NCEA James Knott CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This school has strong community links.

It embodies its Christian vision to nurture pupils and to 'let their light shine'.

The school has high expectations for pupils. These begin in the two-year-old provision.

The curriculum from the early years to Year 6 is ambitious and meets the needs of pupils. As a result, pupils achieve well.

The school has clear behaviour expectations for its pupils.

The school teaches pupils to behave using three rules: be ready, be respectful, be safe. Pupils behave well. For some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), additional strategies such as the use of a calm space successfully sup...ports transitions throughout the day.

Relationships are positive and respectful between staff and pupils. Pupils play cooperatively at playtime, using the large field for team games. They are safe.

The school provides pupils with information to keep themselves safe in the local area, for instance about railway safety.

The school engages pupils in lessons about careers. It uses this platform to challenge gender inequality.

The school makes links between its curriculum and potential future careers. For example, on a recent museum visit, pupils learned about becoming an archaeologist.

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

The trust has helped the school to define its curriculum.

This curriculum identifies what pupils should learn by the end of each academic year. Pupils encounter this knowledge in small steps. This builds pupils' knowledge gradually, encouraging them to think deeply and make links.

The curriculum uses a question to structure pupils learning. For example, in Year 5 pupils consider 'How did the kingdom of England come to be?'.

In the core subjects of mathematics, English and science, the school uses thorough systems to check the knowledge that pupils have retained at the end of each year.

However, this is less developed in some other subjects. This means that the school does not have the same depth of knowledge around pupil achievement in these subjects.

The school prioritises children's communication skills.

Some children join the school with limited language. Starting in the two-year-old provision, the school immerses children in stories, songs, poetry and rhymes. In the nursery, adults build the range of useful words that children recognise and use.

The school provides effective support for children with SEND who have speech and language difficulties.

Pupils, in early years and key stage 1, learn phonics daily. Pupils read books that contain the sounds that they know.

They show resilience and determination when reading unfamiliar words. Pupils who are not keeping up with the phonics programme are supported well. This is successfully supporting these pupils to retain and apply their phonics knowledge.

As a result, the school's phonic screening check outcomes for Year 1 pupils are typically above national expectation.

Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use it purposefully to support pupils with their learning, including pupils with SEND.

Teachers ensure that pupils access tasks that draw on their prior knowledge. The school is working to ensure that pupils make sustained improvements in arithmetic so that more pupils achieve the expected standard in mathematics at the end of key stage 2.

There is a whole-school approach to teaching about healthy relationships.

This builds gradually from the Nursery Year. Pupils spoke maturely about how their body changes as they grow older.

The school provides pupils with many opportunities, such as learning a musical instrument and participating in trust-wide sporting events.

Pupils in key stage 2 learn Mandarin and French. This enriches pupils' cultural knowledge and helps them to understand cultural similarities and differences.

The trust supports the school's leadership effectively.

This includes leadership of the curriculum. However, at times, there are limited opportunities for the school to monitor how well some subjects are being taught.

The local governing body are knowledgeable and proactive in their support and challenge of the school.

Governors recognise the strong relationships between staff, pupils and their families. Governors have a clear understanding of the strength and next steps for the school.

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 systems for checking how well some subjects are taught are not fully developed. This hampers the school's ability to reflect on the quality of teaching and how to continually improve these subjects. The school should ensure that the delivery of curriculum in these subjects is monitored effectively.

• The system for assessing pupils' understanding across some subjects is in the process of being refined. In these subjects, assessment does not identify gaps in pupils' knowledge well enough. The school should ensure that their assessment procedures identify any gaps so that they can be addressed.