The Corsham Regis Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at school.

They make friends and learn happily together. They are proud to live up to the school expectations of LORIC: leadership, organisation, resilience, initiative and communication. This helps pupils develop into confident and successful learners.

Pupils behave well in class, around school and on the playground. In lessons, they try hard, concentrate and stick at tasks even when they find them difficult. Pupils show pride in their work.

They enjoy debating. For example, pupils express their thoughts and ideas confidently when talking with adults. Pupils show good manners and respect for each other's opinions.

Staff care ...for pupils and keep them safe. Pupils know that adults in school will help them if they have any worries. Pupils say there is very little bullying but there are occasional squabbles.

When these happen, they say that staff help them resolve their differences.

Pupils enjoy taking on responsibility. For example, they look after playground equipment and older pupils coach younger ones to develop their football skills.

Pupils are proactive in supporting national and local charities. For example, they bake cakes to support the air ambulance.

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

Leaders have a clear and determined vision for every child to succeed.

They have formed a cohesive and committed leadership team. Together, they have brought about many improvements across the school. As a result, the quality of education pupils receive is good, and they attend well.

Leaders have designed an effective curriculum. In each subject, leaders have identified what pupils need to learn, and in what order. This means that the curriculum builds sequentially over time.

As a result, pupils study a broad curriculum, and most pupils learn well across a full range of subjects. Pupils work hard and show a genuine interest in knowing and remembering more across the curriculum.

Leaders promote a love of reading across the school.

Pupils start to learn phonics as soon as they join Reception. Staff follow a clear and structured scheme to help pupils learn their letters and sounds. As a result, pupils at the early stages of reading learn to read well.

Across the school, the teaching of reading allows pupils to talk in depth about books and authors. Most pupils gain a good understanding of what they read and become confident readers.

In mathematics, teachers have good subject knowledge and encourage and model the use of specific vocabulary.

Teaching builds securely on what pupils have learned. As a result, pupils become proficient mathematicians and enjoy this. However, in some other subjects, checks on what pupils know and understand are not as precise.

Consequently, teaching in some other subjects does not build on what pupils know sufficiently well. This means that, at times, pupils' misconceptions are not picked up swiftly.

Leaders identify and assess pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately.

Leaders involve parents in forming individual plans to meet pupils' needs. As a result, pupils with SEND learn the curriculum well, working confidently alongside their peers.

Subject leaders are developing their roles well.

A few subject leaders are implementing new teaching approaches in their subjects. This work is recent. Consequently, these new approaches have not yet had time to embed in every subject.

As a result, some teaching does not ensure that pupils gain all the knowledge they could. For example, pupils produce impressive artwork across the school, but some pupils' knowledge of drawing techniques is less secure.

Pupils understand the terms 'stereotype' and 'prejudice'.

They know that it is wrong to judge someone because of their gender, appearance or beliefs. They have a good understanding of what makes a healthy relationship. Pupils learn about other cultures and faiths.

This helps them develop a sense of the world around them, preparing them well for life in modern Britain.

Governors know the schools' strengths and areas for development. Together with leaders from the sponsor school, they support and challenge staff well.

They check the impact of leaders' work. Staff appreciate governors' and school leaders' efforts to support their well-being and work-life balance.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders carry out pre-employment checks on adults working in the school thoroughly. Staff know how to recognise signs of abuse or neglect.

They know that it is everyone's responsibility to keep children safe. Staff work effectively with other professionals and agencies to minimise pupils' risk of harm.

Pupils know what to do and who to talk to if they, or their friends, experience any harassment or abuse.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, assessment is not used to identify pupils' misconceptions consistently well. This slows pupils' learning down. Leaders should ensure that assessment is used consistently well so that teaching addresses any misconceptions and pupils gain all the knowledge they should in every subject.

• Recently, some subject leaders have implemented changes to the curriculum. Some approaches to teaching in these subjects are still relatively new, and staff are still getting to grips with them. Leaders should ensure that all staff develop the specific knowledge they need to implement the recently agreed approaches to implementing the curriculum in every subject.

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