Duddon St Peter’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very fond of their school.

They are proud to belong to a friendly and welcoming community. They enjoy warm and caring relationships with their peers and with staff. They feel safe in school and look out for each other.

Everyone is considerate and sensitive to the needs of others. Pupils behave well during lessons, playtimes and when moving around the school. They get on well with younger and older pupils.

Pupils who spoke to inspectors said that bullying almost never happens. Staff resolve rare instances of bullying quickly and fairly.

Pupils have opportunities to take on extra responsibilities.

Some pupils are 'buddies' to those ...who are younger. Others lead important changes across the school as representatives of the school council or members of the eco-committee.

Pupils live up to leaders' high expectations for their conduct and personal development.

However, not all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn as well as they could. Leaders have designed the curriculum well in some subjects, but not in others. This limits how much pupils know and remember across the curriculum.

It stops pupils from learning as well as leaders expect.

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

Leaders are ambitious for pupils' learning. However, the curriculum does not enable all pupils to live up to the school's mission to 'be the best you can be'.

Leaders' curriculum thinking in some subjects is precise. For example, in science, teachers know exactly what to teach. They systematically build on what children have learned earlier in the 'Treetops' early years class.

In doing so, they help pupils to learn well and to work towards ambitious scientific goals. Leaders have made improvements to some other areas of the curriculum. For instance, leaders recently introduced a new mathematics curriculum.

Teachers know precisely what to teach because it is clear within the curriculum. As a result, pupils are starting to know and remember more in these other areas of the curriculum.

Similar improvements have been made to the early reading curriculum.

Leaders introduced a new phonics curriculum at the start of the school year. Reading is now the biggest priority in school. Leaders have significantly improved the way that staff teach pupils to read.

Teachers build pupils' knowledge of early reading through the use of effective and familiar strategies that start in the early years.

Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. They practise reading regularly.

Skilled staff support pupils who find it hard to remember or apply their phonic knowledge. Staff promote reading throughout the school. Most pupils enjoy and value reading.

In several subjects, leaders have not given enough thought to what pupils should learn. Leaders have not given teachers the help they need to teach all subjects confidently. Teachers do not use assessment strategies that identify precisely what pupils know.

This makes it difficult for teachers to address any misconceptions that pupils might have.

Staff identify pupils with SEND quickly. These pupils are fully included in school life.

Staff are skilled at making minor adjustments to improve the learning of pupils with SEND. Where appropriate, pupils with SEND receive additional, specialist support. Staff support pupils who experience challenges in relation to their emotional well-being effectively.

Teachers have high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Children in the early years learn to work and play cooperatively with others. Pupils are calm, considerate and hard-working.

Leaders have established an environment that is harmonious and conducive to learning. Leaders have overseen improvements to pupils' attendance and punctuality over the last two years.

Leaders prioritise pupils' personal development.

From the early years, children are taught to respect each other. Pupils learn about different forms of discrimination and the harm that it causes. Staff help pupils to understand the importance of citizenship in many ways.

For example, pupils have raised money for WaterAid. They have also taken measures to help to improve the local and global environment. Pupils have many opportunities to develop their interests and talents, through choir, sporting clubs and sewing club.

Leaders have established a cohesive school community. Most parents and carers are very positive about the school. They feel that their children are happy and thriving.

Staff are proud to work at Duddon St Peter's.

Governors take their roles seriously. They see themselves as the guardians of the school's mission and ethos.

They hold leaders to account for the school's effectiveness. They are keen to build on the recent improvements that leaders have made to the quality of education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established a strong safeguarding culture. Staff know pupils exceptionally well. They are quick to spot signs that a pupil could be at risk from harm.

Staff report concerns to leaders quickly. Leaders ensure that pupils and families get the help that they need.

Leaders ensure that pupils learn about different risks and about how to stay safe.

Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships. They understand how to stay safe when online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In several subjects, leaders have not identified the precise knowledge that pupils should learn or the order it should be taught in.

Teachers are therefore unclear about what pupils have learned in the past and what they should teach. This leads to gaps in pupils' learning, and to pupils learning less than they should. Leaders should develop all subject curriculums carefully, so that pupils learn and remember more than they do currently.

• In some subjects, teachers do not know the extent to which pupils have learned what they should. This prevents teachers from designing further learning that addresses possible misconceptions. Leaders should ensure that teachers' assessment strategies focus on whether pupils have learned what teachers intend.

• Teachers have not received the training and support that they need to teach all subjects well. As a result, teachers lack confidence in their teaching of some subjects. Leaders should give teachers the help and training that they need to teach the full curriculum with expertise.