Stanford Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and kept safe in school.

Leaders have created a caring and inclusive environment. Pupils model the school's 'keys to success', including being organised, confident, resilient and cooperative. Pupils behave well and enjoy positive working relationships with staff and each other.

Bullying is rare. Any incidents that do arise are dealt with promptly.

Pupils enjoy their learning.

Leaders have designed a typically broad and ambitious curriculum. However, they have not made sure that it is implemented with consistency or precision. This means that, in several subjects, pupils do not secure the knowledge and understanding that they need to ...be sufficiently prepared for the next stage of their education.

Pupils have opportunities to develop their leadership skills and take on additional responsibilities. For example, pupils take on roles as eco-captains and house captains. They can also become part of the pupil leadership team or student council.

Pupils contribute regularly to the life of the school. For instance, pupils have recently organised a bake sale to raise funds for wet-play games. Parents and carers value the opportunities to take part in school activities, such as taking part in a Mother's Day lunch.

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

The curriculum broadly meets the ambition of what is expected nationally. Leaders have identified the important knowledge that they expect pupils to learn and remember. This is sometimes well sequenced, so that pupils are supported to practise and embed ideas over time.

For example, in mathematics, children in early years practise counting and number recognition. This solid foundation is built on when pupils learn to add, subtract, multiply and divide. When pupils get older, they use this knowledge to convert fractions, decimals and percentages.

However, in several other subjects, the planned curriculum is not well implemented. Teaching does not routinely focus on the important concepts that pupils need to secure and remember. As a result, pupils do not develop a sufficiently deep body of knowledge in different subjects.

In some subjects, teachers check pupils' understanding of what they have learned. This ensures that any errors are picked up and dealt with promptly. However, in subjects where teachers are not focusing sufficiently on the important ideas that pupils need to understand, they are not routinely identifying pupils' misconceptions.

This further inhibits pupils' understanding in these areas.

A structured phonics programme is in place to help pupils learn to read. The books pupils use to practise are well matched to the sounds they have learned.

While most staff have received up-to-date training to deliver the agreed programme, they do not consistently model sounds with precision. Leaders recognise that further training is a priority.

Pupils who struggle to read are identified.

Extra support is provided to help these pupils to catch up. However, some of this support is not delivered with precision or in a timely way. It is not focused sufficiently on developing pupils' reading fluency and accuracy.

This means that some pupils do not secure the phonic knowledge that they need in order to read with increasing accuracy and fluency. A love of reading is encouraged across the school. For example, teachers read to pupils regularly, and the youngest children enjoy voting to select the book that they read.

Leaders swiftly identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers are well supported to make appropriate adaptations to activities, so that these pupils access the planned curriculum. Pupils who attend the additionally resourced provision learn a broad and ambitious curriculum that meets their needs well.

Behaviour around the school is calm and orderly. Pupils are respectful towards one another. Leaders have worked hard to tackle the increased level of absence since the pandemic restrictions.

Leaders have adopted appropriate systems to ensure that pupils attend school regularly and on time.

A range of experiences and opportunities aims to enrich pupils' broader personal development. For example, all pupils take part in a careers and aspirations week, during which they meet and talk with people from different professions.

Pupils debate current affairs and complex topical issues. Leaders have also designed a well-being curriculum. This has been planned to support pupils' understanding of the importance of physical and mental health, as well as what constitutes safe and respectful relationships.

Staff receive a range of training to develop in their roles. They appreciate the efforts made by leaders to manage workload and well-being.

Those responsible for governance understand their responsibilities and meet their statutory duties.

The trust has provided additional capacity to support school leaders. Appropriate systems are in place to hold leaders to account. However, there has been insufficient focus on checking how well the foundation curriculum is implemented and the impact of this on pupils' learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Frequent and up-to-date training ensures that staff understand how to identify and report any concerns that arise. Leaders make timely and appropriate referrals to outside agencies.

They seek advice and guidance when needed and follow up on any continued concerns that they may have.

The curriculum has been designed to help all pupils, including those with SEND, understand how to keep safe. This includes teaching pupils about an age-appropriate understanding of consent, online safety and healthy relationships.

Leaders ensure that appropriate and relevant pre-employment checks are carried out.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The phonics programme and interventions designed to support weaker readers are not implemented with sufficient accuracy and precision. This means that pupils do not consistently secure the sounds that they need in order to become fluent readers.

Leaders must ensure that staff are routinely applying the training they receive when implementing the phonics programme. This will support pupils to read with greater accuracy and confidence. ? In several foundation subjects, teaching does not routinely focus on ensuring that pupils secure the most important knowledge that they need to learn and remember.

This means that pupils do not deepen their understanding over time. Leaders must ensure that teachers implement the planned curriculum and check pupils' understanding of what they have learned. ? Leaders and those responsible for governance have not checked how well foundation subjects are implemented.

As a result, they are unaware of the inconsistencies identified as part of this inspection. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, need to ensure that the foundation curriculum is implemented consistently across year groups. This will better support pupils to learn and remember more.