Priestsic Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of Priestsic Primary and Nursery School Park Street, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire NG17 4BB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 19 and 20 July 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone receives a warm welcome in this caring school. Pupils are happy and polite. They are proud of their school and uphold the school’s values of respect, independence, resilience, kindness, self-belief and responsibility.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well looked after at this school. Staff care about each and every pupil. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the help and support they need to be successful. There is strong pastoral support for pupils who may need it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons. Pupils who need additional support to behave receive it. Pupils can learn without distraction. Pupils say that bullying happens sometimes, but teachers intervene and stop it. A small number of pupils say that there is occasional poor behaviour during social times. Some pupils want a consistent approach to behaviour management. Most pupils say that they feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of all pupils. Lessons are interesting and relevant. Leaders have thought carefully about what the pupils at Priestsic need to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish the chance to be reading buddies, school councillors and members of the ‘lunch bunch’. They play an active part in school life.

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better?

Leaders have designed an effective curriculum. It centres on four key elements: diversity, aspiration, vocabulary, and health and well-being. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is well planned from the start of the Nursery Year through to Year 6. Leaders have thought about the important knowledge that they want pupils to learn and remember in all subjects. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They check that pupils remember what they have learned through ‘flashbacks’ at the start of lessons. Pupils with SEND receive the help and support they need to access the same learning as their peers.

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better?

Leaders’ checks on pupils’ learning are more established in some subjects than they are in others. In these others, the systems for checking on how well pupils learn the curriculum are at an earlier stage of development. As a result, leaders do not always have an accurate understanding of how well pupils are learning the essential knowledge in every subject of the curriculum.

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better?

Leaders have set out a curriculum plan to make sure every pupil learns to read well, which they do. Children in the Nursery Year experience a wealth of language development opportunities to help them to learn to read. They listen to stories, songs and poems before they start learning phonics in the Reception Year. Adults are skilled at teaching reading. They are well trained. Teachers provide immediate support for any pupils who fall behind. Pupils have positive attitudes to reading. One pupil told an inspector: ‘Reading helps to develop my imagination. It calms me 19 and 20 July 2022

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down.’ Leaders have selected books to develop pupils’ understanding of difference and diversity. Pupils enjoy a wide range of high-quality books.

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The leadership and management of provision for pupils with SEND are strengths. Staff have helped pupils to overcome significant challenges. Some pupils have complex needs. Staff have high expectations for pupils with SEND. Individual plans for pupils have targets broken down into small, achievable steps. Leaders ensure that pupils with social and emotional needs receive specialist support.

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Leaders promote good behaviour. They have effective programmes in place for pupils with behavioural needs. Despite measures in place, a minority of pupils show challenging behaviours during social times. Leaders are reviewing the behaviour policy to ensure that all staff deal with incidents of poor behaviour well.

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Staff put pupils and their families first. They know the challenges that some families face. Leaders provide effective help and support. Pupils learn ways to not only look after their physical health, but also their mental health. They learn the importance of being responsible citizens. Pupils learn about respect and tolerance. While pupils learn about different faiths and cultures, their knowledge is limited.

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Pupils benefit from the range of trips and extra-curricular clubs that the school offers. For example, pupils in Year 3 enjoy their residential trip to the farm. Pupils have opportunities to take part in music and dance festivals.

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Leaders track and check on pupils’ attendance closely. They make it clear to families that if pupils are not attending school, they are not learning the intended curriculum. Where pupils have poor attendance, leaders look for the root causes. They take appropriate steps to improve attendance. However, the number of pupils who are regularly absent from school remains high.

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Leaders, including governors, are very mindful of staff’s well-being. They are aware of the pressures that have been placed upon staff in the last two years. Staff value the actions taken by leaders to reduce their workload without impacting negatively on pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have effective procedures in place to keep pupils safe. Leaders’ records are thorough. They show the effective communication between staff and external agencies to safeguard pupils.

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Safeguarding

All staff receive the necessary training so that they can identify those at risk of harm. Leaders have a clear understanding of specific, local safeguarding issues and address them with sensitivity. There are good relationships between pupils, staff and parents. This allows them to work together and act quickly on concerns. 19 and 20 July 2022

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum. They learn about the risks they may face as they grow up.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders do not routinely check how well pupils are learning the curriculum. They are not fully able to evaluate how well pupils are doing. Leaders should rigorously evaluate the quality of education to ensure that pupils learn more and remember more of the intended curriculum.  A small number of pupils do not always behave well towards each other during social times. Leaders ensure all incidents of poor behaviour are dealt with. However, not all pupils are confident that incidents of poor behaviour are dealt with effectively. Leaders need to ensure that pupils are confident that all staff have responded to any concerns about poor behaviour.  The proportion of pupils who are regularly absent from school is too high. Pupils are missing out on learning. Leaders should continue their work to reduce this, so that the systems in place to help all pupils attend as well as they can are

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 19 and 20 July 2022

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.priestsicprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 November 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast club.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteachers, senior leaders and a range of staff.  Inspectors met with members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body. The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science, design and technology and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject 19 and 20 July 2022

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leaders to discuss the curriculum, spoke with teachers and spoke with pupils about their learning. They visited lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, inspectors reviewed school policies, procedures and records. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead. Inspectors also spoke with staff, governors and pupils about the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors met with staff and considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Steve Tague Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 July 2022

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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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