The Nethersole CofE Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this warm and nurturing school. They feel safe and happy.

During the inspection, older pupils explained how things have improved over time in the school. Pupils enjoy the opportunities available to them at lunch time and after school, especially the variety of sports on offer.

The school is ambitious for all pupils to be successful.

However, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should, particularly in English and mathematics. This is because the school is still developing the curriculum and some subjects are not as well delivered as they need to be.

The majority of pupils know how to behave well.

They show positi...ve attitudes to their learning and, generally, try hard in lessons. However, some pupils do not follow classroom routines consistently. Pupils behave calmly around the school.

They treat each other kindly and play harmoniously at social times.

Some pupils who find school more of a challenge, receive individual care and support. The school gets to know and seeks to support them in several ways which helps them to engage in school.

Staff and pupils share positive relationships. This contributes to the welcoming environment. Pupils are respectful towards their teachers and trust them to help resolve any problems.

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

The school has invested time and resources to plan an ambitious curriculum. It is carefully sequenced and key knowledge is clearly identified. Leaders are reflective about the curriculum.

They have thought carefully about how it helps pupils understand their local context and the wider world. Much of the early years curriculum is also newly developed and provides children with the opportunity to learn about a variety of cultures.

However, while teachers understand the curriculum aims, there are inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is delivered, including in the early years.

Teachers present the key information to pupils as planned. Recent work on how pupils learn has helped them to do so. Pupils understand why they are doing certain activities and how this helps build their knowledge.

However, teachers' subject knowledge in relation to the curriculum as a whole, is not fully developed. Checks on how well pupils understand ideas are not always effective. As a result, pupils have misconceptions and gaps in their knowledge which are not picked up and addressed well enough.

Reading is a key priority. Children learn to read as soon as they start school. In Nursery, there is an emphasis on sounds.

As children move into the Reception class and key stage 1, they receive a structured daily phonics session. Through this, pupils learn how letters and sounds combine to make words. Reading books match the sounds they learn.

With practise and repetition, pupils develop their phonic knowledge effectively. The school ensures that teachers spend additional time on phonics to help pupils with their development when needed. This is working well and is helping pupils to develop into fluent readers.

The school has worked to improve the provision for pupils with SEND. Most pupils are well supported with appropriate adaptations to the curriculum made to enable them to access the curriculum. However, some pupils who have fallen behind in their learning are not receiving the additional support they need.

This is because systems to support these pupils are not fully developed and effective enough.

The school has raised expectations of pupils' behaviour. However, these are not fully realised, including in the early years.

This is because staff do not consistently follow the behaviour management expectations. As a result, some pupils do not understand how to respond to what is expected of them or are not always re-engaged effectively by their teachers to help them focus on their learning.

Pupils learn about healthy relationships and the importance of them.

They know how to keep safe, especially online. Pupils enjoy the clubs at lunchtime and after school. Visitors are invited into school to broaden pupils' understanding of the world and some educational visits are arranged to extend pupils' learning.

However, this is not coherently planned with the curriculum in mind. So, pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to experience broader cultural experiences. Leaders are keen to develop these into meaningful opportunities for pupils beyond the classroom.

Governors and trustees know the school and community well. They are aware of the challenges that the school has faced, and where areas for development remain. Trust leaders are proactive in their support of the school.

The trust has provided critical support and valuable expertise. It has helped the school to develop its curriculum and secure improvements.

Staff are proud to work at the school.

They have a strong shared sense of working for the pupils in their care. The school uses external agencies well to help enhance its work with pupils and families in the community.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's planned curriculum is not implemented consistently enough from the early years to Year 6. As a result, outcomes for pupils are too low. The school needs to ensure that the curriculum is delivered consistently well to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as they should and are ready for the next stage of their learning.

• Teachers' subject knowledge in foundation subjects is not sufficiently detailed. As a result, some pupils are left with misconceptions about what they are learning. The school should ensure that teachers are well supported to understand key subject knowledge and deliver the curriculum effectively in all subjects.

• The identification of pupils with additional needs is not sufficiently robust. Consequently, some pupils do not receive the help they need to access the ambitious curriculum on offer. The school needs to ensure that clear plans for support and interventions are in place to enable pupils with SEND and additional needs to access the full curriculum well.

• The high expectations set for behaviour are not implemented consistently across the school. Some pupils do not learn the routines and understand the expectations well enough and therefore struggle to engage with their learning and manage their behaviour. The school needs to ensure that routines are well understood and implemented consistently and effectively by all staff.

• Opportunities beyond the classroom for pupils are not coherently planned. As a result, pupils do not experience a range of enrichment opportunities related to the curriculum they are learning. The school should ensure that pupils have access to a wide range of experiences, in line with their learning in school, that extends and enhances their personal development.