St Edmund’s RC Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Edmund's RC Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

St Edmund's is a harmonious school underpinned by Catholic values.

Pupils enter school happy and ready to learn. They appreciate the care and guidance that they receive from their teachers. Pupils were keen to tell the inspector that the best feature of the school is their teachers.

Parents and carers value the range of support provided for their children.

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have high expectations of pupils' behaviour.

Pupils respond to these expectations p...ositively. They told the inspector that bullying and name-calling are very rare. Pupils explained that any unkindness is always dealt with quickly by their teachers.

Pupils can access a wealth of after-school activities, including choir and athletics. They welcome the chance to become a school councillor, member of the 'GIFT team,' or a buddy reader to younger pupils. Pupils also understand how they can contribute positively to the local community.

Most recently, this has included raising funds for a local charity and visiting residential homes in the area.

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

Leaders want all pupils at St Edmund's to have the best experiences and opportunities. They have planned a suitably broad and ambitious curriculum to help achieve this goal.

Subject leaders have made sure that their plans cover the breadth and depth of the national curriculum and meet the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.

Most curriculum plans are well ordered to build on pupils' prior learning. For example, in geography, plans show how children in the early years use simple maps to identify the place that they live.

Pupils in key stages 1 and 2 move on to using more complex maps and atlases to find out about the British Isles, Europe and beyond. Leaders ensure that purposeful enrichment opportunities are planned, such as the recent fieldwork trip to Blackleach Country Park. Pupils are also given opportunities to practise and use subject-specific vocabulary in their learning.

A small number of curriculum plans are not as well developed. In these subjects, the links to previous learning are not always as clear. Consequently, pupils are less able to build on what they know and can do.

Leaders have ensured that reading is prioritised throughout the school. Leaders and staff have benefited from training that enables them to deliver the phonics programme effectively. Pupils' phonics knowledge is developed using books that closely match the sounds that they know.

As a result, pupils progress into fluent readers. Pupils who require additional support receive extra sessions to help them catch up quickly. Older pupils are enthused by the vast array of books available to them.

They explained that they love reading. Teachers read thoughtfully chosen texts and help pupils to develop their comprehension skills.

Staff use their recent training well to deliver the mathematics curriculum effectively.

In the Nursery class, some children were already showing that they could count to five with increasing confidence. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is helping pupils know and remember more. For example, older pupils are able to use their knowledge of place value from the previous year to help them order numbers up to 100,000.

Pupils' knowledge of times tables is secure.

Pupils' behaviour is calm and orderly. They display a willingness to learn and work hard in their lessons.

Children in the early years have settled in quickly. They listen attentively and engage in their learning, despite only being in school for a matter of days. At lunch and breaktimes, pupils play together happily.

Leaders and staff ensure that positive behaviour is rewarded.

Leaders have implemented activities and teaching strategies that are used to promote pupils' well-being and resilience. Pupils are taught a range of approaches to improve their self-confidence and they can also attend a mindfulness club.

Staff are appreciative of the support that they receive from leaders and governors. Staff reported that they are proud to be a member of the St Edmund's family. They value the recent actions taken by leaders that have had a positive impact on their well-being and workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff know their local community well. They understand the dangers that pupils may face.

Staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe. Pupils know they can speak to any member of staff if they have any worries.

Leaders ensure that staff report any concerns they may have, no matter how small.

Regular training equips staff with the knowledge to identify any signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Leaders have close links to a range of outside agencies who help support them in keeping pupils safe. Referrals are made quickly to ensure that pupils and families receive the support they need.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, the curriculum plans are not as well developed as they might be. In these subjects, it is unclear how new learning builds on previously taught knowledge. This is hindering pupils from building on what they already know and can do.

Leaders should review the curriculum planning for these subjects to ensure that the essential knowledge that pupils should learn is clearly identified. This will enable pupils to know more and remember more of the curriculum as they move from class to class.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 a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2016.