White Bridge Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at White Bridge Primary School are kind, caring and curious.

From the very start of Reception, they build strong relationships with adults and learn how to manage their emotions. Pupils feel safe and behave well. They focus in lessons, talking to their peers, asking questions and responding to teacher feedback.

Pupils interact with their peers in a respectful way. They understand that everyone is different.

From early years, pupils enjoy their learning.

They know learning is important so that they can be successful in later life. They learn to love reading. Pupils learn a varied curriculum and benefit from clear examples from their teachers....r/>
They make good use of the exciting and challenging activities that staff plan, and as a result, pupils achieve well. Sometimes pupils find it hard to recall their prior learning.

Pupils are keen to take on responsibility.

They are enthusiastic about the leadership roles they have. These include being reading ambassadors, school council members and prefects. They enjoy representing their school at local, county and national competitions and proudly talk about their achievements.

Pupils attend a range of clubs, including dodgeball and cyber-kids, and the choice of clubs is growing.

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

Leaders, including governors and trustees, have worked at pace to improve the quality of education for all pupils. There is a focus on ensuring pupils feel safe, happy and ready to learn.

The school has developed a curriculum that is broad, well balanced and ambitious. What pupils need to learn and when has been set out for staff in most subjects. Staff teach the curriculum well.

They have the expertise and resources they need to match learning to pupils' needs. Teachers revisit what pupils have learned recently before moving on to new learning. However, this does not extend to what pupils have learned over time.

In a few subject areas, leaders are not regularly checking that the curriculum is having the impact they want and that pupils are remembering key content over time. As a result, pupils are confident in talking about what they have learned recently but struggle to recall what they have learned in previous lessons.

From early years, learning to read is a priority.

All pupils learn phonics. There is a strong emphasis on ensuring that pupils are confident and fluent readers. Where pupils are not keeping up with the programme, staff promptly identify their learning gaps and provide the precise teaching they need to keep up with their peers.

The established reading curriculum in older year groups helps pupils to confidently talk about the genre of books they like and dislike. Pupils who are learning phonics have books that are well matched to their reading stage. However, once pupils move on from the programme, this is not always the case.

Older pupils do not have books that are well matched to their reading stage. This means that they are not as fluent in their reading as they should be.

Staff quickly identify pupils who need extra help with learning and managing emotions and behaviour.

They put in effective support to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have what they need to learn the curriculum in line with their peers. Staff know pupils well. Well-trained adults help pupils access learning effectively.

Pupils who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision) are well catered for. They get the targeted help they need to successfully transition back to their own school.

The school has reviewed how it manages behaviour.

Staff have made changes to their behaviour approach to create a calm and nurturing environment for all pupils to learn and achieve their best.

Personal development is a strength of the school. Pupils have a strong understanding of tolerance.

They respect those who have different faiths, cultures and beliefs. They are confident in sharing their opinions and know that their voice matters. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe with road safety and online safety.

Pupils attend a range of trips that enrich their learning such as to museums and outdoor adventure settings. They enjoy the clubs on offer such as choir, netball and rugby. They appreciate the opportunity to compete against other schools in a range of sporting activities.

Leaders, including governors and trustees, have a secure understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. They check what is happening in the school and hold staff to account.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff do not check well enough that older pupils have books that are well matched to their reading stage. This means that the books they are reading are not always well matched, and they are not as fluent in their reading as they should be because they do not get enough practice. The school needs to ensure that staff check that the books that pupils are reading are suitable for their reading ability.

• Leaders are unclear if the curriculum in some areas is having the desired impact. Leaders need to ensure that they carry out checks on the curriculum to ensure that pupils are achieving well throughout the curriculum. ? In some subjects, staff do not systematically check what pupils have learned over time.

They do not always know if pupils are ready for new learning or if they have retained prior learning. This means that pupils struggle to recall prior learning and make connections with learning that have come before. The school needs to ensure that staff are supported well to be able to accurately check what pupils know and remember.

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