Keir Hardie Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Keir Hardie Primary School continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded (section 5) inspection now.

The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming and inclusive school with a family atmosphere. It is a stimulating place for pupils to learn.

Pupils are happy and safe in school. They are polite and courteous. Staff encourage pupils to display the school's 'MAGIC' habits throughout the day.

These include, for example, being motivated and showing positive attitudes to learning, ...and communicating effectively.

Leaders and staff have very high expectations of pupils' behaviour and achievement. Pupils live up to these high expectations by working hard and listening carefully.

This helps pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well across the curriculum.

Classrooms are calm and inviting. Behaviour in lessons is excellent.

Pupils are highly focused on their learning. This means that lessons flow without interruption. At play time, pupils enjoy the well-equipped outdoor spaces and the range of supervised activities that adults organise for them.

Bullying is rare and pupils know that adults will respond swiftly to any concerns they raise. Pupils value the time staff take to talk through incidents that happen, so that friendships are quickly restored.

Pupils and their parents and carers appreciate the extensive range of clubs on offer, including dance, drama, gardening and many sports.

Pupils actively contribute to the life of the school by becoming, for example, school councillors, digital leaders or sports leaders.

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

Leaders have created an ambitious and well-designed curriculum. Across all subjects, the essential knowledge and skills pupils should learn, and the order in which they should learn them, are clearly and precisely set out.

Leaders' curriculum thinking makes sure that pupils build successfully on the key knowledge and skills that they have learned. Each step in learning is planned carefully from the early years to Year 6. In mathematics, for example, leaders have set out what pupils should know, and be able to do, in each year group.

Pupils appreciate the recap sessions at the start of each lesson. Recalling what they already know helps them to tackle new concepts. Pupils explain their understanding confidently, using accurate vocabulary.

For instance, in the Nursery class, children begin to learn through early counting activities the words associated with number.

Staff receive guidance from highly skilled subject leaders, who have expertise in their subjects. Leaders make sure that staff have secure subject knowledge.

Teachers and other adults deliver the curriculum exceedingly well. They select highly appropriate activities to enable pupils to learn important ideas in a subject. For example, Year 2 pupils used their knowledge of mixing paint colours and adding tints to produce high-quality artwork.

Staff plan learning so that pupils can link and apply knowledge and skills taught in one subject to other contexts and subject areas.

Leaders use effective strategies to check what pupils know and can remember. They use this information to address any gaps in pupils' knowledge, making sure that no pupil falls behind in their learning.

Leaders with responsibility for pupils with SEND understand the needs of these pupils well. Early identification and precisely targeted additional help from adults mean that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. All pupils achieve well.

Learning to read is at the heart of the curriculum. Leaders prioritise teaching pupils to become fluent readers. They also want all pupils to develop a love of reading.

This work begins as soon as children start school. Children in the Nursery classes develop their vocabulary through regularly singing songs and listening to rhymes and stories. Staff are well trained to teach phonics.

They follow an ambitious and systematic programme. Pupils regularly read books that are closely matched to the sounds that they are learning. Staff ensure that they are quick to identify any pupils who may be behind with their phonics knowledge.

Timely support helps these pupils to catch up quickly with their peers. As a result, all pupils learn to read quickly and fluently. Older pupils enjoy reading the diverse range of texts available in the well-stocked, attractive reading areas, which include books from a range of different cultures.

The stimulating environment in the early years classes provides rich and well-planned learning opportunities for all children. This helps them to build strong foundations for their later learning. Children move into Year 1 as curious learners with the skills and knowledge they need to tackle the new curriculum.

The comprehensive range of enrichment activities on offer aims to ensure that pupils are well equipped for the next steps in their education. Staff help pupils to develop into respectful and responsible citizens who are ready for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about cultures and beliefs different from their own.

Leaders have also developed a well-considered programme to promote pupils' emotional and physical well-being.

Leaders foster a strong culture of mutual support and teamwork among the staff. Staff feel supported by leaders to manage their workload and well-being.

The governing body supports and challenges leaders effectively. It makes sure that pupils are kept safe and have a quality education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that there is an effective culture of safeguarding at the school. They carry out all the required pre-employment checks for adults employed at the school.

Staff are well trained.

All adults know what risks pupils may face and how to spot them. They act on any concerns quickly and diligently. Leaders make sure that pupils and their families receive the help and support they need in a timely manner and they keep meticulous records.

Through the curriculum, staff teach pupils about how to keep themselves safe. This includes topics about road safety, gangs and how to stay safe online.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2012.