Gamston St Peter’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils strive to be the 'best they can be' at this small village school.

Everyone works together in harmony. Pupils are welcoming, polite and courteous. They understand what it means to be a good friend.

They listen to each other's ideas and praise their friends for showing positive attitudes.

Parents and carers are unwavering in their praise for the school. As one parent, typical of many, commented: 'We love this school.

It focuses on children's celebrations and successes and not just the academic.'

Pupils behave well. They pay attention in lessons and enjoy their social times together.

They look forward to receiving 'kindness awa...rds' during celebration worship. They relish the opportunity of seeing their name written in the 'Gold Book'. It means they have gone the extra mile to live out the school's values.

Pupils fulfil their roles and responsibilities in school with pride. They lead their peers in mindfulness activities. Some are sports leaders.

Others are democratically elected to be school councillors. Pupils benefit from attending a range of extra-curricular clubs. They enjoy taking part in sports events and competitions.

Careful adaptations mean that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can participate fully in all school events.

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

The school has established a united, shared vision. Staff, pupils and parents appreciate the recent changes.

These have been worked through methodically and logically to ensure improvements are sustainable. The school, in conjunction with the trust, has an accurate and evaluative understanding of its strengths and development needs.

The school endeavours to establish strong, positive relationships with all.

Staff are proud to work at this school. They can see how the improvements to the school are supporting their workload and well-being. Parents enjoy attending the 'Coffee, Cake and Conversation' gatherings.

This helps them to understand how the school is helping their child to learn.

In subjects such as mathematics and art and design, the school's curriculum outlines what pupils must know and recall. Teachers deliver these subjects well, making regular checks on what pupils can remember.

Some subject curriculums are being refined. In these subjects, the school is ensuring that the curriculum builds logically from the early years. In other subjects, the curriculum is not yet implemented consistently.

The school, alongside the trust, has prioritised developing teachers' subject knowledge. Staff appreciate the support they receive to enhance their expertise. The school continues to ensure teachers know how to address gaps and misconceptions in pupils' learning.

Provision for pupils with SEND is carefully considered. Teachers break down the knowledge into small steps so that pupils with SEND can succeed. This helps them to become increasingly independent and fluent in using and applying what they know.

However, occasionally, teachers do not make the best use of resources and equipment to reduce barriers to learning that pupils with SEND may encounter.

Pupils enjoy reading. Adults carefully help pupils with SEND to share their favourite stories using pictures and images.

They learn to retell stories using repetitive words and phrases. Children in the early years learn to sound out words. This helps them to read books that are well matched to their stage of development.

Pupils further on in the reading programme learn about sounds that can be written in alternative ways and recognise spelling patterns. Should pupils fall behind in the programme, extra support is put in place.

Children in the early years settle well into school routines.

They enjoy singing familiar songs and rhymes. They learn to take turns and share. Some children apply what they have learned with adults to their own independent learning.

For example, children talked knowledgeably about parts of a plant as they mixed colours to paint flowers. Sometimes, adults do not develop children's language in meaningful ways during independent activities.

Through the school's personal development programme, pupils learn about how to manage finances and budgets.

They begin to recognise how they can contribute towards their community. They make decisions about how fundraising will be shared among local charities or to improve their school. For example, pupils raised funds for a 'friendship bench' for the school's playground.

Pupils enjoy learning about different communities in modern society. They have some understanding of how to stay safe online.

Those responsible for governance at the school provide support and challenge.

They have the expertise to fulfil their responsibilities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's implementation of the wider curriculum, including provision for SEND and the early years, is not consistently realised.

Thus, they are not yet having the full, desired impact. The school must ensure that its vision for the curriculum, SEND and for early years is consistently embedded so that all pupils benefit from the school's offer. ? Checks on how well the curriculum is being implemented are not fully established.

This means that parts of the curriculum are not delivered as leaders intend. The school must ensure that staff have secure teaching knowledge to teach the school's curriculum. It must ensure that regular checks are made so that the curriculum is implemented as intended.