearly and address misconceptions. In most lessons, pupils recap what they have been taught previously and demonstrate what they already know. Teachers check pupils' understanding throughout the lessons.

They give feedback on how to improve and provide opportunities for pupils to correct errors.

Leaders have ensured that reading is a high priority throughout the school. From Reception, children begin to learn phonics.

Staff regularly check what children know and understand. This enables leaders to make sure that children receive the right support. Staff are well trained and receive continuous further training.

As a result, pupils develop their ability to blend words accurately and read with fluency. Where any pupils fall behind, they are given extra support to help them to catch up.

Leaders, including those in the early years, accurately identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They work closely with other agencies so that pupils benefit from the support of external practitioners. Leaders ensure that adaptions to learning typically enable pupils to access learning. However, curriculum thinking does not routinely set out the essential and specific content that pupils with SEND need to know and remember.

Staff have received training in understanding and managing pupils' behaviour and emotions. In the early years and throughout the school, working relationships between adults and pupils are understanding and supportive. As a result, pupils trust staff to help them whenever they are upset or worried.

Pupils are taught about relationships and respecting differences. Leaders have provided opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding of their place in the community. They have had workshops delivered by the police, fire service and experts in dealing with hostility and prejudice.

Pupils are encouraged to contribute to their local area, acting, for example, as eco-ambassadors, visiting care homes and by taking responsibility for the upkeep of certain areas in the school.

The governing body provides effective support and challenge to leaders. It utilises the expertise of members to scrutinise and hold leaders to account.

It works alongside leaders to ensure that the right priorities are identified and addressed. The governing body checks that agreed actions are delivered and secure the desired impact.

Staff comment that the changes leaders have made to their workload have been helpful.

They say leaders are supportive and considerate of their health and well-being. They appreciate the training they have received, working with other schools and with other experts.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding and pupils' well-being are prioritised by all staff. Leaders have embedded a culture of shared responsibility. Staff have had training on how to identify potential risks and know how to raise concerns.

Issues are followed up promptly by leaders. Leaders are tenacious in ensuring that the right support is in place for pupils and their families.

Leaders know the school's local safeguarding needs well.

They draw upon the support of experts from within the community to encourage pupils to keep themselves safe online and outside of school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority) ? For pupils with SEND, the essential knowledge that leaders want pupils to know and remember is not routinely defined or explicit. This results in some pupils with SEND missing key components of knowledge or skills.

Leaders should ensure that curriculum thinking specifically sets out what they want all pupils to know and be able to do. ? In some subjects, where teaching does not typically follow the sequenced curriculum thinking, pupils do not routinely know and remember more, or they have gaps in understanding. Leaders should ensure that all subjects are taught in line with the sequence of intended learning so that component knowledge builds progressively, ensuring pupils know and are able to do and remember more over time.

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