Adel St John the Baptist Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe in this warm and friendly school. Relationships between staff and pupils are a real strength.

Staff know their pupils well. Pupils know who to talk to if they have any worries or concerns. They know staff will deal with any issues well.

Pupils feel listened to and supported.

The school has very high expectations for pupils' behaviour and conduct. Lessons have an engaging and purposeful learning atmosphere.

Pupils enjoy the broad range of subjects they study. They share and discuss their work constructively with each other. Pupils do well in their end of key stage 2 assessments.

Pupils enjoy their time together at b...reak and lunch times. They understand the strong routines around the school and are supported well when they struggle. Pupils are respectful, kind and inclusive.

They want the best for each other and contribute to the calm atmosphere throughout the building.

The school offers a range of opportunities which nurture pupils' interests and aid their personal development. These include forest school experience, different sports and singing opportunities.

Older pupils enjoy the residential trips they take part in. Children in Reception get off to a positive start in their education.

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

The school has developed a curriculum with clear ambition for all and which meets the requirements of the national curriculum.

Reading, writing and mathematics benefit from the careful thought given to what pupils need to learn and when. This starts in the early years where the curriculum is carefully designed to prepare children well for learning beyond Reception. Core subjects benefit from a consistent approach throughout the school.

Pupils achieve very well.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the support they need to access the curriculum. They enjoy learning the full range of subjects alongside their peers.

However, the school is still developing some subject areas. In these subjects, the knowledge that pupils need to learn has not been as clearly defined. This means that some pupils have not secured their learning as well as the school would like them to.

Teachers have a firm understanding of the subjects they teach. They use this to help pupils develop their understanding of key ideas and vocabulary and identify any gaps in their learning. This helps pupils to understand what they have learned and how it fits with what they already know.

The school makes sure that teaching pupils to read is central to the curriculum. Staff have the expertise they need to teach phonics well. Children in Reception enjoy learning to read and their love of reading is evident.

Pupils read books that match the sounds they know. Teachers check that pupils are on track with their reading. If pupils fall behind, they receive support to help them catch up.

Pupils understand why reading is important and do so every day.

The personal development curriculum is comprehensive and responsive to the needs of the pupils. Pupils learn about topics in an age-appropriate way in their weekly lessons.

They expressed their enjoyment of these lessons. Children in Reception enjoy the outdoor space and play kindly together. The development of each pupil's character is very well considered and demonstrated well, particularly by older pupils when they are supporting younger ones.

Pupils are specifically taught the school values of love, serve, support and succeed. Staff help them connect these to fundamental British values and the protected characteristics. Pupils actively demonstrate their understanding of these.

They self-regulate well at break and lunch times. The school has sought to enhance pupils' experiences during the school day. Pupils appreciate this and know their voice is listened to.

They enjoy coming to school and gladly attend. The school does all it can to remove barriers to attending well and help pupils to be active members of the school.

Pupils are encouraged to contribute to the school community and beyond.

Pupils of all ages take up an array of leadership opportunities. Through these, they actively contribute to the life of the school. For example, house captains and peer mentors lead on activities during the day.

Governors understand the strength of the school's provision and what needs to improve. They receive clear information about leaders' actions. They share the same wholehearted focus on pupils' development.

Leaders at all levels engage with staff on workload and well-being. Staff appreciate the steps taken to support them.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few foundation subjects, the school has not developed the curriculum, and their summative assessments are not as they could be. Consequently, it is sometimes not clear how much progress pupils have made in these subject areas. The school should ensure that all subjects are sequenced towards clear curriculum endpoints and that assessment is used well to identify what needs to be done next.

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