Christchurch Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, staff and governors care passionately for the school's pupils and their families. As a result, pupils receive excellent care and support for their well-being.

For example, leaders ensure that there are expert therapists and counsellors available to help pupils to deal with any worries they may have. The extremely high level of pastoral care adds hugely to pupils' readiness to learn.

Staff are ambitious for pupils and expect them to behave well.

Pupils meet these expectations and achieve successfully. They behave well in lessons and around the school. Pupils said that they enjoy school and agreed that behaviour is good.

They reported that bul...lying is rare and that they are confident that their teachers will deal with any incidents properly. Leaders and staff ensure that any concerns are recorded and responded to effectively.

Another major strength is the wide range of experiences provided for pupils.

These include visits by authors to promote reading as well as volunteers who come into school to support pupils' well-being and learning. Visits to places of interest aim to develop pupils' learning further, for example pupils went to the Museum of London to learn about the history of the city. The broad range of after-school activities are well attended.

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

The school does many things well. Senior and subject leaders have given careful thought to their review and design of the curriculum. They have used up-to-date research to guide their work.

The curriculum for many subjects is expertly planned to give pupils a strong grounding in a subject. For example, the plans for computing are devised to ensure that pupils build their knowledge and skills logically, one step at a time. The programmes for mathematics, science and history are also well planned.

These are ambitious, setting out clearly what teachers want pupils to learn by the time they leave the school.

In many subjects, the well-devised curriculum is implemented effectively in classrooms. Pupils learn successfully as a result, for example in mathematics and science.

However, in some cases the curriculum is not embedded securely in everyday practice. This is because the school is part way through its work to review some aspects of the curriculum, and update teachers' skills. This means that there are a few inconsistencies in the way the curriculum is implemented.

Occasionally, these inconsistencies result in pupils not developing their subject knowledge as effectively as they should.

Developing pupils' reading and love of books is a strength. Pupils start to use phonics and learn how to form letters early on in their school career.

Staff use a recognised phonics scheme to teach pupils the sounds that letters make. Pupils quickly become fluent in putting these sounds together to read and make words.Leaders have ensured that teachers and teaching assistants understand how to teach phonics effectively.

As a result, the great majority of pupils can read confidently by the end of Year 1. For those pupils who fall behind in their reading or arrive at school at the early stages of speaking English as an additional language, teachers provide well-targeted additional support. This support is well managed and expertly delivered.

Consequently, pupils catch up with their reading quickly. The books that pupils read are matched effectively to the sounds they are learning in their phonics sessions.

As pupils move up the school, the emphasis on reading remains strong.

For example, pupils practise their reading regularly and teachers read to them several times each week. Leaders and staff use a range of strategies to develop pupils' love of reading, including book fairs and visits from well-known authors.

Leaders ensure that the curriculum is designed to develop pupils' understanding of the wider world.

For example, the curriculum aims to promote pupils' understanding of British values, including democracy, the rule of law, and different cultures and religions. Year 3 pupils, for example, were able to describe stories from the Bible and Qur'an. Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe and how to treat others with respect.

This work contributes effectively to leaders' goal of ensuring that pupils' emotional health and well-being are well supported.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Leaders make sure that pupils' specific needs are identified early on in their school career.

Staff provide a range of extra help to ensure that pupils overcome any difficulties with learning. Staff, including teaching assistants, are trained well to provide support that is carefully targeted to pupils' needs.

Leaders and governors give a lot of emphasis to staff workload and well-being.

Staff greatly appreciate the support they get from senior leaders and the opportunity to develop their professional expertise through training.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Record-keeping is detailed.

There are robust checks on staff suitability. For example, leaders ensure that proper references are obtained before new staff are appointed. Leaders and governors ensure that policies refer clearly to up-to-date guidance.

All staff are trained regularly on safeguarding, including the most recent guidance about keeping pupils safe. They have a well-developed understanding of how to identify pupils who may be at risk, using their expertise wisely. The school's reporting system helps leaders to deal with any concerns quickly and efficiently.

Good links with the local authority help to ensure that pupils get extra support quickly.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Although the curriculum is expertly planned, in a few cases it is not implemented as effectively as it needs to be. In a few subjects, the work to review the curriculum, and put it into practice across the school, remains work in progress.

This leads to one or two inconsistencies in how well pupils develop their subject knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that the implementation of the curriculum is embedded securely into everyday practice. This includes using the strong professional development programme to strengthen staff expertise further.

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