St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a busy, community school where pupils feel valued and cared for.

Pupils, including children in early years, enjoy their learning and taking part in the additional activities on offer each day. Pupils said that they feel happy and safe in school.

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Staff appreciate that each pupil is unique. They expect pupils to achieve well. Pupils eagerly rise to these expectations.

Pupils and staff have positive relationships, a...nd pupils are confident that staff will listen to them if they have any worries. Behaviour in lessons and around school is calm and purposeful. Pupils value the rewards that they regularly receive for their kindness and their hard work.

In early years, staff support children to settle in quickly and become familiar with the school's routines. For example, children quickly learn to share and take turns.

Pupils relish taking on several leadership roles.

For example, members of the school council were proud of the harvest boxes that they delivered to residents in the local community. Pupils told inspectors that staff listen to their ideas and value their important work in supporting others.

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

The school has carefully organised the curriculum to enable pupils to build their knowledge successfully over time.

This begins in early years, where the school has identified vocabulary and key concepts that they want children to learn. Most subject curriculums are well established and logically ordered. In the main, pupils are prepared well for secondary school.

The school provides teachers, including staff in early years, with the training that they need to deliver the curriculum effectively. Teachers use their expertise to design and deliver learning with clarity and enthusiasm. Pupils are supported to make connections across their learning and to apply their knowledge in different contexts.

Teachers are well equipped to check on what pupils know and remember. This includes for pupils with SEND, for whom teachers make appropriate adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum so that these pupils can learn well. As a result, in most subjects, teachers identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge as these arise.

A small number of subject curriculums, however, have recently been strengthened by the school. In these subjects, some older pupils have gaps in their knowledge from weaknesses in the previous curriculum. This means that, on occasion, gaps in these pupils' earlier learning prevent them from building securely on what they know already.

The school has prioritised reading and has ensured that there is an effective phonics programme in place. Children in the Nursery class enjoy singing songs and rhymes with their teachers. This prepares children well for learning phonics as soon as they join Reception Year.

Pupils achieve well in reading. When pupils find reading more difficult, staff provide appropriate support so that these pupils can catch up quickly with their peers.

Pupils in older year groups continue to enjoy reading.

They told inspectors that they especially value opportunities to read books relating to the different topics that they have learned.

The school has rigorous processes in place for identifying the additional needs of pupils with SEND. This starts in early years, where staff are skilled at adapting their delivery of the curriculum to support children with SEND well.

Across the school, pupils with SEND successfully learn the same curriculum as their peers.

The school's values permeate the positive behaviour and caring attitudes displayed by pupils. In lessons, pupils follow routines diligently and engage well with their learning.

Children in early years learn to listen carefully to instructions. Outside lessons, pupils interact well and enjoy the range of activities on offer to them.

The school provides a wide range of opportunities beyond the curriculum, including a variety of clubs, activities and visits.

The school ensures that these experiences are accessible to all pupils. Pupils also learn how to keep themselves safe, how to forge healthy relationships and about strategies to support their mental health.

Most parents and carers were highly complimentary about all that the school does for their children and the detailed communications that they receive.

For example, parents have opportunities to visit the school and they are provided with suitable information to support their children's learning at home.

Staff said that they enjoy working at the school. They said that leaders considered their workload when the updated curriculums were implemented.

Governors are highly equipped to provide effective support and challenge to the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A small number of subject curriculums have recently been updated.

As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge as they move from the previous curriculums to the new ones. The school should ensure that teachers are suitably equipped to identify and remedy any residual gaps in pupils' knowledge.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2013.

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