All Saints CofE Aided Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's values of love, perseverance and joy are at the heart of pupils' everyday experiences.

Pupils told inspectors, 'School is a happy place and it's easy to make friends here.' They proudly explain their learning and how staff and pupils here are kind and look out for each other. Pupils like coming to school every day.

Staff know each pupil as an individual, nurturing warm and trusting relationships so that they feel safe and secure at school. There is hardly any inappropriate behaviour or unkindness here. Pupils confidently recall how they have been taught to respond should anyone say or do anything that makes them feel uncomfortable, and they trust staff to... resolve any worries they may have.

New leaders have raised the level of challenge on offer across the curriculum. Recognising the strengths of the school, they have kept a key focus upon ensuring learning is not something that just happens in the classroom at All Saints. Pupils love the regular opportunities to enrich and deepen their learning outdoors in the school's beautiful grounds and local woodland.

Similarly, they benefit from a rich selection of extra-curricular opportunities, before and after school, and participation in local community events.

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

Senior leaders and new staff are a tight-knit team sharing a passion to achieve the very best for each and every pupil. The new headteacher and her leadership team have swiftly implemented many improvements.

This includes introducing a bespoke new curriculum for the whole school and reinvigorating the learning environment in the early years. This is impressive considering this work has been achieved while providing education during the pandemic and managing a period of staffing changes last year.

Leaders have maintained the existing strengths in reading and mathematics, and further enhancements are planned.

The promotion of the love of reading begins on the first day that children join Reception, and staff develop pupils' reading skills effectively. Typically, phonics is taught well, and staff skilfully assess pupils' reading skills. Tailored support is given to any pupils who need help so that all make strong progress.

Over time, pupils are supported to become fluent and confident readers.

The school offers pupils a broad and engaging curriculum. There is now a much clearer system of subject leadership.

New planning has been introduced to identify the key knowledge pupils need to know and how it builds upon their prior learning. This work has already had an impact on boosting pupils' knowledge and skills. An example was seen in history when Year 2 pupils could confidently recall using different sources of evidence to compare pupils' experiences at All Saints School 150 years ago to their own now.

Another was seen in Year 1 when staff made expert use of pupils' prior learning in science to craft captivating outdoor experiences which deepened pupils' knowledge and recall of the body parts of animals and plants.Children in Reception have got off to a flying start this year. Skilled staff are promoting their language skills and collaborative play well.

Children have quickly settled into routines and are developing learning behaviours. New leaders' curriculum plans in the early years and some subjects in key stage 1 are a work in progress. Consequently, sometimes the level of challenge for either the most able pupils or those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) requires further refinement to better meet pupils' needs.

Leaders have clear plans and further training for staff scheduled to address this.

Pupils' behaviour at school is very good and their attendance is high. They play happily at breaktimes, move around the school sensibly and are polite.

Pupils value the school's rules, rewards and routines, so any disruption is rare. They show respect for each other and different members of their community. Pupils are well prepared for their next stages of education.

Governors are keen to help the headteacher to achieve their vision and have supported leaders and staff remotely over the past year. Unfortunately, governors have had limited onsite visits due to the pandemic. In addition, some governors have recently left, and new ones have been appointed.

A small minority of parents are still anxious about the many recent changes in the school and would appreciate better communication from leaders. However, most are very happy with all that the school offers and keen to share this with inspectors. As one parent said, 'It's an incredible school that nurtures every child… I feel so blessed that my child got a place at this school!'

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that all staff receive regular and appropriate training on safeguarding. All Saints has a culture of vigilance and staff are aware of the warning signs that a pupil might be being harmed or in danger. Systems are in place to help staff to record and share any concern they may have about pupils.

The records kept by the headteacher show that the school responds in an appropriate and timely way when necessary. Leaders work with external agencies when necessary to help pupils get the help they need. Pupils say they feel safe here and all parents confirm this.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's curriculum is not yet sufficiently well planned and sequenced in some subjects and in the early years. However, it is clear that leaders have already taken action to plan next year's curriculum and to train staff where required. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.

Many of the improvements to the curriculum are very new. Some staff require further training to ensure that they can more accurately meet the needs of all pupils, particularly the most able and those with SEND, across the full range of subjects. Leaders need to complete their ongoing work to enhance the sequencing of knowledge from the early years to Year 2 and to help all pupils to learn with increasing independence.

• The effectiveness of governors' monitoring and evaluation has been impacted by the pandemic. This occurred at a time of significant staffing and leadership changes. In addition, some new governors have only very recently been appointed.

Training is required to ensure that all governors are up to date and clear about their strategic roles to oversee and challenge continued school improvement. ? A small minority of parents are worried by the recent staffing turbulence and a few feel that their views haven't been heard. Leaders and governors need to continue to improve their communication and relationships with all parents in order to share the many strengths of the provision and curriculum at All Saints.