South Street Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not have the chance to achieve as well as they could. Leaders have not thought carefully enough about how to organise pupils' learning. Not all staff have high enough expectations for pupils' behaviour.

At times, pupils' learning is disrupted by other pupils' behaviour.

The school ethos for pupils to be 'the very best they can be' is not reflected in the opportunities pupils have to develop their personal life skills. Leaders have not thought carefully enough about the extra-curricular experiences that would benefit pupils.

However, pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel safe and happy. They like breaktimes with their friends as they said that peo...ple are kind and helpful.

Pupils said that no one would be left to be lonely at breaktime, but that they would be invited to join in with a game. Pupils have been taught about bullying. They know there are different kinds of bullying and staff will always help if there is a problem.

Pupils who find school more of a challenge receive individual nurture and support. There are dedicated areas, such as a sensory and a pastoral room. Staff have been trained to provide emotional support and give pupils strategies to overcome worries they may have.

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

The school has faced many challenges. COVID-19 and high staff absence have prevented leaders from making the improvements they hoped to. Nonetheless, leaders identified that mathematics and reading needed to improve.

The curriculum in these subjects is now secure and helping pupils to make progress. In other subjects, however, leaders have been too slow to make the changes required. As a result, the curriculum is not sufficiently organised.

It does not help pupils build the knowledge they should in all subjects. The curriculum for children in early years is not successfully organised. The knowledge and skills children should acquire in Nursery and Reception are not firmly in place.

Subject leaders have not been given the time or guidance to create a knowledge-rich, well-organised curriculum. Pupils cannot remember what they have been taught. They struggle to understand new concepts.

They have not been taught the prior knowledge they need. This often results in pupils becoming disengaged from learning, because they cannot do what they are being asked to do. Some pupils consequently disrupt others.

When this happens, staff are too slow to address inappropriate behaviour.

Many pupils start school with very low levels of literacy. This is further complicated as a significant number of pupils have additional speech and language needs.

Leaders have identified that reading is a priority. The reading curriculum is strong.Children learn to read as soon as they start school.

In Nursery, there is an emphasis on listening to sounds. As children move into Reception they receive a structured daily phonics session. Through this, children learn how letters and sounds combine to make words.

They are given books with words that match the sounds they are learning. With practice and repetition, children develop a strong phonic knowledge. Leaders have chosen to spend additional time on reading, to help pupils with their fluency.

This is working well.

Teachers check pupils' reading knowledge regularly. If a pupil falls behind, this is quickly identified.

Pupils receive one-to-one or small group reading support. In these sessions, staff help pupils to articulate sounds clearly and practise applying the sounds that they are learning. However, in other subjects, members of staff struggle to see which pupils are falling behind or assess what pupils need to be taught next.

This is because there is not a detailed, structured curriculum in place in these subjects.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive effective support. Leaders have ensured that pupils who require additional adult support receive it.

This helps pupils to access the curriculum fully. Adaptations to the curriculum are successfully matched to learning plans for each of these pupils. These plans are reviewed regularly and adapted by the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo).

Many pupils come from challenging, disadvantaged backgrounds. Leaders have put in place some clubs and trips. Some visitors are invited into school to broaden pupils' understanding of the world.

However, the opportunities for pupils to experience broader cultural experiences are not good enough. Leaders have not thought about how pupils could develop leadership and responsibility roles. Pupils lack a voice in school.

Leaders are not providing a platform for pupils to be fully valued and heard. Nonetheless, leaders provide strong emotional and pastoral support for pupils with identified needs. Highly trained and knowledgeable staff help pupils with their behaviour, emotions and well-being.

Governors know the school and community well. They are aware of the challenges that the school faces, and where the areas for development are. Governors provide challenge and support for leaders.

They ask searching questions about decisions that are taken, including use of the budget, monitoring and standards. However, inaccurate self-evaluation of the performance of the school has affected precise forward planning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) provide a vital service at this school. They act as social care support, medical support, family support workers and as an advice centre. The DSL team is a vital link between external agency support and school.

Many parents rely heavily on the support that the staff members provide.Staff strive to keep pupils safe. Leaders keep meticulous records and track patterns of concern closely.

Leaders and staff know exactly when to intervene, and what is the best support to offer families and pupils.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Foundation subjects are not organised well enough. They do not have sufficient knowledge content or appropriate sequencing.

This means that pupils do not acquire the knowledge they need. Leaders should review the curriculum to ensure that the right knowledge is delivered from Nursery to Year 6. ? The curriculum in early years is not implemented with sufficient precision or ambition.

This means that children do not receive a curriculum that prepares them for the next stage of their education. Leaders should review the content and implementation of the curriculum. They should make sure that sufficient value is given to monitoring, to ensure that a consistent approach with high ambition is adopted by all staff.

• Leaders do not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils' personal development. As a result, pupils lack a broader cultural understanding of the world, and are not encouraged to take on leadership and responsibility roles. Leaders should look at the wider curriculum and how they can provide a greater range of experiences for pupils.

• Low-level disruptive behaviour is not addressed swiftly enough. Pupils' learning is therefore interrupted too often and learning time is lost. Staff should raise expectations so that pupils can learn in a positive environment.