Salisbury Road Primary School

Inspection of Salisbury Road Primary School Salisbury Road, Plymouth, Devon PL4 8QZ

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The executive headteacher of this school is Ciara Moran. This school is part of Learning Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Simon Spry, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Butcher. 19 and 20 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic about learning at Salisbury Road. They show exemplary attitudes to their learning. They take pride in their work, always striving to do their best. This contributes to them achieving well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils clearly understand these expectations and show high levels of respect. Pupils feel that staff are consistent and fair in managing behaviour. The support that the school provides for any pupils who struggle with their behaviour is highly effective. Pupils feel safe. They trust adults to listen to them and take effective actions if they are worried about anything.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years quickly settle and learn important routines. This sets them up well for learning. They develop confidence and curiosity due to the clear focus on learning when in the classroom and in outdoor areas. Children are highly motivated to take part in the activities. They independently use resources and learn to take responsibility for looking after them and tidying away.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school community is diverse and celebrates the many different cultures in the school. Pupils enjoy learning about world religions and traditions from one another and parent visitors. Pupils thrive together, understanding that people are different, and that this is a positive aspect of belonging to a community.

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better?

Children get off to a flying start in Reception. The school is ambitious for all, but particularly effective with its youngest children. They have designed the curriculum with enough flexibility to be able to respond to children’s interests. Learning is exciting. Children learn new knowledge and concepts in interesting ways. This makes them curious. Children explore these concepts through a variety of activities and play. This helps to secure their understanding.

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better?

The sharp focus on language in the early years is a theme throughout the school. Across the curriculum, pupils learn subject-specific words. They build confidence and accuracy in using these in their writing and explanations. As a result, they recall learning in detail.

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better?

A love of reading is everywhere. Pupils enjoy their teachers reading to them. Many are inspired to continue reading the class text. Pupils appreciate the range of books available to them. There is something for everyone so that texts broaden pupils’ experiences of culture and diversity.

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better?

The school has focused on ensuring that every pupil learns to read well. Staff teach early reading well and pupils start learning phonics as soon as they join Reception. Teaching ensures that pupils learn to segment words and blend sounds successfully so that they can read with greater fluency and accuracy. An effective ‘bridging’ programme makes sure that all pupils move confidently from the phonics 19 and 20 September 2023

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programme to whole-class reading. As a result, all pupils can securely read more difficult texts when they are ready. Staff use assessment well. This ensures that pupils learn what they need to learn next in a timely way, including those who join during the academic year.

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The school has carefully sequenced the essential knowledge it wants pupils to learn. For example, in history, the school makes sure that pupils learn about democracy in each history unit that they study. This means they can make links with what they already know about other time periods. The curriculum helps pupils to make sense of the local area of Plymouth and their global citizenship. Visits and visitors are chosen carefully to add value to pupils’ learning.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have support and well-adapted resources that mean they can follow the curriculum alongside their peers. However, they do not all learn as well as they could. This is because, for some pupils with SEND, targets are too broad. This makes it difficult for teaching to be precise enough to close the gaps for them.

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The trust and local governing board have good strategic oversight of the school’s work. Careful evaluation of the information they receive means they have remained focused on the education the school provides. Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the training and collaboration with colleagues from other trust schools.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Plans for some pupils with SEND are not specific enough to meet their individual needs. As a result, these pupils do not make the progress that they could. This is because teachers are not clear enough about how to close the specific gaps in knowledge. The school must continue to develop individual plans and provision for pupils with SEND so that their individual needs are addressed, and they learn well.

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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. 19 and 20 September 2023

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 19 and 20 September 2023

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School details

Headteacher Ciara Moran (executive headteacher); Emma Benton (head of school) Website www.salisburyroad.plymouth.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 October 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school. There are above-average numbers of pupils with English as an additional language.  In 2022/23, 72 pupils joined the school during the year.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 19 and 20 September 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and design and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, head of school, special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, teaching and support staff, the chair of the trust board, the chair and members of the local governing board and the chief executive officer.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to an adult.

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 Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. In addition, they met with pupils informally and formally to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. Inspectors also took into consideration responses to the staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including the school’s improvement plan and self-evaluation form.

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Inspection team

Angela Folland, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Caroline Musty Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 September 2023

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