Upper Horfield Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Upper Horfield Primary School. They are polite and welcoming, greeting visitors with a smile.

Pupils talk confidently about the way in which the school's values help them to be respectful and to work hard.

However, the quality of education that pupils receive is not yet good. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not remember the most important knowledge.

They cannot make connections in their learning. This means that they do not learn as well as they should in a range of subjects.

Staff have high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

This starts in the early years. Childre...n settle to routines quickly, listen carefully to staff and behave well. Pupils feel safe.

They value the positive relationships they have with staff. Pupils trust adults to listen and help them with any worries they have.

Pupils enjoy the range of clubs on offer to them, such as gymnastics, chess and choir.

They value the opportunities they have to become buddies to the younger children and to be members of the school council. Pupils say that these roles help them to set a positive example to others, take responsibility and feel trusted.

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

Leaders are ambitious for what all pupils can achieve.

They have ensured that the curriculum makes clear what pupils need to know and when they need to know it. However, this vision is not yet reflected in pupils' day-to-day experiences of learning. The implementation of the curriculum does not enable them to build their knowledge well enough as they move through the school.

Reading is a priority in the school. Pupils read a range of texts with increasing accuracy and fluency. They say that reading helps them to learn new words.

Children begin learning phonics as soon as they start school. They learn and remember new sounds well. Staff benefit from the training they receive to teach phonics effectively.

If pupils fall behind, they receive the support they need to help them to catch up quickly.

Leaders have put in place a well-structured mathematics curriculum. This starts in the early years.

Teachers develop children's mathematical vocabulary well. This means that children recognise and talk confidently about numbers. Older pupils build on this good start.

They are able to apply their mathematical knowledge of fractions and percentages when completing more complex tasks involving pie charts.

In some wider curriculum subjects, pupils' knowledge is less secure. For example, in geography, while pupils can recall what they have learned about the features of the rainforest, they struggle to remember and make links to what they have learned before.

This is because some teachers do not routinely check on what pupils know well enough before moving on to new learning. Future learning does not take into account what pupils remember over time. This hampers the progress that some pupils make through the curriculum.

Where appropriate, pupils with SEND follow the same curriculum as their peers. While staff understand pupils' individual needs well, they do not routinely adapt learning well enough to help pupils build their knowledge. Support plans for some pupils are not precise enough.

This means that some pupils with SEND do not follow the curriculum as well as they should.

Pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning. The environment in classrooms and around the school is calm and productive.

Children in the early years are eager to share their learning and work well with one another. They get off to a successful start because of this.

Leaders' work is helping to improve attendance for most pupils.

They talk to parents to understand the reasons for absence and promote the importance of good attendance. However, some pupils are still absent from school too often. This hinders their learning.

Leaders support pupils' personal development well. Pupils know that a good friend needs to be loyal, honest and caring. They have a good understanding of fundamental British values such as democracy and respect.

Pupils talk confidently about equality and why it is important in the modern world.

Governors understand where the school needs to improve. With the support of the local authority, they provide appropriate support and challenge to school leaders.

Staff value the time and training they receive to develop their subject knowledge. Many appreciate how leaders consider their workload and well-being.

Most parents and carers talk positively about the start their children make and the care and attention that staff show towards pupils.

However, some parents have mixed views about school communication and the support for pupils with SEND.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide staff with up-to-date safeguarding training.

Staff use this well to spot the signs that may indicate a pupil is at risk and to report them quickly. Leaders work well with a range of professionals to ensure that vulnerable pupils and their families receive the help they need. They make the right safeguarding checks during recruitment.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in the real and online world. They understand the importance of not sharing personal information online and reporting any concerns to a trusted adult.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, teachers do not check well enough what pupils know and remember.

Subsequent learning does not take into account pupils' prior knowledge. As a result, some pupils do not build their knowledge well over time, and this slows the progress they make across the curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that teachers check what pupils know and remember across all subjects and use this to inform future learning.

• The needs of some pupils with SEND are not met well enough. As a result, these pupils do not develop their knowledge well enough across the curriculum. Leaders and staff must ensure that they check the quality and effectiveness of support plans and how well they are being implemented across the curriculum to ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are met.

• The attendance of some pupils is still too low. These pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they should. Leaders need to strengthen even further the work they are doing to improve the attendance of children who are persistently absent.

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