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Pupils are enthusiastic and proud to attend this small village school. They build lasting friendships that they value. This gives them a strong sense of security and belonging.
Pupils attend regularly and behave well. They start the day with smiles and laughter as they eagerly meet their friends.
The school's expectations of pupils' academic achievements have been too low in the past.
Expectations are increasing, and changes are underway. Pupils now follow a curriculum that enhances their knowledge. However, the curriculum is not taught consistently well.
Recent improvements to the curriculum have not yet impacted on pupils' knowledge. Some pupils, i...ncluding those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not make sufficient progress to be fully prepared for secondary school.
Pupils understand the values that the school promotes and work hard to put them into practice.
They display generosity to each other and people in the local community. For example, they support local charities, giving their time and resources to help others.
Pupils enjoy taking part in extra-curricular activities.
They are eager to compete in sporting events and are especially proud of the significant achievements of the school's netball team. Such achievements have boosted pupils' confidence and self-esteem.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has recently taken action to revise the curriculum.
Staff have identified the important knowledge that pupils are expected to learn. They have ensured that this knowledge progresses logically over time. However, pupils have not yet begun to study the new curriculum content in all subjects.
Staff are developing their subject knowledge, but there is still variation in adults' expertise. Sometimes, the explanations that teachers provide and the tasks that they set do not help pupils to learn well. For instance, pupils do not always have sufficient opportunities to practise new learning.
This means that the curriculum is not yet impacting on pupils knowing and remembering more in each subject.
The school identifies pupils who are struggling to access the curriculum. Pupils with SEND take part in lessons and access a broad range of subjects.
However, the curriculum is not always adapted well enough to help these pupils learn well. Sometimes, pupils' specific needs are not sufficiently supported. This means that pupils with SEND are not progressing through the curriculum as well as they need to reach their full potential.
The school makes reading a priority. Pupils at the early stages of learning to read benefit from daily phonics lessons. Children in the early years begin to study phonics as soon as they start at school.
Adults identify and support any pupils who fall behind in order to help them catch up. Pupils progressively learn new sounds and become better readers over time. However, there is variation in how well the phonics programme is delivered.
Sometimes, children do not have sufficient opportunities to practise sounding out. This means that some pupils do not develop their reading fluency as well as the school expects.
The school has not yet implemented an effective approach to monitoring the revised curriculum's impact on pupils' knowledge.
Those responsible for school governance work hard to gather useful information about the school. They care about pupils and want the best for them. However, the information they receive about the quality of education is not precise enough.
This means it is hard for the school to understand when and why gaps in pupils' knowledge emerge.
The school's expectations of pupils' behaviour are clear. Pupils appreciate their role in deciding classroom rules and they follow them.
They listen carefully and focus on tasks in lessons. Lunchtimes and playtimes are happy occasions. Pupils get along well and take care of one another.
This makes the school a calm and purposeful place for pupils to learn.
The school's work to ensure that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain is a strength. Pupils discuss and understand a range of current affairs and topics.
They understand the school's ethos, but also develop their knowledge of other cultures and faiths. The school's caring and respectful culture allows pupils to experience these values in action.
The school has been through a period of considerable change since the last inspection.
There is now a clear vision for improvement. Staff are enthusiastic to help see this vision realised. They feel well supported in this aim.
Most parents and carers acknowledge the positive changes, although the school recognises the need for further engagement to ensure that all parents feel included in its improvement journey.
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
What does the school need to do to improve?
(Information for the school and appropriate authority)
• There is variation in staff's expertise.
Where this is not strong, the explanations that adults provide and tasks that they set do not help pupils to learn key information as effectively as the school expects. The school should ensure that all staff know how to teach the curriculum well, so that all pupils achieve as well as they can. ? Pupils with SEND do not always receive the support that they need to make progress through the curriculum.
Staff do not always make adaptions to help these pupils access new learning. As a result, support does not consistently have the impact that the school expects on pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that the curriculum is adapted when necessary to ensure that pupils with SEND learn well.
The school's approach to monitoring the impact of the revised curriculum on what pupils know and remember is not yet well-established. This means that those responsible for leadership do not have a precise understanding of when gaps form in pupils' learning or how to address them. The school should ensure that gaps in pupils' learning are identified quickly and addressed to support all pupils to achieve well.
