Streethouse, Junior, Infant and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a warm and supportive environment for pupils, with a wide range of educational experiences in and out of lessons. Leaders show their ambition for pupils by helping them to develop the right attitudes and right approach to learning.

The school motto is to 'be the best that you can be'.

This is supported by further aims to 'be a leader' and 'be a learner'. The school teaches pupils how to be a learner and gives them meaningful opportunities to be a leader. As a result, the school motto is understood and valued by all.

Children are generally kind to each other. There is little bullying. Adults address bullying incisively on the rare occasions... it occurs.

Creativity is a strong feature of school life. Pupils engage in art and design with great interest and focus. During music lessons, the school is filled with enthusiastic and accomplished singing in which every pupil takes part.

Participating in Young Voices at Sheffield Arena is an opportunity that pupils look forward to and prepare for seriously.

The school has been successful in developing pupils' character and in supporting them to become fluent readers. Children in the early years are given a particularly strong start.

The school has correctly identified the need to improve the curriculums in mathematics and science.

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

The school has placed reading at the heart of the curriculum. Leaders have embedded a strong programme of reading that starts early.

It supports pupils to read accurately and with confidence. Pupils who need more help with reading receive timely and regular extra support. Adults' strong subject knowledge allows them to pick up pupils' misconceptions and correct them straight away.

Leaders review and reflect on the reading programme regularly. They follow this review up with additional staff training. Pupils of all ages show an enthusiasm for reading.

Reading is promoted and celebrated throughout the school.

The overall curriculum gives pupils a broad educational experience. Subjects such as music and art and design are playing an important part in developing pupils' creativity and cultural knowledge.

However, in two important core subjects, mathematics and science, leaders know that further work is needed to establish an effective curriculum. The key knowledge that pupils need in order to progress to the next stage of their learning is not defined clearly enough in these subjects. Pupils need more support to recall and remember important information.

In mathematics and science, the school does not understand the gaps in pupils' knowledge well enough.

Children in the early years develop their communication and language through a range of games and activities that stimulate discussion. Children learn strong routines that help them to develop confidence, independence and a sense of enquiry.

This work starts early. Two-year-old children in the Nursery access a wide range of experiences and opportunities to develop their learning. The effective curriculum in the early years prepares children well for key stage 1.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), in particular, benefit from the strong start in the early years. Pupils needing additional help are identified early. Most pupils with SEND attend regularly.

This supports their progress. External agencies are used effectively to help the school put in place the right strategies to support pupils with SEND.

Pupils behave well because there are clear expectations and routines.

Relationships between pupils and adults are strong. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They are supportive of each other.

In most cases, once pupils are underway with a task, they remain focused and productive, with little adult intervention required.

The school has prioritised well-being and social and emotional support for pupils. The personal development curriculum has a solid foundation.

It starts with understanding emotions and teaches pupils how to be healthy and safe. Pupils know a lot about online safety and other risks, such as rivers and railways. The school provides pupils with many leadership opportunities.

Pupils take pride in undertaking these leadership tasks, and they learn a lot from them.

There is a strong sense of teamwork among the adults in the school. This helps to manage workload.

Staff are supportive of each other. The focus on pupils' well-being extends to the adults in school. Staff and governors have a shared sense of purpose and a commitment to the school and the community.

Governors are knowledgeable and well informed. They understand and fulfil their duties and responsibilities effectively. Leaders at all levels have a very accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the school.

They have already implemented important changes, and they know how to bring about further improvement to the core curriculums for mathematics and science.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In two of the three core subjects, there is not enough clarity about what pupils need to learn and in what order.

This means that pupils are sometimes undertaking activities for which they do not have the supporting knowledge. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is implemented in sufficient detail to pick out important facts, vocabulary and concepts. This will help pupils to connect their learning with what has gone before and what comes next.

• Pupils struggle to recall their learning in some core subjects. As a result, pupils are not routinely able to draw on their prior learning to make sense of the current lesson. Leaders should extend to all subjects the effective work that has already been undertaken in some subject areas to support pupils to remember and recall learning across the wider curriculum.