Wroot Travis Charity Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where pupils feel emotionally and physically safe.

A warm and caring ethos surrounds pupils who attend this school. They relish being part of this supportive school family. As one pupil said, 'Here, you are never lonely.'

Relationships between adults and pupils are built upon respect, consideration and care. Pupils behave with kindness and understanding towards each other.

Bullying does not happen in this school.

However, pupils have the knowledge they need to recognise bullying and the tools to challenge this if they do see it. Pupils know that if bullying did happen, it would be dealt with promptly by staff. Pupils explain that if... bullying ever happened, they would 'See it, say it, sort it.'

Pupils have high levels of confidence in the adults in school. They talk frequently about 'trusted adults' and how these adults help them if they ever have a problem. The high expectations leaders have for pupils' behaviour are mirrored in their expectations of what pupils can achieve academically.

Leaders have high ambitions for all pupils in the school. They are relentless in their approach to making sure that pupils have a broad range of experiences during their time at school. They use the small size of the school as an opportunity to build a strong community.

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

Leaders have made significant changes to the curriculum that pupils are taught. They have deliberately created a curriculum that helps pupils to see and understand the world beyond the immediate surroundings in which they live. Leaders have thought carefully about how pupils can experience a meaningful curriculum within the challenges of being in classes of mixed year groups.

Subject leaders have a strong sense of how the building blocks for future learning begin in the early years. Despite this, in some subjects, the precise knowledge and vocabulary that leaders want pupils to learn, is not clearly defined. In these parts of the curriculum, sometimes, staff do not have the subject knowledge they need to teach these subjects with precision.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified. Leaders have high ambitions for what they want pupils with SEND to achieve. However, in subjects such as early reading and mathematics, the support lower attaining pupils, including pupils with SEND, receive is not closely enough matched to the gaps in their knowledge.

Leaders have introduced a new phonics curriculum. This supports pupils to develop their knowledge of individual sounds. Teachers model carefully how to blend these sounds into words.

The books pupils are given to read are matched closely to the sounds they are familiar with. Pupils who need support with their reading are identified quickly. However, the additional support these pupils receive is not matched closely enough to the gaps that they have in their phonics knowledge.

A love of reading is promoted throughout school. Leaders have made deliberate choices about the books that pupils are exposed to during their time in school. These choices help pupils to understand and enjoy books from a range of authors.

Pupils also develop their understanding of themes such as racism and other forms of discrimination through the books they listen to and read.

The wider development of pupils is important to leaders. They engage with a wealth of opportunities to develop their character and values, such as through the personal, social, health and economic curriculum and the assembly and collective worship cycle leaders have created.

Pupils develop a strong moral compass through their work in understanding different forms of discrimination and how to challenge it. They enthusiastically take on roles such as peer mentors, play leaders and worship leaders. Pupils understand both how to complete these roles and why they are an important contribution to their school community.

There is a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities on offer to pupils.

Careful thought has been given to the curriculum that children are taught in Nursery and Reception. There is a clear approach to developing high-quality vocabulary.

Children have opportunities to develop their independence. They follow clear routines throughout the day. There are strong relationships between children and adults.

Staff work closely with parents to give them information about how well their children are doing. A love of reading is promoted at the earliest opportunity for children. An inviting book corner is used well, and children respond well when listening to stories and rhymes.

Leaders are very aware of staff workload and well-being. Staff report feeling highly supported by leaders. They say that leaders care about them as people and professionals.

Staff say that they are given the time they need to carry out their additional responsibilities. For example, subject leaders are given time to check how well their subject is being taught. However, some of these checks do not give leaders the purposeful information they need to check the impact of subjects and areas of the curriculum.

Governors have a detailed understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the school. They check that what leaders are telling them is actually happening in the school. They offer challenge and support for leaders working in the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff and leaders have safeguarding at the forefront of their minds.

Staff follow robust systems to record concerns. These concerns are followed up swiftly and diligently by leaders. The strong systems developed by leaders are complemented by staff knowledge of the pupils and families they serve.

Leaders use external agencies to provide targeted support. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and are very aware of local risks. Safeguarding is considered carefully as part of the curriculum.

For example, pupils are taught about how to stay safe online and how to recognise healthy and unhealthy relationships.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, the precise knowledge and vocabulary leaders want pupils to learn is not clearly enough defined. Learning in some lessons within these subjects is not designed to support pupils to build their understanding and knowledge consistently and deeply over time.

Leaders should ensure that the knowledge and vocabulary that they want pupils to learn is clearly defined so that this supports teachers to plan activities over a series of lessons to meet these aims. ? Leaders approach to monitoring the curriculum is variable. Some leaders do not have a clear picture of the impact of curriculum delivery for lower attaining pupils.

In these subjects, leaders cannot clearly identify where teachers need further development with their delivery of learning. Leaders should ensure that the checks they make are purposeful and informative. This will allow subject leaders to support all staff to deliver the school's curriculum well.

• Assessment information in early reading and mathematics does not give leaders and teachers enough detail to inform catch-up provision for pupils working below their peers. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, do not always receive targeted support to close any gaps in their learning. Leaders should ensure that assessment information is used to identify the precise gaps in pupils learning so that targeted provision can be put in place.