Kirkland and Catterall St Helen’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, enjoy attending this happy school, where everyone is welcome. They appreciate and benefit from positive relationships with staff and each other.

Pupils are confident that they are listened to and helped with any worries or concerns they may have. This helps pupils to feel safe in school.

The school has high expectations of pupils' behaviour and achievement.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), live up to these expectations. They achieve well across a range of subjects. Pupils are polite and respectful to each other.

This helps to create a purposeful atmospher...e in which pupils can learn successfully.

The school provides a range of activities beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils look forward to welcoming guest speakers into school and the educational visits on offer.

They enjoy the various sporting opportunities provided for them, both at lunchtime and after school, such as football or dodgeball.

Pupils appreciate the many leadership roles available to them. These include acting as worship leaders, house captains and school councillors.

Older pupils particularly enjoy being buddies for younger pupils. They understand that these responsibilities help to prepare them for later life.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that is broad, balanced and meets the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.

Beginning in the early years, the school has identified the most important knowledge that it wants children and pupils to learn and the order in which this content should be taught. The school has also considered the key vocabulary that it wants pupils to understand and be able to use.

The school has provided high-quality training to enable teachers to deliver the curriculum effectively.

Teachers use their detailed subject knowledge to design activities that help pupils to know and remember more. Teachers explain new learning clearly, and they routinely check to ensure that pupils' understanding of prior knowledge is secure.

The school has prioritised the teaching of early reading and phonics from the moment that children enter the Reception class.

All staff have been trained to deliver the phonics programme consistently well. For the most part, the books that pupils read are matched well to their phonic knowledge. However, on occasion, the books that a small number of pupils read do not align as well with the sounds that they have learned.

This hinders these pupils from becoming confident and fluent readers as quickly as they could.

Children in the early years are introduced to new words through stories, rhymes and play. Staff encourage children to develop their language and communication skills.

Children were keen to speak with adults about the activities that they were doing in class. Older pupils spoke enthusiastically about the books that they have read. They access a wide range of high-quality texts, both in class and from the school library.

As buddies, they enjoy the opportunities to share a book with younger pupils.

The school has effective systems in place to identify pupils' additional needs.Staff adapt how they deliver the curriculum so that pupils with SEND can learn well alongside their classmates.

Pupils with SEND get the extra help they need to progress well through the curriculum.

The school ensures that the wider needs of pupils and their families are considered and addressed. The school has appropriate systems in place to support staff to manage pupils' behaviour.

Learning in lessons is rarely disrupted.

Through the curriculum, pupils learn about other faiths and cultures. They understand and respect the differences and similarities between people.

Pupils speak knowledgeably about their school's values. Older pupils understand the importance of tolerance, democracy and the rule of law.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including online, and how to look after their physical and mental health.

They understand that it is important to attend school regularly to ensure that they learn well.

The school considers the workload and well-being of staff when making decisions about the quality of education that pupils receive. As a result, staff feel valued and enjoy working at the school.

They compared being part of the school community to being 'part of a family.'

Governors provide appropriate challenge to the school. They are knowledgeable about the school's key improvement priorities.

The school engages with parents and carers well. Parents who spoke with inspectors explained that they think highly of the school and that staff encourage them to take an active role in their child's education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• From time to time, a small number of pupils at the early stages of learning to read are not provided with books that are closely matched to the sounds that they know. This means that some pupils do not learn to read fluently and accurately as swiftly as they could. The school should ensure that these pupils practise their reading using books that are well matched to their phonic knowledge.