Stanley Road Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and proud to belong to this calm, diverse and friendly school community.

The school helps new pupils, including those from overseas, to settle in quickly. Pupils explained to inspectors how important it is to be kind to each other. They said that this helps everyone to make and maintain strong friendships.

Pupils strive to follow the 'Stanley Road Way' in all that they do. They are polite and respectful towards each other and towards staff. Pupils behave well during lessons and as they move around the school.

They enjoy playtimes and lunchtimes when they play or chat sociably with each other.

Pupils described how they value the suppo...rt that they receive to help them to learn. The school expects all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well and aim high.

Pupils strive to follow these high expectations. They achieve well across the curriculum.

Pupils are proud of their many successes, including performing poems that they have learned to their parents and carers.

Pupils benefit from a range of trips, such as to the beach and to museums. They spoke enthusiastically about clubs that they attend, such as gymnastics and multiplication club.

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

The school has a clearly defined, ambitious and well-organised curriculum.

Pupils build on what they have learned in previous years as they progress from Nursery to Year 6. This helps them to know and remember more over time. Pupils typically achieve well.

The school is particularly successful in supporting pupils who speak English as an additional language to achieve well. By the time that pupils reach the end of key stage 2, they are well prepared for the challenges of the key stage 3 curriculum.

Overall, teachers deliver the curriculum in the way that the school has agreed.

Teachers use agreed and effective strategies to help pupils to remember important information. However, at times, teachers do not check carefully on what pupils have learned. This makes it difficult for them to address any gaps in pupils' learning.

As a result, some pupils, including those with SEND, do not build up their knowledge as effectively as they could.

The school provides clear support and guidance for teachers to help them to identify and meet the differing needs of pupils, including those with SEND. Most pupils with SEND achieve well.

Reading is central to the school's curriculum. From the Nursery Year, children become familiar with the high-quality texts, stories and rhymes that their teachers share with them. This provides a strong start for children to learn how to use phonics to read words from the Reception Year.

The school makes sure that teachers deliver the phonics programme effectively. By the end of key stage 1, most pupils can read with accuracy and fluency. Pupils in key stage 2 build on this secure foundation well.

They enjoy reading and understand how important it is to help them to achieve across the curriculum.

Some pupils find reading more difficult. Most of these pupils benefit from effective additional support to catch up.

However, this is not the case for a small number of pupils. This is because teachers do not identify the gaps in some pupils' phonics knowledge well enough.

The school helps pupils and their parents to understand why every day at school is important.

The school monitors pupils' attendance carefully and provides targeted and effective support when required. As a result, the attendance of most pupils improves over time.

Learning takes place without disruption across the school.

Pupils focus during lessons. They work together well and are keen to help and support each other.

The school provides a wide range of experiences to broaden pupils' understanding of the wider world.

This helps pupils to develop self-belief, independence and resilience due to the well-thought-out support they receive. These positive attributes prepare them well for the challenges they may face in later life. Pupils learn how to stay physically and mentally healthy.

Governors provide effective support and challenge to the school. Governors also ensure that staff's workload is manageable and considered when new initiatives are introduced.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, including reading, the checks that teachers make on what pupils know and remember are not as effective as they could be. At times, this hinders teachers in designing learning that addresses gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers receive support and guidance so that they can identify and address gaps in pupils' learning consistently well.