St Chad’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy and nurturing school.

Pupils, staff, and parents and carers told us that the school is like a family. Pupils achieve well.

The school is at the heart of the village community.

Pupils are regular visitors to church. They told us they love taking part in community events such as a choir festival and Saddleworth Olympics.

Pupils love school.

They describe their teachers as kind. Pupils said staff give them lots of support and encouragement to achieve their very best. Pupils work very well to support each other with their learning.

Staff make sure pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the r...ight help.

Staff care about pupils' well-being. Pupils have someone to talk to if they are worried.

They feel safe in school.

Pupils get off to a flying start with their reading. Across the school, staff share a wide range of novels and books with pupils.

Pupils are enthusiastic readers.

Across all classes, pupils behave well. They are courteous and sensible.

Pupils told us that bullying is very rare. They said that staff sort out misbehaviour.

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

The school has a strong Christian ethos.

Pupils learn to be kind and helpful. They enjoy their leadership roles. Older pupils help at lunchtimes.

Members of the school council show visitors around the school.

A strength of the school is the determination staff show to help all pupils succeed, including pupils with SEND. Staff give pupils with additional needs a very wide range of carefully planned support.

Classrooms are arranged to help all pupils learn. For example, where needed, staff give pupils a quiet working area. A well-planned before-school club helps pupils with additional needs.

A school counsellor provides pupils with help, when needed.

Leaders have developed a curriculum that helps pupils appreciate the world around them. In a whole-school topic about Africa, pupils enjoyed finding out about different countries and cultures.

Pupils value differences. They learn about different religions, including Islam and Hinduism.

Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well in mathematics.

During a visit to Reception, children were practising counting and taking one away. Adults help children count different objects and to recognise numbers. Across the school, teachers give pupils lots of time to practise their skills.

Pupils become accurate in their written calculations. Teachers plan learning that helps pupils to become confident problem solvers.Leaders make sure that pupils across the school learn to read fluently and with good understanding.

Pupils achieve highly in reading. Staff are well trained in teaching phonics. Leaders make sure that reading books are closely matched to pupils' reading ability.

Parents understand the importance of reading with their children at home.

The school's curriculum is broad and balanced. Leaders have taken steps to improve how well pupils learn over time.

For example, in Spanish, the revised curriculum plans give pupils time to revisit vocabulary. Pupils learn grammatical differences between Spanish and English. Teachers make sure that pupils' Spanish pronunciation is accurate.

In geography, leaders have set out very clear expectations for what pupils learn across the school. The plans build on pupils' previous learning. For example, pupils develop their mapping skills over time.

In subjects other than mathematics and English, however, these improvements to the school's plans are recent. Pupils struggle to remember in detail some of their previous learning. This is the case in history, geography, science and Spanish.

Leaders are improving the checks that they make on pupils' learning. This is to ensure that the revised plans are enabling pupils to learn more and remember more.

In Reception classes, children play together well.

They concentrate and show interest in what they are doing. During our visit, children were working as a team to build a tall tower of bricks. Pupils relish the time they spend in the forest area.

Children explore the different texture of tree bark and soil. They use the wide space imaginatively. For example, children were making fairy swings using twigs and string.

Others were using magnifying glasses to hunt for bugs. In the indoor and outdoor classroom areas, children have fewer opportunities to play and explore across different areas of learning.

The trust places a high priority on staff well-being and staff training.

Staff feel valued by leaders. Teachers appreciate the many opportunities they have to attend training and to work across the trust.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff receive regular training and updates. Staff know that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. Leaders work closely with other agencies and professionals.

This ensures that pupils and their families get support when needed. Leaders check staff recruited to work in school to ensure that they pose no threat to pupils.

Staff and visitors teach pupils about the risks that they might face in their everyday lives and when using technology.

Pupils know that they should speak to an adult if they are concerned. They feel safe in school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders have developed the school's curriculum plans to improve pupils' learning.

Leaders need to check that curriculum plans across different subjects, including geography, history, science and Spanish, are having the intended impact in further strengthening pupils' knowledge and understanding. . Leaders have taken steps to improve assessment activities to check teaching and learning across the curriculum.

Leaders need to ensure that they know how well pupils are learning over time. . Leaders need to ensure that the indoor and outdoor classrooms in Reception provide more opportunities for children to play and explore, be active in their learning and to be creative.