St Aidan’s CofE Primary School Billinge

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy belonging to the St Aidan's family.

They said that this helps them to feel happy and cared for. Pupils understand and follow the school values well. They champion each other to 'let their light shine'.

Pupils are polite, well mannered and thoughtful to each other and towards staff. The school is built on a strong culture of respect. Pupils support each other in their learning and their play.

They said that 'trusted adults' are there to help them if they have any worries or concerns.

Pupils enjoy holding positions of responsibility, such as Year 6 'Reception buddies' or environmental and extra-curricular ambassadors. They know that their ...opinions matter and that they are listened to.

Pupils feel proud of the contributions that they make to the school and to the wider community.

The school has high expectations for pupils' learning. Pupils know that they are expected to work hard and to succeed.

However, their achievement across the school is uneven. Some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not learn all that they should in some subjects.

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

Early reading and phonics have been priorities for the school since the previous inspection.

Children in the Nursery class enjoy joining in with songs and rhymes. This prepares them well for learning phonics as soon as they enter the Reception class. Pupils practise reading using books that contain the sounds that they already know.

Teachers receive regular training so that they have the expertise to deliver the phonics programme consistently well. Pupils who fall behind in the phonics programme are supported to catch up effectively. This helps pupils to become successful and fluent readers.

Reading is threaded throughout the school. Texts and books are well chosen to support pupils' learning across the curriculum. Older pupils particularly enjoy the stories shared by teachers.

They said that teachers read in a way that makes it feel like they have stepped into the book. Pupils enjoy receiving rewards and praise for their hard work with different bookmarks in each year group.

The school has recently developed a curriculum that is ambitious.

However, in several subjects, the school has not determined the important knowledge that pupils should know and understand. In addition, in some subjects, the school has not established the order in which pupils will learn new information. This means that some pupils, including those with SEND, do not develop secure foundations on which to build new learning.

Typically, staff have secure subject knowledge. They check on pupils' learning to identify any gaps or misconceptions. However, in some subjects, staff do not have the expertise that they need to deliver elements of the subject curriculums as well as they should.

Consequently, staff sometimes do not support pupils to make secure connections between topics and concepts. This hinders how well some pupils build their knowledge, skills and understanding in these curriculum areas.

Some of the school's methods for checking on the quality of the implementation of the curriculum are also underdeveloped.

This means that the school does not have a sufficiently secure understanding of how well staff are delivering the curriculum across the school.

The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND appropriately. The school is particularly effective in supporting pupils with severe and complex needs.

However, at times, staff do not adapt the delivery of the curriculum as effectively as they should for pupils with education, health and care plans. This means that some pupils with SEND struggle to learn alongside their peers.

Pupils behave well.

The school is a haven of calm where pupils focus on their learning well. They enjoy playtimes with their friends. Pupils are extremely well mannered and are highly respectful to one another.

They learn about relationships, consent and what makes a good friend. Pupils are tolerant of differences between themselves and others. They celebrate the uniqueness of everyone in the community.

The school focuses strongly on pupils' wider development. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe while online and how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. They enjoy the range of trips and visits on offer.

Pupils enjoy learning about different careers that may be open to them in the future. These experiences help to build their confidence and prepare them well for life beyond St Aidan's.

Staff appreciate the school's consideration for their workload and well-being.

For example, the school has improved the approach to providing pupils with feedback on their learning. Members of the local governing body understand their statutory duties and work closely with the school to aid continued improvement in the quality of education provided for pupils.

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 school has not thought carefully enough about the essential knowledge that pupils should learn. This prevents pupils from achieving as well as they should. The school should determine the knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which this should be taught in these subjects.

Some staff do not have sufficient subject knowledge to deliver aspects of the curriculum consistently well. This prevents some pupils from having secure foundations on which to build new knowledge and information. The school should ensure that staff deliver the curriculum as effectively as they should.

• The school's methods for checking how well the curriculum is being implemented are underdeveloped. As a result, the school does not have a sufficiently secure understanding of how successfully pupils are learning new knowledge and information. The school should ensure that it has insight into the impact of the curriculum on pupils' learning.

• Some staff do not adapt the delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND sufficiently well. This hinders how well pupils with SEND learn and achieve in some subjects. The school should ensure that staff are trained to enable pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum.