St Andrew’s Church of England Primary Academy, Marks Tey

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Marks Tey continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's ethos of 'be safe, be kind and be responsible' helps to guide pupils in their learning and play. Older children, for example, show kindness by helping if a younger child needs assistance with their coat.

In the classroom, pupils take responsibility for their learning by listening respectful and carrying out their learning tasks with high levels of enthusiasm. There is a calm atmosphere around the school.

Pupils at St Andrew's Church of England Primary School feel safe.

They know how to stay safe when online... and offline. Pupils say that bullying rarely happens. If it does, adults are quick to help.

Older pupils like to be responsible and look after younger pupils. For example, they enjoy helping children in the Reception class to choose a reading book from the library or including younger children in their games. Pupils also have the opportunity to be on the school council, where they can help to select charities that the school supports.

This helps the pupils to feel valued.

There is a range of clubs in which the pupils can take part, such as for football and for art. These opportunities help to enrich pupils' learning.

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

Leaders are ambitious about what they want pupils to learn and achieve. They have identified the important knowledge and skills that they want pupils to learn from early years to Year 6. Leaders have undertaken a detailed review of some subjects to carefully map out learning so that it progresses in sensible steps.

This is not yet the case across all areas of the curriculum. Leaders know where the curriculum strengths are, and which subjects are underdeveloped.Teachers teach the curriculum well.

They have secure subject knowledge and use this to present information clearly. For example, they help pupils in key stage 1 to understand how to use evidence to find out about historical periods of time and events. In class, teachers accurately identify misconceptions and provide pupils with the support they need to deepen pupils' knowledge.

Leaders ensure that reading has a high profile in the school. Children learn phonics from the start of Reception. Children enjoy reading a wide range of books.

This is guided by their reading passports. Reading regularly is celebrated across the school and this encourages pupils to read more frequently. The books that pupils read are accurately matched to what they know.

This helps pupils to use the sounds they know in their reading. Consequently, pupils learn to read fluently. For a small minority of pupils, the teaching of reading is not always precise enough.

Leaders' checking has enabled them to identify this, and plans are in place to address this. Leaders have effective systems for monitoring how well pupils are learning to read. This means that if a pupil is falling behind with their reading, appropriate action is taken to help them to catch up.

As a result, those pupils who struggle are supported well to develop their reading skills and become more confident readers.

The special educational needs coordinator has recently changed. This has resulted in a review taking place of the support in place for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils with SEND are accurately identified, and well-considered plans are in place to help them to achieve their best. Effective training means that staff are confident about adapting learning to ensure that pupils with SEND access the curriculum alongside their peers.

Leaders plan and promote pupils' personal, social and health education and personal development well.

Pupils learn how to be responsible and active citizens. This happens through a carefully planned curriculum, alongside opportunities to take on positions of responsibility, for example by becoming a hall monitor or a member of the school council.

Governors and school leaders have a shared understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the school.

Governors carry out their statutory duties appropriately. Governors check the information they are given and have secure systems in place that support them to hold leaders to account. As a result, governors know that leaders are making sure that pupils achieve well over time.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have created a positive culture for safeguarding. This includes having robust checks in place to ensure that all adults are safe to work with pupils.

Staff are well trained on what signs to look out for if pupils are at risk. Staff know how to report concerns. When concerns are raised, these are followed up promptly by leaders.

Leaders work effectively with other agencies to ensure that families can access the support they need.Pupils know how to keep safe both in school and in the wider world.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some areas of the curriculum are in the early stages of development.

While leaders have identified the essential knowledge and skills they intend pupils to learn in each subject area, plans in some subjects do not yet provide enough clarity about how learning is broken down and sequenced from early years to Year 6. Leaders need to ensure that all subjects are coherently planned and sequenced, so that pupils know and remember more and are well prepared for their next stage.

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 October 2011.

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