St Andrew’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), thrive at St Andrew's School. They are happy at school. Typically, pupils behave well and they develop positive attitudes to learning.

Pupils strive each day to meet leaders' high expectations of their learning and behaviour.

Pupils value their diverse community. Many pupils at the school are new to the country.

Nevertheless, they settle quickly, make new friends and catch up where they have missing knowledge. Pupils told inspectors that it does not matter who you are because everyone is treated the same at St Andrew's School.

Pupils learn to listen to, and show respec...t for, others.

They support each other well during lessons and at breaktimes. Those pupils who take on leadership roles, such as being a member of the ethos group, make a valuable contribution to the school community. Leadership roles help pupils to develop their wider talents and interests.

As a result of a well-designed curriculum, pupils make steady progress and they achieve well across the range of subjects. Pupils were very proud to share their learning with inspectors.

Pupils, and their parents and carers, were overwhelmingly positive about the support that they receive from staff.

Pupils told inspectors that adults provide timely help if they feel worried or upset. Any incidents of unkindness between pupils, including bullying, are dealt with thoroughly and swiftly. This makes pupils feel safe.

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

Since the previous inspection, leaders have overhauled the curriculum. There is now an ambitious curriculum in place that interests and motivates all pupils, including those with SEND. The curriculum is broad and balanced.

It is commensurate with the national curriculum. As a result of a well-designed curriculum, pupils typically learn and achieve well.

Leaders have taken time to understand the needs and backgrounds of the pupils at the school.

In creating the curriculum, leaders have accurately reflected pupils' learning needs and their starting points. They have ensured that teachers know what knowledge to focus on to ensure that pupils progress smoothly through the early years to Year 6. Leaders have defined a sensible order in which they expect pupils to build up their knowledge.

Consequently, most pupils have secure foundations on which to build new learning.

In the early years, leaders have also continued to develop the curriculum. Overall, the early years curriculum is well designed and well delivered.

However, in one or two areas of learning, the curriculum is not broken down into small enough steps. On occasions, this means that a few children do not develop equally well across each area of learning. Despite this, by the end of the early years, children are typically ready for the demands of Year 1.

Across the school, leaders have established assessment systems that staff understand. These systems are implemented increasingly well and they enable staff to address and identify pupils' misconceptions. Leaders are in the process of supporting those pupils who are new to school, and to the country, to catch up with their peers.

Reading is central to leaders' newly revised curriculum. Leaders provide high-quality texts to support pupils' learning. Teachers regularly explore a range of fiction, poetry and non-fiction with their classes.

Pupils across the school relish the times when they read with staff or with other pupils. Pupils appreciate how important reading is to help them learn more.

Skilled staff deliver the school's well-established phonics programme consistently well.

As a result, most children in the early years and most pupils in key stage 1 learn to read with fluency and accuracy. Some older pupils with SEND, and some pupils who are at the early stages of learning English, also benefit from access to the phonics programme. Despite this, some of these pupils do not catch up with their peers in reading as quickly as they should.

This hinders how well they learn across the wider curriculum.

Teachers identify pupils' additional needs, including SEND, quickly and effectively. Pupils with SEND receive additional support to access the curriculum.

Pupils with SEND have access to the same extra-curricular provision, and academic curriculum, as their peers.

Leaders have invested heavily in pupils' personal development. Pupils are keen to learn about different faiths and cultures.

They understand why it is important to follow rules and to listen to others' views. Pupils learn how to manage their own feelings and they consider those of others. Pupils display compassion.

They enjoy providing additional support to others when required. Through these and other activities, pupils develop the qualities that they need to make a positive contribution to their wider community when they are older.

As a result of their positive attitudes, pupils focus on learning during lesson time.

They make the most of the support that their teachers provide to build up their knowledge. Pupils behave well.

Leaders, including governors, have remained focused on addressing the issues raised during the previous inspection.

They have maintained their resolve to improve the quality of education for all pupils. This is despite the fact that they have faced a number of challenging situations during this time, including a fire. The impact of leaders' work is clear.

Pupils' outcomes are improving apace.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and governors place a high priority on safeguarding pupils.

They ensure that staff are well trained in how to keep pupils safe. Staff pass on concerns to those leaders responsible for safeguarding in a timely fashion. This enables leaders to make sure that the right support is in place for potentially vulnerable pupils.

Pupils understand the need to keep themselves safe. They describe with ease the many ways that they can do this. For example, pupils know how to stay safe while they are online.

They learn who they can trust. Pupils know what action to take if they feel unsafe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum in one or two areas of learning in the early years is under-developed.

As a result, some children do not learn all that they could. Leaders should finalise their curriculum thinking in the early years. They should identify the individual steps of learning that children must acquire to build up a secure body of knowledge across all aspects of the early years curriculum.

• A few pupils with SEND, and some pupils at the earlier stages of learning to speak English, do not catch up as quickly as they could in reading. This hinders how well some of these pupils learn across the wider curriculum. Leaders should ensure that pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge are supported to catch up with their peers as quickly as possible.