St Edward’s Catholic Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The smallest school on the Isle of Sheppey, St Edward's is a close community where families and the school work together.

Although the school is in one of the most deprived areas of the south east, pupils are motivated to do well and improve their life chances. Pupils are welcomed and feel safe and nurtured by the care they receive. They trust the adults around them to support and guide them.

Pupils are inclusive and kind. This is a result of the exceptionally strong start they receive in Reception.

The school has clear aspirations for all pupils, many of whom have diverse backgrounds and faiths.

In their behaviour and conduct, pupils rise to meet th...ese expectations. Pupils are eager to know more and enjoy learning. However, pupils' achievements in previous key stage 2 published outcomes do not yet match the school's ambition.

Pupils live up to the school's strong Catholic vision and values. These values are supported by trips and experiences that broaden pupils' horizons and give them a sense of ambition. The pupils relish leadership roles like walking the school dog and acting as peer mentors.

The school ensures that pupils who are disadvantaged fully benefit from these experiences.

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

Children have an exceptionally strong start to their education. The majority of children join the setting with some form of disadvantage, but staff are expert at dismantling the barriers to learning.

Children joyfully follow well-established routines. Their learning is meticulously planned with a clear purpose. Staff in the setting are experts in developing the language and attention of the children, particularly in their early reading and mathematics.

For example, while waiting patiently to use the chalk in a mark-making activity, children practised their phonics without prompting. Staff ensure no child is left behind in the opportunities and activities provided. All children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve equally well.

Pupils love learning. The curriculum builds incrementally and this builds pupils' confidence. They want to do their best.

The school has identified what it wants pupils to know and in what order. For example, in geography, pupils' understanding of their place in the world starts with considering their school, their country and then the wider world. Staff receive meaningful professional development to support their teaching of the curriculum.

They adapt their teaching appropriately to help pupils with SEND. Staff check that pupils remember the key vocabulary, but they do not always precisely check pupils' understanding of this language. This means that staff do not use this information to adapt future teaching consistently well.

As a result, when paired with the gaps which arose during the COVID-19 pandemic, pupils have not previously achieved as well as they should by the end of key stage 2.

Staff treat reading as a priority. Pupils and staff see reading as not only essential but enjoyable.

Pupils' love of reading was evident across all ages. The school has worked successfully to improve engagement with reading outside of school, and rates of home reading have tripled. Younger pupils benefit from a highly effective phonics programme, which means they are accurate and fluent readers.

This is reflected in their positive achievement in the phonics screening check.

Pupils are respectful and kind. The expectations for behaviour are clearly set from the Reception class onwards.

Pupils have the language skills to express their feelings and needs. The school has a clear approach to teaching pupils about how to successfully manage their emotions. Pupils focus on their learning in lessons, and there is rarely any disruption.

Pupils play conscientiously, with access to a wide range of resources and activities. The school has an effective and coherent approach to attendance.

The school promotes a feeling of community and purpose.

It provides carefully chosen experiences that support the curriculum. Pupils gain a broader view of life beyond Sheerness. The school has carefully adapted the programme of assemblies and the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum.

Staff carefully model the school values of love, respect, and achievement. Pupils throughout the school show these values in their language and actions. The school effectively promotes pupils' physical and mental health.

The school is successfully addressing the previous underachievement. The school and trust have worked closely to ensure that new leaders are trained and supported. Together, they are focused on improving the education of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged.

Governors and trustees are well informed and actively challenge and support the school. Staff are well supported with their workload by leaders and are highly committed to the future of the school. The school works for the betterment of all.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff checks of what pupils know and understand do not support learning sufficiently well. This means that some pupils have important gaps in their learning that have not been identified and addressed swiftly enough.

As a result, pupils do not acquire the depth of understanding they need to be sufficiently prepared for the next stage of education. The school must ensure that staff consistently and effectively teach the planned curriculum and, in particular, help them to routinely check pupils' understanding of key content and use this to inform future teaching. This will support pupils to know and remember more over time across the full range of subjects.

Also at this postcode