St James’ Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Children enjoy their start to school in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They make particularly good progress in their personal development as they settle easily and quickly become confident learners.

Pupils continue to make good progress across Key Stage 1 to reach standards that are average, particularly in reading and writing. This good and sometimes very good progress continues across the school, particularly in Year 6. By the time they leave the school they reach standards that are above and sometimes well above average.

Teaching is consistently good and usually outstanding in Year 6. Pupils make good progress in their learning as ...teachers use questioning effectively. Lessons are planned with activities which promote pupils' deeper learning.

Teaching assistants provide good support to pupils with specific needs so they also make good progress. Pupils are polite and behave well throughout the school. They participate keenly in lessons and are eager to learn.

Strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development contributes to pupils' personal growth. The school promotes many opportunities for pupils to understand how to keep safe. Consequently pupils have a good understanding of how to manage risk.

The headteacher provides strong and rigorous leadership. She is supported very well by a committed team of staff. They have worked relentlessly to improve the quality of teaching and improve pupils' achievement across the school.

Governors are extremely knowledgeable about the school as they visit regularly. They support and challenge the school to improve the quality of teaching and rigorously question the school about pupils' achievement. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Teaching is not outstanding as teachers do not always mark pupils' work consistently well.

Teachers also do not always give pupils sufficient information to check on their own learning and progress. Achievement in mathematics is not good enough in the Early Years Foundation Stage or Key Stage 1. Play is not always challenging for younger children and pupils' problem-solving skills are not fully developed at Key Stage 1.

Information about this school

The school is a smaller than average-sized primary school. A below average but increasing proportion of pupils is known to be eligible for the pupil premium which is additional funding for those pupils eligible for free school meals, children in the care of the local authority and children of service families. An above average proportion of pupils is supported at school action.

An above average proportion of pupils is supported at school action plus or has a statement of special educational needs. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The school has achieved the Investors in People award, Sports Active Mark and Healthy School status.

The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in English and mathematics. The Early Years Foundation Stage is taught as a separate Reception class. The school has experienced some turbulence in staffing over the past few years.