Culgaith CofE School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love their school. They see it as a friendly place where everyone is welcome.

Pupils new to the school settle in quickly and soon make friends. In the early years, children's happy faces show how safe and secure they feel here. Parents and carers have plenty of positive things to say about the school.

There are high expectations for pupils' achievement, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils work hard and listen attentively in lessons. Pupils have access to plenty of resources to help them with their learning, such as dictionaries, books and technology.

However, they know that they can always ask their teachers f...or help if there is something that they do not understand. In all year groups, pupils learn and achieve well.

Pupils understand and follow the school's rules and routines.

Children in the early years share toys and resources and treat them carefully. Pupils walk sensibly from assembly back to their classrooms. Older pupils show care and consideration for younger ones when they share the playground at breaktimes.

These attitudes help to make the school a calm and orderly place.

The amazing opportunities for pupils' personal development bely the school's small size. Pupils bubble with enthusiasm when they talk about the range of activities on offer.

For example, they learn to sail, ride ponies and to take part in debates with other schools. Older pupils look forward excitedly to residential stays in this country and abroad. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life beyond their primary school.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has successfully improved the quality of education. Pupils, including those with SEND, now benefit from an exciting, ambitious curriculum that covers a broad range of subjects.

Careful consideration has been given to the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn by the time that they leave the school.

In almost all subjects, this key knowledge has been broken down into small steps that pupils learn in a logical order from the early years to Year 6. This ensures that pupils build new learning firmly and securely on what they already know. In a very small number of subjects, these smaller steps are less clearly defined.

This makes it more difficult for teachers to ensure that pupils learn everything that they need to know in these subjects.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. In the early years, children begin learning about phonics right from the start.

Each day they add to the letters and sounds that have learned. This continues in Year 1 with more complex groups of sounds. Well-trained staff know how to ensure that pupils' reading books contain only the sounds that pupils have learned so far.

This helps pupils to develop confidence and independence in their reading. Any pupils at risk of falling behind receive prompt help to catch up. Older pupils are enthusiastic readers.

They enjoy selecting books from the wide selections in the school library and in their class reading areas. Across the school, pupils develop a real love of reading and achieve well, including those with SEND.

Pupils enjoy their lessons.

The learning that they receive is interesting, engaging and memorable. There are plenty of opportunities for pupils to keep revisiting and practising earlier learning. The school's well-organised curriculum ensures that pupils in mixed-age classes build on what they already know and deepen their understanding over time.

Teachers check regularly to make sure that pupils have understood new knowledge before they move on to the next learning. This ensures that pupils build up knowledge securely.

The school makes effective use of information gathered through assessments, for example to identify when pupils may have missing knowledge.

This enables the school to make any necessary adjustments to teaching.

Pupils who may have SEND are identified quickly. These pupils benefit from appropriate adaptations, where needed, to enable them to access the curriculum.

Effective communication between the school, parents and a range of professionals secures expert help for pupils if it is necessary. Pupils with SEND achieve similarly to other pupils in school.

There are high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

Pupils commit to their learning and are respectful to staff and to each other. For example, pupils get on with their work without distracting other people. In discussions, pupils take care to listen to what each other has to say.

At times, they even remind each other gently not to interrupt when someone else is speaking. These sensible attitudes make a positive contribution to pupils' ability to learn in lessons.

Since the last inspection, the school has put in place impressive provision for pupils' development beyond the academic.

Through a range of activities, pupils learn that the world is full of diversity and difference. For example, they visit places of worship as part of their work to understand faiths and cultures. They learn more about school life in an African village when they raise funds and contribute books for its library.

Pupils learn more about democracy and government when they visit the Houses of Parliament.

The school goes above and beyond the expected in ensuring that pupils have every opportunity to develop individual interests and talents such as sports, cookery and farming. Pupils make a real difference to their community, for example by clearing and tidying the village's recreation area so that families can participate in sports events together.

Pupils participate in voluntary work through programmes such as The Archbishop of York's Young Leaders Award. These experiences help to develop pupils' character and confidence, and prepare them very well for the next stage in their education.Governors carry out a range of activities to assure themselves that the school's systems are working well.

This has helped them to ensure that the quality of education has improved since the school was last inspected. When making decisions, governors and leaders are considerate of the impact on staff's workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, there is insufficient information about some of the smaller components of knowledge that pupils need to learn. This makes it more difficult for teachers to ensure that pupils learn everything that they need to know in these subjects. The school should ensure that in all subjects, the curriculum contains enough information to enable teachers to ensure that pupils learn all of the key knowledge that they need.