St Cedd’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Cedd's Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this small village school. They show a great deal of compassion and care for each other.

It is very important to pupils that everyone feels included. Staff and pupils have respectful and supportive relationships. This helps pupils feel safe and happy.

Pupils respond well to the high expectations that teachers set. They understand and follow the clear rules and routines. Pupils behave in a calm and orderly way in the classrooms and when moving around the school.

Bullying is rare. When it does happen, staff deal with it quickly and ...well.

Pupils learn a broad curriculum.

They enjoy the wider opportunities leaders provide, including trips and enrichment activities that link to subjects. Pupils work hard, enjoy learning and achieve well. Pupils leave with the foundations needed for the next stage of their education.

Pupils understand that being different should be valued and respected. They can talk knowledgeably about other faiths and cultures. Pupils enjoy the opportunities to take on extra responsibilities, including being play leaders and being voted into the pupil parliament.

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

Leaders have developed ambitious curriculum plans. They have carefully considered what pupils need to learn from the early years to Year 6. Each small step of learning is identified and put in a logical order.

This helps pupils to build effectively on knowledge they have learned previously.

Children in the early years benefit from engaging and well-planned activities that capture their imagination. This helps the children to develop independence and a love of learning.

There is a sharp focus on developing and building communication skills. All adults skilfully question children, which enables children to develop their language skills. Children are well prepared for learning in Year 1.

Staff are well trained and have good subject knowledge. They present information clearly, so that pupils understand what they are learning. Teachers check what pupils know and can do regularly.

They identify and address any misconceptions. Pupils can remember and apply key knowledge using subject-specific vocabulary. Pupils achieve well over time.

Children develop a love of reading in the early years, as they read, share and re-tell familiar stories. Teachers help pupils develop this more as they get older. They ensure that pupils can read a wide range of high-quality books.

Children start to learn phonics as soon as they join Reception. Pupils build on this in Year 1 and Year 2, so they recognise, read and spell unfamiliar words. However, for a few pupils, the books that they read do not closely match their phonics knowledge.

They do not get to practise reading the sounds they have learned, which slows their ability to read fluently. Pupils who struggle with reading get extra help for as long as they need it. However, a few pupils do not follow a 'catch-up programme' that focuses exactly on the gaps in their phonics knowledge, so they do not make the progress they could.

Leaders are ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They provide training for staff, so that they can help to meet pupils' differing needs. Staff help pupils with SEND learn the same broad curriculum as their classmates.

Teachers adapt their teaching to help pupils with SEND learn successfully.

Staff set clear expectations for pupils' behaviour. Children in the early years follow routines well.

This helps them to develop positive attitudes to learning. They know how to play and work with others. Pupils understand the school rules and they feel they are fair.

Leaders ensure teachers have the guidance and support needed to manage pupils' behaviour well. Pupils' learning is rarely disrupted by the behaviour of others. Teachers tackle the few instances that occur immediately.

Pupils develop a strong sense of kindness towards others. They understand that individual personalities make people unique. Leaders have developed a personal, social, health and economic education curriculum that helps pupils to develop resilience and look after their emotional and mental health.

Pupils start to develop the knowledge they need to become thoughtful, responsible citizens.

Governors and the trust work well together to improve the school. They engage well with parents and the community.

Leaders provide many opportunities for parents to see the work of the school. Staff are supportive of leaders. Leaders consider staff well-being and what is best for pupils when making changes.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure staff are trained to recognise how to identify children who may be at risk of harm. Staff understand how and when to pass on concerns.

Leaders act on concerns in a timely manner to help keep pupils safe. They work effectively with other agencies to keep pupils safe when they need to do so.

Leaders and governors ensure that the necessary checks are carried out before staff are employed to work at the school.

Pupils feel safe at school. They learn how to keep themselves safe in the community and when working online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A small number of pupils do not read books that closely match their phonics knowledge.

This slows down pupils' ability to read fluently. Leaders need to ensure that books that all pupils read closely match their phonics knowledge, so that all become confident, fluent readers as quickly as possible. ? A few pupils who need extra support with phonics do not receive a teaching and support approach that focuses precisely on the gaps in their phonics knowledge.

This means that they continue to struggle to decode words and are not supported to make the progress that they should. Leaders should ensure that all pupils who need additional support with learning phonics have teaching that focuses on the precise gaps in their phonics 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2017.