Stoke Prior Primary School

Inspection of Stoke Prior Primary School Stoke Prior, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 0ND

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 September 2022

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding 21 and 22 September 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

In this small school, staff and leaders know the pupils and their families well. Pupils like coming to school and say that they feel safe. However, leaders have not done enough to make sure that all pupils are kept as safe as possible. Not all concerns are recorded in full or followed up by staff or leaders. This places pupils at risk of harm.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they enjoy their lessons. However, in some subjects, the curriculum is not well thought out. In these subjects, leaders have not identified what they want pupils to learn. In addition, they do not always check that teachers are teaching the right things.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons, pupils behave well. They are friendly and play well together during break and lunchtimes. Pupils understand what bullying is. It rarely happens, but if it does, teachers resolve it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the range of extra-curricular clubs on offer. From yoga to gardening, there is something for everyone and everyone can join in.

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better?

Leaders do not carry out some of their responsibilities well enough. This includes safeguarding. Leaders care about all pupils. However, they do not ensure that staff record all concerns they might have about a pupil’s well-being or safety. When concerns are recorded, leaders do not always act on them. Information shared with governors about safeguarding is not precise and governors do not always ask the right questions. Therefore, it is difficult for governors to hold school leaders to account.

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better?

In some subjects, leaders have identified the knowledge and skills pupils need to learn. New learning builds on what pupils already know. However, in other subjects, leaders have not thought carefully enough about what pupils need to learn. In these subjects, pupils’ learning does not always follow a logical order. This hinders their progress. Leaders do not consistently check on what is being taught, so they are unaware of some of the weaknesses in the curriculum. As a result, leaders are unable to support those staff who require it.

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better?

Children in early years have lots of opportunities to practise the skills they need. They settle in quickly and enjoy school. Leaders want to develop a love of reading in all pupils. They invite authors and illustrators into the school. Pupils have opportunities to enter competitions, and governors come into school to read to pupils. However, the teaching of phonics is inconsistent. Leaders have not adopted a single, systematic approach to how pupils will learn to read. As a result, some of the strategies used by teachers do not support pupils in learning to read. Leaders identify pupils who are falling behind, but the support these pupils receive is also 21 and 22 September 2022

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inconsistent. This results in some pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), not reading as efficiently as they might.

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Leaders make sure that they quickly identify pupils with SEND. They ensure that teachers have the information they need to support these pupils. Teachers make suitable adaptations so that all pupils can access what is being taught. Leaders engage with external support, when needed, which benefits pupils.

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Leaders ensure that all pupils experience a range of enrichment and personal development opportunities. However, in some areas of personal development, including relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education, leaders have not clearly identified where pupils might have gaps in their learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and planned these systematically into the curriculum. Pupils know that valuing individual difference is important. Pupils learn the school’s values, but do not understand fundamental British values as clearly. Pupils are taught about e-safety but are not clear about how to keep themselves safe online.

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Leaders ensure that learning mentor support is available to pupils. Pupils value this. They feel that there is always someone to talk to. As a result, pupils feel safe. They are polite, and disruption to learning is rare. Pupils explain that some pupils find behaving well a challenge. They showed a clear understanding of this. Staff and pupils know the systems for helping pupils to manage their behaviour well.

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Staff appreciate the way that leaders are mindful of their workload. All staff who responded to the survey are proud to work at Stoke Prior Primary School.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Systems to record safeguarding concerns are weak. They are not understood by all staff. Concerns are rarely recorded. When concerns are recorded, they sometimes lack important detail. They are not always followed up. This puts pupils at risk of harm.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive safeguarding training, including how to report concerns. However, leaders do not check that all staff have fully understood this training. Leaders do not share sufficiently detailed safeguarding information with governors. This means that governors cannot hold leaders to account.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders, including governors, have not sufficiently prioritised safeguarding. Policies and processes for recording concerns are not clear or known consistently by all staff. Staff rarely record any concerns and leaders do not always follow concerns up. Leaders do not check the impact of safeguarding training. As a 21 and 22 September 2022

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result, pupils are at risk of harm. Leaders should ensure that all concerns are recorded and, where necessary, followed up. Leaders should also check that all staff understand the safeguarding training they receive and put this training fully into practice, in order to enable them to ensure that all pupils are kept safe.  Leaders have not ensured that a systematic phonics programme is in place for all pupils at the early stages of reading. As a result, approaches used by teachers are mixed and some pupils, including those with SEND, do not learn to read as effectively as they might. Leaders should ensure that they implement a systematic approach so that all pupils, from Reception onwards, learn to read using a consistent approach to phonics.  In some subjects, leaders have not identified precisely what pupils should learn. Consequently, pupils do not always learn the curriculum as well as they should.

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Leaders should ensure that they identify the precise knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn in each subject. They should ensure this is understood by all staff.  Leaders have not ensured that there is a well-thought-out and well-sequenced curriculum to support pupils’ personal development. Because of this, leaders do not know if there are gaps in what pupils have learned in some important topics, including RSE and health education. This leaves some pupils unprepared for life in modern Britain. Leaders should ensure that they carefully consider, sequence and monitor the curriculum which extends beyond the academic so that all pupils are fully prepared for life in modern Britain.

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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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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. 21 and 22 September 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Stoke Prior Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school. As a result, there are very few pupils in each year group. There are four classes, one for Reception and Year 1, one for Years 1 and 2, one for Years 3 and 4 and one for Years 5 and 6.  The school provides breakfast club provision on site.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform. 21 and 22 September 2022

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 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 this into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: reading, mathematics, physical education and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans where they were available, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work, where possible. The lead inspector also listened to pupils read.  Inspectors also spoke to subject leaders about some other subjects.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator.  The lead inspector held meetings with the chair and representatives of the

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governing body.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around the school and at lunchtime. They spoke to pupils about pupils’ behaviour.  To evaluate safeguarding, inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead, looked at the single central record of recruitment checks, looked at safeguarding records and talked to pupils and staff.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free- text responses. They also took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors talked to parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Rachel Henrick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kate Wilcock Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 September 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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