St Gabriel’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. The headteacher, fully supported by other leaders and governors, has extremely high expectations of staff and pupils; this has led to strong improvement in all areas, including teaching and achievement. Standards have risen rapidly, particularly at Key Stage 2, so that by the time they leave Year 6, pupils' attainment in both English and mathematics is above the national average, and improving.

Attainment in mathematics is well above that seen nationally. The school is welcoming, caring and supportive of pupils from all backgrounds; this has helped to create a cohesive school community. Support staff, who work with pupils in need of extra help, m...ake an exceptional contribution to pupils' successful learning.

Many children in the Early Years Foundation Stage achieve a good level of development by the time they leave Reception as a result of improving provision and regular and thorough assessment of their skills. Systems to manage staff performance are rigorous and all staff benefit from high-quality training. Newly qualified teachers and support staff are very well supported in their roles.

This process has improved the quality of teaching which is now good, and sometimes outstanding. Strong personal, spiritual, moral and cultural development is at the heart of the school's success and underpins pupils' good behaviour. Pupils feel safe at school.

The governing body robustly holds the school to account for its performance, the management of its finances and safeguarding. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of the quality and quantity of written work pupils should produce to ensure that they build on newly acquired skills. Teachers do not always make sure that the most able pupils' reading comprehension skills are sufficiently extended, particularly at Key Stage 1.

Information about this school

This is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school which has one form of entry. The proportion of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families, is much higher than the national average. A very high proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic heritages.

The proportion of pupils speaking English as an additional language is well above the national average. About a quarter of these pupils are at an early stage of learning to speak English. The highest proportion of children with little or no English is currently in the Reception class and Key Stage 1.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is well above the national average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is above average. The school meets the government's floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for the pupils' attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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