West Thornton Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The leadership of the school, under the Inspire Partnership Academy Trust, is committed to enabling everyone to succeed. Leaders ensure that pupils 'see themselves through their community, school and curriculum, building the confidence and the skills to meet the world'. This is the 'golden thread' that runs through the school's offer for all.

Consequently, pupils thrive.

Through the school values of kindness, respect, resilience, responsibility, collaboration and excellence, pupils are taught the importance of positive behaviour. Even from the youngest age they are supported effectively to learn to self-regulate.

Excellent behaviour means all lessons are focu...sed on learning.

There are high expectations; the curriculum is broad and ambitious. Learning in all subjects is meticulously sequenced.

This helps all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to deepen their knowledge and understanding. Work produced is of high quality across different subjects and pupils are typically very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

A wide variety of clubs are available.

Examples include football, crochet, dance, drawing, cooking and photography. Leadership responsibilities also include being library monitors and playground monitors and being part of the junior leadership team. Pupils appreciate these roles, which encourage them to become active citizens in their school.

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

Leaders, including the trust, and those responsible for governance were quick to identify the improvements required when the school joined the trust. They have been committed to the journey of improvement and have a detailed and accurate understanding of the school's strengths and the areas they want to improve further. Leaders have created an ambitious culture that puts pupils' learning, and their readiness for the next stage, at the centre of everything they do.

Children get off to a great start in Reception. There is a relentless focus on developing language and vocabulary. All staff understand this is vital to enable access to the rest of the curriculum and all future learning.

Precise vocabulary is identified and delivered sequentially. Children are also taught how to respond when answering questions and talking with each other. Consequently, they learn to communicate effectively.

This, alongside the well-thought-out and well-delivered curriculum, means children have the foundations they need to be very well prepared for future learning.

Reading is given high priority. All staff are well trained and deliver the phonics scheme with precision.

This is monitored closely by leaders to make sure their high expectations are maintained. Children start learning letter sounds as soon as they start school, with books carefully matched to the sounds known. As a result, pupils have the practice they need to become fluent readers as quickly as possible.

Those at risk of falling behind are identified and supported through carefully planned interventions to catch up. A love of reading is evident across the school. It is promoted across the curriculum and a book swap is available, so all pupils have access to books at home.

Careful thought has been given to how the curriculum is sequenced, and presented, to help pupils learn and remember more over time. For example, in early years, children have their learning journeys as 'road maps'; they also recall stories using 'story maps'. This prepares them for more complex mapwork, in geography, later on.

Similarly, in mathematics, children in Reception learn to recognise numbers, count and make different amounts. This supports children's early understanding of numbers to 10, assisting automatic recall and more complex calculations later on.

Teachers have detailed subject knowledge because of regular, high-quality subject-specific training.

Lessons include recall of previous learning to help pupils understand new information. Teachers check this is understood. They adapt their lessons to help all pupils, including those with SEND, to overcome any misunderstandings or gaps in their knowledge.

Adults know pupils incredibly well and are committed to giving them all that they need to succeed. The practice of core skills and additional adaptations to the learning enable all pupils to make progress and deepen their understanding over time. In a few subjects, however, the journey of refining the curriculum is more recent.

Here, while recall is still strong, connections, and deeper understanding, have not yet had enough time to develop.

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is calm, caring and harmonious. Pupils know the rules and are committed to following them.

They are independent, resilient and highly enthusiastic about their learning. Most pupils have good attendance. There is effective support in place for those whose attendance needs to improve.

Provision for personal development is exceptional. Pupils enjoy their personal, social, health and economic lessons. They recognise that they help everyone to live in a community and develop tolerance and understanding.

Through the 'global curriculum', pupils develop their understanding of social justice and the right of everyone to be included. They learn about identity, diversity, human rights, and power and governance. This work is woven seamlessly throughout the curriculum to bring it to life, helping to support readiness for life in modern Britain.

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about leaders' consideration of their workload. This includes time for planning and preparation. They feel listened to, and valued, and are extremely proud of the school's progress since it joined the Inspire Partnership Academy Trust.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have successfully introduced an ambitious curriculum across all subjects. In a few subjects, however, the work to refine learning has been more recent, and it has not yet had time to fully embed across all wider curriculum subjects.

This means that the impact of these subjects is not as strong. In these instances, pupils have not always secured as deep an understanding as in those more developed subjects. The school should continue its work to ensure that the ambitious and well-designed curriculum is fully embedded.

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