Stannington First School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 November 2022

Pupils love coming to school. They are happy and safe in this nurturing environment. The school's values of honesty, kindness, perseverance, resilience, respect and teamwork thread through every aspect of school life. Leaders value pupils' ideas and respond to their suggestions. This includes providing a range of new activities at lunchtime. All staff expect pupils to behave well. Pupils are courteous and respectful towards each other. Pupils understand what bullying is. Bullying is rare and pupils trust adults to resolve any concerns that they may have. Leaders expect all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well. Pupils strive to meet these expectations. There is a working 'hum' as pupils focus on their learning, often cooperating with others. Children in early years get off to a flying start. The high level of interaction between staff and children encourages confidence. Children eagerly take part in lessons, which are designed to be active and purposeful in delivering the curriculum. Children are excited by their learning and want to learn more. Teachers provide pupils with many out-of-school activities and clubs. All pupils learn to ride a bicycle and can use the cycle track situated in the school grounds.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have identified the subject-specific vocabulary they want pupils to learn and when in the curriculum. However, in some subjects, pupils have few opportunities to use and write some of the identified vocabulary. When pupils do write the subject- specific words, some spell them incorrectly. Leaders should ensure that teachers match learning activities to the planned curriculum to enable pupils to use subject specific words more effectively.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)