Stoke-on-Tern Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe at school because they know that they can talk to any adult, who will try and help them. They enjoy coming to school.

School council members know that their role means they can help change things in school, such as the dinner menu.

Leaders prioritise relationships at Stoke-on-Tern Primary School. Parents appreciate the work of all staff and many work in partnership with leaders to support their children.

The 'Stoke-on-Tern way' supports pupils to embed positive attitudes towards learning. If any incidents of bullying occur, staff deal with these quickly.

Leaders have not set out precisely the skills and knowledge they want ...pupils to learn in all subjects.

Pupils therefore do not know and remember more of the curriculum. Some teachers do not have high expectations for pupils' achievement.

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

There have been significant changes to the curriculum since the co-headteachers' appointment.

Leaders have set out a curriculum which, for most subjects, clearly identifies what they want pupils to know and by when. However, in other subjects, leaders have not precisely set out the key skills that they want pupils to learn. This means that some pupils do not successfully build on what they already know and can do.

In some subjects, teachers provide opportunities for pupils to practise what they know. For example, younger pupils understand how using adjectives improves the sentences they write. However, this is not the case in all subjects.

Some teachers provide learning activities which focus more on the task to be completed and not what pupils will learn as a result. Some pupils therefore struggle to remember what they have learned. For example, pupils remembered completing non-fiction writing but could not remember the key features needed to successfully produce a final piece of writing.

Leaders prioritise the teaching of phonics. Up-to-date training allows staff to teach phonics clearly and consistently. Leaders use phonic assessment strategies well to identify pupils who need extra support.

These pupils receive well-planned support to help them to develop the knowledge and skills they need to become confident readers.

Staff identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. Staff understand the individual needs of pupils with SEND and provide support to help them make progress in their learning.

For most pupils, this is successful in helping them to overcome any barriers to learning.

Some teachers do not use assessment strategies well to check what pupils have learned, including in the early years. This means that teachers do not address pupils' misconceptions in some subjects.

This does not support pupils to achieve as well as they could.

Pupils know how important it is to behave well, especially when they are in lessons. They talk positively about pupils' behaviour in school and know that adults will help them if they need it.

Leaders respond quickly to any incidents of poor behaviour and involve parents in the support provided to pupils. Leaders check the attendance of individual pupils and work with parents when required, to make sure that pupils attend regularly.

Leaders prioritise staff and pupils' mental health and well-being.

They offer a wide range of clubs and activities, such as engineering club and choir. Pupils enjoy the roles and responsibilities they hold in school, such as being a member of the school council. They recognise the need to be kind to each other and acknowledge that everyone should be treated the same.

Leaders do not have a sufficiently clear understanding of what is working well and what needs to improve. As a result, leaders find it hard to accurately identify areas to prioritise to improve the school's effectiveness. Some leadership roles and responsibilities are also unclear.

Governors do not receive all the information they need to hold leaders fully to account, for example for the quality of education. Staff feel well supported by leaders and appreciate leaders' actions to prioritise their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The majority of staff have received appropriate safeguarding training. Some staff are unclear about the new reporting processes when they are concerned about a pupil. Nevertheless, they do understand that any concerns must be reported quickly.

Leaders record concerns about pupils. However, due to a recent change in recording systems, some of the information is not logged in sufficient detail. Despite this, the safeguarding processes and procedures in place to identify and help pupils who may be suffering harm are effective.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including online. They know the dangers of being close to roads and water.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not ensured that all staff have a detailed understanding of recently introduced safeguarding reporting systems and that any concerns reported are recorded in sufficient detail.

This makes it challenging for leaders to spot any mounting concerns about a pupil. Leaders must ensure that all staff have a detailed understanding of, and use, the agreed safeguarding procedures to keep pupils safe. ? In some subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge and skills that pupils should learn precisely enough.

This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that key knowledge and skills are set out clearly to enable teachers to plan lessons that build on what pupils already know. ? Some teachers, including in the early years, do not use assessment strategies well to check what pupils know and can do.

This means that these teachers do not identify gaps in pupils' learning or address any misconceptions pupils may have. Leaders should support teachers to assess more precisely what pupils remember and can do. ? Leaders do not have a sufficiently clear understanding about what is working well and what needs to improve in the school.

They do not have clearly defined roles and responsibilities. This means that the areas for development are not accurate or well led. Leaders should ensure that roles and responsibilities are clearly defined to allow them to identify ways to improve the school's effectiveness.

• Governors do not provide appropriate challenge to leaders. The information that they receive from leaders limits their understanding about what is working well and what needs to improve, particularly in respect of the quality of education. Leaders should ensure that governors receive helpful information to enable them to support and challenge leaders to improve the school's effectiveness.