Christ Church CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Happy pupils attend this school. They are proud of their community and value the opportunities available to them.

The school offers an impressive array of activities and clubs, including gardening, chess, coding and a variety of sports. The performing arts provision is equally impressive with school performances that include all who wish to participate. A high proportion of pupils become confident musicians by the time they finish school.

Behaviour here is exceptional. Pupils model the school's core virtues of kindness, love and generosity and treat each other with a caring and inclusive approach. They are helped to make friends and taught about healthy friendships....r/>
In Year 6 and Reception, they are given the roles of 'shepherds and sheep' where older pupils act as role models and read to the youngest in the school. Pupils feel welcome and safe at the school. Bullying is extremely rare and taken seriously by all.

Pupils are eager to learn the interesting and aspirational curriculum that has been established by leaders. The school sets high expectations for pupils, which are met and exceeded, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The outcomes for pupils in Year 6 are remarkable, with high achievement a feature across subjects.

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

The school's curriculum has ambition and breadth. Starting from the early years, pupils learn to communicate and build up the skills they need for their next stage of learning. Leaders have thought carefully about how pupils progress from Reception to Year 6, and pupils learn important ideas that are built on over time.

For example, in music, pupils begin in Reception by learning rhythm and patterns in singing. By Year 4, they know the technical elements of singing together and controlling pitch and intonation. As a result, the school has a strong and active choir that performs in public, including at high-profile local events.

Staff skilfully check that pupils understand what they have been taught. Pupils who need additional help, including pupils with SEND, are identified and helped to learn alongside their peers. Teachers insist on high-quality work, and pupils capably meet these high standards.

Pupils can discuss their learning and consider new ideas and concepts. For example, pupils learn about the different perspectives of immigrants and invaders when learning history.

Pupils deepen their learning through visits and trips linked to the curriculum.

These visits help to make learning come to life and develop pupils' cultural awareness. Pupils visit farms to understand the source of their food, or visit galleries to use art to visualise what life looked like in another era. The school takes the same thorough approach in developing pupils' wider knowledge.

For example, pupils in Year 6 travel to the Royal Courts of Justice to conduct a mock trial on the important issue of cyber-bullying. This approach to character development is an exceptional trait of the school, embedded in its curriculum. Pupils become champions of the school's 'virtues', which are taught through these experiences.

The school has made reading a central feature of its curriculum offer. Pupils learn to read with fluency, starting from Reception. In the early years, adults provide targeted support and ensure pupils can form the right sounds and write words.

Staff are reading experts and use their knowledge to help weaker readers to catch up, including pupils with SEND. As a result, pupils read with confidence and access challenging books for pleasure. The school's literary festival with visiting authors and special guests encourages pupils further.

The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour. There is a clear code of conduct to help pupils to know how to behave when in class and when moving around the school. Staff take a considerate approach to understanding pupils.

They ensure that pupils understand why rules are in place and teach them how to reflect on positive behaviours. As a result, pupils are polite and courteous throughout the school, starting from the early years. In lessons, they focus and show positive attitudes towards their learning.

Leaders have ambitious targets for the attendance levels they expect of pupils. The school reaches out to parents and carers, ensuring that they understand the importance of pupils being in school each day. Governors emphasise this further.

They work with leaders to understand pupils' backgrounds and hold parents to account for their child's attendance. This leads to pupils having high attendance levels. Parents appreciate and value the community at the school and the 'kind and remarkable staff' who work here.

Together, leaders and governors maintain the well-being of these staff. They provide rich training opportunities that lead to staff feeling valued.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.