Summerfield Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at Summerfield Junior and Infant School. The school's core values of respect, resilience and aspiration are central to the work that they do.

Pupils enjoy coming to school. Parents and carers are positive about the education their children receive.

Leaders ensure that pupils' behaviour is managed fairly across the school.

Pupils are polite and friendly. At social times, pupils play together happily. Pupils who are play leaders help out in different ways.

Incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils are confident that leaders will resolve any bullying issues that occur.

Leaders want pupils to achieve well personally and ac...ademically.

Mathematics and reading are taught regularly and work builds on what has gone before. Pupils enjoy reading. However, leaders do not set high enough expectations of what children in the early years can achieve.

They have been too slow to identify some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Activities like after-school clubs and trips help pupils to grow in confidence and develop new interests. Gardening in the 'polytunnel' deepens pupils' knowledge and understanding of seed germination and plant growth.

Older pupils talk excitedly about their residential visit to Beaudesert outdoor activity centre.

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

Leaders have adopted an ambitious curriculum for pupils in most subjects from Years 1 to 6. In these areas, leaders make sure that staff know what they need to teach and how to teach it.

However, in a few subjects the curriculum is not well sequenced, which means that pupils are unable to build up knowledge over time. Teachers want pupils to do well. They check on pupils' learning during lessons.

Recent improvements to how teachers recap on prior learning helps pupils to remember things they have learned before, although this is not implemented consistently.

Children in the early years do not get off to a good start in their education. Leaders have not ensured that staff know what to teach or how to teach it.

While reading is taught well, opportunities to develop writing are limited. Staff do not know enough about how to help children to improve their writing. This means that some children are unable to write simple sentences by the end of the reception year.

Learning is not structured consistently in a way that helps children to build on previous learning. Instability in staffing means that teaching is inconsistent and at times children are not clear what is expected of them. As a result, not all the youngest pupils make the gains in learning they should.

Leaders have not ensured that some pupils with additional needs are identified quickly enough. This means that there has been a delay in their needs being met.Once identified, staff provide effective support for pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as other pupils in school and these pupils achieve well.

Leaders prioritise reading. They make sure that staff are well trained. As a result, phonics is well taught.

Effective support is provided to any pupil who struggles with their reading. Older children read with younger children. Leaders have ensured that teachers have a good range of books and resources to teach reading well.

Reading books closely match the sounds children are learning in school. However, books that children take home are not matched to the sounds they already know. This hinders them being able to practise the phonics learned in school.

Personal development is a strength. Pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. The school council allow pupils to take on responsibilities and develop an understanding of democracy.

Pupils fundraise for chosen charities. They develop their interests through activities such as board games, cooking, sewing, multicultural music making and tennis. The school rules help pupils to understand right and wrong and how to keep themselves and others safe.

Police workshops inform pupils about knife crime and Islamophobia. Opportunities to learn about other cultures and religions help pupils to recognise and respect others' differences. Pupils recently enjoyed learning about Eid.

In all, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain

Governors do not fully hold school leaders to account for the effectiveness of the school. Many governors are new and still developing an understanding of their roles. Recent support from the local authority to strengthen governance has ensured that governors have access to the right training to be more effective.

Teachers are positive about the support from leaders to manage their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders understand their role in keeping children safe.

They ensure staff attend regular safeguarding training. Staff record and report concerns swiftly, including child sexual harassment and domestic abuse. Leaders secure help for pupils who need it in partnership with external agencies and the pastoral support team.

Pupils learn about online safety, healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe when out and about in the community. Leaders ensure the necessary safeguarding checks are undertaken before staff are appointed. Pupils know that there are trusted adults in school who they can talk to if they have a concern.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have been too slow in identifying the needs of some pupils with SEND. This means that there has been a delay in providing help and support for these pupils. Leaders should ensure that all pupils with SEND are identified swiftly, so they get timely support to achieve well in school.

• In early years and a few subjects across the school, the curriculum is not clearly sequenced to build pupils' knowledge. In addition, teachers do not have the expertise they need to teach these subjects effectively. Pupils therefore do not know and remember as much as they should.

Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is sequenced to help pupils know and remember more. ? Children in the early years do not get off to a good start in their education. This is because leaders have not ensured that staff know what to teach or how to teach it.

This means that some children do not make the progress they should, or have. opportunities to apply their learning, such as phonic knowledge or computing when working independently. Leaders should support staff in the early years so that they have the guidance and knowledge they need to improve their teaching.

• Recent changes to the governance of the school mean that some governors are still quite new to their roles. As a result of these changes, governors are still developing a secure understanding of the effectiveness of the school. Leaders should continue to develop the governance of the school so that leaders are held fully to account for the school's performance.