Threemilestone School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a warm and welcoming school.

Inclusion is central to the school's vision of ensuring every pupil belongs. Pupils learn in a calm and orderly setting. The school takes its time to get to know pupils and their families well.

This helps pupils thrive. They enjoy coming to school and love to learn. Their high attendance is evidence of their positive attitudes to learning.

The school's ambitious curriculum reflects the school's high expectations of what pupils can achieve, starting in the early years. Pupils rise to these expectations and learn the curriculum well.

Pupils' wider development is exceptional.

The school goes above and beyond... to provide pupils with experiences beyond the academic. This begins before children join the school. For example, a summer picnic supports children in their transition into Reception Year.

The school celebrates diversity. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures throughout their time at school. The carefully selected books, artists and musicians that pupils learn about broaden their understanding of the world.

Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They have a lived experience of democracy through pupil leadership elections, such as 'PALs' (Pupils As Leaders). Pupils are rightly proud of the difference they make to their school.

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

The school, the trust and those responsible for governance are determined for all pupils to be successful at this school. There has been a relentless drive to develop the curriculum. The school has identified and sequenced the precise knowledge that pupils need to know and remember across subjects.

The school's 'launchpads' exemplify the smaller steps of knowledge that pupils will learn. These help teachers to be clear about what they need to teach and when. As a result, pupils build their knowledge based on prior learning securely over time.

The school has a clear understanding of how well the curriculum is implemented and uses this to develop subjects further. For example, staff benefit from regular training to develop their subject expertise to teach the curriculum well. Staff are overwhelmingly grateful for the support they receive from the school to fulfil their roles, including those who are new to the teaching profession.

There is a shared approach to the teaching of the curriculum. For example, in mathematics, teachers model new learning and give pupils the time they need to practise. Pupils regularly retrieve previous learning across subjects to embed knowledge into their long-term memory.

As a result, pupils talk confidently about their learning and build their knowledge securely. For example, in the early years, children enjoy talking about the drawing techniques of Henry Matisse.

Across subjects, teachers use a variety of strategies to check what pupils know and remember.

They use this information to identify and support pupils' gaps in knowledge to help pupils keep up. Sometimes, these checks are not precise enough to identify misconceptions or to establish if pupils are ready for new learning. As a result, some pupils do not deepen their knowledge as well.

Staff think carefully about adaptations to learning to enable pupils to learn successfully, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. These pupils benefit from early identification to ensure they get the help they need. For example, pupils receive a language assessment when they begin school to identify and support any gaps they may have.

Reading is at the heart of the school. Teaching pupils to become confident and fluent readers is a high priority. This starts the moment children begin Reception.

Staff teach the phonics programme well because of the regular training and coaching they receive from subject experts. They rigorously identify and support those pupils who need help to keep up. The school promotes a love of reading.

A carefully considered 'reading spine' exposes pupils to a breadth of genres and authors. Pupils value the many opportunities to enjoy books. For example, the 'reading shed' is popular during social times.

Pupils are clear about the school routines and the expectations of behaviour. This starts in the early years where children know how to behave when listening on the carpet. Pupils value highly the 'star tokens' they collect as a team to earn the 'supernova' reward.

The school has carefully considered the wider opportunities in place to enhance pupils' experiences. Pupils benefit from a range of trips and residentials, such as workshops at an aquarium. They value the wide range of clubs available to develop their talents and interests.

The school tracks participation to ensure that pupils gain from the school's offer. This includes disadvantaged pupils where involvement is high.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On some occasions, strategies used by teachers to check what pupils know are not precise enough to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge or to establish pupils' readiness for new learning. As a result, some pupils do not deepen their knowledge fully. The school needs to ensure that checks on what pupils know are used effectively to adapt subsequent learning to build on what pupils know and can do.

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