Netley Primary School & Centre for Autism

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Netley makes a significant difference to pupils and their families. It is a haven within the community where everyone is valued and well looked after. Pupils are excellent ambassadors.

They uphold the school's values regularly and their attitudes to learning are exceptional. They share the belief that behaving well and respecting others makes the world a better place. Pupils demonstrate kindness and compassion for others.

This contributes to the school's highly inclusive ethos.

The school sets high expectations for all pupils to achieve the very best outcomes. From whatever their individual starting points, pupils do well in their learning.

Pupils wi...th special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are extremely well supported. Throughout the school, pupils work hard, listen carefully and are proud of their achievements.

Parents and carers build positive and trusting partnerships with staff.

Together they form a strong team that puts pupils' learning and well-being at the centre of everything that happens. Staff help everyone to experience a broad and rich set of experiences, including parents. For example, staff routinely plan visits to London theatres and national music and arts academies.

The school has become a 'hub' in the local area. Pupils and parents particularly like events which bring the community together and celebrate diversity. The whole-school Iftar and the recent Easter bonnet parade are shining examples of this.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Netley has a formidable reputation for inclusion and its provision for pupils with SEND. Over the past few years, this has led to a significant increase in the number of pupils who join the school with autism and speech, language and communication needs, particularly in the early years. Leaders have managed this change in context exceptionally well.

Everyone is focused on making sure that all pupils get the very best education and care throughout their time at this school. Pupils settle in well and develop warm and close bonds with staff.

The school is unwavering in its work to find teaching approaches that help every pupil work towards the same ambitious curriculum goals.

At the same time, and without diluting these high expectations, leaders and staff make sure that learning responds sensitively to the higher-than-average proportion of pupils with SEND in each year group. Staff are acutely aware of what successful outcomes look like for these pupils, both academically and with pupils' broader social, emotional and language development. While, overall, pupils' attainment in the 2023 statutory assessments was below average, the school's effective curriculum ensures that pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well as they progress through the planned learning in different subjects.

Leaders' clear and determined vision is shared by governors and all staff. Staff are extremely positive about the opportunities that they receive to develop professionally. Staff are highly supportive of leaders.

They said that the 'teacher research groups,' for example, enable them to work together to shape what happens for pupils throughout the school.

The curriculum is well planned, including in Woodlands, the school's specially resourced provision. The school identifies pupils' needs carefully.

Staff demonstrate strong and secure subject knowledge. They adjust learning effectively to ensure that all pupils access the curriculum and achieve success.

Overall, pupils' knowledge builds securely in different subjects.

For example, in mathematics, pupils have regular, well-planned opportunities to recap and consolidate what they have learned previously. This helps them to recall and then use important subject content accurately. However, in a few subjects, these sorts of opportunities are not as effective as they could be in Years 1 to 6.

Sometimes, pupils struggle to remember securely what they have been taught. Leaders are aware of this. They have set out clearly how they intend to refine the curriculum further in these year groups.

Staff use their expertise to ensure that pupils' language and communication are given high priority. This is particularly effective in the early years and in Woodlands where staff know precisely how to step in and extend pupils' learning. For example, as pupils made lemon meringue pies, staff helped them to understand words such as 'press' and 'mix'.

In Reception Year, children used clipboards to make their observations of snails in the nature area. Staff promoted language in a variety of ways. For instance, they described using single words what some children were seeing, while other children were encouraged to respond in longer, full sentences.

The school promotes the joy of reading from the two-year-old provision right the way to Year 6. The building blocks start in the Nursery where staff support children to share attention, listen and experience sounds, songs and rhymes. The phonics programme helps pupils to read and spell accurately.

Pupils build their fluency in reading. A few pupils need a bit longer to reach the expected standard in reading. The school's 'catch-up' programme helps these pupils well.

Pupils in Year 6 are great at spending time helping pupils in Year 1 to read. In each class, pupils proudly display the class texts they have read so far this year. They said that this helps them to remember and make links to different books and authors.

Pupils' excellent attitudes to learning ensure that lessons are hardly ever disrupted. Pupils are taught how to manage their feelings and to help others. For example, in Woodlands, pupils used symbols to tell the staff and their friends how they were feeling at the start of the day.

Meanwhile, older pupils explained how they respect the emotions of others and the importance of 'thinking before saying'. Pupils said their lessons are calm and focused. They particularly like it when teachers play relaxing music for them.

The school makes the most of all opportunities for pupils to learn about and experience the world around them. There is a strong and deliberate focus on helping pupils to think about their future lives and career opportunities. For example, pupils hear from motivational speakers and get the chance to visit a range of public institutions.

Pupils in Year 5 recently enjoyed a residential visit to Stratford-upon-Avon where they learned all about William Shakespeare. They said that this also really helped them to feel independent. Members of the school's 'Rights Respecting Council' take their roles seriously.

For example, this group of pupils focused recently on children's rights to health care, food and safety. They asked their peers in each year group what this meant to them. Following consultation, the councillors updated the lunch menus and increased the fruit and salad options available throughout the week.

Pupils are rightly proud of their new and improved fruit platters.

Attendance is a high priority for the school. Leaders work closely and effectively with specific families in order to address persistent absence.

The school's strategy is making a positive difference to individuals and groups of pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects in Years 1 to 6, opportunities for pupils to consolidate and deepen their learning are still developing.

In these subjects, some pupils' knowledge is not as secure as it could be. Sometimes, pupils do not remember the important subject content that they need for future learning. The school should continue its work to refine the curriculum in these subjects so that pupils build their knowledge securely.