Thorpe Primary

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils of all ages benefit from the warm and nurturing culture in the school. Older pupils take care of younger pupils and help them out, for example when they are playing outside. Staff insist that pupils try their best in all that they do.

Staff are caring to pupils and encourage them in a positive way.

Staff and pupils have a thorough understanding of the 'behaviour blueprint'. This sets out what leaders expect of pupils and what happens if they do not follow it.

Many pupils have improved their behaviour because of these clear expectations. This has also helped to reduce bullying issues. If bullying does happen, then staff sort it out quickly.

Lea...ders want all pupils to learn a wide variety of subjects. They have brought in plans for how this will happen. Pupils enjoy their learning across these subjects.

Leaders know that some subjects need continued development, particularly in how well staff teach them.

Pupils enjoy the variety of sport clubs and activities that are on offer. They are proud of their achievements at local competitions.

Pupils take care of their school environment and enjoy helping out, such as in looking after the school garden. All the school staff, including lunchtime staff, know the pupils well and are proud of the school.

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

Trustees know the strengths and weaknesses of the school.

They use information from trust leaders effectively to know what leaders are doing to address any weaknesses. Trustees check this out through questioning and meeting with leaders in school. New leaders in the school have identified and acted on the important improvements that are needed.

Staff across school are energised to carry out these improvements.

Leaders identified that phonics was not taught well enough in the past. They have introduced a new curriculum for reading.

This curriculum clearly maps out the sounds that teachers need to teach pupils and when. Leaders provide important information to teachers about how well pupils are keeping up. Pupils read books that include the sounds that they need to practise.

Leaders know that staff still need more training to follow the phonics curriculum effectively. Sometimes, staff do not clearly model how to read sounds or do not pick up when pupils have misread something.

Leaders have also mapped out the curriculum for all other subjects.

It is clear in all subjects what knowledge pupils should learn and when. Leaders have matched the vocabulary that pupils need when explaining what they know. Teachers model how to use this vocabulary in lessons.

Children in the early years are taught important vocabulary right from the start. They sing songs, learn rhymes and listen to stories to help them use this language. Staff in the early years are expert in modelling to children how to form full sentences.

Teachers know what the important knowledge that pupils need is in most subjects. They check that pupils understand something before moving on. Teachers check what pupils have remembered from the past at the start of lessons.

Teachers then explain new methods or knowledge clearly to pupils. In some subjects, the small steps that pupils need to take to make progress through the curriculum are not so clear to teachers. They do not explain these small steps clearly enough to pupils in these cases.

Teachers check pupils' understanding in lessons. They also use other assessment to check for any gaps that pupils have in their knowledge. Teachers then give extra support to pupils who have any gaps.

Leaders have trained staff to spot specific gaps or needs that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) may have. Teachers then provide additional support for these pupils so that they can catch up quickly. All pupils learn the same curriculum and get the help that they need to do so.

Pupils' behaviour has improved considerably in recent months. Pupils are keen to do well and follow 'AIM'. This encourages them to be aspirational, inquisitive and mindful of others.

Pupils are kind and well mannered to their peers. Leaders are focused on improving the attendance of a few pupils who do not come to school enough. They have identified this as something that they need to continue to keep a close eye on so that attendance improves for this group.

Leaders know the local community well. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is taught well. It provides pupils with important knowledge to keep themselves safe and be responsible citizens.

Pupils have a wealth of knowledge about how to keep themselves safe online and how to resist toxic relationships. Pupils regularly visit and talk to local businesses. The police come into school often to talk to pupils about risks to avoid.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders know the families in the school well and they quickly pick up where there may be issues. Leaders work with local agencies to provide support when needed.

Parents and carers value this. Leaders will push local agencies if they feel that families are not getting the help that they need quickly enough. All staff have the training that they need to pass on information to leaders if they notice something may be amiss.

Leaders have made sure that local safeguarding risks, such as knife crime or domestic violence, are thought about in designing the curriculum. Pupils know who to go to in school if they have any concerns. Pupils understand the importance of personal boundaries and report to staff where others are not observing them.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, teachers do not break down what pupils need to be able to know and do into sufficiently small component parts. Sometimes pupils struggle to understand what they need to do to be successful and teachers do not spot this quickly enough. Leaders should ensure that teachers are clear on the component knowledge needed in each lesson and have the subject knowledge to model and explain it successfully.

• The phonics programme is still quite new and some staff do not use the pedagogical strategies required by leaders or identify misconceptions swiftly enough. Staff sometimes do not model how to decode a word successfully or miss where pupils are making errors. Leaders should continue to provide the phonics training to all staff so that they teach the programme accurately and in the same way as each other.