Old Church Church of England C Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this friendly school because Old Church is a calm and caring community. All pupils do their best to aspire to the school's values of 'Relationships, Responsibility, Resilience and Respect'. Staff know pupils and their families very well.

Pupils feel safe at school. If they have any worries, they know that adults will help them.

Pupils behave well.

They care about one another and treat each other with courtesy and respect. Pupils are kind, polite and considerate. They welcome visitors to their school with pride.

Pupils who struggle to manage their feelings or behaviour are given effective support and help. Bullying is very rare. If... it does happen, it is dealt with quickly and fairly.

Pupils learn well, particularly in reading and mathematics. They appreciate the range of exciting and engaging learning experiences with which they are provided. From the early years onwards, pupils work hard to achieve their best in every lesson.

Children in Reception get off to an excellent start. Well-trained staff support children's language development exceptionally well. Children quickly learn the routines of the school.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. Across the curriculum it is clear what pupils will learn and how they will improve their knowledge and skills over time. Teachers regularly revisit important knowledge and concepts, as well as key vocabulary.

Staff are able to spot gaps in pupils' understanding and adapt teaching accordingly. However, the curriculum is not fully embedded in some subjects. In addition to this, in some subjects assessment systems still need to be more effective in order to enable teachers to precisely identify gaps in pupils' understanding.

Staff help pupils effectively in order to develop the skills to work things out for themselves. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) succeed in their learning because they are given appropriate individual support.

Published outcomes do not reflect the quality of education provided by the school.

The school has identified the reasons for these outcomes. Effective steps have been taken to support the learning of the many older pupils who are new to the school and to address issues in the previous curriculum. Current pupils are achieving well.

The school is committed to ensuring that every pupil develops a love of reading. Children learn to read from the moment they start school. Where pupils require extra help, staff quickly identify what is needed and provide high-quality interventions.

Pupils access a wide range of reading resources. They become confident and fluent readers. Pupils develop their vocabulary and effectively use their reading skills in all of their subjects.

In the early years, staff soon get to know children very well. They expertly identify the gaps in children's knowledge and skills. The school has created an early years curriculum in which the needs of all its children have been taken into consideration, including the high proportion of those who have low language skills on entry.

Activities are precisely adapted to ensure that children learn well and are ready for key stage 1. Leaders have ensured that the learning environment provides every opportunity for children to develop their communication and language skills.

Pupils' behaviour in class and around the school is positive.

They respond well to the school's high expectations of them. Because of this, pupils can learn in an environment that is nearly always free from distractions.

The school places a strong emphasis on pupils' personal development.

Pupils learn about differences and the importance of being respectful. The curriculum is designed so that pupils know and understand how to keep themselves safe, including when they are online. Pupils appreciate opportunities that the school provides to develop them as citizens, such as taking part in community projects and being librarians.

They would, however, like the school council to have more impact and to, overall, have a stronger voice in the school.

Governors know the school, its staff, pupils and community well. They understand their responsibilities and have considerable knowledge and expertise.

Governors hold the school to account, regularly visit classrooms and have meetings with staff. Staff feel valued by leaders. They know they will be listened to if they need support.

Staff appreciate the many training opportunities that the school provides. However, the school has not fully developed the support for all subject leads to evaluate the impact of their work. This means that the impact of many aspects of the new curriculum has not yet been fully realised.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum designs and use of assessment in some subjects are not as well established as others. Because of this, not all pupils are reaching their full potential across the whole curriculum.

The school needs to ensure that curriculum design is fully embedded across all subjects, and assessment is used effectively to identify any key knowledge which pupils have not secured. ? Sometimes, subject leaders' evaluation of the impact of the new curriculum lacks precision. This means that next steps to improve it following evaluation are less clear.

The school should ensure that subject leaders are supported to evaluate the impact of their work with more precision, and in this way their future actions have more impact on pupils' learning. ? Pupils would like to have a stronger voice in the school as, for example, they feel that the student council does not have enough impact. The school needs to develop systems to improve the pupil voice and for the school council to be more effective.