Yew Tree Community Junior and Infant School (NC)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Yew Tree Community Junior and Infant School get a good education.

Pupils are proud of their school, which is a happy and safe place to be. This is a school built on respect.

Pupils talk confidently about the 'wheel of well-being'.

They focus on different aspects of this wheel, for example 'spirit', which pupils spoken to say helps them to remember to give generously, including their support for others.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They say that there is always a trusted adult to speak to.

Pupils know what bullying is. They say it very rarely happens. If it does, adults quickly ensure that it stops.

...Pupils behave well around school, in lessons and at lunchtime. Staff have high expectations for learning and behaviour and pupils respond well to these.

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning.

They enjoy their lessons and say that teachers make learning fun. Pupils enjoy the opportunities provided. For example, pupils in Year 6 enjoyed a recent visit to Stratford-upon-Avon to learn more about the life of William Shakespeare.

Parents and carers speak very positively of the school and appreciate all that staff and leaders do for their pupils.

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

Leaders are designing an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Where this is already working well, for example in history and science, leaders have identified the most important content that they want pupils to learn.

Leaders have also introduced strategies to help pupils to remember this key content over time. As a result, pupils remember what they have learned previously and this helps them to understand new content. In some subjects, leaders have recently introduced some changes, which are beginning to have a positive impact.

Leaders are well aware of the need to monitor carefully the effectiveness of these changes as this work develops.

Leaders have ensured that reading is a priority. Staff have been trained to deliver the phonics programme effectively.

Leaders ensure that pupils who are learning to read are regularly assessed. This helps them to identify when pupils need extra support. Pupils practise the sounds they are learning by reading books that are carefully matched to those sounds.

As a result, pupils use strategies that help them to enjoy and understand the books they are reading.

Children make a strong start in Nursery and Reception. Staff know the children well.

They make sure that they share transition information with parents. As a result, children settle in quickly and learn well from the start. Leaders plan learning carefully in order to meet children's needs.

For example, groups of children enjoy playing games outside which help them learn to count and write numbers. As a result, children are being prepared for the next stage of their education. They learn and play happily together.

In the early years, children quickly learn to follow the school's routines and expectations. This sets the standard for what is to come as pupils move into Year 1 and beyond. Around school and in lessons, pupils behave well.

They are polite and courteous. As a result, learning is not disrupted.

Leaders are very knowledgeable about the needs of pupils with SEND.

They ensure that any additional needs are quickly identified. The vast majority of pupils with SEND follow the same curriculum as their peers and learn alongside their classmates. Leaders are developing a more specialised curriculum for a small number of pupils with SEND in order to better meet their needs.

Leaders organise a range of clubs and enrichment for pupils. For example, pupils have had opportunities to visit the beach at Weston-super-Mare. Pupils in Year 3 have visited the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

All pupils have taken part in a science week. Pupils vote for school councillors and have a very good understanding of tolerance and difference. These opportunities help them to understand some of the British values which will prepare them for later life.

However, some opportunities are limited for some pupils, including pupils with SEND, who are not all as fully included in everything that the school has to offer as they could be.

Staff appreciate that leaders are mindful of their workload. Staff feel well supported.

Some leaders, at all levels, are new to their roles and have not yet had the time or opportunity to bring about some of the improvements that they want to make. Senior leaders are aware of this. Governors and trustees know the school and leaders well.

They are keen to continue to develop the way in which they support leaders as they to drive forward with improvements.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff know pupils and their families well.

They are aware of potential risks in the locality. Leaders ensure that pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, including online. For example, pupils spoken to know not to share passwords or personal information.

Leaders ensure that staff receive regular safeguarding training. They provide regular updates so that all staff know of any changes. Staff are alert to possible concerns.

They understand and consistently use the system for reporting and recording issues. Leaders follow concerns up thoroughly. They engage with external support, when needed.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There have been some recent changes to leadership at all levels. As a result, some roles are not fully developed and leaders do not consistently monitor the effectiveness of changes to the curriculum. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, should ensure that leaders at all levels have the autonomy, skills and support to fulfil their roles in continuing to drive forward school improvement.

• Some opportunities for all pupils to benefit fully from all the wider aspects of the school community are limited. As a result, not all pupils, including those with SEND, are as fully prepared for life in modern Britain and their next stage of education as they might be. Leaders should continue to develop the personal development curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEND, to ensure that all pupils are as fully prepared for life in modern Britain and their next stages of education as they can be.