Rayne Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Rayne Primary School. Many describe it as 'lovely' and 'fun'.

They are proud of their school.

The school is calm and orderly at breaktimes. Pupils feel safe in the playground and like having plenty to do.

If any problems arise, they are quickly resolved. They work and play well together.

Pupils know exactly what staff expect of them.

Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning. Most feel they can get on well with their learning in lessons. A few pupils say there are occasions when they fall out with one another.

However, most behaviour issues are not very serious and are quickly dealt with by staff.

...Pupils trust staff to sort out any bullying incidents if they occur. They feel secure at school.

They say they can talk to staff if there is anything worrying them.

Pupils say there are a lot of exciting things to do at Rayne. They enjoy taking part in themed days.

They are enthusiastic about what they learn in lessons. They work constructively together on learning tasks such as scientific investigations and spelling practice.

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

Leaders ensure that pupils follow well planned, ambitious programmes of work in most subjects.

These programmes enable pupils to learn well. However, work to identify all the specific things pupils need to learn is not complete yet, especially in the early years.

Teachers understand how to implement leaders' intentions well.

They check that pupils understand what they have learned through regular reminders. They give pupils the right amount of practice to help pupils build their learning. Teachers' explanations are clear.

They expertly model techniques, such as how to throw a javelin safely in physical education. However, teachers do not always understand how to use leaders' plans to ensure that pupils are challenged to think deeply about their learning.

Pupils learn to read well.

From early on, children are effectively taught the sounds they need to decode words. Teachers are in the process of successfully introducing a new, improved phonics programme. Staff make sure that pupils get plenty of reading practice, especially those who find reading hard.

Teachers keep a close eye on pupils' learning to check they are keeping up. Staff are skilled at supporting pupils who need extra support. This helps them to become fluent readers.

Pupils across the school show great enjoyment in their reading.

In the early years staff have established clear routines, so children feel safe and secure. Teachers regularly plan interesting activities that meet children's needs.

Most children are well prepared for learning in Year 1. However, work is still in progress to set out the precise knowledge children should be taught.

The school effectively supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders ensure staff are well trained to meet pupils' needs. Teachers capably modify learning activities to ensure pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as other pupils do.

The vast majority of pupils meet teachers' high expectations in and outside of lessons.

They learn free from interruption and expect to work hard. However, the relationships between a small minority of pupils are not always positive. They say their learning can be interrupted by others in lessons.

They feel that teachers always deal with any problems but sometimes the issues come back.

Leaders prioritise pupils' personal development. Pupils learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe.

This work is supported through assemblies, visiting speakers and exciting projects like forest school activities. Pupils are proud to take on responsibilities such as keeping the school libraries in order. Leaders encourage pupils to think of the needs of others through supporting a wide range of charities.

School leaders run the school well. Recent work to improve subject leadership has had a particularly positive impact on improvements to the curriculum. The trust is providing effective support for the school.

It ensures that leaders are held to account so that their actions contribute effectively to school improvement. All staff are proud to work at the school and are well supported.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are well trained. They are confident to raise concerns with leaders, so pupils get the prompt help they need.

Leaders draw on support from outside agencies to keep pupils safe.

Leaders maintain clear records so they can ensure the right actions are taken. They follow up concerns repeatedly to ensure that pupils get the right help. Leaders carry out the statutory checks so that only suitable staff and volunteers work in the school.

The well-planned personal, social, health and economic curriculum ensures pupils learn how to keep themselves safe both in and out of school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The school's curriculum is not yet sufficiently well planned and sequenced in some subjects and in the early years. However, it is clear from the well-planned programmes already provided by leaders that work is successfully underway.

Leaders need to complete the process of reviewing the curriculum in all subjects and key stages within their identified timescale. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.

• Leaders have not finished setting out what they want pupils to learn and know across all year groups and subjects.

This means that teachers do not have the information to ensure learning is sequenced in order to help pupils remember what they have been taught in the long term. Leaders and governors should ensure that all subjects are well planned and sequenced and that teachers understand how to implement the curriculum effectively across all key stages. ? Leaders do not ensure that learning is challenging for all pupils.

This means that pupils are not thinking as deeply about their learning as they are capable of doing. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the training to help them understand how to plan the curriculum so that all pupils make the strongest progress across all subjects. ? Leaders do not support staff well enough to ensure that they implement the school's behaviour policy effectively in every situation.

This means that there is occasionally some low-level disruption in lessons. Pupils are happy that the school deals with incidents but feel that sometimes issues recur. Leaders need to further support staff to apply the school's behaviour policy so that any incidents are successfully addressed, and pupils can get on with their work all of the time.