Unity Community Primary

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have positive relationships with their teachers.

Many said that their teachers are the best thing about Unity Community Primary. Pupils feel safe in their teachers' care. Leaders ensure that pupils are indeed safe at the school.

Leaders have recently raised their expectations for pupils' behaviour. Pupils and staff recognise that this has brought about improvements in pupils' conduct. Most pupils, including children in the early years, behave well throughout the day.

Some pupils stated that they experience bullying. However, leaders and teachers deal with such incidents appropriately.

Leaders have also raised their aspirations for what pupils,... including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), will learn.

They have introduced some new subject curriculums of late. These curriculums are well designed and ambitious for what pupils in key stages 1 and 2 will learn. In turn, pupils are beginning to achieve well in many areas of the curriculum.

However, leaders have not given the same level of consideration to what children in the early years should learn. These children do not build their knowledge securely over time. Many are not well prepared for Year 1.

Pupils enjoy the sporting clubs that are available to them. They also enjoy the trips and residential visits that are slowly being reintroduced to the school calendar now that the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have eased.

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

Leaders have maintained a good quality of education for pupils in Years 1 to 6.

They have ensured that much of the school curriculum in key stages 1 and 2 is broad and balanced. They have recently implemented many subject curriculums for those age groups which clearly outline the specific knowledge that pupils in most year groups will learn and when they will learn it. This helps teachers to deliver new subject content effectively.

In turn, this also helps pupils to build their knowledge securely over time.

In contrast, leaders have been less successful in ensuring that children in the early years benefit from a similar standard of education. Leaders at different levels have not ensured that the early years curriculum enables children, including those who attend the two-year-old provision, to learn all that they should.

For example, leaders have not set out the crucial knowledge that children should learn and when it will be taught. In turn, teachers and staff in the early years do not teach important content in a logical, well-thought-out order. They sometimes design learning activities that are too loosely linked to broad overarching themes and aims.

As a result, although some children are prepared for the demands of Year 1, others are not.

Some leaders do not carry out effective checks on how well subject curriculums are being implemented. This means that they are not able to evaluate the impact of the new subject curriculums.

It is also means that leaders are not well equipped to support teachers to develop their practice further. This is particularly problematic in the early years. Consequently, the issues with the curriculum in this area of the school persist.

In some subjects, leaders have outlined their expectations of how teachers should assess what pupils know and remember. This helps teachers to identify and address the gaps that pupils have in their knowledge. In other subjects, leaders have not provided teachers with the same level of guidance.

In these subjects, teachers are unsure how best to establish what pupils have learned. This sometimes hinders teachers from helping pupils with their gaps and misconceptions.

Leaders have introduced a new phonics programme earlier this year.

Staff recognise that it has had a positive impact on their practice. They are suitably trained and teach phonics consistently well. Leaders ensure that pupils learn the phonics programme soon after they start in the Reception class.

Most pupils read books that are matched to the sounds that they know. Pupils who need extra help with learning to read get sufficient support to close gaps in their phonics knowledge. Pupils are learning to become fluent readers more quickly than before.

Leaders have ensured that staff are effective at identifying potential additional needs that pupils might have. Leaders take appropriate actions to secure extra support for these pupils when necessary. Leaders make sure that teachers are well equipped to adapt the delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND so that they learn the same ambitious curriculum as their classmates.

However, due to the deficiencies in the early years curriculum, the achievement of children with SEND mirrors that of their classmates.

Leaders have introduced new behaviour systems and routines which have led to positive improvements in pupils' conduct. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning.

Most pupils behave calmly and sensibly throughout the day. However, sometimes leaders and teachers do not maintain sufficient records about bullying concerns and low-level misbehaviours. This means that leaders occasionally fail to notice and respond to individual issues as effectively as they could.

This also means that leaders and trustees are not aware of some patterns of behaviour and bullying that are present in some classes.

Leaders cater for pupils' personal development well. They help pupils to understand how to keep themselves physically healthy.

Pupils develop their knowledge of fundamental British values through the wider curriculum. They value the opportunity to celebrate each other's backgrounds and traditions through the annual 'international day' that leaders arrange for them. They have a secure awareness of the differences between people and different types of relationships.

They are prepared for life in modern Britain.

Leaders and trustees are considerate of staff's workload and well-being. Staff are appreciative of leaders' actions.

Those responsible for governance understand their role. However, they are not aware of some of the weaknesses in the quality of education that children in the early years receive. This limits trustees' ability to hold leaders to account for the impact of their actions.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff know how to recognise and report any concerns about a pupil's welfare. Leaders take effective action in response to these concerns.

They make appropriate referrals to external agencies when required. However, leaders do not ensure that their checks on safeguarding records and procedures are robust enough.

The curriculum supports pupils to learn how to stay safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not given enough forethought to the specific knowledge that children in the early years, including those in the two-year-old provision, need to learn, nor how and when it will be taught. This means that some teachers do not deliver learning content in a logical order. Consequently, children do not build secure foundations of knowledge for future learning.

Leaders should ensure that the curriculum throughout the early years is well designed and carefully ordered so that children acquire the building blocks of knowledge to be ready for key stage 1. ? Some leaders do not have a secure oversight of how well teachers are delivering subject curriculums. This is particularly the case in the early years.

This means that leaders are not alert to some of the weaknesses in curriculum design and teachers' delivery of subject content. In turn, teachers sometimes do not teach important information in a way that helps pupils to build their knowledge securely over time. Leaders must review the approaches that they take to ensuring that subject curriculums are designed and delivered well.

• Some leaders have not given clear guidance to teachers on how to assess what pupils know and remember about their learning. This means that, in some subjects, teachers are unable to identify the gaps that pupils have and consider this information when designing suitable lesson content. Leaders should clarify their expectations for how teachers should assess pupils' learning and provide sufficient training on how to do this well.

• At times, leaders and those responsible for governance do not sufficiently assure themselves that records, policies and actions related to behaviour, bullying and safeguarding are as robust as they should be. At times, this means that leaders and governors miss opportunities to identify patterns or issues in these areas. Leaders and governors should review their approach to evaluating the effectiveness of their work in these areas to maintain a safe environment for pupils to learn and be happy.