Draycott & Rodney Stoke Church of England First School

Overview

Draycott & Rodney Stoke Church of England First School continues to be a good school, where pupils enjoy a friendly environment and strong community links. Leaders have focused on improving the education provided, resulting in an ambitious curriculum that helps pupils build on prior knowledge and develop their understanding of citizenship from an early age.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well, with low-level disruption rarely interrupting learning, and they articulate their understanding with confidence.
• Early reading is a high priority, with consistent phonics teaching well matched to each pupil’s needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Pupils learn well in mathematics, applying their knowledge to reasoning and problem-solving with support from teachers who have good subject knowledge.
• The curriculum includes enrichment experiences such as visits and visitors, which help pupils remember their learning and build their cultural capital.
• Staff feel involved in curriculum developments, which have had a positive impact on their workload and subject knowledge.

Areas to improve

• The reading curriculum beyond phonics is not coherent or well sequenced enough, meaning pupils do not always reach their full potential in key stage 2.
• Subject leadership is not fully developed in the wider curriculum, with leaders not evaluating how well pupils learn or driving improvements effectively enough.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with leaders maintaining a vigilant culture and staff knowing how to record and report concerns swiftly.