Robert Peel Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Robert Peel Primary School Dapifer Drive, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 1QJ

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Outcome

Robert Peel Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Robert Peel say that their school is like a family. They learn well together in an inclusive and nurturing environment. Pupils enjoy positive relationships with adults who ensure that they are well cared for. Pupils respect their teachers and try their best because teachers have high expectations of them. This was summed up by one pupil, who said, ‘Our teachers are amazing.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are welcoming and polite. They are attentive in class and behave well. Pupils know how the school’s golden rules help them to get along together and to take responsibility for their own actions. They work hard to achieve their golden tickets by demonstrating good behaviours such as caring attitudes, being helpful or showing respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend many different clubs. They are particularly proud of their sporting achievements and the success enjoyed when competing against other schools. ‘Robert Peel’s Promise’ provides pupils with a chance to participate in visits and residential trips. This is helping to enrich their curriculum experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told me that they would always talk to adults if they were concerned about anything. Pupils consider that bullying is rare, but when it happens any problems are handled well by staff. Consequently, pupils feel safe at school.

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

There have been significant changes in staffing over recent months. Senior leaders have managed this well. They have built a strong team ethic. This is helping to drive leaders’ vision for pupils at Robert Peel Primary School. Leaders and teachers are ambitious for all pupils. They want them to achieve and be well equipped for life beyond school. Together, staff have carefully considered how pupils learn and are committed to making learning as effective as it can be for all pupils. 11–12 March 2020

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Leaders and teachers have thought carefully about what pupils should know and learn. Curriculum plans identify when pupils should learn the key knowledge they need to move on to the next bit of their learning. Teachers use this information to plan lessons over time that helps pupils to piece their learning together. In science, for example, pupils developed their knowledge of the circulatory system by learning all about the heart. Pupils then carried out an investigation about exercise to test their theories.

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Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use this effectively when questioning pupils’ understanding. This ensures that they address any misconceptions to help pupils keep up in their learning.

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Reading is well taught. Leaders now ensure that children in the early years learn phonics from the time they start school. Adults know how to teach phonics. They quickly spot children who fall behind and give them the support they need to catch up. Older pupils speak enthusiastically about their reading. They told me about their library days where they can choose a range of books to take home and read. Teachers check that pupils read regularly both at home and school.

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Leaders make sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported effectively. Leaders work well with teachers so that pupils access the full curriculum. Learning is planned to meet individuals’ needs. Teachers know pupils’ barriers to learning. This is helping pupils with SEND to achieve well.

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Some subject plans have been recently reviewed and reconstructed. In a few subjects, such as mathematics, there are not enough opportunities for pupils, when they are ready, to apply their learning in more complex ways, or to think more deeply about how they apply their learning. Consequently, those pupils do not reach the highest standards of which they are capable.

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Children in the early years use the environment confidently to develop their imagination and creativity. Children play and work well together because there are clear expectations for their behaviour. However, there are gaps in children’s learning because the early years curriculum is not fully developed. Leaders have not identified how children build their understanding across all areas of learning. New leadership is making improvements to the early years curriculum.

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Pupils’ good behaviour ensures that they get on with their work without distraction. The work in pupils’ books is presented neatly, reflecting their positive attitudes to learning.

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Leaders provide a range of clubs and activities to promote pupils’ interests. Pupils told me that a favourite of theirs was the ‘Robert Peel’s Got Talent’ event. Here they can perform magic tricks or play a musical instrument. Pupils are proud of their different responsibilities such as house captains or school councillors. These roles contribute well to their understanding of becoming good citizens. 11–12 March 2020

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide training for all staff, so that everyone works collectively to keep pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

Leaders encourage staff to report all their concerns, no matter how small. Leaders work with external agencies to make sure that vulnerable pupils and their families get the help they need. On occasion, leaders’ records of the actions that they have taken lack the precise detail that is evident in the rest of their work.

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Safeguarding

Leaders complete the necessary checks to ensure that all staff are safe to work with children. They record this information thoroughly.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 For key stage 1 and key stage 2, the curriculum is well planned. However, the early years curriculum is not fully sequenced across all areas of learning. This means that there are gaps in what children know and understand at the end of the Reception year. Leaders need to ensure that all plans are sequenced from the time children start school, so that they achieve well as they move into the next stage of their education.  Leaders’ plans for some of the curriculum are quite recent. In some areas of the curriculum, plans do not provide information about how pupils are supported to apply learning in more complex ways when they are ready to do to so. Leaders should ensure that curriculum plans provide this scope, so that pupils can explore the curriculum further, when ready, and can achieve the highest standards.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 11 February 2016. 11–12 March 2020

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 11–12 March 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10110273 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 February 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 At the time of the previous inspection, the school was deemed a lower school. In September 2017, the school took on older year groups to become a primary school. At the time of this inspection, there were pupils in every year group that the school is registered for.  The school manages the ‘Squirrels’ before- and after-school care club.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. I also met with the special educational needs manager and the special educational needs leader. I met with two governors, including the chair of governors. I spoke to a representative of the local authority.  I carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and science. In each of these subjects I undertook lesson visits; discussions with staff and pupils; meetings with subject leaders; and scrutiny of pupils’ work.  I scrutinised a range of documents, including policies and records relating to safeguarding, attendance documentation to check for evidence of gaming or off-rolling, 11–12 March 2020

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the school’s plans for improvement and self-evaluation, and minutes from meetings of the governing body.  I met with a range of staff members to discuss their views of the school, training and safeguarding. I also discussed behaviour with leaders and observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at breaktimes and as they moved around the school.  I took account of the 31 responses to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire and considered 19 free-texts responses. I reviewed 47 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. There were no responses to the pupils’ survey.

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Inspection team

Steve Mellors, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 11–12 March 2020

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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