Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are confident learners at Orchard Church of England Primary. Virtually all parents and carers recognise this. As one commented, 'My child is safe and happy.

He enjoys school because learning is stimulating, engaging and fun.'

Staff and governors want Orchard to be 'a small school with a big heart'. There are warm relationships between staff and pupils.

Pupils know that staff care about their well-being. Bullying is rare. If it occurs, it is dealt with promptly.

Leaders are ambitious for the pupils. They want all pupils t...o be well prepared for their secondary schools. In their work and conduct, pupils do their best to live up to these expectations.

Pupils are keen to share their work and talk about their experiences at school. Almost all pupils join school clubs that help them to keep fit or to follow an activity that interests them. Pupils love the various trips, including the residential stays in Whitby and at Beaumanor Hall.

They have many opportunities to contribute to the life of the school.

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

Leaders have made reading a top priority. Pupils develop and apply their reading skills throughout the school day.

They enjoy reading. One pupil told me, 'There are loads of great books in the school library.' Pupils like the rewards they get for reading three or more times a week at home.

Children begin learning to read as soon as they start school. Staff teach phonics well. Children read books that are well matched to the sounds that they have learned.

The curriculum plan sets out the phonic knowledge they should know by the end of each term. By the end of Year 2, almost all pupils are fluent readers. There is effective support for anyone who struggles to keep up with their peers.

Teachers make sure that weaker readers have texts that they can read when working in history and other subjects.

Subject leaders have put detailed curriculum plans in place for all subjects. These identify the knowledge and skills that pupils will learn in each unit of work.

The plans show how teachers will check how well pupils have learned and remembered their work. Teachers build upon earlier learning when they introduce new concepts and knowledge. For example, in religious education (RE), pupils learn about belief in God before being taught about the birth of Jesus.

Pupils have good recall of what they have learned in subjects such as science, history and geography.

There are some instances when teachers do not follow curriculum plans closely enough. For example, in mathematics, pupils sometimes move onto more challenging work before they have fully understood important concepts.

Pupils' knowledge of the multiplication tables is not as strong as it should be.

Children get off to a good start in the Reception Year. They are curious learners.

They work and play together sensibly. Their teacher makes learning fun; bringing activities to life with the help of Willerby Wolf and other puppets. During the inspection, children showed how they could use their phonic knowledge to write about their favourite nursery rhyme characters.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective help and support, particularly with their reading. The curriculum is usually well adapted to meet their needs. Occasionally in mathematics, they are set work that is too difficult.

Leaders ensure that pupils learn about a range of different faiths and cultures. Many of them join the school choir and all learn to play a musical instrument. Through roles such as school counsellors, sports ambassadors and eco warriors, pupils contribute to school life and learn how to become good citizens.

Around school and in lessons pupils behave well. They are attentive and work hard. The school's Christian values remind pupils how to treat people with respect, understanding and kindness.

Pupils are considerate of each other.

Leaders and governors are mindful of staff workload. They put the interests of the pupils and staff at the heart of every decision.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff work together to make sure that keeping pupils safe is at the core of what they do. Staff receive regular training and updates.

This ensures that they know how to spot the signs of abuse and know what to do if they have concerns. Leaders work swiftly to secure expert help from outside agencies if needed. Procedures for the safe recruitment of staff are robust.

Leaders ensure that pupils have opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe. There is a well-planned programme of activities in place. Pupils know how to use the internet safely.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum that is coherently planned across all subjects. Occasionally, for example in mathematics, teachers and support staff do not implement the curriculum in line with the curriculum plans. When this happens, pupils do not learn as well as they should.

Senior leaders should ensure that subject leaders check that all of their colleagues implement the curriculum correctly. They should provide any necessary training and support to raise the quality of education still further.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 11–12 May 2016.

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