Warren Hills Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where care for pupils comes first. There is a strong sense of community. Everyone is included regardless of their needs or ability.

Pupils are kind to one another. They spot when their peers need a helping hand. At playtimes, everyone takes responsibility for pupils who sit on the 'buddy bench' because they need a friend to play with.

Pupils say they sometimes fall out. But when they do, they work together to sort the problem out.

The school is a safe and happy place to learn and play.

Pupils behave well. They are taught how to manage their emotions. Pupils know what to do if they feel angry or upset.

When pupils make a wron...g choice, they reflect on what has happened so that they can try to avoid making the same mistake twice. Pupils know what bullying is. They are confident that staff will deal with any incidents of bullying quickly.

The school's motto 'Aspire – Nurture – Grow' is certainly true. Staff, governors and the very large majority of parents agree that the school wants the very best for pupils. They are ambitious that the school will continue to improve.

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

Leaders have developed a curriculum that is ambitious and well balanced across subjects. Plans identify the key knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. Knowledge is sequenced so that pupils can build on what they have learned before.

Leaders have thought carefully about what children learn in the early years that will help them as they get older. For example, children in the early years play with 'nuts and bolts' to develop their fine motor skills. This helps them to hold their pencils correctly as they learn to write.

Much of the current curriculum was introduced in September 2022. It has got off to a good start. Curriculum leaders are passionate about their subjects.

They are starting to monitor the delivery and impact of the new curriculum plans. These early checks confirm that the new curriculum is successfully enabling pupils to know and remember more. The use of assessment is well embedded in English and mathematics.

However, where the curriculum is new, teachers are less accomplished in the strategies they use to check that pupils have remembered all of the content of the planned curriculum.

Leaders are ambitious that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) will do as well as they can. The academic, social and emotional needs of pupils with SEND are promptly identified.

Pupils get the support they need to access the curriculum. Pupils who have a higher level of need attend 'The Hub', where they are assigned bespoke plans as a basis to help to improve. Pupils who work in 'The Hub' appreciate the extra help they get.

They say it is 'peaceful' and that they learn how to manage their feelings. They know that when they have developed the learning behaviours they need to engage fully in learning, they can rejoin their class so that they can work alongside their peers. Parents are full of praise for the support pupils receive in this class.

One parent described it as 'life-changing' for their child.

Leaders have prioritised reading. Pupils are read to from a wide range of age-appropriate texts.

They talk enthusiastically about these books. Children in the early years are able to retell the story of 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' in great detail. A new phonics programme has been in place for just over a year.

It is making a difference to the speed at which pupils acquire new sounds so that they can learn to read. However, a few members of staff are not confident in the delivery of phonics. Occasionally, they do not provide activities that help pupils to learn new sounds as well as they could, or identify quickly enough those pupils who struggle to remember them.

Leaders have been determined to improve some pupils' attendance. They have worked tirelessly to communicate to parents and carers the importance of their children attending school on every possible day. As a result, the attendance of many pupils has improved.

Leaders want pupils to have plans for their future. The use of trips and visitors help pupils to learn about the possibilities on offer to them and to prepare them for life after they leave school. Pupils visit a local supermarket to learn about supply chains.

They acquire basic first-aid skills from St John Ambulance and participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics projects. Pupils learn about different faiths and religions. They know that everyone is equal and should be accepted for who they are.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They say that leaders consider their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils' safety and well-being are the top priorities at Warren Hills. There is a well-established culture of safeguarding. Leaders know pupils and their families well.

They are alert to local issues. Staff know how to spot the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. They report their concerns without delay.

Safeguarding records are thorough. The designated safeguarding leads act on any concerns raised in a timely manner. External agencies are involved when needed to make sure that the right help is provided for pupils and their families.

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe both inside and outside school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority) ? A small number of staff are not as confident as others in the delivery of phonics. Occasionally, they do not provide learning activities that support pupils to acquire new sounds successfully, or quickly identify pupils who are at risk of falling behind.

This means that some pupils do not learn to read as quickly as they could. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the training they need to become experts in the teaching of phonics. ? Much of the curriculum is new.

As a result, monitoring activities are at an early stage. Leaders have not identified precisely where refinements to the curriculum may be needed to maximise the impact it has in supporting pupils to know and remember more. Leaders, including governors, should ensure that they use the information gathered from monitoring activities to identify priorities for further curriculum development.

• Teachers' use of assessment in foundation subjects is still developing. This means that teachers do not yet check as precisely as they could the extent to which pupils are remembering the intended learning as closely as they do in English and mathematics. Leaders should ensure that systems are developed for all subjects so that staff can assess how well pupils learn and retain the intended learning.