Knockhall Primary School is on the right tracks. Frequent changes of leaders and staff have been unsettling for everyone. The school is now more stable and a much happier place. The community is coming closer together. A magnificent 300 families came to the recent opening of the early years building and fun day. Pupils feel safe. Most pupils and parents say that the school tackles and stops any bullying. Some say this has really improved. The school is now a much calmer place than it has been in the past. It is a place where pupils can learn most of the time. However, pupils think that behaviour still needs to be better. Leaders and inspectors agree. Leaders want the best academically for all pupils, but they know that getting pupils to do English and mathematics all day will not work. Instead, they make sure that pupils have lots of opportunities to grow and develop as people too. Many pupils take up the varied music, art and sport opportunities during and after the school day. Pupils are also proud of their charity fundraising. And, when things get tough, spending time with Betsy the dog is a great help! What does the school do well and what does it need to do better? Parents say that the school has got better since Woodland Academy Trust took over. Officially, it then became a new school. In reality, the school has existed for many years. This meant that new leaders did not start with a blank canvas. It has taken time, patience and determination to sort out some of the problems that this caused. The trust is ambitious for all pupils. Slowly but surely, this is helping to raise everyone’s expectations of what pupils can achieve. Leaders know that pupils still do not achieve well enough, but they are moving the school in the right direction. They particularly want to improve the life chances of disadvantaged pupils. This September, leaders launched a new curriculum. With staff, they have thought about what they want to achieve. They have made sensible decisions about what order to teach things. However, this detail is further forward in some subjects than others. Teachers are at the very first stages of bringing this new curriculum to life in the classroom. Leaders know that staff will need more training to teach the curriculum well all the time. There are already strengths. For example, in physical education (PE), teaching builds on what pupils can already do. The teaching of phonics and early reading are not good. Pupils that fall behind do not catch up quickly. Leaders recently appointed to put this right understand what they need to do. For example, staff have started to match pupils’ reading books Inspection report: Knockhall Primary School 18–19 September 2019 2 better to their phonic ability. The majority of pupils do learn to read well. Some are genuinely enthusiastic about the books they read. The trust has invested in providing more books in the library and ‘book nooks’. Things are already going well in mathematics. Leaders began with mathematics because they identified it as the weakest. They have made a big difference. Teachers’ subject knowledge is sound, including in early years. Teachers help pupils understand mathematics concepts and show them clearly how they work. Pupils learn mathematics well as they move through the school. In the past, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have not had the support they need. When the trust took over, there was a real muddle about who the pupils with SEND were. It has taken a long time to get to the bottom of this. The situation for pupils with SEND is getting better. Their needs are being more accurately identified, including children just starting in early years. Increasingly, they receive the right support. Recently, the trust has allocated more leadership capacity to speed up the rate of improvement. Most pupils are positive about school. Many behave well, but some pupils often switch off in lessons, including in early years. This sometimes distracts others. The brand-new behaviour policy has only been in place for a very short time. The school promotes pupils’ personal development well. Early years children learn how to share and cooperate. Older pupils are taught about people, religions and cultures that they might not otherwise experience. Many get involved in things like the edible garden project, being an ‘eco warrior’, or raising money through ‘Race for Life’. From the start of early years, parents are warmly encouraged to be part of school life. Quite a few parents told inspectors that they would like the school to tell them more about what is happening, especially when things change.