Stewart Headlam Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils here are polite, friendly and inquisitive. They work and play together happily and develop confidence in expressing their views. Leaders develop trusting relationships with parents and carers.

They work in partnership with parents in the best interests of pupils. This is a truly inclusive school, with a strong community spirit. Pupils thrive here.

Leaders have the highest aspirations for pupils. They are ambitious for what every pupil can achieve. They provide pupils with a rich and stimulating education.

Pupils respond with both determination and enthusiasm. They work hard in lessons and enjoy their learning.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary....r/>
They show kindness and respect to all. In lessons, they listen with intent to adults. This begins in the early years, where children are quick to follow daily routines.

As pupils get older, they increasingly take responsibility for their own behaviour and support each other's well-being.

Leaders provide pupils with a diverse range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests. Pupils take part in residential trips and in music, sporting and drama activities.

Older pupils lead the pupil parliament and other initiatives, such as a Year 5 volunteering scheme. Pupils here give back to both the school and the local community.

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

Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum.

The curriculum is well sequenced. Pupils build up their subject knowledge with increasing depth as they move through the school. Leaders have developed the curriculum skilfully.

Pupils learn how to work and think like subject specialists, such as mathematicians and geographers. Pupils apply their knowledge across subjects, for example in studying earthquakes and architecture. They also study topics such as robots and climate change.

This approach to learning deepens and extends pupils' learning.

The ambitious curriculum begins in the early years. Leaders provide a rich, purposeful and well-resourced learning environment.

They are quick to identify children's development needs. They adapt their teaching to ensure that they meet these needs. Adults have a central focus on supporting children's language and communication development.

They do this to good effect. Children cooperate well with each other and show high levels of concentration and resilience.

From the start of Reception, pupils learn to read using phonics.

Adults teach phonics well. A high proportion of pupils read with accuracy by the end of Reception and reach age-related reading expectations by the end of Year 1. Teachers are precise in checking pupils' phonic knowledge and identifying those pupils who need extra help.

Adults provide this extra help in a timely and effective manner. This helps pupils to catch up with their peers. As pupils progress into the older year groups, they read a diverse range of texts, including non-fiction and poetry.

Leaders select these texts with care. This ensures that texts reflect pupils' backgrounds and help to deepen their subject knowledge. Pupils read often at school and develop a love for reading.

Teachers have good subject knowledge. They revisit and build on pupils' prior learning. They choose activities that help pupils to secure their knowledge.

They use questioning well to develop pupils' understanding. Pupils have highly positive attitudes to learning. They learn without disruption.

A high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) complete the same work as their peers. Leaders identify pupils' needs well. They adapt the curriculum for a small minority of pupils with SEND to meet their specific, complex needs.

Pupils, including pupils with SEND, produce work of high quality. Pupils achieve exceptionally well.

Leaders have developed an extensive personal development programme.

Pupils learn about important issues, such as relationships, in an age-appropriate way. They also learn about equality and diversity, as well as physical and mental health. Pupils experience many trips, visits and workshops.

They visit museums, art galleries and places of worship. Leaders plan these events well so that they support pupils' learning in meaningful ways. In addition, leaders have established several partnerships with local and national organisations.

These provide pupils with additional opportunities, including engineering projects and a scholars' programme. Pupils enjoy these events, which help to raise and inform their aspirations.

Leaders provide pupils with an exceptional education.

They prioritise high-quality professional development for staff, which in turn enables them to deliver a high-quality education. Governors fulfil their statutory responsibilities well. They provide effective strategic oversight and hold leaders to account.

Staff enjoy working here. They respond positively to leaders' desire to continually develop and refine provision. Leaders support staff well-being.

They listen to staff and work with them to ensure that staff workload is manageable.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding.

They provide staff with regular training and updates. This maintains staff's safeguarding knowledge. It also ensures that staff are alert to the signs of risk for pupils.

Staff report any concerns about pupils with appropriate urgency. Leaders provide in-school support for pupils' social and emotional well-being. They have also developed effective relationships with external agencies.

Leaders take a rigorous approach to securing the help pupils need. Leaders provide information for parents to raise their awareness of safeguarding. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, including online.