Peel Hall Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff greet pupils with a warm smile as they arrive each day. Pupils chat happily to their friends on their way to their classrooms.

They have excellent relationships with their teachers. Pupils are eager to take part in many sporting competitions. They are proud of their recent victory in the Greater Manchester Tri-Golf competition.

Leaders have raised their expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. However, leaders have not thought clearly enough about the curriculum in several subjects and in the early years. In addition, they have not made sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn as well as they should.

Ma...ny pupils behave well in lessons. However, some pupils lose interest when teachers do not have consistently high enough expectations of pupils' behaviour. In these instances, pupils do not pay close attention and they miss important learning.

At social times and between lessons, their behaviour is less calm.

Pupils are confident that teachers sort out any incidents of bullying when they happen. Some parents and carers raised issues about bullying.

However, leaders' records show that any incidents are dealt with effectively. Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in school.

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

Senior leaders, including the new headteacher, have made a positive start in strengthening how the curriculum is organised at Peel Hall Primary School.

In some subjects, leaders have thought carefully about what pupils must learn and the order in which new content should be delivered. Curriculum leaders also ensure that teachers receive appropriate training to deliver these new curriculums well. In the curriculum areas that are further along the journey of development, teachers are increasingly confident in using assessment strategies to find out what pupils know before they move onto new learning.

As a result, pupils are beginning to achieve better in these subjects than they did in the past.

In other subjects, and in the early years, leaders' work in designing the curriculum is still in the early stages of development. Curriculum leaders have not decided exactly what knowledge pupils and children in the early years, must learn.

Consequently, leaders have not been able to provide teachers with sufficient guidance and support to design activities which enable children and pupils to retain all of the knowledge that they should. As leaders have not fully identified what pupils must learn in some subjects and in the early years, some teachers do not know how to assess how well children and pupils are learning new content. Pupils' misconceptions sometimes go unchecked.

Pupils do not achieve as well as they should in these subjects. Children in the early years do not have enough of the building blocks in place to make a successful start in Year 1.Leaders are in the process of prioritising the teaching of reading.

Children start to become familiar with sounds as soon as they enter the nursery. Leaders and staff encourage pupils to read widely and often. For example, Year 6 pupils talked with understanding about the books that they have read by classic authors.

However, leaders do not ensure that all staff are well trained to teach pupils to read. Added to this, some teachers' checks on how well pupils keep up with the phonics curriculum do not identify which pupils are struggling. As a result, some pupils fall behind.

They do not receive the support that they need to catch up.

Pupils attend a range of extra-curricular clubs. These include the choir, mathematics clubs and a wide range of sports.

These activities help pupils to develop their talents and interests.

Leaders' work to improve other aspects of pupils' personal development is in development. Pupils learn that there are different kinds of families in modern Britain.

They said that all pupils are welcome in school. However, they also told inspectors that some pupils are unkind and that sometimes they use racist and homophobic language. These pupils do not put their learning from the personal development curriculum into action.

Pupils understand some of the fundamental British values. They see democracy in action when they vote for pupil ambassadors. Pupils know how leaders expect them to behave.

They can name the Peel Principles. However, some teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils' behaviour around the school or in some lessons. A minority of pupils disturb lessons with off-task behaviour.

Leaders have improved how they identify pupils with SEND. This means that pupils' additional needs are identified earlier than they were previously. Leaders are working more closely with external agencies to support pupils with SEND.

They use this information with increasing accuracy. However, some pupils with SEND do not receive the support that they need to achieve well. This is because they do not have access to a curriculum which fully meets their needs.

Governors and leaders know the school well. They have an accurate understanding of what is going well and what still needs to improve. Governors attend relevant training.

Governors and leaders are mindful of staff's workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders know and understand pupils and their families well.

They successfully identify any pupils who are potentially vulnerable or who may be at risk of harm.

Leaders undertake the necessary and relevant safeguarding training to keep pupils safe. They make sure that all staff are trained well to identify potential signs of harm or abuse in pupils.

Staff pass on concerns about pupils' safety promptly. Leaders work effectively with external agencies, when needed.

Leaders make sure that pupils learn who their five trusted adults are in Peel Hall Primary School.

Pupils know to go to these adults if they have any worries or concerns. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In several subjects, and in some areas of learning in the early years, the curriculum is not well sequenced.

As a result, in some subjects, teachers do not prepare learning that builds up children's and pupils' knowledge in a logical way. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is carefully ordered in all subjects, including in the early years, so that all children and pupils, including those with SEND, retain the knowledge that they need to be successful in the next stages of their education. ? Some curriculum leaders do not provide teachers with the guidance that they need to design appropriate learning activities for pupils.

Some teachers do not use assessment strategies as effectively as they should to address pupils' misconceptions. Consequently, some pupils do not learn well in these subjects. Curriculum leaders should support teachers to deliver the curriculum effectively and use assessment information accurately to identify and address pupils' misunderstandings.

• Leaders have not ensured that all staff have received the training that they need to deliver the phonics programme and to assess children's and pupils' phonic knowledge. As a result, some pupils are behind with their reading knowledge. Leaders must ensure that all staff are fully trained in the phonics programme and that they know how to assess children's and pupils' phonic knowledge.

• Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of how well pupils should behave at social times, around the site or in lessons. This prevents some pupils from learning and/or enjoying social times. Leaders must ensure that all staff have consistently high expectations of pupils' behaviour around school and in lessons.

• A minority of pupils do not put into practice what they learn about the importance of tolerance and diversity in modern Britain. A few pupils sometimes use unkind, racist or homophobic words as a result. Leaders should ensure that pupils remember the important learning about tolerance and respect that underpins the personal development curriculum.