Pinfold Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone is made to feel welcome at this small school, regardless of their differences. This helps pupils to feel happy.

They also feel safe in the calm and nurturing environment in which they learn. Pupils value the caring relationships that they have with staff. They are confident to talk to staff about any concerns or worries that they may have.

The school motto, 'small but mighty', is brought to life daily. The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils enjoy learning and try their best. They typically achieve well.

Pupils are polite and respectful to ...each other and to staff.

They listen attentively in lessons and confidently answer questions. Younger pupils are supported to learn the rules and routines. This helps them to learn and play cooperatively alongside each other.

Pupils value the opportunities on offer beyond the academic curriculum. They take part in outdoor activities that help them to learn more about the natural world. For example, pupils enjoy working in the local woodland area.

This helps them to become resilient, and it nurtures their imaginations. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about making campfires and building dens.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced a period of instability.

For example, the number of pupils on roll at the school has decreased considerably. Despite this challenge, the school has made improvements to the curriculum. It has developed an ambitious and well-thought-out curriculum in most subjects from the early years to the end of key stage 2.

The school has considered what it wants pupils to know and the order in which this content will be taught in these subjects. Most pupils progress well through the curriculum. They are typically well prepared for the next stage of their education.

The school's well-designed curriculum means that staff know what pupils need to learn and when this should happen. Most staff have secure subject knowledge. In the main, they choose appropriate resources, activities and questions to help pupils learn.

Staff check what pupils know and remember and use this information to adapt their teaching.

There are effective systems in place to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND. These pupils benefit from the support that they receive.

Staff are well informed about the best ways to help pupils with SEND thrive in all aspects of their development.

The school promotes a love of reading. Pupils benefit from reading a wide range of interesting books.

Staff have received training to deliver the school's phonics programme successfully. However, on occasion, some staff do not correctly pronounce the sounds that letters represent. This means some pupils are taught incorrect sounds.

This hinders pupils from gaining a secure body of phonics knowledge.

Pupils behave well. On the rare occasion that a pupil forgets to follow the school rules, staff quickly and sensitively remind them how to behave.

Most pupils attend school regularly.

The school supports pupils' personal development effectively. It takes every opportunity to ensure that pupils respect diversity.

Pupils are clear that everyone is welcome at their school. They understand that there are many different types of families in society. They also learn the importance of keeping fit and eating healthy foods.

However, the school provides limited opportunities to nurture, develop and stretch pupils' talents and interests. This hinders how well some pupils develop personally, socially and culturally.

Governors have a secure understanding of the school.

They provide effective support and challenge to help improve the quality of education further. Staff appreciate the training that they receive to help them deliver the curriculum well. The school is considerate of staff's workload and well-being when making decisions about policies and procedures.

The school communicates well with parents and carers. For example, it guides them on how to support their child's learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On occasion, some staff do not pronounce the sounds that letters represent correctly. This hinders how well some pupils gain a secure understanding of sounds so that they can decode new words. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge that they need to teach sounds and letters accurately so that pupils build their phonics knowledge securely.

• The school's programme to develop pupils' personal skills provides some pupils with too few opportunities to build on their talents and to broaden their range of interests. This limits some pupils' wider development. The school should endeavour to provide pupils with a wide, rich set of opportunities so that they can develop as well as they should.