Framlingham Sir Robert Hitcham’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy and friendly school. Pupils enjoy their learning and the time they spend together. They share equipment and play well.

They show kindness and empathy towards others and make sure everyone feels included in their games. Pupils listen well to each other when sharing their opinions. They also listen well to adults during lessons.

Pupils are excited by their learning. They experience a broad and rich curriculum that motivates them to achieve well. They work hard during their lessons.

All staff have high expectations for what pupils can achieve. Pupils aspire to reach these expectations across the curriculum. They appreciate the opportunities with ...which leaders provide them.

The music curriculum develops pupils' love of and appreciation for music. The curriculum also provides pupils with experiences they would not otherwise have. For example, Year 5 pupils have the chance to sing in the chapel of a local college, which they describe as 'amazing and a great experience'.

Pupils contribute positively to the life of the school. Pupils are proud to represent others as elected members of the school council, worship leaders and house captains. They take their responsibilities seriously.

Through these roles, pupils learn to be active members of the community.

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

The curriculum that leaders have designed clearly sets out the important knowledge pupils will learn. Leaders have carefully organised this knowledge into a clear, logical order.

This has been organised well to help pupils build on what they already know and to make connections in their learning. Leaders provide the training that teachers need to be confident in their subject knowledge. Typically, pupils learn and remember the important knowledge leaders want them to.

Overall, pupils achieve well across the full range of subjects that they study.

Subject leaders have expert knowledge that enables them to support staff effectively. For example, the reading leader monitors and provides training in how to teach phonics to pupils.

In some subjects, leaders do not always check carefully to see if the work teachers provide to pupils helps them to learn well. Sometimes, tasks are not well matched to help pupils practise and apply their learning. This means that pupils do not always secure the knowledge and understanding they need before they move on to new learning.

In the early years, adults support children well to use accurate and precise sounds when learning to read. They also guide children's learning through thoughtful questions that help children extend their thinking and their play. This helps adults to quickly address misconceptions that children have.

Leaders ensure that teachers use assessment to identify any pupil who finds reading difficult, so they receive the support they need. However, in some subjects, leaders have not closely matched the assessment they ask teachers to complete to the important knowledge in the planned curriculum. In these subjects, there are times where teachers and leaders do not always have a secure understanding of how well pupils have learned the curriculum.

Well-chosen books and stories expose children to rich language from a young age. A love of reading continues throughout the school. Older pupils enjoy reading a range of fiction and non-fiction books.

Pupils at the early stages of reading have books that help them to blend sounds together to read new words. They do this well. Sometimes, pupils do not have the opportunities they need to practise their reading once they have blended sounds together.

This means some pupils are overly reliant on sounding out words and do not read them as fluently as they might.

Leaders have developed clear and consistent ways for staff to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff use these systems well.

Support plans contain precise targets and specific strategies for staff to use. This helps staff adapt their teaching to help pupils with SEND learn the full curriculum and achieve well.

Pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning.

They behave well throughout the school day. Where pupils have difficulties with managing their emotions, staff support them in a calm and consistent manner. Pupils develop an appreciation and understanding of people who are different to them.

They particularly enjoy learning about different religions. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum teaches pupils how to live healthy lives. Older pupils are clear about the dangers of smoking and younger children speak with confidence about the importance of sun safety.

Governors support and hold leaders to account effectively. They understand what the school does well and what leaders are trying to improve. Leaders support staff to manage their own workload and well-being.

Staff are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff receive regular safeguarding training.

Staff know how to spot the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. They record concerns promptly. Leaders take appropriate action.

The recently appointed family support worker provides support in school. Leaders work with other agencies to make sure that pupils and families get the help they need.

Governors' oversight is effective.

Leaders complete the required checks on adults new to the school and record them accurately. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. There are trusted adults they can speak with at school should they need to.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, leaders have not established clear processes for checking that the work teachers give to pupils enables them to secure their understanding of the important planned knowledge. Sometimes, teachers plan activities that do not help pupils secure important knowledge as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that the work and resources with which teachers provide pupils helps them to secure their understanding of the planned curriculum.

• In some subjects, teachers and subject leaders do not have a clear understanding of what pupils know and can do. Leaders should establish a consistent approach to checking pupils' learning so that teachers and subject leaders have an accurate understanding of what pupils know and can do. They must then use these checks to adapt the curriculum appropriately.

• Leaders do not ensure that all pupils have sufficient opportunity to develop reading fluency once they have secured their phonics knowledge. This means that some pupils are not becoming confident and fluent readers as quickly as they could. Leaders should ensure that all staff provide pupils with the opportunities they need to read with fluency once they have decoded and blended sounds together.

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