A Hereford Primary School has been rated as ‘good’ in a recent inspection by Ofsted.
The inspection at Lord Scudamore Primary School in Hereford took place on the 2nd and 3rd February 2023.
The report stated:
“Pupils enjoy attending this school. They develop positive relationships with other pupils and with staff. Pupils say that the school is like one big family. They are kind and considerate and look out for each other.
“They are happy and feel safe in the school.
“Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and achievement. Pupils work hard to meet these expectations each day and are successful in doing so.
“Their behaviour is exemplary in all parts of the school, so that learning is very rarely disrupted. Children in early years are quick to learn the daily routines. Pupils know what bullying is and the different forms it can take. Bullying happens very occasionally, and staff deal with any issues as these arise. This prevents such incidents from happening again.
“The school is central to the local community. Pupils are very proud of the school’s history and the age of the school building. They take their responsibilities seriously. These might include being on the school council or the eco-committee or being a sports captain.
“Pupils also enjoy visiting local places of interest or welcoming visitors who help to bring the curriculum to life. For example, recent visitors to school helped to recreate life in a rainforest.”
The report added:
“Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that is broad and balanced. The curriculum builds from early years through to the end of Year 6.
“Careful thought has been given to how pupils’ knowledge and skills build on what they have previously learned. For example, in history, it is clear how children learn about invasion in early years.
“This concept is then revisited when older pupils learn about the Romans, the Vikings and then about the Second World War. Pupils achieve well at this school.
“In a minority of subjects, the curriculum is at an earlier stage of development.
“Although the curriculum in these subjects is clear, at times, pupils do not learn the curriculum as leaders intend. In addition, some subjects leaders are relatively new to post. They have not had the opportunity to check whether the curriculum is being delivered as intended.
“In lessons, teachers regularly check on pupils’ learning. When pupils struggle, teachers and other staff work closely with pupils to help them to keep up.
“Teachers use other assessment strategies to check whether pupils remember their learning over time. These strategies allow teachers to identify any gaps in pupils’ learning, so that the curriculum can be adapted.
“A good example of this was when Year 6 pupils completed further work on multiplication to ensure that they were ready to calculate volume accurately.
“Learning to read is a key priority in this school. Children start to learn phonics as soon as they start in Reception. All staff have been trained to deliver the school’s phonics curriculum.
“Staff provide pupils with regular opportunities to revisit their previous learning. Pupils then practise using their phonic knowledge to read books that are well matched to the sounds they are learning. Those who struggle are quickly identified and supported to keep up. Older pupils develop a real love of reading. They have a choice of high-quality texts to read and also enjoy adults reading to them.
“Leaders’ strategies for reading enable pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to develop into confident and fluent readers.”
The full report is available on the Ofsted website.
