The Radstone Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created a warm, family ethos at The Radstone Primary School, where everyone feels safe and secure. Staff enjoy teaching and pupils enjoy learning in this caring, inclusive school.

Leaders have high aspirations for all.

Guided by the motto 'Be the best that you can be', they aim for every pupil to become the very best version of themselves.

Pupils enjoy a broad and balanced curriculum and a host of enriching experiences to develop their talents and interests. With so many clubs on offer, there is something for everyone.

Sport and art are two passions at The Radstone Primary School. Everyone gets to be part of a school sports team and pupi...ls enjoy a range of activities to keep themselves fit at breaktimes. Pupils look forward to their art lessons.

They love working in the art room and they are proud of their artwork. Beautiful galleries of the pupils' portraits and collages decorate the corridors, celebrating everyone's achievements.

Pupils are friendly and polite.

They listen respectfully to each other and show good manners. Classrooms are calm places where pupils can concentrate on their learning. Pupils follow the '5 Golden Rules'.

Pupils trust that staff will quickly deal with any concerns they have.

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

The school's curriculum has been well designed. The knowledge and skills that pupils will learn have been laid out in a logical order.

Leaders have planned every subject in small steps. Teachers follow these plans. They make sure that adaptations are made for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) where necessary, so they can experience every part of the curriculum.

Effective systems are in place to quickly identify pupils with additional needs and put individual support in place for them.

Children in Reception benefit from a clearly planned and well organised early years setting. Children begin to learn how to read as soon as they start school.

Through daily phonics lessons, group activities and 'pinny time', children make good progress learning letter sounds. Children use physical resources to gain a secure understanding of numbers. For instance, children in Reception use counters and models to find all the different ways to make five.

Staff have been well trained to teach the school's new phonics programme. They all use the same approaches to teach letter sounds and help pupils decode unfamiliar words. Anyone who does not know the letter sounds that they should is given additional support straight away.

Pupils' reading books are closely matched to their phonic knowledge. This means they can use what they know and become fluent when reading at home and at school. Pupils have positive attitudes towards reading.

They look forward to visiting the school library. Pupils told inspectors that, 'Library time is so relaxing! It's great to just have time reading to yourself and enjoying books!' Older pupils can explain how their reading comprehension lessons help them to find less obvious information in texts by reading between the lines. For instance, a pupil in Year 6 said, 'The way a character moves might show you how they are feeling.

Snatching something, for example, might show someone being protective.'

In some subjects, leaders have not closely checked how well the curriculum is being taught or if pupils have remembered important knowledge. Where this is the case, there is not a consistent approach to reviewing and building on what pupils have learned before.

This prevents pupils from deepening their understanding.

There are systematic procedures in place to deal with absence and encourage high attendance. However, reducing persistent absence for disadvantaged pupils remains a priority for leaders.

Leaders have thought carefully about pupils' personal development. Pupils benefit from a diverse range of opportunities to help them become well rounded members of society. They are knowledgeable about British values, and they understand the importance of equality.

For instance, one Year 6 girl, typical of older pupils, told inspectors, 'Protected characteristics make sure people are safe about being different. Discrimination can really hurt someone. It's important to know that you're safe in this world.'



With the support of The Hawksmoor Learning Trust, leaders have managed the growth of The Radstone Primary School successfully. They have swiftly created an ambitious but nurturing way of doing things. Staff are proud to work at the school.

Teachers in the early stages of their careers value the support and training they receive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities.

They check that the training they provide is effective. Staff report issues promptly whenever they come across something that concerns them. The designated leaders for safeguarding meet regularly to check that pupils are receiving the support they need.

Governors use their safeguarding expertise well. They make sure staff are aware of local issues. They audit the school's systems to check their policy is being implemented effectively.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They know that staff are on hand if they need help.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, teachers do not routinely go over prior learning and make links between what pupils are doing now and what they have learned in the past.

This means that some pupils cannot quickly recall what they have already been taught in sufficient detail or connect new knowledge to old. Leaders must ensure that teachers systematically revisit the most important knowledge covered before, and deepen pupils' understanding by linking it to what they are learning now. ? Some subjects have not been fully checked to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum.

Where this is the case, there are some inconsistencies in teaching and progress. Senior leaders need to support all subject leaders – and particularly those who are new to the school – to develop the expertise they need to fulfil their roles. Subject leaders need to systematically check that the curriculum is being implemented effectively and make sure that it is having the intended impact on what pupils know and can do.

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