The Erme Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

The Erme Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. They are happy and safe.

Pupils speak highly of The Erme's safe and caring community. Pupils treat each other with kindness and friendship. Parents appreciate the school and its staff.

Comments typically include sentiments such as, 'I have nothing but praise. My child is thriving.'

Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour.

Pupils respect staff for the way they manage behaviour with fairness and help to settle any minor disagreements. Pupils are confident that adults sort out the rare incidents of bullying quickly.

Leaders e...xpect all pupils to do well at school.

Pupils learn the full range of national curriculum subjects. Most pupils learn to read confidently and accurately. They enjoy reading and talk enthusiastically about books written by their favourite authors.

Pupils are proud of their school responsibilities. They enjoy their roles as school councillors, sports councillors and play leaders. Pupils appreciate the opportunities that staff provide for them to visit the theatre and to speak with visiting authors.

They especially look forward to taking part in the junior 'Ten Tors Challenge'.

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

Since the previous inspection, there have been significant changes to the leadership of the school. Many new subject leaders have taken up posts.

They rightly prioritised making improvements to the reading, mathematics and science curriculums. Then, they turned their attention to other subjects, such as geography. This is evident in the well-planned and sequenced curriculums.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic hampered the improvement of a few curriculum plans, such as French and computing. Leaders know that there is still some work to do to ensure that the important knowledge they want pupils to learn and by when is identified and planned in these subjects.

Leaders prioritise reading.

They have considered how children's reading in the early years provides the foundation for later learning. Children in the Reception class learn to read as soon as they start school. They benefit from a curriculum that is full of activities designed to develop their reading and vocabulary.

For example, children learn to sing songs and recite rhymes and poems. The school's phonics programme helps pupils in key stage 1 to read fluently and with understanding. Consequently, most children are well prepared for the ambitious reading activities in key stage 2.

Teachers read to pupils every day. Staff choose high-quality texts, which include sophisticated vocabulary. Pupils who have fallen behind in reading, or who find reading challenging, benefit from additional teaching sessions.

This helps them to gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, fluent readers.

Teachers use assessment well in most subjects. In phonics, teachers make regular checks on pupils' reading.

They use this information skilfully to ensure that pupils are taught in appropriate phonics groups. Similarly, in mathematics and geography, assessment opportunities are planned within each unit of work. This helps teachers and pupils to know how well they are learning and remembering important information.

For example, mathematics assessments show that, due to absences caused by COVID-19, some pupils' rapid recall of number facts has slipped. Staff are helping these pupils to catch up quickly with extra, focused mathematics sessions.

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

They make sure that pupils receive appropriate support from health professionals and school staff. Plans to support pupils with SEND are closely matched to the reading, writing and mathematics curriculums. As a result of some careful adjustments, pupils with SEND are increasingly successful.

Leaders provide wide experiences for all pupils beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils are supported to develop an interest in the world and to respect others. They understand fundamental British values, such as diversity and tolerance.

Pupils learn about healthy relationships and discuss social and moral dilemmas. They respect the views of others, even if different from their own. Pupils enjoy attending forest school and learning about their local area.

They take pride in their work and their learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour.

Leaders have an accurate view of the school's strengths and weaknesses. They collaborate well with the other schools in the Moorsway Federation to improve the school curriculum.

Leaders have used advice from the local authority to make improvements to the curriculum in some subjects and to implement a new early years curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure and assure themselves that pupils are safe in the school.

They have established appropriate procedures for keeping pupils safe. Staff are vigilant in spotting signs of potential abuse. They use an online system to record any concerns quickly.

Staff are well trained and know how to report a concern. Recruitment procedures are secure.

Leaders work skilfully with families who need early help.

They make effective use of external support when appropriate. Pupils learn to stay safe, such as when working online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Subject leaders have not planned the content and organisation of the curriculum well enough in a minority of subjects.

Therefore, pupils have some gaps in their knowledge. Leaders must refine and improve curriculum plans so that the essential knowledge they want pupils to learn is made clear.

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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2016.

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