Stradbroke Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Stradbroke Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders' vision is for experience, innovation, culture, aspirations and community to underpin the work of this school.

Pupils get a good grounding in basic skills in English and mathematics and build effectively on these skills over their time in school. They enjoy learning across a wide curriculum, but have more limited knowledge in some subjects.

Leaders have high expectations for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Staff support pupils with SEND well. The curriculum is skilfully adapted to meet the pupils' needs. Pupils ...benefit from numerous specialist support programmes.

Good relationships and effective teaching overall ensure that pupils achieve well, including those eligible to receive additional government funding.

There is a purposeful learning atmosphere in lessons. Pupils are polite and courteous.

There are occasions when pupils behave inappropriately. These are few and far between. Such incidents are dealt with swiftly and effectively.

Pupils are happy and safe.

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

The school is well led. Leaders know the school's strengths and areas that require further development.

Teachers and teaching assistants appreciate leaders' 'constant drive to do even better'. Leaders provide support for teachers to improve. They provide coaching that is based on the latest research.

Staff feel valued. They are grateful for support with their workload. Their morale is high.

The English and mathematics curriculums are planned in detail. Teachers implement the curriculums for English and mathematics well. Leaders recognised that pupils' subject knowledge in wider subjects was not as strong, and some pupils had missed content in aspects of some subjects.

Leaders have recently created similarly well-planned and ambitious curriculums for geography, history and science, from the early years to Year 6.However, these new curriculum plans have not been implemented across the full range of national curriculum subjects.

Staff throughout the school ensure pupils use a range of high-level vocabulary.

Teachers use assessment effectively during lessons. Pupils benefit from teachers' clear feedback. Pupils know their strengths and how to improve even further.

Teachers check pupils' understanding regularly and address any gaps in their knowledge as a matter of course. Pupils are proud to share their work. They recall many topics they have learned across the curriculum well.

Leaders have recently introduced a new scheme to improve the teaching of early reading. Staff are well trained. Pupils' phonic knowledge is checked regularly.

Books are carefully matched to pupils' reading ability. Most pupils read accurately, and with fluency and expression. Daily story time, weekly library visits and welcoming reading areas in each classroom promote a love of reading.

Pupils recall with enthusiasm a range of books they have read. The pupils have been inspired to read and write by recent visits that leaders have arranged from authors.

Well-trained school staff and external specialists provide carefully matched activities to support pupils with SEND effectively.

Pupils with SEND are progressing well towards their individual targets. Some pupils from the SEND resource base join the rest of the school for activities during the school day. For example, during the inspection, some of the pupils from the resource base took part in an educational visit to a farm with their peers.

The majority of pupils benefit from the wide range of after-school clubs. Leaders ensure that all pupils are encouraged to attend. Pupils learn new skills on educational visits, such as the residential visits that take place in Years 2 and 6.

Pupils, on the whole, are well behaved. Staff establish clear routines for behaviour from the moment children enter the school at two years old.

Despite the efforts of leaders, some pupils do not attend school regularly enough.

Although pupils' absence is partially due to illness, there are too many occasions when parents and carers do not bring their children to school. Their children miss out on crucial learning and have gaps in their knowledge.

Leaders have identified many opportunities for pupils' personal development.

There is a clear curriculum in place to teach pupils about relationships. Pupils have an understanding of equality. For example, they are aware of different types of families.

Some pupils are less sure about some of the fundamental British values. Many pupils benefit from having particular responsibilities in school. These include membership of the school parliament and school council.

Most recently, the junior wardens have improved the school and the local area by planting trees.

Staff keep parents up to date by electronic communication. Leaders are keen to develop strong relationships with families.

For example, new Reception starters and their parents recently attended a den-building workshop in school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are proud to provide a 'safe place' for pupils.

Leaders ensure staff complete the necessary safeguarding training in a timely manner. Staff know how to raise concerns. Leaders respond swiftly to referrals and access the help that pupils need quickly.

During the recruitment process, the appropriate checks are made to confirm that adults are safe to work in school with children.

Staff teach pupils about the risks they may face, such as risks when online. Pupils trust the adults in school to help them with any problems.

The 'Healthy Minds Champions' support other pupils effectively. One pupil described this role as, 'To make sure sad people become happier.'

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Although leaders have recently revised their curriculum to ensure that pupils build knowledge sequentially in subjects from the early years to Year 6, these plans have not been implemented.

As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge in some foundation subjects. Leaders should implement their well-sequenced curriculum plans in all subject areas and check the effect that these are having on the knowledge pupils gain and remember.Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2016.