Summerlea Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school.

They are happy and like being with their friends. Pupils say that the staff at this school are very caring. Teachers help pupils to feel safe and secure.

Pupils behave well and enjoy their learning. They concentrate well in lessons and are keen to offer ideas and reply to questions. The school deals effectively with bullying.

Even the youngest pupils know who to go to if they have a concern or worry. Pupils learn about the different types of bullying and understand that such behaviour is not acceptable at this school.

Pupils enjoy taking part in many extra-curricular activities.

These give pupils the opportu...nity to develop their interests in areas, such as sports, art, cookery and gardening. Pupils like taking part in school performances. These help to develop pupils' confidence and self-belief.

The quality of education that pupils experience is varied. This is because the curriculum is not always sequenced well enough. Staff require further help and support to develop their practice.

As a result, expectations regarding pupils' academic work are not high enough. Pupils do not know and remember the curriculum as well as they could.

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

The quality of education has been affected by a significant number of staffing changes.

This has meant that leaders have had to spend a considerable amount of time on inducting new members of staff. During this challenging time, leaders have also taken on additional roles. For example, the headteacher is also currently the special educational needs coordinator.

She has ensured that the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified and met. However, leaders' planned improvements to the curriculum have not been implemented fully effectively. This means that pupils do not build on their learning in a step-by-step way from early years through to Year 6.

While leaders have clear intentions about what should be taught in each subject, this is not always demonstrated in the classroom. Senior leaders recognise that the advice and support that teachers need to develop their practice, including skills in subject leadership, have not been effective enough. This means that pupils do not make strong enough gains in their learning.

For example, teachers do not have high enough expectations regarding pupils' skills in handwriting, spelling and punctuation, so that they are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Assessment has been strengthened in subjects such as reading and mathematics. Leaders are starting to give subject leaders more support in developing assessment practices in other areas of the curriculum.

In some subjects, the curriculum is stronger. Staff are well trained and have high expectations. This means that in subjects such as physical education (PE) pupils develop strong skills across a range of different sports.

This has led to the school gaining several nationally recognised awards.Reading is a priority in the school. Pupils start to learn the sounds that letters make and how to blend them together to make simple words in the early years.

Children are introduced to a range of different books that they find exciting and fun. Staff are well trained. They know how to develop pupils' reading skills in a well-structured way.

Younger pupils have daily opportunities to learn and practise the sounds that letters make. Pupils are given books to read that closely match their knowledge and understanding. The library is welcoming and well stocked.

Older pupils enjoy developing their interests about different types of books and authors.

The school provides many opportunities for pupils to consider their physical and emotional health. 'Trim trails', the outdoor gym and lessons on emotional well-being all help pupils to know how to stay fit and healthy and when to seek support.

Opportunities to develop independent living skills are provided through the provision of residential trips. The on-site forest school gives pupils a deeper understanding of the natural world. They learn to identify trees, birds and minibeasts.

Pupils say how much they enjoy toasting marshmallows around the fire.

Staff enjoy working at the school. They say that leaders are always considerate of their workload.

Governors are highly experienced. They carry out their statutory duties appropriately. They have both challenged and supported leaders to begin to bring about the necessary improvements to the quality of education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff have been well trained.

They know pupils well and care about pupils' well-being. There are established routines that staff follow to share concerns about pupils. Teachers work well with external agencies to provide additional help when needed.

Pupils are confident that they can talk to a member of staff if they have any concerns or worries. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, such as when riding a bike on the road. Pupils are very aware of the potential dangers they may encounter when online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders do not always provide effective support to staff, including subject leaders, in developing their skills and expertise. This means pupils do not make the strongest gains in their learning. Leaders need to ensure that more effective practice happens in classrooms by providing clear guidance to develop staff subject knowledge.

Pupils are not building on their learning securely as they progress through the school. This is because the school's curriculum is still in the process of being implemented. Leaders should ensure that the sequence of learning is built carefully from the early years to Year 6 to allow pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding.

• The quality of pupils' writing is not strong. This is because teachers do not always have high enough expectations. Leaders need to ensure that there are ample opportunities to develop pupils' handwriting, spelling and punctuation skills, so that they are well prepared for the next stage of their education.