Mawdesley St Peter’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to school. They told inspectors this is because staff encourage them to believe, achieve and shine. Pupils feel happy and safe in school.

They work and play together well. Older pupils show kindness and friendship to the younger ones. Pupils behave well.

They are polite and respectful towards their peers, staff and visitors.

The school is ambitious for what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), should learn. Pupils strive to realise the school's aspirations for their success.

Typically, pupils progress well through the curriculum and achieve highly in subjects, such as English and mathem...atics. They also develop a strong body of knowledge in some other subjects.

Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning.

They relish, for example, the opportunities staff provide for learning through nature in the local area. Through these activities, pupils learn many skills, such as taking managed risks when using tools. Children in the Reception Year learn how to cross the road and stream safely.

Pupils have some meaningful opportunities to contribute to life at the school. For example, the ethos group helped to write a new school prayer, and the school council contributed to the design and costings for refurbished toilets.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that is broad and balanced.

It promotes equality and diversity well. As a result, pupils develop a deep appreciation for fundamental British values. They know the importance of respecting people's differences.

Learning in most subjects is organised well, helping teachers to build pupils' knowledge in a logical order. Where this is the case, pupils can connect and remember their learning over time in these subjects. In a small number of subjects, pupils have not retained the crucial knowledge set out by the school.

This is because staff do not routinely check which learning pupils missed when reviewed programmes of study were introduced.

Classrooms are calm and purposeful. Pupils respond to the school's high expectations for behaviour.

Learning is seldom disrupted because pupils engage well in their lessons. In the early years, adults' skilful interactions with children contribute strongly to their language and social development. For instance, a child playing alone with a long cardboard tube was guided to use it as a messaging device.

Several children joined in, and the teacher enhanced their play with vocabulary that the children used independently once the teacher had left the group.

The school places a high priority on teaching pupils to read. Staff deliver the school's phonics programme well.

They carefully check for any gaps in pupils' phonics knowledge. Timely extra support helps pupils to catch up with the phonics programme quickly. Children begin to develop a love of books in the early years.

They love to join in with familiar stories and rhymes. Most pupils become confident, fluent readers by the end of key stage 1. This helps them to experience the pleasure that comes from reading.

This love of reading continues into key stage 2. Older pupils spoke animatedly to inspectors about their favourite books and authors.

Staff ensure that learning activities are adapted appropriately so that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their friends.

However, the additional needs of some pupils are not identified precisely enough. As a result, the targets set for them do not closely match their needs and they do not make the progress they could.

The school understands the importance of providing opportunities that go beyond the academic.

There is a well-designed curriculum for personal, social and health education that also responds to the needs of pupils as they arise. Pupils learn how to maintain healthy relationships with others. They know how to look after their physical and mental health.

The school has built strong relationships with parents and carers. Parents are extremely positive about the school and its place in the community. They appreciate the efforts 'Team MSP' makes to involve them in their children's learning.

The school takes seriously any pupil's absence and works with parents to resolve issues. Pupils' levels of attendance are high.

Governors understand their roles and carry them out well.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the school's consideration of their workload and well-being. For example, they value the creation of staff teams to share subject leadership responsibilities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A small number of foundation subjects are at an early stage of implementation. Where this is the case, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge due to weaknesses in the previous curriculum.

These gaps are not identified or addressed effectively by staff. This hinders pupils' progress through the curriculum. The school should make sure that staff enable pupils to overcome the gaps in their previous learning so that they have secure foundations on which to build new subject information.

• Some pupils with SEND do not have their needs identified and managed precisely enough. This limits teachers' ability to provide the right support to help pupils to overcome barriers to their learning. The school should ensure that staff know the strategies that will enable all pupils to achieve the best possible outcomes.

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