Saltney Ferry C.P. School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

A group of children in a gymDescription automatically generatedA child and child playing with sandDescription automatically generatedA person and child sitting at a tableDescription automatically generatedSaltney Ferry Primary School is a caring and supportive learning environment where pupils develop positive attitudes and an effective understanding of important characteristics for lifelong learning, such as independence and perseverance. All adults at the school care for pupils considerately and thoughtfully.

They place a high value of developing pupils' well-being and treat all with respect. Nearly all pupils make a highly positive start at the school and begin to develop knowledge and skills quickly. However, their progress thr...ough the school is inconsistent.

While teachers provide pupils with engaging learning experiences, they do not always build well enough on their knowledge and understanding. As a result, pupils do not develop well in some important areas of learning, such as their reading, writing and digital skills. Staff plan and deliver a broad range of opportunities for pupils to help them learn about and empathise with the needs of others, and to understand diverse viewpoints on important worldwide issues, such as global warming.

They provide a useful range of targeted support for pupils with identified additional needs. However, at present leaders do not evaluate the effect this provision well enough. The school has a new headteacher, who has quickly developed a constructive relationship with staff and with pupils.

He sets a positive example and has begun to set in place the foundation for needed improvements. However, at present the school does not evaluate itself nor plan for improvement robustly enough. As a result, it does not always address shortcomings in teaching and in learning effectively.

Recommendations R1 Improve pupils' reading and writing skills R2 Improve pupils' Welsh language and their digital skills R3 Ensure that teachers maintain high expectations, and challenge all pupils to achieve consistently R4 Implement effective procedures to evaluate the work of the school and address identified areas for improvement robustly R5 Ensure that planned learning experiences build on pupils' knowledge, skills and understanding systematically