Emmaus Catholic and CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The pupils of Emmaus Catholic and CofE Primary School enjoy coming to school. They are happy and safe. Pupils behave well in lessons, around the school and at playtimes.

The school is a calm and orderly environment. Some pupils say that bullying happens occasionally, but they also say that it is always dealt with by adults. The school responds decisively to any instances of poor behaviour.

The school has high expectations for what pupils can achieve. A well-sequenced curriculum is in place. Pupils are catching up with learning missed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The school plans many opportunities for pupils to widen their experiences through educational vis...its. These experiences help pupils build ambition and aspiration. Pupils also have opportunities to discover and develop their individual talents.

For example, all pupils learn to play the violin. External speakers are carefully chosen to address issues faced by pupils, such as knife crime. Older pupils undertake positions of responsibility, such as subject ambassadors.

In these roles, they promote reading and Spanish to their peers well.

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

The school has developed and introduced an ambitious curriculum across key stages 1 and 2 in all subjects. Leaders have identified the important knowledge that they want pupils to learn and when they want them to learn it.

What pupils learn in the early years prepares them very well for the next stage of their education in key stage 1. When planning the curriculum, the school has ensured that learning reflects the context of the school and its pupils. For instance, in history, pupils study a topic on Benin rather than the Mayans because it more closely reflects some pupils' cultural heritage.

In lessons, teachers do not check consistently that pupils have secured the knowledge they have been taught. They do not adapt their teaching as a matter of course when pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

The curriculum in the early years is similarly ambitious.

The books that are read and enjoyed are carefully chosen to reflect the backgrounds and needs of the children. Adults support children's learning well. They quickly establish positive relationships with children and work to promote communication skills and vocabulary.

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly, and their needs are supported well. Early mathematical concepts are explored through a range of opportunities provided to children in the Nursery and Reception classes.

Reading is a very high priority of the school.

Pupils learn to read following a well-sequenced programme of phonics. Teachers of reading have all received appropriate training. Children start learning to read as soon as they arrive in the Reception Year.

Pupils who need additional support to keep up with their reading are quickly identified and supported. Pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds that they know.The needs of pupils with SEND are quickly identified.

The progress that these pupils make is regularly assessed. Appropriate adaptations are made to the curriculum for pupils with SEND. As a result, these pupils learn well.

The school's nurture room is used extremely well in support of pupils with SEND, particularly those with social and emotional needs.

Pupils behave well, and the majority attend school regularly. However, there is a significant minority of pupils who do not attend school regularly enough.

The school's attendance figures have not returned to those prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pupils who are not attending school are missing out on important learning. They do not make the progress of which they are capable.

The school has a well-considered approach to pupils' personal development. The school plans a range of exciting educational experiences, such as performances by the Young Shakespeare Company or visits to the Hallé Orchestra. Pupils benefit from cycling lessons in school.

The personal development curriculum is enhanced by philosophy lessons. In these lessons, pupils have opportunities to express opinions and to debate and discuss important topics.

Governors know the school and the community well.

They make regular visits to the school to see the impact of their decisions and policies. Governors share the high ambitions of other school leaders. The school benefits from collaborations with other schools, both locally and through membership of a multi-academy trust.

Through these collaborations and with the support of the trust, the school benefits from high-quality support and professional development opportunities. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about working in the school. The school supports staff and their well-being very well indeed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum is not having the impact the school intends it to have. Pupils are not making sufficient progress.

The school should ensure that regular and precise checks are made on pupils' learning so that gaps in their knowledge are identified and addressed quickly. ? Teachers do not accurately identify gaps in pupils' learning and do not then adapt their teaching to meet the needs of the pupils. Leaders should ensure that teachers identify and respond to pupils' gaps in knowledge by adapting their teaching.

• Too many pupils do not attend school often enough. This limits how well these pupils learn. Leaders should build on their strategies to secure pupils' attendance so that all pupils attend school regularly.