Stoke Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school celebrates the diversity of its community, helping pupils to feel welcomed and proud of their heritage.

Pupils who are new to the school settle quickly and make friends. Pupils feel well cared for. Staff care for all the pupils well and staff work with families to ensure that help is readily available.

Pupils are proud of their school and are grateful for the vast array of opportunities they have. These include performing plays at local theatres and participating in residential visits that develop team-building and problem-solving skills. These experiences help improve pupils' confidence.

Pupils enjoy the range of clubs and activities available to ...them, including drama, choir, crafts and a range of sports.

Despite recent improvements to the curriculum, some subjects are not securely embedded. This means that some pupils do not learn as well as they should.

The school's expectations of what some pupils can do are too low, including in the early years. This limits the opportunities pupils have to reach their full potential.

Pupils feel safe in school.

They know when and how to report any concerns they may have. Most pupils behave well, reflecting the school's values of empathy, optimism, kindness and truthfulness. If bullying occurs or unkind comments are made, pupils are usually confident that staff will address the issue.

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

The school has introduced a broad curriculum designed to build on pupils' prior knowledge. The curriculum identifies the key learning for each subject. The school provides many opportunities for writing across the curriculum.

However, some subject content does not demand enough of pupils. When this happens, there are occasions when pupils lose concentration. This slows down their learning.

The school has not ensured that teachers provide a learning experience where pupils encounter increasingly demanding content and achieve consistently well.

Some staff use effective strategies to help pupils to remember their learning. They also check routinely what pupils know and can recall, helping them decide what to teach next.

However, these checks and strategies are not used consistently well across the school. This means that some pupils do not learn as well and struggle to recount essential facts and information. This makes it difficult for pupils to make sense of new learning.

The school uses assessment well in English and mathematics in order to identify gaps in prior learning and plan appropriate support to help pupils to catch up.

The school prioritises the teaching of reading. Pupils, and children in the early years, read widely and often.

The school has a clear phonics programme in place. Most pupils practise their reading using books that are closely matched to the sounds that they have learned. Pupils who struggle to keep up with reading receive extra help from skilled staff.

Most pupils quickly become fluent readers by the time they finish the programme.

Staff identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) swiftly. Pupils are supported well both within class and in the school's 'Aviary' and 'Hive' learning spaces.

When needed, staff adapt learning activities and resources well so that pupils develop their knowledge and skills. Across the school, pupils with SEND successfully access the same learning as their peers.

Pupils behave well most of the time in lessons and during social times.

They value the 'smiley' tokens that they receive in recognition of their good behaviour and learning. A significant number of pupils do not attend school regularly and therefore miss too much of their education. The school's actions to address this are showing a positive impact.

Children get off to a strong start in the Nursery. They settle quickly into the class routines. They play cooperatively and behave well.

However, expectations of what children can do in the Reception classes are too low. The way the curriculum and learning environment are organised does not support children well enough to think and learn for themselves. Interactions from some adults do not always support children's development well enough.

Consequently, children are not as well prepared as they should be for their next stage of learning.

The school caters well for pupils' wider development and is focused on developing their aspirations. The school provides high-quality pastoral support for its pupils, including the most vulnerable.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe. They demonstrate their understanding of democracy when choosing representatives for the school council and Coventry ambassadors. Visits to local justice centres develop pupils' understanding of justice and the rule of law.

Pupils have a very good understanding of fundamental British values. This helps to equip them well for life in modern Britain.

Parents and carers are positive about the school.

They comment on how well staff support them and their children.

The school is considerate of staff workload and well-being. Governors support and challenge the school fairly as it works on improving the quality of education for pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The strategies used by some staff to help pupils to remember their learning are not as effective as they could be. As a result, some pupils do not gain the knowledge and skills that they need to deepen their understanding.

The school should ensure that staff receive further support to help pupils remember essential knowledge over time. ? In some subjects, expectations of pupils' intended learning outcomes are not sufficiently high. Also, some leaders do not check carefully enough on how well their curriculum area is being implemented.

As a result, pupils do not build on their learning and achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that intended learning outcomes are more demanding so that pupils make better progress. ? Some staff in the early years do not have high enough expectations for children's learning.

The classroom organisation in the Reception classes does not support children well enough to play, explore and think creatively. Children do not develop the prerequisite skills in readiness to enter Year 1 confidently. The school should ensure that the early years environment promotes children's curiosity, and that the staff's dialogue with children builds understanding so that children are ready for Year 1.