Sudbury Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Sudbury Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and behave well. This is because there are clear routines and expectations in place that are consistently applied by staff.

Pupils embody the school's five values of respect, responsibility, honesty, kindness and courage. Bullying is not tolerated. Any incidents that do arise are dealt with swiftly.

Pupils trust adults to help them and know that they are listened to when reporting any concerns that they may have. As a result, pupils are happy and kept safe at school.

The curriculum is broad and ambitious.

When pupils learn somethin...g new, the curriculum helps them to make links with what they already know. This means that pupils are well supported to learn more over time. Pupils work hard and produce work of good quality in different subjects.

Pupils are typically well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

Pupils enjoy the wide range of additional activities on offer. For example, they like attending the fine art club, which offers pupils the opportunity to further practise skills, such as sketching and shading, which have been taught during lessons.

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

Leaders have prioritised early reading. A new programme was introduced midway through last year to better support pupils to become fluent readers. Staff who teach reading in the early years and Years 1 and 2 have been fully trained to deliver the programme.

Children start learning letter sounds from the early years. Regular assessments identify those at risk of falling behind. Additional help and practice are provided to ensure that these pupils catch up quickly.

Books used to teach reading are closely matched to the sounds that pupils know, and teachers make sure that pupils have frequent opportunities for practice. Pupils use their phonic knowledge competently to read words and texts with growing fluency. Pupils enjoy reading and being read to.

They look forward to their regular class visits to the school library, 'Booktropolis', to borrow books.

Older pupils learning phonics receive additional help from staff who have been well trained. However, some staff are in the process of receiving training to implement the new programme.

This means that at times when pupils are learning back in their classrooms, staff do not provide sufficient opportunities to practise and embed the sounds they are learning. Leaders are aware of this and are accelerating the pace at which staff receive phonics training.

Pupils follow an ambitious curriculum which matches expectations nationally.

Important ideas and vocabulary that pupils need to learn and remember have been identified. The curriculum is well sequenced so that pupils revisit and embed key concepts over time. For example, in geography, younger pupils learn the points of a compass.

They revisit this later on in science when learning about forces and creating a compass using a metal rod and a magnet. Similarly, in mathematics, children in the early years regularly practise their counting and number recognition. This ensures that they are developing the foundations required to solve more complex calculations later.

Assessment is used effectively to check what pupils have learned. Teachers identify and address any errors or misconceptions that arise. This means pupils typically learn and remember more in different subjects over time.

However, there are instances where the tasks and activities that pupils complete do not always match the ambition of the planned curriculum. When these inconsistencies arise, pupils are not helped to secure and master the expected knowledge and skills across the school.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported.

Tailored support and adaptations are provided by well-trained staff. This ensures that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers wherever possible.

Pupils' wider development has been well considered.

For example, pupils are encouraged to take on extra responsibilities such as peer mediators, eco-warriors and college councillors. They take their roles seriously. The process of election for these responsibilities aims to support pupils' understanding of democracy and prepare them well for life in modern Britain.

Behaviour is highly positive, both in lessons and outside on the playground. Pupils are explicitly taught what constitutes acceptable behaviour. This, together with clear rules, means that everyone knows what is expected.

As a result, there is a calm, purposeful atmosphere throughout the school, and lessons are focused on learning.

Staff, including those at the start of their careers, are overwhelmingly positive about the support that they receive with their workload and well-being. They appreciate the training and other opportunities for professional development that are available to them.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. All staff, governors and trustees are well trained to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm.

They understand their responsibilities and report any concerns that they have swiftly.

Leaders know families well. They seek support and advice from the local authority and other agencies when needed to ensure the best possible outcomes for pupils and their families.

The curriculum has been designed to help pupils learn how to stay safe, including when online. For example, pupils are taught about the possible consequences of posting inappropriate content on their future job prospects.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some staff in key stage 2 have not received training to implement the new phonics programme.

This means that older pupils learning phonics do not have sufficiently well-targeted opportunities to practise and embed the sounds that they are learning during targeted interventions. Leaders must ensure that all staff receive the planned training so that pupils receive consistent support to develop as fluent and confident readers. ? In some subjects, teaching activities do not match the ambition of the planned curriculum.

This reduces how well and consistently pupils secure the expected knowledge and understanding. Leaders should ensure that the planned curriculum is implemented consistently so that pupils deepen their understanding in different subjects across the school.

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 July 2017.

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