Ashbury Meadow Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Friendly and happy pupils enter this school with big smiles on their faces. They interact well with one another.

Staff build warm and caring relationships with pupils. This helps pupils to feel safe.

Positive behaviour is modelled for pupils.

They behave well. Children in the early years learn quickly how to take turns and share with their friends. At social times and around the building, pupils conduct themselves sensibly.

The school makes effective use of the local area to develop pupils' wider experiences. For instance, pupils enjoy trips to the local library and football stadium. They talk excitedly about learning coding in robotics clubs.
...r/>Some pupils enjoy planting bluebells in gardening club. They are keen to contribute to charitable causes such as foodbanks. This helps pupils to learn the importance of helping others.

The school has begun to raise its expectations of what pupils can achieve. It is aware of some of the barriers that pupils face in relation to their learning. However, at times, it has not successfully removed some of those barriers.

This means that some pupils, including those in the specially resourced provisions for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not achieve as highly as they should.

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

Many subject curriculums are new. The school gives considerable thought to how these curriculums are organised.

They are broken down into the key knowledge that pupils should learn.

The school does not identify pupils' additional needs accurately. Added to this, some teachers do not adapt learning successfully to help pupils with SEND.

Therefore, some pupils with SEND struggle to access the learning and have gaps in their knowledge. This hampers how well they achieve.

The school supports teachers to develop their subject knowledge.

Even so, there is unevenness in how well the curriculum is delivered. This includes in the early years. At times, teachers do not select the most appropriate learning activities to help pupils to learn the intended curriculum.

Staff do not revisit essential subject content to help pupils embed this in their memory. This hinders how well pupils can articulate their learning. In addition, some teaching staff do not check well enough what pupils know and understand.

This means that some pupils have misconceptions that are unaddressed. Pupils struggle to recall knowledge and build their understanding of subjects over the time. They do not achieve highly.

There is inconsistency in how well the phonics programme is delivered. The books that pupils read do not match consistently the sounds that they have learned. The support given to pupils who struggle with reading is not of high quality.

This is because some staff lack the expertise to deliver it effectively. As a result, pupils do not learn to read fluently and confidently quickly enough.

The school has high expectations of how pupils should behave, and pupils rise to these.

These expectations begin in early years. Children follow instructions well. In lessons, learning is rarely disrupted.

Most pupils display positive attitudes in class and try hard. The school works closely with parents and carers to raise attendance successfully.

The school's carefully considered programme for pupils' wider development helps to prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain.

Pupils have a secure understanding of how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations such as online or near water. They learn about different religions and appreciate that everyone is unique. Pupils know how to look after their well-being.

For example, pupils described how focusing on breathing can help to calm them down. Inspirational role models visit the school to raise pupils' aspirations about future careers.

The school's processes for evaluating the impact of its work are not robust.

The school, and those responsible for governance, do not have an accurate picture of the weaknesses in the school. In addition, training is not having the intended impact in equipping staff to improve the quality of education that pupils receive. Staff reported that the impact on their workload of recent changes to the curriculum had not been fully considered.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• At times, the school does not use assessment strategies effectively. This means that teachers are unaware when pupils have not understood their learning and gaps in pupils' knowledge go unaddressed.

The school should ensure that teachers systematically check what pupils know and then use this information to adapt future learning activities to rectify any misconceptions. ? The school does not identify pupils' additional needs accurately. In addition, some staff do not have the expertise to effectively meet pupils' needs.

As a result, pupils with SEND do not achieve as highly as they should. The school should ensure that pupils' additional needs are appropriately identified and that staff are supported with the knowledge and skills that they need to adapt learning appropriately for pupils with SEND. ? The curriculum, including the school's phonics programme, is not delivered consistently well.

This hinders how well pupils learn and achieve. Pupils who struggle to read do not benefit from effective support to become confident and fluent readers quickly enough.The school should ensure that staff have the expertise to be able to deliver the curriculum, including the phonics programme, as intended.

• Neither the school nor those responsible for governance have sufficient oversight of the weaker aspects of the school's provision. This hinders them from identifying the strategies that will make the biggest difference for pupils. The school should ensure that there are robust processes to evaluate the impact of its work so that it can implement effective improvement strategies.