Coalway Community Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils follow the school values known as the 'Coalway Bees'.

They know how these values help them to make the right choices. Pupils are polite and respectful to each other and staff. They are kind and help one another.

Parents say their children feel safe in school. Pupils are safe. They know the difference between bullying and falling out.

Pupils are happy and well behaved.

After-school clubs and enrichment activities help pupils learn how to look after their mental and physical health. Pupils enjoy taking part in the daily mile.

Staff help them develop an awareness of how to care of others. For example, pupils collect food for a local food... bank to help people in need.

Pupils love reading.

They read a wide range of books that match the letters and sounds they know. Pupils who read often are rewarded with school reading badges. They wear these with pride.

Pupils enjoy listening to adults read to them.

Nonetheless, pupils have some significant gaps in their subject knowledge. Leaders have plans to help pupils close these gaps.

However, they have not started this work.

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

Leaders prioritise pupils' well-being and personal development. They plan opportunities carefully to help pupils develop skills for life.

For example, the weekly sports activities help build pupils' understanding of fair play and sharing. Leaders and staff expect pupils to attend school regularly. They work with families who need help to improve their child's attendance.

Staff follow the school's 'pick me up, don't put me down' motto. They care for pupils well.

Staff have high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

This begins in Reception Year. There are clear routines that children follow. This helps to create a calm and purposeful learning environment.

Staff know how to help pupils learn to read well. Teachers check that pupils know and use their phonic knowledge correctly. Some pupils rightly receive catch-up support.

Leaders monitor the catch-up sessions carefully. They help staff to match the right phonics support to each child that needs it. They skilfully break down the essential knowledge pupils must know and remember into small manageable chunks.

This helps pupils to build their phonic knowledge over time well.

Subject leaders identified the curriculum content not covered during the national lockdowns in reading, writing and mathematics. They rightly changed the order in which the curriculum is taught in these subjects to ensure pupils do not miss important knowledge.

However, the essential knowledge pupils must know and remember from subjects across the wider curriculum is not clearly identified.Therefore, teachers cannot check if there are gaps in pupils' knowledge. They cannot plan to fill these gaps quickly.

Pupils are not able to make connections or secure new knowledge. For example, pupils cannot order important events in history as they have gaps in their knowledge.

Pupils with a high level of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well.

Leaders work well with parents and staff to ensure pupils' needs are supported appropriately. However, some pupils' additional needs are not accurately identified. They are given work that is too easy.

This leads to low expectations for some pupils of lower ability or with SEND. Pupils repeat learning activities where they have secure knowledge instead of building new knowledge. For example, some pupils are asked to add and subtract to six despite previously calculating to 10 with confidence.

The gaps in their knowledge continue to grow as learning is sometimes not sequenced well.

Leaders, including governors, benefit from working with suitable external agencies. For example, pupils' reading has improved because staff work with the local English network to secure their subject knowledge.

Leaders have plans in place for staff to attend subject-specific training across the wider curriculum. They recognise that swift action is needed to rectify the gaps in pupils' knowledge. The governing body recently reviewed the school's vision and improvement plan to better understand school leaders' priorities for development.

Staff appreciate the support of school leaders and governors to manage their workload. They know that leaders care for their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding records are up to date. Appropriate checks are made before a member of staff or volunteer begins working in the school.

Regular training and updates support staff to carry out their safeguarding roles and responsibilities.

Staff are confident that leaders follow up their concerns for pupils' welfare. Leaders escalate their concerns if they are not satisfied with the support offered to families by external agencies. Care is personalised for each child and their family.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's science and foundation subject curriculums do not clearly identify the essential knowledge pupils must know and remember. This means teachers cannot ensure pupils are taught the essential subject knowledge needed to progress through the curriculum well. Subject leaders need to identify the essential knowledge pupils must know and remember.

• Subject leaders do not know where there are gaps in pupils' essential subject knowledge. Pupils are missing key knowledge needed to build on prior learning and progress through the curriculum. Subject leaders need to identify where there are gaps in pupils' curriculum knowledge and support teachers to quickly close these gaps.

• Teaching lacks ambition for some lower-ability pupils and some pupils with SEND. This leads to pupils not reaching their potential. Leaders need to support staff to enable them to make suitable adaptations to the curriculum to raise expectations and outcomes for all pupils.

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