St Aidan’s Primary School - A Church of England Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to this warm and nurturing school. They are incredibly proud of their 'Always' badges.

These represent the school's values that pupils display daily in their behaviour, like being accepting and accountable. Pupils are confident, kind and articulate individuals.

The school is ambitious for all.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), rise to meet these expectations. They work hard in lessons and try their best to succeed. Pupils typically learn without distraction from others.

They trust staff to deal with any rare incidents of misbehaviour quickly. In the early years, children ...settle quickly into school routines and learn to interact with others. Most pupils achieve well across the curriculum.

Pupils are encouraged to apply for, and be democratically elected to, responsible roles in school. They carry out their duties keenly, for example as school councillors, who have recently introduced 'shine dine' lunchtimes. Community ambassadors look after their neighbours by bag packing in the local shop and litter picking to enhance their local environment.

Pupils enjoy being with their friends. They care deeply for each other and the wider world. They enjoy their time together on various school trips to museums, local nature reserves and residential centres.

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

This school is emerging from a period of change, with a new headteacher recently appointed and a new chair of governors elected. The school has designed broad and ambitious curriculums. It has clearly identified the key knowledge that pupils should learn from the beginning of the Reception Year to the end of Year 6.

The school's published data for 2024 shows that the proportion of Year 6 pupils who met the expected standard for writing in key stage 2, fell below the national average. In this year group, a significant number of pupils joined the school in Year 5 or 6. They did not have time to benefit fully from the school's strong curriculum.

Currently, pupils achieve well across a range of subjects.

Staff benefit from high-quality curriculum training. As a result, they choose appropriate resources, activities and questions to help pupils to learn.

In most subjects, pupils' work shows their understanding of the knowledge and skills that they have learned. However, in a few subjects, teachers do not routinely address misconceptions in pupils' learning. This hinders pupils' ability to build new learning on to current knowledge.

In the main, staff provide pupils with opportunities to recall and retrieve their learning. As a result, pupils can talk confidently about their prior learning. However, in a few subjects, pupils do not have the same opportunities to recap on prior learning.

They sometimes struggle to remember what they have been taught previously. This hampers their ability to build on their learning well enough in these subjects.

The school has successfully fostered a love of reading among pupils.

Older pupils read from a wide range of literature, and they spoke excitedly about a poet who had visited recently. From the early years onwards, staff enthusiastically share stories and rhymes with children to develop their language skills. Staff are skilled at teaching phonics.

Pupils quickly become accurate and fluent readers. If pupils need additional support, they are given prompt help to enable them to catch up quickly.

The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND quickly and accurately.

Staff adapt activities skilfully so that these pupils access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Pupils with SEND are fully involved in all aspects of school life.

Pupils, including children in the Reception Year, consistently demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning.

They are friendly and well-mannered. The school prioritises pupils' regular attendance. It has recently implemented new systems to improve the attendance of pupils who are often absent from school.

These have been effective, and the majority of pupils now attend school regularly.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment opportunities that are woven through the curriculum. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online and how to stay physically and mentally healthy.

They have a thorough understanding of fundamental British values and a mature approach to accepting people's differences. They say that everyone should be treated equally.

Pupils can choose to take part in an extensive array of extra-curricular activities.

Staff listen to pupil voice and provide activities that fire pupils' interests. These include board games, karaoke and French clubs. In addition, the school offers regular chances to take part in various local competitions.

These activities nurture pupils' talents and add considerable value to their wider development.

Trustees and members of the local governing body carry out their statutory duties with rigour. They provide effective support and challenge in equal measure.

Staff are very positive about their own development, workload and well-being. They feel valued by leaders and are proud to be part of a successful team.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, teachers do not address misconceptions fully in pupils' learning. This means that some pupils' errors go unchecked, and they do not have a secure body of knowledge to build new learning upon. The school should ensure that pupils' misconceptions are effectively dealt with.

• In a few subjects, pupils do not have enough meaningful opportunities to revisit their previous learning. This means that they struggle to remember what they have learned. The school should ensure that pupils are helped to remember their prior learning so that they can build on what they know as they move through the curriculum.