St Augustine’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and are extremely happy. They know the school's values well and strive for excellence.

Pupils also understand what it means to be kind, and they support each other whenever they can. They are polite, confident and resilient, and they are respectful of each other. Pupils have been taught to behave well and how to manage their own behaviour.

They learn to follow routines quickly. Bullying very rarely happens. If it does, pupils know who to report it to, and they are clear that it will be dealt with immediately.

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils work h...ard and achieve well. This includes children in early years.

Pupils are fully involved in the day-to-day life of the school, taking part in visits, trips and competitions.

Leaders provide pupils with a range of opportunities to develop their own interests, and they build elements of the curriculum around this. Pupils regularly take part in the forest school and enjoy taking on roles of librarian or 'playground buddy'.

They enjoy learning through stories, and staff give them time to reflect on what they have learned.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is ambitious for all. They ensure that the right adaptations are made for pupils with SEND to help them reach those high expectations.

This is especially the case in mathematics. Pupils are taught about number right from the start of school. This allows them to develop the fluency they need to tackle problems effectively as they progress through the curriculum.

Pupils also achieve well in a range of other subjects. In the strongest subjects, they demonstrate clear knowledge and produce work of a high standard as a result. Leaders have also constructed the curriculum in early years carefully.

They have thoughtfully considered the skills the children need to be successful. Teachers skilfully plan where children can revisit key learning through a range of purposeful activities. Therefore, children are making effective progress.

In some subjects, however, leaders' identification of knowledge is not as clear. Leaders still have high ambitions for pupils, but they have not broken down the content into what pupils should learn. This includes the vocabulary pupils need to know.

Teachers are, therefore, not able to check that pupils have learned what is needed precisely. Pupils are not always able to achieve as highly as they could in these subjects. This also includes children in the early years.

Children are not as fully prepared for their next steps as they could be.

Leaders have prioritised reading, and older pupils read with confidence. The sharing of books and stories is a strong focus throughout the curriculum.

The phonics scheme leaders have adopted begins in early years and is delivered effectively. Most pupils, therefore, quickly become fluent readers. For a small number of pupils who need extra help with their reading, the materials used to support them are not matched closely enough to what they have learned.

This means that pupils are not always focusing on the specific sounds they need to practise to help them become fluent readers. Leaders have also not yet ensured these pupils are being given enough time to practise what they need in order to catch up quickly with their peers. As such, the progress of these pupils is not as rapid as it could be.

Pupils' personal development is effective. The school's values underpin all that pupils do, and leaders have considered when and how they will teach these carefully. They also ensure that the programme is adapted to incorporate recent events from the news to enrich pupils' learning.

As a result, pupils talk confidently about how to stay safe, how to be healthy and how to develop positive relationships. Leaders ensure they provide opportunities for pupils to be active citizens, both within the school and beyond. This means that, in addition to being part of the school council, they participate in fundraising activities.

Pupils also engage with visitors from the local community and enjoy going on a range of trips.

Leaders, including governors, are mindful of workload and the well-being of staff. They ensure that staff are well supported.

Leaders are reflective and continually evaluate the work they do to focus on making further improvements. Governors also carefully check the processes used to ensure they are effective.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have ensured that the systems they have in place for safeguarding are robust. They have developed a culture that focuses on keeping children safe. Staff know how to report any concerns, and leaders take appropriate steps to manage risks.

Leaders, including governors, are clear about their responsibilities and undertake the right training. They check that everyone knows what safeguarding means. Leaders are also tenacious in following up concerns and checking that pupils have the support needed.

Pupils are taught how to stay safe, including online. They take part in workshops and other safeguarding topics.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The identification of knowledge and vocabulary in a few subjects is not yet precise enough.

This means that pupils do not always have all of the important knowledge they need. Leaders need to do further work to ensure this knowledge is identified, taught and assessed more carefully. There is a small number of pupils who need additional support with reading.

Some of these pupils are not making as much progress as they could be. This is because the sounds they need to practise are not yet identified carefully enough, and the resources used are not closely matched to what they need. Leaders need to ensure that teachers identify what pupils do and do not know so they can provide the right support and opportunities for them.

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