Thornden Wood Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are thriving at this inclusive, nurturing and successful school. There is a keen sense of community, which results in happy staff and pupils.

The school has high expectations and staff create an environment where respect and kindness are commonplace. Each pupil is known as an individual and pupils have strong, trusting relationships with each other and with staff.

Pupils are confident, articulate and well behaved.

Pupils know they can talk about any concerns they might have and that these will be dealt with swiftly. Disruption is rare, so pupils can concentrate and focus on their learning. They work hard and produce work of high quality.

Pupil...s are well motivated to assume a wide range of roles across the school. They enjoy these responsibilities and feel that they are making an impact on their school community by helping others. For example, the 'restorative justice' mentors support friendship issues.

Sports leaders set up playground activities and the school council has created a 'buddy bench' to provide support for their peers when needed.

Wonderful manners are displayed across the school by pupils. Teachers praise pupils through the Golden Globe awards and gold book certificates.

Consequently, pupils are keen to impress and enjoy coming to school.

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

The school is focused on providing the aspirational educational experiences they want pupils to have. There are high expectations for pupils' academic success.

In recent years, leaders have adapted the curriculum to ensure that key knowledge is identified in each subject. Careful thought is given to the sequence of learning, so it is logical and enables pupils to build their understanding over time.

Staff have excellent subject knowledge because of the ongoing focused professional development.

They help pupils to explore new ideas and embed their learning. The explanations of teachers are clear and help to model the key skills they expect pupils to learn. There are regular opportunities for pupils to revisit the concepts they have learned.

This helps pupils to remember their key vocabulary and mathematical concepts over time.

Staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to access the curriculum. Any additional support is carefully structured to help all pupils, including those with SEND, succeed.

The school works effectively with a range of external specialists, parents and carers to help all pupils to achieve well.

Children get off to an excellent start in the early years. The setting ensures that they develop independence and curiosity through engaging activities.

There is a strong focus on children developing communication and language skills. In addition, leaders have recently introduced a new phonics programme to help children learn to read fluently. This new programme is set out so that children get off to a secure start.

They learn to read and write the sounds straight away. Teachers receive regular training and support to teach reading well. They use this information to adjust lessons so that pupils can practise their skills at the appropriate level.

The way the school assesses and checks pupils' understanding in some subject areas, including phonics, is still relatively new. Recently introduced strategies are starting to have a positive impact in identifying any gaps pupils have in their knowledge and skills. The school recognises that there is more to do to ensure that these checks are consistent across every subject.

A love of reading is promoted well around the school through story time and in the choice of books on offer. Pupils are keen to talk about the diversity in the books that they choose and speak with great enthusiasm about reading. Pupils enjoy the stories and poems that their teachers share with them.

Pupils across the school show excellent behaviour during lessons and at playtime.This starts in early years, where staff help children to understand routines and expectations. This helps children settle into school quickly.

They learn to express their thoughts and ideas through craft activities. Pupils demonstrate an eagerness to learn across the school and lessons take place without interruption.

Attendance is a high priority.

The school offers support to families in removing barriers that might be stopping pupils from coming to school. Plans are in place to continue to strengthen this work to improve the attendance of pupils who are absent too often.

The school prides itself on its inclusive culture.

Staff and pupils are proud to be a part of their school community. Pupils have many opportunities to broaden their understanding of the world around them. They develop a profound understanding of fundamental British values, such as democracy and the rule of law.

Pupils understand how to demonstrate these values in their daily lives. There are respectful attitudes towards diverse cultures and faiths embedded throughout the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some areas of the curriculum, including phonics, staff are still developing ways of checking pupils' understanding and knowledge systematically. This means that pupils sometimes have gaps in their learning and do not always learn as much as they could. The school should continue to provide training and support for staff to ensure that they use the assessment checks being put in place.

Some pupils are not yet attending school as regularly as they should. As a result, they are missing out on crucial learning. The school needs to continue to strengthen its actions to support improvement in the attendance of these pupils.

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