William Morris Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy, friendly and inclusive school.

The school provides a broad and ambitious curriculum. Pupils are excited to learn. As a result, there is a purposeful buzz of learning throughout the school.

Pupils persevere when learning becomes challenging.

Pupils are a credit to the school. Their behaviour is impeccable.

Pupils are extremely polite, kind and respectful towards each other and adults. Pastoral provision is strong. Staff care deeply for pupils and prioritise their mental health and well-being.

The school forges supportive relationships with pupils and their families. Pupils feel safe at school. Most pupils attend regularly..../>
Early years provision is exceptional. Children become engrossed in a wide variety of stimulating and creative activities.

The school provides a wealth of opportunities to develop pupils' cultural awareness.

For instance, they undertake in-depth studies of famous musicians, or artists such as Klimt and Monet.

Parents are overwhelmingly positive. They appreciate the way in which the school goes above and beyond for their children.

Parents praise the school's work in teaching their children to be the best they can be.

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

The school is firmly committed to providing a high-quality education for all pupils. The school has created a rich curriculum.

In most subjects, this precisely identifies the knowledge and skills the school expects pupils to learn. Lessons are carefully sequenced to help pupils know and remember more.

Reading is a priority.

Children learn to read as soon as they start school. The school makes learning interesting. For example, children in Nursery develop their understanding of rhyme and communication when they choose objects such as 'bug' and 'jug' to go in the 'silly soup'.

The school has successfully embedded a new phonics programme. Phonics teaching is consistently strong. Pupils who need help to keep up receive precisely focused support.

This enables pupils to become more confident and accurate readers. Pupils routinely learn wider reading skills such as comprehension, prediction and dictionary work. They thoroughly enjoy book club and story time, which motivates them to read for pleasure.

The school carefully plans focused pastoral and academic support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This enables pupils to become fully involved in all that the school offers. As a result, pupils progress well through the intended curriculum.

Staff have a secure subject knowledge in most subjects they teach. They carefully model and explain what they want pupils to learn. They check pupils' understanding and adapt learning when necessary.

This supports pupils to build knowledge well.

In most subjects, pupils use previous learning to help them to build on what they already know. For example, through their studies of Pompeii, pupils learn how volcanoes erupt.

They use this knowledge to consider the impact of volcanic eruptions on people's lives. However, in a minority of subjects, assessment does not routinely identify when pupils have gaps in their learning. In these subjects, pupils do not have a secure understanding of what they have learned previously.

This hinders how well they can learn new concepts.

Pupils understand the school's high expectations of them and have a thirst for learning. As a result, they listen intently and become thoroughly immersed in their work.

Pupils achieve well in most subjects.

Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Pupils are confident that staff will sort out any problems that might occur.

Pupils confirm they can share any worries with adults in the school.

The early years curriculum is skilfully designed, taught and assessed. As a result, children consistently achieve well.

The school provides activities that spark children's curiosity and sustain their concentration. For example, children are fascinated to investigate how far toy cars travel down a length of pipe. They enjoy making 'Gruffalo crumble'.

The school's support for pupils' personal development is exceptional. For instance, pupils develop important life skills, such as cooking and sewing. Pupils build their independence and confidence when they attend the 'stargazing sleepover'.

Pupils take on positions of responsibility, such as classroom helpers and school councillors. They learn to be active citizens when they raise money for charity and donate items to the food bank. Pupils develop their talents and interests through exciting activities such as ballet, performing arts and hockey.

The trust supports the school well. Morale is high because staff value the support the school provides for their professional development and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, the school does not use assessment well. In these subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and struggle to learn new concepts. The trust should ensure that assessment is used effectively to identify and rectify gaps in what pupils know and can do so they build knowledge well across the curriculum.

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