Thorpe Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Thorpe Primary school is a friendly and inclusive school.

Staff know pupils and their families well. Pupils talk about their school with pride. They know that staff listen to their opinions and value their ideas.

Pupils speak positively about the support that they receive in school. Worry boxes, pupil counsellors, and the pupil well-being lead all support a culture of mutual respect between staff and pupils.

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They identify and assess pupils' needs well. Staff provide support so that pupils with SEND make good progress through the curri...culum.

Teachers adapt teaching materials so that pupils with SEND can learn the same knowledge as their peers.

Pupils express a clear passion for sports and physical education. Pupils are given the opportunity to try out a range of sporting activities.

Staff introduce pupils to new disciplines, such as American football, which they value highly. Competitions are a strong feature of the school's curriculum and extra-curricular offer. These result in numerous awards and successes.

Pupils are proud of these and the school's achievements and representations at local, regional and national levels.

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

Leaders have developed a curriculum that demonstrates ambition for pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. In Years 1 to 6, a careful and well-thought-out curriculum enables pupils to reach ambitious end points.

However, children in the early years do not benefit from the same carefully considered curriculum. The important skills, knowledge and personal qualities that children need to learn and develop have not been mapped out with sufficient clarity.

Reading is an ongoing priority for the school.

There is a clear structure and sequence for the teaching of phonics. Phonics is taught daily as a whole-class session. Effective support is in place to ensure that children who are at risk of falling behind catch up quickly.

Leaders provide training to ensure that all staff have the necessary skills to teach phonics effectively.

Teachers read books to pupils that are carefully selected to engage and sustain pupils' interests. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the stories that have been read to them.

This includes the youngest children, who also demonstrate an eagerness towards story time and singing. Children in early years can retell and enthusiastically act out well-known fairy tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk. Pupils enjoy using the school library and accessing the wide range of books on offer.

The majority of teachers have a good knowledge of the subjects that they teach. There is a clear and structured approach to teaching and the sharing of curriculum content. However, there is a lack of consistency in how teachers check pupils' understanding of what they are taught.

Pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Leaders put appropriate support in place for these pupils. This includes the use of visual timetables, additional resources and appropriately adapted tasks.

Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and conduct. Pupils are polite and courteous to adults and each other. Leaders, staff and pupils create a positive environment in which bullying is not tolerated.

Pupils' behaviour is calm and orderly. The majority of pupils have a positive attitude to lessons. Behaviour routines and expectations are consistently applied across the school.

In early years, children play happily alongside each other and are able to share resources. They demonstrate that they are beginning to manage their own feelings and behaviour and are proud of their achievements.

Leaders ensure there is a high focus on attendance and punctuality.

Appropriate attendance procedures are in place that are consistently applied. Recent measures to improve punctuality have been effective. Leaders provide an appropriate balance of support and challenge for families where attendance is an issue.

Support for pupils' emotional health and well-being is a strength of the school. Staff know their pupils extremely well. Leaders have developed a skilled and dedicated team that is highly effective in supporting the needs of pupils.

A variety of strategies are in place to ensure the needs of all children are considered and met. These include mental health and well-being trackers and emotional registers. Pupils can talk to learning mentors if they have any concerns and carry out their own surveys to check the well-being of fellow pupils.

Pupils have regular opportunities to engage with views and beliefs that are different from their own. Carefully considered daily circle time questions provide opportunities for pupils to understand how they can discuss issues in a considered and respectful way. Open-ended questions focus on issues that are relevant to the school, class, community and world events.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide regular training to ensure that staff are alert to any signs that pupils might be at risk. Staff report concerns about pupils' safety promptly, and leaders respond diligently.

Leaders work with external agencies to support pupils and families. They are not afraid to challenge if they think more should be done to help pupils. Leaders make sure that adults are suitable to work with pupils in school.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in different situations. For example, they learn how to stay safe online by not sharing personal details.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, teachers do not focus sharply enough on how well pupils are learning important subject content.

They lack a detailed understanding of how well pupils are learning key knowledge. Leaders need to keep a sharp focus on how well teachers are delivering important aspects of the curriculum and how well pupils are remembering these important aspects. ? The early years curriculum is not clearly sequenced.

Staff have not identified the most important knowledge and skills that children need to learn. As a result, children are not fully ready for Year 1. Leaders should work with staff to improve the early years curriculum so that children learn the knowledge, skills and personal attributes that they need.