St Andrew’s CofE Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

St Andrew's is a welcoming and friendly school.

Pupils enjoy attending school and are keen to learn. Pupils and parents value the support and care that school staff provide. Pupils know there are adults to talk to if they have a worry.

As a result, pupils feel safe.

The trust has supported the school to begin to address some of the weaknesses in provision that are evident in the most recent published outcomes. The school has made some headway towards improvement.

Nonetheless, the quality of education is not yet good.

The school has successfully implemented a new behaviour policy. Pupils understand the expectations well.

As a result,... the school is calm and orderly. Pupils enjoy the rewards they receive for positive behaviour, such as house points. These help to motivate them to do well.

Pupils are polite and well mannered and show consideration of others.

Pupils' understanding of the school values is evident in how they treat one another. They learn about friendship, equality and difference.

As a result, pupils understand the importance of treating everyone fairly.

Pupils enjoy a range of leadership opportunities. These include the school council, the eco-group, well-being ambassadors and school librarians.

These roles help pupils to develop a strong sense of responsibility.

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

The school, with support of the trust, has developed a curriculum that sets out the knowledge that it wants pupils to know and remember. However, the design and implementation of the curriculum does not ensure that all pupils learn the knowledge they need.

The design of some subject curriculums does not ensure pupils learn content in sufficient depth. While the school's vision is ambitious for all pupils, this ambition is not yet fully realised in the impact of the curriculum. This means that some pupils are not well prepared for the next stage in their education.

The school places a strong emphasis on developing pupils' language. The school has considered the essential vocabulary that it wants pupils to learn. Adults model this well.

This starts in the early years where Reception-age children learn to express their thoughts and ideas.

The school places a strong focus on early reading. Children learn to read as soon as they start school.

In the nursery, children enjoy listening to stories and poems, and singing songs. Older pupils talk with interest about the books they like to read and their favourite authors. Staff support pupils well to learn to read.

Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. This helps them to develop fluency and confidence. Where pupils fall behind, they are provided with support to help them to catch up.

However, some pupils find it tricky to apply what they have learned in phonics to their independent writing.

The school has developed its curriculum in core subjects. For example, the mathematics curriculum is well sequenced.

Teaching presents new information clearly to help pupils to learn new content. However, in the wider curriculum, some pupils do not recall what they have learned securely. This means they do not build their knowledge well over time.

Some of the changes to the curriculum are new. The trust does not yet have a well-informed view of the effectiveness of the curriculum and the impact of these changes. As a result, some children have gaps in their understanding and some pupils' needs are not well met.

Assessment in core subjects is developing so that teachers check what pupils know and remember. Mostly this is used to identify where there are gaps. However, in some areas of the curriculum, assessment is not used effectively.

The school does not use assessment to identify the root causes of why gaps in knowledge persist. As a result, some pupils continue to have gaps in their learning. Where this occurs, they do not recall what they have learned previously so are not able to build on what they already know.

The trust has supported the school with strengthening its provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff ensure that pupils' needs are quickly identified and that support plans set appropriate targets. They help pupils to learn the same curriculum as their peers.

The school's personal development curriculum helps to extend pupils' learning beyond the academic. The school helps pupils to learn to become active and responsible citizens. For example, through charity fundraising events and taking part in the local community eco-projects.

Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of the fundamental British values. They recognise that voting is a democratic and fair process. The school strives to ensure that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain through a range of trips and visits, such as a trip to London for older pupils.

Staff are positive about the school. They appreciate the care and support that they receive from the trust and the head of school. Trustees are committed to improving the school and share the school's vision.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The design and implementation of the curriculum does not always support pupils to develop a secure understanding. Some subject curriculums need further refinement to ensure pupils learn content in sufficient depth.

Consequently, some pupils do not build their knowledge well over time. The trust needs to continue to develop the curriculum, ensuring that it is effectively implemented so that pupils learn it well and are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. ? Assessment is not used effectively to identify gaps in knowledge and understanding.

Furthermore, it is not used to identify why gaps in knowledge persist. As a result, some pupils do not build their knowledge securely. The trust needs to ensure assessment is used well to identify where and why gaps in knowledge occur, and check that pupils catch up in their learning, so that they know more and remember more in the long term.

• There is insufficient oversight of the curriculum and its impact. As a result, the trust is not aware how effectively the curriculum is being implemented to ensure the needs of all pupils are met. The trust needs to ensure that there are effective systems in place to establish an accurate and well-informed view of the school in order to drive forward further improvements.