Castle Hill St Philip’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very proud to attend Castle Hill School, where they enjoy caring, sharing and learning together. Pupils form strong and trusting relationships with their peers and with staff.

Pupils said that they feel happy and safe at school.

Pupils have a secure appreciation of British values, including those of individual liberty and tolerance of others. Pupils celebrate cultural and religious diversity.

They understand the importance of treating all people equally well.

Pupils know that staff care about them. If pupils have any concerns or worries, they know that staff will listen to them and provide help.

Should bullying take place, leaders... and staff take swift action to stop it from happening.

Pupils respond well to leaders' high expectations of their behaviour. Pupils conduct themselves well around the school and in lessons.

They are punctual and attend school regularly.

Adults expect pupils to achieve highly. A well-designed curriculum enables pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well.

Children in early years are well prepared for Year 1.

Pupils benefit from a range of trips and visits that bring the curriculum to life. Older pupils enjoy water sports and orienteering during their annual outdoor retreat.

All pupils enjoy visits to zoos, museums and other places of cultural heritage.

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

Leaders have constructed a carefully designed and ambitious curriculum, including for children in early years. Typically, new knowledge and information are presented in a logical order.

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum content interests and engages pupils. In early years, children are excited by their learning and the activities that teachers prepare for them.

Leaders have identified the important knowledge and skills that they want pupils to learn and by when.

Leaders ensure that most pupils develop into confident and well-informed citizens. The curriculum enables pupils to develop the knowledge and skills that they need to become productive and valued members of society. Pupils, including children in early years, are well prepared for the next steps in their education.

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. In most subjects, the curriculum is implemented well. However, in a few areas of the curriculum, teachers do not deliver the content of the curriculum with the same level of consistency.

On occasions, this means that some pupils do not develop the depth of subject knowledge that they could.

Teachers' checks on how well pupils are learning new information are effective. Typically, teachers go over the learning that pupils have forgotten or misunderstood.

Teachers take time to address pupils' misconceptions and misunderstandings.

At Castle Hill, pupils love to read. Those whom inspectors heard read expressed themselves well.

Pupils said that they enjoy reading different genres of text, including comedy, science fiction and adventure books. They take great delight in selecting new books to read. Pupils are keen to improve their reading fluency.

Several pupils have exceeded the one-million-word challenge, for which they are awarded book tokens.

Skilled teachers and teaching assistants deliver leaders' early reading and phonics curriculums effectively. Pupils in key stage 1 and children in the Reception class respond positively to learning phonics, which they thoroughly enjoy.

Those pupils who find reading difficult are supported well by staff. These pupils catch up with their reading, and by the end of key stage 2, they develop strong comprehension skills and become fluent readers.

Leaders have adapted the delivery of the curriculum well to support those pupils with SEND.

Caring, specialist staff identify and assess pupils with SEND quickly and effectively. Leaders work with a wide range of expert partners to make certain that pupils with SEND get the timely help that they require. These pupils are fully included in all aspects of school life.

In phonics, mathematics and in other subjects, pupils with SEND work well alongside their peers. This helps to ensure that they do not miss out on any aspect of learning. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

Pupils are welcoming. They behave well. Pupils move around the school with the minimum of fuss.

From the Reception class to Year 6, children and pupils listen carefully and follow the rules closely. Owing to this, lessons are rarely disrupted by poor behaviour.

Leaders have crafted an exciting and varied range of activities to enhance pupils' wider personal development.

Pupils frequently attend different clubs, including sports clubs. Eco-club members are passionate about conserving the environment and eliminating waste. Pupils pursue their interests and develop their talents in different ways.

For example, they hone their musical skills by playing the ukulele, trumpet and drums. Year 5 pupils visit the Houses of Parliament in London, where they learn about democracy and the rule of law. Pupils understand the importance of regular exercise and healthy eating.

They learn how to maintain their mental health and healthy relationships through different areas of the curriculum.

Staff feel well supported by leaders. Staff morale is high.

Those staff who spoke with inspectors said that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being.

Most parents and carers speak highly of the school. They appreciate the pastoral support available to them and to their children.

Parents are of the view that their children are safe and that they are learning well.

Governors are aware of some of the school's strengths, especially in relation to pupils' behaviour and personal development. However, some governors' knowledge of how well the curriculum is implemented, and of pupils' achievement, is patchy.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Governors and leaders have a secure understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. They ensure that staff are regularly briefed on matters relating to pupils' welfare.

Staff are familiar with the most recent government guidelines on keeping pupils safe in education. They are also acutely aware of the school's safeguarding policies and procedures. Staff record and report concerns about pupils immediately.

Leaders understand the risks faced by pupils at the school. When necessary, they work with external professionals to ensure that pupils get the timely support that they need.

Pupils learn about the potential dangers and risks in the local area.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In one or two areas, the curriculum is not implemented as effectively as it should be. This means that, on occasions, some pupils do not develop the depth of subject knowledge that they could. Leaders should ensure that teachers get the training that they need to implement the curriculum consistently well in all subjects.

• Some governors do not have a sufficiently secure oversight of how well the curriculum is being delivered or how well pupils are achieving. This prevents governors from asking the right questions of leaders to improve the quality of education further for pupils. To remedy this, governors should develop their understanding of the curriculum's effectiveness and of how well pupils are learning.

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