Sulivan Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Leadership and management are good. Leaders and managers, including governors, check the quality of provision effectively.

As a result, teaching is improving and achievement is rising. The headteacher and the deputy headteacher provide strong leadership for the school. They have been effective in tackling underperformance to bring about improvements in pupils' achievement.

The governors play an effective role in supporting and challenging the school leaders. They are committed to ensuring that the school continues to develop and improve. The school is highly effective in promoting pupils' spiritual, moral and cultural development, and pr...eparing them for life in modern Britain.

The relationships in the school are strong, and the morale in the school is high. Staff are overwhelmingly supportive of the school's leadership. Pupils are polite, courteous and respectful to each other and adults.

Pupils behave well and feel safe. Teaching is good and continually improving. As a result, pupils make good, and sometimes rapid progress.

Pupils' attainment improved in Key Stage 1 to well above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Their attainment also improved in Key Stage 2 to well above average in reading and mathematics. Teaching assistants are skilled and are used effectively to support pupils' learning.

Pupils eligible for additional funding receive highly effective support from teachers and teaching assistants. As a result, they make at least good progress and achieve well. Children in the early years get off to a good start.

As a result of the good teaching, care and support, children make good progress in their learning. They are prepared well for Year 1. It is not yet an outstanding school because : The quality of teaching over time is not strong enough to ensure pupils make rapid progress across all the year groups.

The most-able pupils are not always challenged sufficiently in lessons. Pupils are not always given time to respond to teachers' marking of their work to make improvements and deepen their understanding. Some pupils, particularly the less-able learners, do not always finish their work in lessons and the presentation of it is sometimes poor.

The attainment in writing at Key Stage 2 is not as strong as in reading and mathematics, especially for boys. Sometimes, pupils' handwriting is untidy. Although attendance is improving, it is not yet high enough.

Some pupils' punctuality is poor.

Information about this school

Sulivan Primary School is larger than an average-sized primary school. The school has a full-time Nursery class and two full-time Reception classes.

Some of the classes in Years 1 to 4 consist of pupils from mixed ages with varied number of pupils. There are two Year 5 classes and one Year 6 class. Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic groups, with the largest group being from Black or Black British African background.

The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritages is well above average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is well above average. This is additional government funding provided to give extra support to disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and to those who are looked after.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is well above average. In July 2013, there were plans by the local authority to close the school because of 'surplus primary school places' in the area. However, the decision to close the school was reversed in June 2014.

There were a number of families who chose to leave the school due to the uncertainty of closure. This explains the varied numbers of pupils in the mixed-aged classes. The school also experienced staff turnover over this period.

In January 2015, the school received a letter by the Minister of State for Schools stating that it was 'amongst the 100 top performing schools in the United Kingdom'. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.