Sticklands Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's vision, 'aspire, believe, belong and achieve - let your light shine' underpins the inclusive culture and community ethos of the school.

The school sets high expectations for all pupils. As a result, pupils' attitudes to school are incredibly positive. They are proud of the school and enjoy learning.

Pupils are highly motivated. The majority of pupils learn well.

A positive and respectful culture permeates throughout the school.

The school establishes high expectations for pupils' behaviour right from the start. Children in early years quickly learn the expected routines. For example, the mantra 'choose it, use it, put it away' helps them... to learn to be independent in their choices and to look after resources.

Pupils treat others with kindness and respect. Pupils know that there are adults to talk to if they have a worry. As a result, pupils feel safe.

Pupils are taught the importance of equality and to celebrate difference. The school teaches pupils about protected characteristics and discrimination. Pupils learn the importance of treating others fairly.

This prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

The school provides numerous opportunities for pupil leadership such as school council, eco club and well-being warriors. These opportunities help pupils to learn about responsibility.

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

The school has carefully constructed a clear and ambitious curriculum for all subjects. It sets out the knowledge that the school expects pupils to know and remember. The curric-ulum builds from strong foundations in the early years.

The school has high aspirations for pupils. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school swiftly identifies pupils' needs and ensures that appropriate support is put into place.

Reading is a priority. Staff are well trained to support pupils with learning to read. They swiftly identify when pupils fall behind and give them the help they need to catch up.

Pu-pils read books that match the sounds they know and have learned. This helps them to read with increasing fluency and confidence.Pupils develop a love of reading.

The school has identified high-quality texts for pupils to read to develop their breadth of reading. From the start of Reception, children are im-mersed in poems, rhymes and stories. As a result, older pupils talk enthusiastically about the books they enjoy.

One described reading as going to 'different places in your mind'.Teachers have good subject knowledge. Their clear explanations help pupils to learn new content.

Teachers successfully adapt the learning to support pupils with SEND to learn the same curriculum alongside their peers. In core subjects, such as mathematics, pupils reg- ularly revisit prior learning. Consequently, they build on what they already know to de-velop a strong understanding.

In some subjects, pupils do not have opportunities to recall earlier learning. As a result, their knowledge and understanding are less secure in these subjects.In English and mathematics, staff effectively check what pupils know and can do.

How-ever, in some wider curriculum subjects, teaching does not check well enough what pupils have learned and remembered. This means some pupils have gaps in their understanding.The school acts on any weaknesses that emerge.

For example, the school took quick and effective action to strengthen mathematics and reading following a dip in key stage 2 out-comes. Consequently, the provision for mathematics and reading is strong. However, in a few subjects, the school does not have oversight of how well the curriculum is being de-livered in the classroom.

It does not yet effectively check how well pupils learn in those subjects. The school has rightly identified that there is more to do to improve pupils' spelling and handwriting. Nonetheless, this work is in its early stages.

Some pupils make repeated errors with spelling and letter formation.Pupils are polite and well-mannered. They understand the school rules well.

Most pupils attend regularly and on time.The school's work to support pupils' personal development is exemplary. A wide range of opportunities enrich and extend pupils' learning beyond the academic.

For example, the school's work on career development. A carefully planned curriculum including visitors to school helps to encourage and inspire pupils to 'dream big' about their future aspirations.Pupils learn to become active citizens in the community.

For example, writing to residents of a local care home and charity fundraising. This helps pupils to understand the differ-ence their actions can have and to develop empathy and understanding.Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school.

They value the care and support the staff provide. One parent reflected the views of many in their comment that 'the school goes above and beyond'.

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, the school's oversight of how the curriculum is delivered and its impact on pupils' learning is not secure. As a result, there is some variability in how well pupils learn and remember important knowledge over time. The school must ensure that there is better oversight of how well pupils learn in all subjects so that the school can act where improvements are needed.

• The teaching of writing does not yet secure pupils' accurate spelling and letter formation. Some pupils do not yet have the fundamentals of writing that they need to be ready for later work. The school should ensure that the new writing curriculum is fully embedded to provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to develop and practise their writing and secure age-appropriate knowledge and skills.