Creeting St Mary Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Creeting St Mary Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Creeting St Mary Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School enjoy school and feel safe. They show care for each other and have fun together during lessons and playtimes.

Pupils are polite and articulate. They know how to listen to and accept the views of others. Pupils and parents reported that staff deal well with the rare occasions of bullying to ensure it stops and does not reoccur.

Nearly all who completed Ofsted's online survey, Ofsted Parent View, say that the school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.

Pu...pils are enthusiastic about learning. They use the school's motto, 'Anything is possible', when facing tricky tasks.

Pupils usually work hard and share the high aspirations staff have for them. One pupil told inspectors, 'We like challenges because they are good for us.' Inspectors saw this in lessons.

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

Leaders have redesigned curriculum plans in some subjects. These plans are very well organised and provide explicit guidance to staff about what pupils must learn and when they should learn it. Staff follow leaders' plans closely so that pupils learn in sensible steps.

Staff give pupils lots of time to review and practise what they have learned. Staff also provide opportunities for pupils to use what they have learned in new situations. They meticulously check how well pupils have remembered what they have learned.

Teachers use this information to plan future learning activities. As a result, pupils remember well what they have been taught.

At times, the resources staff use do not always match the expectations of curriculum plans.

As a result, these resources do not support pupils' learning well. On occasion, pupils are not prepared with the knowledge they need to use some resources.

Leaders want pupils to enjoy reading.

They relentlessly ensure that all pupils learn how to read well. Staff are well trained and use leaders' chosen approach to phonics well. Pupils and the children in the early years take pride in their reading and see it as important.

One child in Reception class, after reading a list of words, summarised the pride felt by others by declaring: 'I did it! I'm a reader!' Staff provide pupils with opportunities to read lots of different types of texts on a regular basis. Leaders have given parents lots of ideas to help them support their children at home. Staff provide effective help for those pupils who find reading difficult or who need extra help.

Pupils behave very well in lessons, during break and at lunchtimes. They told inspectors that pupils do not disrupt learning. Children in Reception quickly learn the school values and how to behave well at school.

Staff ensure that pupils focus well on their learning most of the time. Occasionally, staff do not spot quickly when pupils have lost concentration.

Leaders have created an impressive curriculum for pupils' broader development, which encourages pupils to be 'willing to have a go' at different opportunities available to them.

For example, the residential learning experiences, starting in Reception class with a sleepover at the school, are very popular and well attended. Most pupils take part in at least one of the many clubs available at the school.

Staff teach pupils about different faiths and how different beliefs influence how others live their lives.

Pupils are confident and articulate in their learning in this area. However, staff are not as confident or precise in teaching about the diverse lifestyles in modern Britain. Pupils are less articulate in discussing these aspects of their learning as well as they do other areas of the curriculum.

Leaders invest significant time, resources and support to ensure pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can access and progress across the full curriculum effectively. They also know pupils well, and carefully consider any difficulties pupils have with learning or their personal development. Leaders seek guidance from an appropriate range of external agencies in order to ensure that they keep as up to date as possible to meet pupils' needs.

Nearly all parents of pupils with SEND who took part in Ofsted's online survey, Ofsted Parent View, reported that the school gives these pupils the support they need to succeed.

Governors and leaders act in the best interest of pupils. They also work well with staff to ensure reasonable workloads.

In discussion with the headteacher, the inspectors agreed that improving the deployment of resources to match the curriculum aims and supporting staff to teach the protected characteristics more effectively may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff and governors at the school have the necessary training to carry out their safeguarding duties effectively.

They understand the risks pupils face and are on the lookout for signs of harm. When concerns arise, staff know what to do and act appropriately.

Leaders have ensured that pupils learn about the risks they face when online.

Pupils know what to do if they have concerns. They told inspectors that they feel confident that any adult at school would be willing and able to help them.

Leaders ensure that background checks of adults are undertaken to determine if they are suitable to work with children.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, learning resources provided by staff do not match the aims of the curriculum plans well enough. This means that sometimes pupils do not have the knowledge necessary to use some resources to improve their learning. Similarly, sometimes adults give resources to pupils that do not help them well enough to move on to the next stages of their learning.

Leaders need to ensure staff have the training and resources necessary to provide pupils with what they need. ? There is a wide-ranging and well-thought-through curriculum plan for teaching pupils about the important British values, including the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010. However, staff do not teach diverse lifestyles in modern Britain as precisely as they do other aspects of the curriculum.

As a result, pupils do not have the vocabulary to discuss issues as fluently as they can discuss other areas of their curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that staff deliver this area of the curriculum as proficiently as they do all other areas.Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012.