Ashby Fields Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this school. They are happy and feel safe. They respond positively to the high expectations of staff.

There is a culture of acceptance. Pupils recognise the value of difference and appreciate a variety of people and cultures. The corridors are full of confident, well-mannered pupils who greet each other and staff warmly.

Pupils hold the doors open for adults and for each other. Everyone is welcoming and friendly to all.

Pupils behave well in lessons and work well together.

At social times, they enjoy organising games and activities that everyone can join in with. Incidents of bullying are very rare.

The school's ambition for... every pupil to achieve their potential is beginning to be realised.

Pupils are exposed to a vocabulary-rich environment where staff strive to provide high-quality teaching. As a result, pupils achieve well academically and develop their social and emotional resilience.

The school provides pupils with meaningful opportunities to help them to grow as individuals.

Pupils are supported to attend annual residential trips that are planned carefully to meet the needs of all pupils. There are also a variety of clubs on offer. The school band is especially popular, performing skilfully for parents and carers on special occasions.

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

Effective leadership has ensured that the school has improved the quality of its work since the previous inspection. The school has worked diligently on clear priorities. It provides pupils with a good standard of education.

This is reflected in the published information for pupils' attainment.The school's curriculum is ambitious and follows the national curriculum closely. Content has been considered carefully to ensure that key knowledge is taught in a logical order.

Pupils build on firm foundational knowledge over time. This helps them make strong progress in learning the school's curriculum.The school supports teachers well to strengthen their subject knowledge and delivery.

Teachers identify gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly and effectively. They provide close support to ensure that pupils can catch up. However, sometimes, teachers do not present information clearly enough in lessons, and the resources they use with pupils are not chosen carefully enough.

This can hinder pupils' learning.In the early years, learning is well thought out and not left to chance. Activities are purposeful, ensuring that children's experiences connect to future content.

Learning to read starts on children's first days at school. They learn accurate sounds and corresponding letters, and they quickly develop a strong knowledge of phonics. They also enjoy the many well-thought-out story times that staff provide.

As a result of these experiences, children get off to a good start in developing their reading skills.Reading continues to be prioritised as pupils move through the school. Any pupils who find reading more difficult are supported well so that they become confident and fluent readers.

The school provides valuable information to parents so that they can support their children's reading at home.Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Any pupils who have additional needs are identified quickly.

Staff make the necessary adaptations to the curriculum so that pupils with SEND can access learning effectively. As a result of this inclusive practice, these pupils make positive progress through the curriculum.Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

For example, they learn about tolerance, respect and kindness towards other people. The school ensures that all pupils are accepted and feel included. The safe environment means that pupils move around the school with confidence and growing independence.

Pupils enjoy the trust that staff place in them.The school provides support to improve the attendance of vulnerable pupils. However, the school does not evaluate the effectiveness of this support to ensure that these pupils and their families are getting the help they need.

Leaders and staff are proud to be part of the school. They recognise the impact of their hard work on achieving better outcomes for children. Staff feel valued by the school because it cares about their well-being and workload.

Close support from the trust has helped the school continue to improve.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• While the curriculum is well-planned, work to ensure that all teachers have the skills to deliver it effectively is ongoing.

Sometimes, new information is not presented clearly enough, and curriculum resources are not chosen as well as they could be. This hinders pupils' learning. The school should ensure that all teachers have the knowledge and expertise necessary to deliver high-quality teaching in all subjects.

• The school does not evaluate the effectiveness of some of the support that it provides to vulnerable pupils well enough. As a result, the school does not know what is working well for these pupils and what needs to change. The school should ensure that it has a full understanding of the effectiveness of the strategies that it uses to support vulnerable pupils, so that it can target its resources in the most impactful way.