An 'outstanding' junior and infant school in Failsworth has been praised by the education watchdog in a recent inspection but has been told it still needs to improve to maintain its top rating.
Propps Hall Junior Infant and Nursery School on Propps Hall Drive, which teaches children between the ages three to 11, was last graded 'outstanding' when an Ofsted inspector visited in July 2017.
But in an ungraded monitoring visit to the premises in July this year, Ofsted inspector Sheila Iwaskow wrote the school's grade "might not be as high if a graded inspection were carried out now" and advised the school to improve parts of its curriculum and monitoring pupils' progress.
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Ms Iwaskow praised staff, leaders, the curriculum and the opportunities the school provides for its pupils.
She found the children were "proud to belong to this school" and described the setting as a "calm and harmonious place" for them to learn.
When it came to their behaviour, Ms Iwaskow said the children are polite, listen well in class, enjoy spending time with their friends in a "well-resourced outdoor play area" and even "extend a warm welcome to visitors".
Meanwhile, any incidents of unkindness or bullying are dealt with "well" by staff and poor behaviour "rarely" disrupts lessons.
Her report continued: "Pupils arrive each day full of smiles and eager for the day that lies ahead."
The education watchdog inspector found all leaders and staff in the school are ambitious in the way they want pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to be successful academically.
She said teachers had "secure" subject knowledge and explain new concepts well while ironing out any misconceptions in the children's learning "as soon as they arise".
The inspector also highlighted reading and phonics as particular strengths of the school since children have access to a wide range of books in classrooms and the "inviting" school library while teachers use their voice, body language and resources to make phonics a "pleasurable experience".
To support this aim further, leaders should ensure children who are struggling to read get the "quick and adequate" support they need to become confident and fluent readers by the end of key stage 1.
Pupils with SEND were found to be well supported at the school, the report continues, as staff make appropriate adaptations to the curriculum so that they can learn with their friends and ensure they have an active role in all the school has to offer.
Beyond the curriculum, students benefit from a wide range of experiences through clubs and trips while others take on important leadership responsibilities.
Ms Iwaskow said the pupils "clearly enjoy" taking trips as older pupils "talked fondly" about visits to Wales and France while others highlighted how they enjoy helping others as they raise money for charity.
The inspector said these activities help the pupils to develop into "active citizens" and many already understand the importance of looking after the planet and respecting the views and beliefs of others.
However, the curriculum received a mixed response from the inspector as while she found it "interesting" enough to support the pupils to achieve well, there was room for improvement.
Ms Iwaskow commented on the "many high-quality displays and murals" around the school that "bring the curriculum to life" but said leaders' "curriculum thinking in a few subjects is not complete".
Despite having set out a "logical order" of the skills and knowledge pupils need to acquire from early years to key stage 1 and beyond, the report revealed there are a few units of learning where leaders "have not given enough thought" around the order key vocabulary should be taught.
She added: "From time to time, this hinders teachers in designing learning for pupils."
In addition, while she found there are "clear procedures" in place to monitor pupils' progress in reading and mathematics, the inspector found this to be in its "infancy" for many other subjects in the wider curriculum.
"As a result, leaders do not have an accurate overview of how well pupils are deepening their understanding of these subjects", Ms Iwaskow wrote.
When it came to safety, Ms Iwaskow praised the school's "vigilant" and "strong culture of safeguarding".
To improve and ultimately maintain its 'outstanding' grade, she then advised leaders to "refine their curriculum thinking" so that teachers are "clear" about the order in which subject-specific vocabulary is taught and to develop assessment strategy systems to monitor how well pupils are learning the whole curriculum over time.
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