St Crispin’s Community Primary Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy at this warm and nurturing school. Starting in early years, pupils learn routines that help them to behave well. Pupils are polite and kind.

They concentrate well in lessons and play together joyfully at breaktimes. The school is calm and orderly. Pupils have strong relationships with staff.

They have trusted adults that they know will help them with any concerns they may have.

Pupils enjoy learning. They learn many of the skills that prepare them well for their next steps.

However, the teaching of phonics is not consistently effective and some pupils, who fall behind in reading, do not catch up swiftly enough. As a result,... too many pupils do not become confident and fluent readers by the end of Year 2.

Pupils learn a range of strategies to manage their emotional health and well-being effectively.

Pupils use the 'nurture nooks' to give themselves time to reflect and return to class ready to learn. Pupils who require additional help can work with a range of staff. For example, 'treehouse talks' with members of the skilled pastoral team offer a range of therapeutic support.

Pupils are confident to share their feelings and to seek help when they need it.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum. It has clearly identified the skills and knowledge it wants pupils to learn.

This begins in early years. The curriculum revisits prior learning over time. In most subjects, this helps pupils to recall and build on this knowledge.

Too many pupils do not learn the sounds and letters they need to become confident and fluent readers quickly enough. While there has been some improvement, the proportion of pupils who meet the expected standard in the phonics screening check remains low.Staff's checks on pupils' phonics knowledge are not precise enough.

Consequently, the books that pupils read are not matched closely enough to the sounds and letters that they know. This means that some pupils cannot practise their reading sufficiently well. Children in early years do learn the sounds and letters they need.

Teachers' subject knowledge is generally secure. They explain learning clearly. Teachers' checks on knowledge identify gaps in learning and they use these to plan activities to help pupils catch up.

The school is a rich and engaging learning environment. Teachers carefully consider how to maximise learning. For example, early years staff ensure there are writing opportunities next to the popular construction area.

As a result, more children engage with writing tasks independently. However, a small number of tasks that teachers select do not always help pupils to recall prior learning well enough.

The school knows its pupils well.

This helps staff to identify the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), accurately. Staff adapt activities to break down barriers to learning and help pupils to learn the curriculum content. A small number of pupils follow individualised curriculums closely matched to their needs.

These pupils quickly improve skills and knowledge from their starting points.

The school has introduced a new approach to writing. Consequently, pupils write accurately in a number of styles, and their spelling improves over time.

They have a passion for the books they read and can recall key elements of these stories. Pupils have age-appropriate mathematical knowledge and can apply it accurately. However, too many pupils are not prepared well enough for their next steps because of the inconsistent approach to phonics.

Pupils work hard and listen to teachers intently. Older pupils act as 'play rangers' and positive role models. They take these responsibilities seriously and help others to behave well.

The school tracks attendance carefully and responds quickly to pupils' absence. It identifies potential barriers to attendance effectively. The school has clear strategies to reduce absence for the small group of pupils who do not attend frequently.

These include support from the pastoral team or referrals to external agencies. As a result, attendance is improving over time.

The school prioritises pupils' personal development.

The well-designed outdoor learning offer improves resilience and independence. Engaging trips and visits enhance learning and introduce pupils to a range of potential careers. The broad range of clubs offered by the school helps pupils to develop their talents and interests.

Governors work closely with the school. They offer appropriate levels of challenge and support. The school has refined the curriculum over time.

However, at times, it is not aware of the impact of its work. Leaders at all levels do not respond quickly enough to improve achievement for pupils in some subjects. Staff receive appropriate training and are well supported by leaders.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school does not precisely evaluate the impact of its strategies to improve pupils' achievement in some areas. As a result, it cannot identify which activities have the strongest impact in improving outcomes for pupils.

The school must ensure it has systems for clearly identifying the impact of its work to better inform its improvement priorities. ? Pupils' reading books are not closely enough matched to the sounds and letters that they are learning. As a result, some pupils do not read with appropriate accuracy and fluency.

The school should ensure that checks on pupils' phonics knowledge are more precise and support staff in selecting books that pupils can read confidently and fluently. ? Some staff do not implement the school's early reading programme as consistently as they should. When this is the case, the quality of phonics teaching is variable.

This means that some pupils do not benefit from high-quality phonics teaching. This is also the case for some pupils who receive additional support for reading. The school should ensure that all staff who teach pupils to read have the skills and knowledge to deliver the phonics programme with total fidelity.

• Some of the learning activities that teachers select for pupils do not support pupils in applying the important skills and knowledge they learn. As a result, pupils learn the curriculum content but do not always recall the vocabulary and knowledge they have learned. The school should ensure that teachers select activities that allow pupils to apply and build on the curriculum content they learn.

Also at this postcode