Christ The King Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like school and enjoy learning. There are warm relationships between staff and pupils. This helps pupils to feel safe.

Older pupils are positive role models for younger children. One pupil described it as 'a community where it is easy to make friends'.

Leaders and staff have high ambitions for all pupils, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils live up to these expectations. They are keen to learn and work hard. Leaders recognise there is more work needed to ensure that children in early years get off to a consistently strong start.

Staff support pupils to understand the school rules of 'be ready, ...be respectful and be safe'. This helps them to behave well. Pupils trust the adults in school to listen to them if they have a worry.

Bullying is rare. Staff help pupils to resolve any concerns quickly.

Leaders prioritise providing a range of experiences for pupils.

This includes opportunities for outdoor learning at Ufton Court and different clubs, including the debating and Greek clubs. Pupils enjoy leadership opportunities such as being a school councillor or a sports ambassador. The 'Mini Vinnies' pupil group helps to raise funds for local and national issues.

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

The headteacher has raised the aspirations of staff and prioritised training for new subject leaders. They have redesigned the curriculum despite the challenges of the pandemic. Staff have put in place support to address the legacy of weaker provision for older pupils.

This is an inclusive school. Pupils who attend the resourced provision are involved in the full life of the school. Knowledgeable leaders support staff to quickly identify the needs of pupils with SEND or those who are disadvantaged.

Curriculum thinking in English and mathematics shows staff how to adapt their teaching effectively to meet pupils' needs in mathematics and English. This is not as clear in other subjects.

Leaders successfully promote a love of reading.

Children often start in Nursery with weak speaking and listening skills. Staff routinely share stories to expand pupils' vocabulary and develop their enjoyment of books. Older pupils relish teachers reading to them at the end of each day.

Staff read a broad range of books which inspire pupils. This helps develop pupils' positive attitudes to reading.

Staff receive high-quality training which helps them deliver the phonics programme consistently well.

Teachers check carefully how well pupils are learning. They give struggling readers effective support to help them keep up. Pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds they have learned.

This helps pupils practise their skills and get off to a strong start when learning to read.

Leaders have put in place a coherent mathematics curriculum. Staff value the training which supports them to teach well-sequenced lessons.

They prioritise revisiting previous learning at the start of each session. This helps to build pupils' confidence. Pupils use resources to develop their independence.

Staff carefully check pupils' understanding and use this to inform their teaching. As a result, pupils get off to a positive start in learning mathematics.

Curriculum thinking in other subjects is not as strongly developed.

In most subjects, leaders have identified the precise knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn from Year 1 onwards. This is being developed in a few subjects, as some plans are being used for the first time. Staff routinely revisit previous learning to check that pupils have remembered the most important content.

This helps pupils to make important links with new learning.

Leaders' work to develop the curriculum in Nursery and Reception is at an earlier stage. This means that staff are not always clear about what they intend children to learn.

Some staff use effective questioning to develop children's knowledge well, but this not consistent. As a result, children in the early years do not always learn as well as they could.

Pupils move calmly around the school, which helps contribute to the purposeful atmosphere.

They play well together at lunchtimes. Pupils usually concentrate well in lessons. Staff swiftly support individual pupils to refocus their attention if needed.

Leaders' work to promote pupils' personal development is a strength of the school. The diversity in the school community is celebrated. Pupils learn to respect differences between people, including how people look, their faith and their abilities.

As one pupil commented, 'We treat everyone with respect as we are all unique.'

Governors have a clear view of the strengths of the school. They use this knowledge to champion further improvements.

Staff feel supported by leaders and governors. They value leaders' work to reduce unnecessary workload, for example by reviewing the marking expectations.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide training which ensures that all staff understand their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. They know what signs to be alert to and how to report concerns about a pupil who may be at risk from harm. Leaders take swift action to get pupils and families the help they need.

Record-keeping is comprehensive.

Leaders know their families well and offer strong welfare support. Parents value this.

As one parent commented, 'They are always there to help.' Pupils learn how to manage risks to keep themselves safe. This includes when online.

Pupils also learn how to get help in an emergency.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The early years provision is at an early stage of development and there is inconsistency in how well staff promote learning. This means children do not learn as well as they could.

Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is strengthened and all staff are equipped with the skills to promote learning consistently well through high-quality interactions. ? The extent to which curriculum thinking takes account of pupils with SEND is variable. This means that these pupils do not always learn well enough.

Leaders should ensure that staff are supported to adapt their teaching effectively in all subjects. Leaders have already taken action to address this weakness. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.

• A few subjects do not contain the essential content for pupils to learn. This means that staff are not checking that pupils have learned the key knowledge and skills. Leaders should ensure that all curriculum plans from Nursery to Year 6 are coherently planned so that teachers know what pupils will learn over time.