St George’s Primary Catholic Voluntary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St George's receive an excellent education that is focused on both academic and personal growth. Academically, pupils achieve highly in national measures.

They are also supported exceptionally well to develop into caring and thoughtful citizens. Pupils are kind to each other and encouraged to help others from the wider community.

Leaders have designed and implemented a curriculum that has high academic ambitions for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders make sure that all pupils benefit from this education. Members of staff receive appropriate training to make leaders' aspirational vision a re...ality.

Staff, pupils and families all spoke about behaviour as a strength of the school.

Leaders have ensured that pupils' conduct and attitudes consistently support learning. Leaders aim to build pupils' confidence and leadership attributes by giving them positions of responsibility at the school. These roles are as diverse as house captains and prayer and play leaders.

Pupils relish the challenge of these responsibilities, and talked about how these support their character growth.

Pupils relish coming to school and are inspired to do well in all aspects of school life. They feel very well supported and cared for by adults and they are kept safe.

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

Leaders provide an exciting and rich curriculum for all subjects, including early reading. It is highly ambitious. Appropriate training for all staff means that the curriculum is consistently delivered as intended to pupils.

Leaders make sure that their approach to all subjects at least matches the depth and breadth of the national curriculum.

Across all subjects, how much pupils know and remember is impressive. Precise and demanding expectations for what pupils learn are matched with teaching that skilfully builds up pupils' understanding.

An example of this can be seen in physical education (PE), where the curriculum supports the cumulative development of knowledge and skills very well. This begins in the early years. Children are taught the basics for how to control and pass a ball, which lays strong foundations for their future learning.

By Year 6, pupils are confident and competent in a range of different sports, including, for instance, gymnastics. When needed, leaders bring in external expertise to maintain and strengthen what is working well with the curriculum. For example, secondary subject specialists support the leadership and teaching of the curriculum in music and languages.

Pupils enjoy their lessons very much. They can clearly articulate what they have learned and what they need to do to further improve. In all curriculum subjects, what children learn in early years is linked very carefully to their learning in subsequent year groups.

Teachers use assessment well to identify gaps in pupils' understanding. Carefully planned and selected teaching strategies are then used to fill any gaps. Across the curriculum, pupils' work shows that they are knowing and remembering more with fluency and in detail.

Leaders have thought very carefully about the reading curriculum. They ensure that phonics learning begins at the very start of Reception. Like in other parts of the curriculum, assessments are used purposefully to check that pupils are on track.

The information from these checks is then used to ensure that pupils are receiving appropriate learning and, if needed, extra help. All staff receive regular training to ensure that they deliver the phonics programme with fidelity and confidence. All pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with SEND, are equally well supported in being successful in learning to read.

Pupils also develop a passion for reading widely and enjoy describing their favourite books.

Pupils with SEND are supported effectively to learn the whole curriculum. Leaders make sure that through consultation with pupils, parents, carers and teachers, pupils' needs are understood and that appropriate plans of support are put in place.

The impact of these plans is assessed rigorously, and they are adapted as needed. Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND receive help from the most appropriate and skilled practitioners.

Behaviour is exemplary.

Pupils are enthusiastic to learn and they join in with discussions and activities in lessons with genuine excitement. They care about all individuals in the school and check in on and support each other, both with their learning and in their friendships.

Leaders have created a multitude of leadership opportunities for pupils.

These include roles on the school council and as house captains. Pupils enjoy electing their peers to those roles. Leaders ensure that pupils learn about staying healthy, both through their physical activity and what they eat.

A rich selection of educational visits is offered. These are planned to both enhance the learning of the curriculum and to provide pupils with an insight into the wider world.

Leaders support the development of all staff at the school.

They make sure that they receive appropriate training and guidance tailored to their role and professional needs.

The governing body understands its role fully, It supports the whole school community to secure and maintain the highest standard of education for all pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have safeguarding at the front and centre of their thinking. Staff know how to identify any potential concerns and they are able to correctly report them. Leaders deliver training to staff about the local context of the school, and the particular risks they need to be aware of.

They work closely with external agencies to keep pupils safe and ensure the best outcomes for pupils' well-being.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They are confident that there is an adult at school that they could talk to if they had any concerns.

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