Fishburn Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is an improving school.

Leaders' plans to make the school better are coming to fruition. Staff and most of the pupils are proud to be members of the school. Despite this, some parents and carers would not recommend the school to other parents.

Pupils enjoy school and have a high opinion of the staff who work with them. Bullying is rare and is not tolerated. Pupils know that adults will listen to them and act if they have any worries or concerns.

Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and follow the school's behaviour policies effectively. Consequently, the school is a calm and pleasant working environment. Pupils, including children in early y...ears, enjoy learning with their friends and cooperate well with adults.

Pupils have a strong sense of equality. They say that everyone should be kind to each other and respect each other's differences and views. Leaders provide a range of opportunities for pupils to support local and national charities.

Teachers set work that captures pupils' interests. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), work hard and are willing to 'give things a go'. However, there are times when teachers do not check pupils' learning well enough before moving pupils on.

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

Leaders have planned a curriculum that interests pupils and covers a wide range of subjects. The mathematics curriculum is well sequenced. In mathematics, teachers develop pupils' subject-specific knowledge by building on previous learning.

In some other subjects, such as science and history, the curriculum is not as strong. Leaders have not precisely defined the crucial knowledge that pupils will learn throughout the year. This leads to pupils learning key facts rather than building towards more complex subject knowledge.

Teachers spark pupils' interest in learning by asking searching questions. However, teachers do not consistently check how well pupils are learning. As a result, learning is moved on before pupils have developed a secure understanding.

The support for pupils with SEND is inconsistent. Teachers are not clear about pupils' specific targets in all curriculum subjects. Teachers do not use pupils' individual learning plans to provide learning that meets their needs.

The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) monitors the learning of pupils who have one-to-one support. However, the learning of other pupils with SEND is not monitored well. As a result, pupils with SEND are not making the progress they should.

Leaders have established a progressive scheme for teaching phonics. Teachers in Nursery introduce children to the early stages of identifying sounds. This is developed further in Reception and key stage 1.

Books are well matched to the sounds that pupils know. Pupils who find reading more difficult are given extra support and try hard to read well. Pupils listen well, are attentive and enjoy reading.

However, in some early years phonics lessons, teachers do not check the sounds that children use consistently. Some adults do not model sounds well enough to support pupils' learning. Parents of two-year-old children engage well in supporting reading at home.

This is more variable with older children.

Children in early years, including two-year-olds, interact well together. They enjoy learning indoors and in the well-resourced outdoor provision.

There are many opportunities for children to strengthen their personal and physical development. Reception children cooperate when riding bicycles and playing together outside. Nursery children have settled quickly with their new teacher and enjoy their learning.

Children in the provision for two-year-olds are settled, happy and confident with the staff working with them. On occasion, adults miss opportunities to strengthen children's language and vocabulary during children's play.

Pupils build an understanding of democracy when voting for members of the children's leadership team.

Pupils on the team take their roles seriously. They enjoy sharing their ideas with governors and other leaders. Pupils learn about world religions and visit places of worship.

Leaders provide opportunities for pupils to participate in theatre productions, such as the school's Christmas production of 'Scrooge'.

Pupils behave well and persist with challenging learning tasks. They enjoy the rewards and certificates they receive for working and behaving well.

Pupils play well together at breaktimes and lunchtimes, even in rainy weather. They line up in an orderly manner for their lunch and are polite to adults. Most pupils attend school regularly.

Governors visit the school regularly. They assess the progress of actions on the school's improvement plans. They use local authority reviews of the school and support from a local trust to support their findings.

Governors have evaluated that the support given to the school, including professional development for new subject leaders, is helping the school to improve. Staff appreciate how leaders manage their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and governors have established a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are vigilant. Scripts of potential safeguarding incidents are used during training.

This gives staff experience in deciding what to do if incidents occur. However, staff awareness of local issues that might affect children's safety is inconsistent. Leaders work with parents and external agencies to make sure that children are safe.

Thorough checks are made on the suitability of the adults who work with pupils.

Pupils are knowledgeable about how to stay safe when online. The local fire and police services contribute to pupils' knowledge of how to stay safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, leaders have not clearly outlined the small steps of knowledge that pupils need to learn across the year. Teachers do not have the information they need to design sequenced programmes of learning. As a result, pupils do not build and deepen their subject knowledge well enough.

Leaders should make sure that subject curriculum plans identify what pupils should know and remember, and in what order, so that pupils deepen their subject knowledge and understanding. ? Staff do not have the necessary subject knowledge to support pupils with SEND effectively. Staff do not use pupils' individual support plans well to adapt and refine learning activities.

Therefore, some pupils with SEND do not make as much progress as they should. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the training they need to support pupils with SEND to achieve well. ? In early years, staff miss opportunities to develop children's language and vocabulary.

In phonics lessons, some adults do not model sounds well. This impacts on the progress that children make. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the training necessary to develop children's vocabulary, communication and language correctly across early years.