New Swannington Primary School

Inspection of New Swannington Primary School Church Lane, Whitwick, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 5DQ

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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 Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 2 and 3 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

New Swannington Primary School is a nurturing, friendly and welcoming place. The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well as they ‘learn, play and grow together’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is calm and orderly. Pupils understand and follow the school rules of being ‘kind, safe and respectful’. They behave well in lessons. At breaktimes and lunchtimes, pupils play and socialise together happily. Pupils look after each other. One pupil, whose comments were typical of many, said, ‘Nobody is ever left out here; there is always someone to play with.’ Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They trust staff to help them if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pastoral support for pupils is a strength of the school. When pupils need help to manage their emotions or regulate their behaviour, caring staff provide excellent support. Pupils value the rewards they earn for doing their best. They develop leadership skills, for example, by being school councillors, subject ambassadors and librarians. Many pupils attend clubs in school. They enjoy activities in which they develop their interests, including in sports and music. Pupils benefit from visits to a range of places, both locally and nationally, which broaden their experiences and enhance their learning. Particular favourites include visits to Whitby and Eyam.

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better?

The school’s broad and ambitious curriculum is securely focused on ensuring that all pupils achieve well in this caring and inclusive school community. The curriculum identifies the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn, and the order in which they need to learn it. In lessons, staff use their strong subject knowledge to explain and model concepts clearly. However, in some subjects, staff do not have high enough expectations of the work that pupils complete. They do not always support pupils to improve their work or address mistakes. Pupils achieve less well in these subjects.

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better?

The leadership of some subjects is in its early stages. There are currently some changes being made to the arrangements for this in the school. Leaders do not have a fully clear oversight of what is working well and what needs to further develop in all subjects.

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better?

Promoting a love of reading is at the heart of the school’s curriculum for pupils of all ages. In the Reception class, children sound out letters with pride and enthusiasm. Regular practice, using books matching the sounds the children know, helps them to secure fluency and accuracy over time. Pupils who need help to catch up get the right support. The school’s library provides a quiet space for pupils to read and to select books to read at home.

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better?

The school carefully identifies the additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It provides personalised support for pupils with 2 and 3 July 2024

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SEND to access the same learning as their peers. Staff break learning into manageable chunks and adapt learning activities well when needed.

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In the early years, children get off to a flying start. The school recognises the importance of laying strong foundations for children’s learning as soon as they start school. There is a sharp focus on developing children’s language and early mathematics. Children develop their independence. They are resilient and persevere with challenging activities. Children delight in their achievements when making ‘minibeast hotels’ and ‘shell crumbles’.

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Staff place great importance on pupils being ready to learn and participate in lessons. The school ensures that pupils’ achievements are recognised each week in the celebration assembly. Respectful relationships are the norm at this school. Pupils have lovely manners. The school is a calm environment where pupils can learn without distraction. The school goes above and beyond to ensure that pupils attend school regularly and are safe. The school’s personalised support for individual pupils and families has resulted in pupils’ attendance improving.

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Pupils’ personal development is a priority. They have a secure understanding of what it means to be healthy, both physically and mentally. There are a number of extra- curricular clubs that capture pupils’ interests. The school ensures that some pupils have access to ‘the hive’, where they can discuss any worries that they may have. These pupils value their time speaking to skilled and caring staff. Pupils speak with maturity and respect when discussing difference and diversity. They have visited different places of worship. However, pupils do not have a firm understanding of fundamental British values, or a range of faiths and cultures.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. There is a real ‘family feel’ here. Staff say that leaders consider their workload and well-being. Governors are fully informed of the work of the school. They hold leaders to account, but also support them to bring about improvements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, staff do not always have consistently high enough expectations of the work that pupils complete. Sometimes, they accept work that is of a poor quality without supporting pupils to improve their work or address mistakes. As a result, pupils do not always achieve as well as they might in these subjects. The school should ensure that there are consistently high expectations of pupils’ work so that they achieve as well as they could in all subjects. 2 and 3 July 2024

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 The leadership of some subjects is not fully developed. Leaders do not have a full oversight of the implementation and impact of all subjects. The school should continue to develop subject leadership, to ensure that leaders successfully monitor, develop and evaluate the effectiveness of their subject areas.  Pupils’ understanding of a range of faiths and cultures is underdeveloped. Pupils do not recall important knowledge about religions or beliefs in modern Britain. The school should ensure that this aspect of the curriculum is implemented well so that pupils’ knowledge of the religions and beliefs that exist in Britain today is strengthened.

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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’ 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). 2 and 3 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.newswanningtonprimary.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 February 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club on site.

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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 educational provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and a range of staff. They held meetings with the special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, staff and governors, including the chair of the governing body. The lead inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority. 2 and 3 July 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors discussed the religious education and design and technology curriculum with leaders, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to pupils about their learning.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the view 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.  Inspectors considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View online survey. They also spoke with parents at the end of the school day. Inspectors considered

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the responses to the staff survey.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Ben Waldram Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 July 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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