Peterhouse CofE Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Peterhouse CofE Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

The head of school is Sarah Lund. This school is part of Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Oliver Burwood, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by William Crawshay. There is also an executive headteacher, Ryan Freeman, who is responsible for this school and one other.

What is it like to attend this school?

Peterhouse Primary Academy is a welcoming and happy community.

Pupils and staff alike enjoy being in the school.

Pupils learn in a c...alm and purposeful environment. At social times, they play well together.

There is mutual respect. Pupils feel safe in school. Unkind language is not something that they hear often.

Pupils are confident that if they are worried, they can talk to a trusted adult. They speak highly of the school's pastoral team.

There are high expectations of pupils' achievement.

Younger pupils achieve well. They enjoy reading, write well and have a good understanding of mathematics. Children in the nursery enjoy story time and 'funky fingers'.

They are good at taking turns. Children respond well to staff's expectations to be patient when playing games such as 'bubble blowing'.

Pupils appreciate the range of opportunities available that give them responsibility.

A very large number of them attend the daily breakfast club. As part of this, they are able to enjoy chatting to their friends or participating in planned activities, such as dancing.

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

The school has a challenging curriculum that gives pupils the knowledge they need to succeed in life.

There is a sharp focus on ensuring teachers deliver the curriculum effectively. In a small number of subjects, pupils do not retain as much knowledge over time. Consequently, the published outcomes for some pupils at key stage 2 in 2023 do not reflect the current progress of the school.

The curriculum is delivered well in almost all subjects. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They break down difficult concepts so that pupils easily understand key ideas.

Teachers look carefully at what pupils know and can do. This is so that they address pupils' misconceptions quickly. Pupils are gaining confidence with their explanations of their learning, using accurate subject vocabulary.

There is a rigorous approach to the teaching of early reading in the school. Nursery children learn to listen closely, which helps them to learn the sounds they need to blend later on. They enjoy listening to carefully chosen rhymes and stories.

Staff expertly deliver the school's chosen phonics programme. They identify quickly when children and pupils in key stage 1 struggle with reading. A comprehensive programme of support helps struggling readers to catch up quickly.

Older pupils enjoy the daily reading practice lessons. They have well-developed reading habits. The library is a focal point of the school.

The identification of the needs of pupils is precise. Staff know pupils exceptionally well. As a result, there is effective support in place for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils with SEND engage well in lessons and access the same curriculum as their peers. There are detailed support plans in place for children in the early years. This ensures the school meets their needs effectively.

Pupils behave well during lessons and social times. They line up quietly and walk sensibly through the school. The school has high expectations of pupils.

They are polite to visitors and respond positively when staff greet them. Children in the early years pay close attention, switching on their 'listening ears'. They learn the routines of the classroom quickly.

They move around sensibly, collecting independently the equipment they need for their tasks.

The wider curriculum that supports pupils' development is very effective. Pupils benefit significantly.

The opportunities pupils experience through their lessons are extremely well planned. This includes the opportunity to learn about different faiths and religions. The 'life skills' curriculum is individually tailored to year groups.

It reflects well the needs of the community served by the school. The school makes good use of external speakers in areas such as road safety. Pupils feel proud of the leadership positions they hold.

Prefects and school councillors play an active part in the life of the school. Older pupils enjoy volunteering in the nursery. They help to set out activities and tidy away.

The school evaluates itself accurately. Leaders acknowledge any areas that need to improve, and these form part of their development plan. The trust provides the school with appropriate and timely support.

Trustees and governors play a key role in ensuring that the school maintains high standards. This includes ensuring that safeguarding procedures are effective. Staff enjoy working at the school and feel proud to be part of the community.

The school considers the workload of staff and acts on their concerns where they arise.

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, the delivery of the curriculum does not always enable all pupils to retain important knowledge in the long term.

Consequently, some pupils do not progress well in these subjects. The school should review the curriculum, making sure that pupils have opportunities to revisit key learning, thus enabling pupils to recall more over time.

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2018.