All Soul’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a successful school, permeated by warm and happy relationships.

All adults share high aspirations for pupils, and pupils work hard to meet these. Parents are effusive in their praise of the school, valuing the care and support that their children are provided, especially for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Behaviour is exceptionally calm and orderly.

Pupils are respectful and kind to one another and, from Reception right through to Year 6, play well together. Pupils are reflective and considered in how they treat one another. They can all talk about the school's values of 'respect, thankfulness, trust, forgiveness... and friendship' and understand their importance in building an effective school community.

Transitions around the school are quiet and focused. Pupils are keen to get to lessons and learn. At social times, a range of different activities take place, supporting the sense of order and calm.

The school provides opportunities for pupils to develop leadership, such as being worship leaders, play leaders or members of the school council. Pupils also benefit from a range of clubs, including performing arts, construction and a range of sports, which they enjoy.

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

The school has planned a curriculum across subjects that carefully structures the important elements that it wants all pupils to know, including those with SEND.

In lessons, staff are knowledgeable and present information clearly. They are well trained to adapt their teaching to ensure that pupils with SEND are well supported in accessing the same learning as their peers.

Staff check pupils' understanding effectively.

They ask probing questions and pick up on misconceptions quickly so that they can be addressed. In phonics sessions, staff listen carefully to ensure that children pronounce their sounds accurately when reading. They ensure that children develop the knowledge and fluency they need to become confident, accurate readers.

Alongside ongoing checks of how pupils are doing is a longer-term assessment of what pupils have understood and remembered. Where this is strongest, staff use this information to adapt teaching and to identify the next steps for pupils. However, this is not as realised in some foundation subjects meaning that staff do not always have the full sense of what pupils have understood or remembered.

The school has undertaken a lot of work to support pupils in retaining their learning longer term, and this is showing real impact. Pupils are able to connect their learning effectively, remembering things they have studied before and understanding how they connect and build to what they are learning now. As a result, current pupils make effective progress through the planned curriculum and are achieving increasingly well as this work develops through the school.

The school has taken careful actions to support pupils to attend well, and they personalise their approach. Effective relationships have been developed with families to identify their barriers and get pupils into school more. This is showing positive impact.

However, while this personalised approach is making a difference, the school does not always stand back and look at patterns and trends in attendance strategically enough. This means that it is not as effective in identifying those at risk of poor attendance, meaning that pre-emptive steps are not taken to prevent this from becoming a bigger issue.

The early years provision in this school is exceptional.

Children are already clear on the routines and habits that make for successful school life, thanks to the modelling and systems staff put in place from the very beginning. Even at the earliest stages of their education, children form friendships and play happily together. They are enthused by learning activities that staff provide for them, which have been carefully planned to elicit learning as well as enjoyment.

Relationships between staff and children are warm and positive, as they are across the whole school. Strong modelling of language and communication are already supporting children to become confident and articulate speakers.

The wider development of pupils is effective.

Pupils are taught about the importance of relationships and how to keep themselves healthy and safe. Assemblies are well used as opportunities to offer pupils a real chance to reflect on the importance of tolerance, kindness and making the right choices. They embrace these readily and understand the impact of their conduct on others.

Leaders share the same aspirational vision for pupils in the school. Their regular monitoring allows them to check that their actions are having the impact that they want them to. Governors and trustees have a secure understanding of the school and provide effective support to ensure that the provision continues to develop and improve.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers' assessment of what pupils have learned in some foundation subjects is not as full as it could be. As a result, they do not know how much pupils have learned or understood in the way that they do with mathematics and early reading.

The school needs to ensure that assessment captures the range of knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn in the foundation subjects in order to inform next steps. ? The school's systems to analyse pupils' attendance do not always ensure that pupils at risk of persistent absenteeism are identified early enough in order that they can be supported to attend. The school needs to ensure that there are robust systems in place to identify the trends and patterns that indicate any pupils who might be at risk so that they can be supported to attend school regularly.