Stanton Under Bardon Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 5 November 2024

The school has a positive culture of safeguarding. Pupils feel happy and safe in school. They know that their concerns are taken seriously. They trust that staff will provide support if they need it. Pupils said that the school 'really cares about us all'. The school has high expectations of pupils. The new behaviour policy is working. Pupils' conduct, particularly at social times, is good. Children in the early years know the routines extremely well. Pupils say that they feel fairly treated. The school's aims of 'dream, believe, achieve' are important to them. However, pupils sometimes become distracted when their learning needs are not fully met. This is particularly the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils do not achieve as well as they could in a number of areas, including in early reading. In some subjects, the school is still working out what pupils need to know and when. The phonics curriculum is new and not implemented consistently. Some pupils, including pupils with SEND, do not learn the curriculum as well as they should. Some pupils do not learn to read as quickly or accurately as they need to.

What the school should improve

• In some foundation subjects the curriculum is not well thought through. In these subjects there is insufficient focus on the knowledge pupils need by the time they leave the school. Opportunities are not well considered for pupils to revisit previous learning so that it is remembered long term. The school should ensure that curriculum thinking across all subjects clearly identifies the key knowledge that pupils need to learn. The school should make sure that pupils build their knowledge securely over time and achieve well.
• The phonics curriculum is new and is in the initial stages of implementation. Staff have not had the complete training that they need. Interventions to support pupils to catch up are not routine. Some books do not accurately match pupils' reading ability. This means that pupils do not learn to read as quickly or as well as they need to. The school must ensure that the plans to implement the phonics curriculum are accelerated and that staff receive comprehensive training. They should ensure that well-structured interventions are in place to help pupils catch up if they need to. The school should also ensure that books match closely the letters and sounds that pupils are learning so that they become confident and fluent readers.
• Sometimes, learning is not adapted well enough to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. These pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school must ensure that, where necessary, teaching is adjusted to meet these pupils' needs and that pupils with SEND achieve highly.
• There are inconsistencies in how well the curriculum is implemented and how well teaching identifies misconceptions or gaps in pupils' learning. This affects pupils' achievement. The school should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently well. It should ensure that teaching identifies and addresses any misconceptions or gaps in pupils' learning.
• The trust does not have the systems needed to have effective oversight of some areas of the school's work. Current processes do not ensure that all statutory obligations are rigorously fulfilled and that leaders are held to account effectively. The school must strengthen governance arrangements. The school should ensure that systems and processes are in place for trustees to assure themselves of the effectiveness of all aspects of the school's work.

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