Kirkham St Michael’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Kirkham St Michael's Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils' well-being and happiness are at the heart of this nurturing school.

Pupils feel safe in school and they are confident that if they have any concerns or worries, they can go to a trusted adult and that they will be supported.

The school has high expectations of what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can achieve. The school is determined that pupils will aspire to be the best that they can be and that they 'will set the world on fire'.

Most pupils make the progress that they should throug...h the curriculum.

Pupils are polite and well mannered. They show respect to their friends, the staff and to visitors.

Pupils move around the school in a calm and orderly manner.

Opportunities are woven into all curriculum areas to broaden pupils' learning experiences. For example, visits to zoos, museums, castles and places of worship deepen pupils' knowledge of the subjects that they study.

Pupils enjoy participating in a range of clubs, such as for archery, netball, football and dodgeball. Year 5 pupils were excited about the performance of their own dance routine to a huge audience at a world-famous ballroom.

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

The school has created a curriculum that is ambitious.

Curriculum content, including subject-specific vocabulary, is clearly identified and organised clearly so that teachers know what to teach and when this will happen. This ensures that pupils learn all that they should and achieve well over time.

Typically, teachers check that pupils have remembered what they have been taught.

However, in some subjects, especially those that have been recently revised, the checks that teachers carry out on pupils' learning do not help them to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge. This sometimes hinders pupils from progressing as well as they should through the curriculum.

The school liaises with parents and carers and seeks advice from external agencies to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND.

Teachers adapt their delivery of the curriculum well, so that pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers.

The school has placed reading at the centre of the curriculum. Pupils said that they love to read and they enjoy visiting the attractive school library.

Children in early years get off to a flying start in learning to read. They learn sounds and letters from the beginning of Reception Year. This continues throughout Years 1 and 2, so that pupils gain secure phonics knowledge.

Reading books are well matched to the sounds that pupils know. Staff identify any pupils who are not keeping up with the phonics programme and provide effective support. Staff provide suitable advice for parents in order for them to support their children at home.

Most pupils learn to read with fluency and accuracy.

Staff take every opportunity to take learning beyond the classroom, including making the most of the school grounds. Year 6 pupils visit the Houses of Parliament to further their understanding of democracy and the rule of law.

All pupils learn to play the clarinet for a year, and several pupils choose to continue to take this learning further. Older pupils show great commitment to their extra responsibilities or jobs, such as helping younger pupils with reading or lending a hand in the school office.

Children in early years settle into school quickly.

They learn the behaviours that the school expects. They follow the rules and are kind to each other. This solid grounding is maintained as pupils across the rest of the school behave well.

Teachers can teach without interruption.

Staff are proud to work at St Michael's and say that they feel valued. They welcome the training that they receive.

The school engages well with the staff when change is introduced. For example, staff trial and evaluate the impact of new initiatives before they are rolled out to all classes.

Governors know the school well.

They work effectively to ensure that the school's priorities are successfully addressed, holding leaders to account as well as offering support.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, where the curriculums are newer, the checks that teachers make on learning do not identify the gaps in pupils' knowledge.

This means that pupils are not able to build on prior learning as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff are suitably equipped to identify gaps in learning and address misunderstandings.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2014.

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