Capenhurst CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils come to this welcoming school happy and eager to learn. They benefit from warm and encouraging relationships with staff who know them well.

This helps them to feel safe and secure. Pupils, including children in the Reception class, are considerate of each other and get on well together. Pupils who have joined the school recently said that they have settled in quickly and made friends easily.

Pupils know that leaders want them to do their best. They are polite, articulate and enthusiastic when talking about their learning. They behave well and work hard in lessons to reach their teachers' high expectations.

Pupils understand the importance of treating e...veryone with respect, regardless of any differences. They trust that if bullying should happen, staff will sort it out quickly.

Pupils appreciate being able to talk to staff if anything bothers them.

They know that if they share concerns, staff will do their best to help them.

Pupils are proud to make a difference by being a member of the ethos council or by raising funds for local charities. They appreciate the after-school clubs they can attend.

Pupils in key stage 2 are excited about their forthcoming residential visit to Wales.

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

Using the national curriculum as the starting point, leaders have designed a curriculum which is suitably ambitious for pupils. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

For each subject, leaders are clear about the content that pupils need to know and remember. They have ensured that content is delivered in a logical order so that new learning builds on what pupils know already. This supports pupils to know more and remember more over time.

For instance, in mathematics, children in the Reception class use their footprints to measure and compare each other's height. Pupils in Year 4 use rulers to measure objects accurately in centimetres.

In most subjects, pupils' work follows the expectations that leaders have laid out.

Teachers and leaders check regularly on how well pupils are progressing through the curriculum. That said, in a few subjects, leaders have not made clear enough for teachers the small steps in learning and the important vocabulary that pupils need to know. This hinders teachers when designing learning, and very occasionally they miss out important content.

Leaders have placed a high priority on pupils learning to read well. Children start to learn phonics as soon as they start in the Reception class. The books that staff select for pupils to practise their reading match the sounds that they know.

This helps pupils to become more confident readers. Leaders keep a check on how well pupils know and remember sounds and staff provide extra support for those pupils who fall behind. This ensures that most pupils become fluent and accurate readers by the end of Year 2.

Leaders have recently implemented a new phonics curriculum and ensured that staff have received training to deliver this new approach. However, a minority of staff require some additional support to deliver this new programme consistently well.

Older pupils enjoy the books that their teachers read to them in class.

Teachers use these carefully selected texts successfully as a stimulus for pupils' writing.

Leaders ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are identified early. Teachers deploy a range of effective approaches to enable this group of pupils to access a full curriculum and to achieve well.

Parents and carers speak highly of the support that their children receive.

By investing in specialist staff training, leaders have improved the support that they offer to pupils who need help with their emotional well-being. This helps pupils to regulate their behaviour.

Learning is therefore rarely disrupted.

In the early years, staff focus appropriately on developing children's language and communication. Children listen attentively and chat confidently to each other.

They build strong social relationships and are encouraged to talk about their feelings.

Leaders provide pupils with many opportunities to learn about the wider world. Pupils learn about how to stay physically and mentally healthy.

They are keen to explain about the work they have completed on gender stereotypes.

Governors have a clear understanding of their roles. They gather the information that they need to offer appropriate support and challenge to leaders about the quality of education for pupils.

Staff said that they feel part of a team. They appreciate that school leaders are approachable and considerate of their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff have regular training to help them to recognise the signs that could indicate that a pupil is at risk from or suffering harm. Leaders have a strong oversight of individual cases. They work effectively with other agencies to provide the support that vulnerable pupils and their families need.

Leaders ensure that the school's curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, they have regular lessons about online safety and learn about some of the features of healthy relationships.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A new phonics curriculum has recently been introduced by leaders.

Some staff are still honing their expertise in delivering this programme. Leaders should ensure that staff are supported to deliver the phonics programme consistently well, including providing the expert additional support that some pupils need to catch up quickly. This will ensure that a greater number of pupils become accurate, fluent and confident readers by the end of Year 2.

• Occasionally, teachers do not have precise clarification about the important curriculum content to prioritise and revisit. This means that, from time to time, teachers do not focus sufficiently well on the most useful knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should know and remember. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders check that teachers from Reception to Year 6 are clear about the important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should know, so that they are prepared for subsequent learning.

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