The Fourfields Church of England School, Sutterton

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They appreciate the variety of clubs and sports they can get involved with.

They say that activities such as Taekwondo and gardening are 'lots of fun'. Parents and carers are positive about the breadth of opportunities on offer to support their child's personal development.

Pupils are kind to each other and feel safe.

They know that adults will listen if they have worries or concerns and will help them to sort out any problems. Pupils understand what bullying is. They are confident that if they tell an adult that bullying is happening, then adults will do something about it.

Pupils are usually polite and well mannered. ...During break and lunchtimes, they cooperate and play well with each other. Pupils' behaviour in class is more varied.

This can affect how well pupils learn. Pupils in the early years and in key stage 1 can lose concentration and focus when their learning needs are not being met. This affects the quality of learning and these pupils do not do as well as they should.

Pupils enjoy learning about different cultures and faiths. They show respect to those who are different to themselves. Pupils' attitudes reflect the federation's vision of 'small village, big horizons'.

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

Leaders have reviewed the curriculum. They have identified the important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in every subject. Most subject plans are now in place.

For example, leaders are migrating to a new mathematics curriculum from September 2022. In some subjects, pupils learn new information in a logical order. They successfully recall what they have learned over time.

However, the planned curriculum is not always delivered consistently well. In some subjects, teachers miss out important content that pupils need to know. This leaves pupils with gaps in their knowledge.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully integrated into the life of the school. Leaders work closely with parents of these pupils to review the provision for their children. However, there are variations in how effectively teachers plan learning to meet these pupils' needs.

Leaders introduced a new approach for teaching phonics in September 2021. However, they have not made sure that all staff follow this scheme precisely. Some staff do not use resources effectively to help pupils learn how to read unfamiliar words.

Pupils' reading books do not always match the sounds they need to practise. Some pupils do not get the help they need to be able to read with confidence.

Leaders have thought about what they want children in the early years to learn each term.

However, they have not identified exactly what children need to know before they move to the next stage. Learning activities are not always designed to meet children's needs closely. Some children get distracted before they complete a task.

When children choose activities that interest them, they work well and stay focused.

Leaders have developed a clear system to manage pupils' behaviour. Most pupils know how to conduct themselves around the school.

They value the rewards they receive for good behaviour. Leaders' expectations of how pupils in the early years and key stage 1 should behave are not high enough. Some of these pupils struggle to give learning their full attention.

Leaders do not check pupils' attendance rigorously enough. Some pupils are frequently absent from school. Leaders' work to improve the attendance of these pupils is not always successful.

These pupils do not routinely catch up on work they miss.

Leaders promote pupils' personal development well. They plan visits that give pupils the chance to experience new places.

For example, children in the early years enjoy trips to a local farm. Pupils use virtual reality technology to learn about places around the world that are different to their local area.

Staff are proud to work at the school.

They appreciate that leaders consider staff workload when making decisions. Most staff are positive about the changes that have been made, particularly by the executive headteacher, to bring about improvements.

Nevertheless, senior leaders do not make sure that other school leaders do their jobs as well as they can.

Some leaders do not check all of their areas of responsibility rigorously enough. They do not provide the necessary support and challenge to staff who need it. Governors are committed to supporting the school and the community it serves.

However, they do not make sure that leaders' work to improve the quality of education, including in the early years, and pupils' behaviour and attendance, is as effective as it could be.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide staff with regular and appropriate safeguarding training.

Staff understand their responsibilities to keep pupils safe. They know how to identify pupils who may be at risk of potential harm.

Staff pass on any concerns about safeguarding to leaders.

Leaders record and follow up these concerns in a timely fashion. They make effective use of external organisations to get pupils and their families the help they need.Pupils learn to keep themselves safe, including online, when using their bikes and when near roads.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders do not make sure that all staff take a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. Some staff do not follow the recently introduced phonics programme closely enough. The books that some pupils read do not match the sounds they securely know.

Not all pupils gain the knowledge they need to become fluent readers. Leaders should make sure that staff implement the phonics programme consistently well. They should check that pupils who need help with their reading get the right support so that these pupils catch up with their peers.

• The curriculum is well sequenced and delivered in some subjects. In other subjects, the implementation of the curriculum is inconsistent. Leaders do not make sure that pupils are taught the key knowledge they should know by the time they leave the school.

Some pupils, including pupils with SEND, find it difficult to recall previous learning. Leaders should check carefully that teachers have taught the intended curriculum and that pupils can remember essential knowledge they have learned. ? The early years curriculum sets out what children need to know by the end of each term, across each of the areas of learning.

However, the implementation of this curriculum is not always coherent. Planned activities sometimes do not match what children need to learn closely enough. Leaders should check what children learn carefully.

They should use this information to design activities that help children acquire the intended knowledge by the time they enter Year 1. ? Leaders do not check pupils' attendance as rigorously as they could, particularly for those pupils who are persistently absent. These pupils fall behind in their learning because of gaps in their knowledge and skills.

Leaders should work closely with parents to overcome barriers to pupils' poor attendance. ? Leaders do not ensure that pupils' behaviour is consistently good across the school. Pupils in key stage 2 demonstrate positive attitudes to learning.

However, some pupils in the early years and in key stage 1 display off-task behaviour. This disrupts the learning of others. Leaders should ensure that all staff have consistently high expectations of how pupils should behave, so that pupils' learning is not hindered.

• Senior leaders do not check some aspects of the school's work as closely as they should. These include: the quality of the curriculum, including provision for pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities, and provision in the early years. Governors and senior leaders should make sure that other senior, phase and subject leaders have the knowledge and skills they need to carry out their roles effectively.