Grappenhall St Wilfrid’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

St Wilfrid's is an exciting place to be.

It gives pupils a rounded education, based on Christian principles, in a safe, caring environment. The school is at the heart of the community. Parents and carers hold it in high regard.

They are full of praise for the headteacher and the staff.

The pupils enjoy coming to the school and attend regularly. They take full advantage of the very wide variety of activities available to them, in and outside lessons.

From the moment they come to the school, they work hard and learn well. The standards they achieve are high, especially in English, mathematics and science. In other subjects, they sometimes find it diffi...cult to remember what they have learned in the past.

Pupils behave extremely well. They rarely miss a day of school. They say that there is very occasional bullying in the school, but this is sorted out quickly.

Pupils of all ages get on very well together and care for each other.

Staff are very committed. They work hard to keep extending their knowledge and skills across all subjects.

Leaders have high expectations of staff but also care for their personal well-being.

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

The teaching of reading is a high priority for the school. As soon as they arrive in Reception, children learn letter sounds and quickly move on to reading and writing words and sentences.

The books they read closely match the sounds they are learning. The proportion of Year 1 pupils who meet the expected standard in the phonics screening check is far higher than average. The few who fall behind have extra help to catch up.

Standards in reading continue to be high when pupils reach the ages of seven and 11.

Teachers read regularly to pupils, bringing stories vividly to life. Most pupils read, or are read to, at home.

The school also has a well-stocked library. The books that the older pupils read for pleasure tend to be limited to fiction by a small number of writers. Some pupils have difficulty remembering the names of books and authors they are reading at present or have read in the past.

They also have difficulty describing what happens in the books they have read. Through the 'reading challenge' lists, the school is working to extend the range of authors that pupils read. However, those lists tend to include mainly fiction books.

The school is rightly proud of the high standards pupils reach at the end of each key stage. All pupils study every subject of the national curriculum. Very strong communications exist between staff.

These ensure that pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities, or those who are disadvantaged, get the right kind of extra support at the right time.Leaders have thought carefully about what pupils will learn and when across all national curriculum subjects. They have ensured that pupils learn in a logical order, which helps them to remember more.

In most subjects, pupils' learning builds on what they already know. Middle leaders have arranged training for their colleagues to increase their knowledge, skills and confidence in each subject. This has led to clear improvements in pupils' learning, for example in design and technology and music.

However, in a minority of subjects, pupils still have difficulty remembering what they have learned in the past. In history, for example, pupils' recall of important key events from the past is sketchy. Pupils also have difficulty remembering what they have learned about the major world religions.

Through a wide range of roles, pupils play an important part in running the school. Through charitable work, they contribute strongly to the local community. Through their work on recycling, they are also helping to make the world a better place.

They learn to respect different lifestyles and to challenge prejudice and stereotypes. Pupils of all ages and abilities show a clear determination and perseverance in their learning.

The governors have high ambitions for the pupils.

Governors keep themselves well informed about developments in the school. They provide leaders with the right balance of support and challenge.

Early years is exceptional.

The children experience an extensive range of exciting activities which capture their interest and develop their confidence. The work builds up the children's understanding in a logical way. This ensures that they remember what they have learned and apply it successfully to new situations.

For example, they use their knowledge of counting very effectively to work out different combinations of coins to pay for a snack. They quickly learn to use their knowledge of letters and sounds to read and write a very wide range of words and sentences. Their achievement is far better than average.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff and almost all parents and pupils say that children are safe at the school. Leaders check carefully on the suitability of adults to work with children.

Staff are well trained to spot any signs of neglect or abuse. They know what to do if they are worried about a child's welfare. Children learn how to keep themselves safe in a range of circumstances, including when using social media.

The school works well with a range of services to support any families needing extra help. The school site is secure and access to the buildings is carefully controlled.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Pupils sometimes have difficulty remembering what they have learned in the past.

Leaders should ensure that programmes of work are arranged in such a way that key skills and concepts build on what pupils already know. This will help to ensure that pupils consistently learn more and remember more across all subjects. .

The range of books that pupils read for pleasure tends to be limited to fiction by a small number of authors. This restricts pupils' exposure to other forms of literature. There is a need to encourage pupils to explore a greater range of genres and authors, to develop their love of reading further.

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