Swaffield School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Swaffield Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school.

Pupils, parents, carers and staff praise the 'family feel' and inclusiveness that the school offers. Adults build strong working relationships with pupils. They meet and greet pupils and parents at the start and ends of the day.

The school atmosphere is calm, orderly and underpinned by respectful attitudes.

Leaders and governors are committed to pupils doing well. Pupils enjoy their learning.

They said that they 'loved the positivity' around the school. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive great care an...d support.

Pupils behave very well and are a delight to talk to.

They listen attentively to adults and follow routines. Adults and pupils interact in a warm manner. This helps pupils to feel free to share their thoughts and engage well in their learning.

Pupils at this school are supported to become independent and confident individuals.

Leaders take bullying very seriously. They tackle any instances head on.

They work with families and pupils to sort out any problems. Pupils feel safe in school because they know that adults are always available to look after them. Pupils told me that when bullying does occur at their school, it was 'not tolerated'.

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

Pupils study a wide range of subjects at Swaffield. Leaders are ambitious that pupils receive enrichment activities across the curriculum. Pupils value these opportunities.

Most subjects have well-developed plans. Leaders have thought carefully how learning is planned and sequenced. For example, the school's creative arts are a strength.

Leaders know how to build on pupils' prior learning in art and music. They are clear on what pupils need to know in each year and how this knowledge helps them to be ready for secondary school. Leaders in these subjects are highly focused on and reflective about how to improve pupils' learning further.

Leaders recognise that in some subjects, including geography and history, plans are at an early stage of development. These subjects do not highlight the key content that pupils need to learn. Leaders have made recent positive actions to review these subject plans and have appointed new subject leads.

Reading is a high priority from the start of the early years. In the nursery, adults develop children's understanding of books through the skilful use of resources. For example, adults used real materials to bring the story, The Three Little Pigs, to life.

This helped children to understand the meaning of the word 'bundles'. In Reception, children benefit from knowledgeable adults who help them learn to read. This support continues through key stage 1, where skilled adults demonstrate strong subject knowledge.

They are skilful at helping pupils segment and blend words. Regular sessions for the most reluctant readers help pupils develop their phonics knowledge. However, not all adults consistently follow the school's phonics programme with the same expectations.

This slows pupils' progress.

Story times are a pleasurable experience. Pupils listen intently to adults reading well-chosen texts.

Adults read with expression and enthusiasm and pupils sit back and thoroughly benefit from these sessions. Pupils are keen to share their favourite authors and books. They develop positive reading habits, which adults promote.

In a minority of cases, the lower-ability pupils read books that have words which they cannot decode. This prevents the pupils from reading fluently.

Teachers' professional development is taken seriously.

This is particularly the case in the creative arts, English and mathematics. For example, teachers work with local schools to develop their subject knowledge in mathematics. This work helps leaders to review subject plans for the benefit of pupils.

In mathematics, teachers build on pupils' deeper understanding of patterns in numbers. In the early years, children learn to count and compare numbers while they play games. In some subjects, particularly geography and history, teachers' professional development has not been as high a priority.

Leaders' support for pupils with SEND is highly effective. Leaders know individual pupils' needs well. They provide adults with regular training to meet these pupils' needs.

Adults use resources skilfully to develop the learning of these pupils. For example, by using a range of media, pupils can recall their prior learning. Adults develop pupils' social skills through careful questioning and positive interaction.

These pupils benefit greatly from this. They are fully included in the school's life.

Leaders recognise that disadvantaged pupils' attendance is not as high as it should be.

They know the families well and check closely on pupils' absences.

Parents are highly supportive of the school. They speak enthusiastically about the caring and supportive adults.

Parents and pupils value the range of clubs, workshops and visits. They said that this helped to broaden pupils' experiences. For example, pupils take part in well-planned art weeks, sing as part of the choir to large audiences, and enjoy sporting competitions.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders work effectively together and have developed clear systems for reporting concerns about pupils' welfare. Staff receive regular training and know how to respond to any concerns that they may have.

Leaders work proactively with outside agencies to support the most vulnerable families when needed.

Pupils learn how to keep safe. They learn about appropriate relationships and personal safety.

Pupils shared their learning about the potential dangers of social media. They learn about keeping safe in the local area. For example, the risks associated with gangs and knife crime.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders make sure that pupils benefit from a broad curriculum. Most subject plans identify the key content that pupils need to learn. However, plans in some subjects, particularly history and geography, are at an early stage of development.

They do not identify the key content that pupils need to learn so that they can build on their prior learning. Leaders should ensure that they review these subjects and build on teachers' subject knowledge to enable pupils to learn well. .

Adults are skilled at teaching pupils how to read, including in phonics. However, some adults do not follow the school's own expectations of the phonics programme as consistently as they should. A minority of pupils read books that they cannot decode.

As a result, the lower-ability pupils do not build their reading fluency. Leaders must ensure that all staff have the highest expectations for the lower-ability pupils when going through the phonics programme. They should ensure that the books these pupils read match their phonics knowledge.

. Leaders check on pupils' absences regularly. They follow up with the most vulnerable families and know about barriers to poor pupils' attendance.

However, the absence and persistent absence rates for disadvantaged pupils are still too high. Leaders must ensure that they continue to review their actions so that the disadvantaged pupils' attendance improves. .

The school's curriculum is not yet sufficiently coherently planned and sequenced in some subjects. However, it is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken to plan next year's curriculum and train staff in how to deliver it that they are in the process of bringing this about.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged Swaffield Primary School to be good on 28–29 June 2011.