St John’s CofE Primary School, Dukinfield

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St John's CofE Primary School, Dukinfield continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff are proud to be 'Saint Johnners'. They described the school as being at the heart of the community. There are strong partnerships between staff, pupils, parents and carers.

This is evident in the reading partnership that promotes pupils' love of reading. Pupils said that they feel safe and happy. They learn how to be safe when in water, on roads and when online.

Teachers expect pupils to behave well. Pupils said that they can concentrate and get on with their work. Bullying, racism and homophobia are rare.

Bullying via social media or on...line games is also rare. Pupils are confident that when bullying does happen, staff quickly sort out the problem.

Teachers have high expectations of pupils' learning.

Pupils achieve well. They enjoy taking up a wide range of responsibilities in school. These activities help to develop pupils' wider personal qualities such as empathy.

Pupils join in with a full range of musical and sporting activities at breaktimes and after school. They take part in shows, celebrations and festivals. These activities help to develop pupils' wider knowledge of the world in which they live.

By the end of their time at St John's, they have the knowledge and skills ready for secondary school.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. It meets the needs of pupils well.

This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In most subjects, leaders have thought about what they want pupils to know and to do. They have considered the order in which content should be taught.

The curriculum works well for pupils who are taught in mixed-age classes. It also helps younger children in the Nursery and Reception Years to gain the knowledge that they need for Year 1. Leaders are still working on some aspects of the curriculum.

In a couple of subjects, the content is not ordered well enough. Leaders know that the content does not quite match the ambition of the national curriculum.Most subjects are led effectively.

Staff work together to share knowledge, ideas and experience. They also work with subject specialists such as expert artists, coaches and musicians. This increases the staff's subject knowledge further.

In most subjects, teachers use assessment information well to adapt their teaching to what pupils need to learn next. However, in some subjects, pupils have forgotten what they have been taught. This is because teachers do not check well enough that pupils have remembered their previous learning.

This hinders pupils from applying what they have learned when they meet a new topic.

Pupils read widely and often. They talked about their favourite books and authors with enthusiasm, although some pupils struggled to remember the names of poets and playwrights.

From the time that children start in the Nursery and/or Reception class, they learn from quality texts. Well-trained staff deliver the phonics programme effectively. Children in the early years quickly learn the sounds that letters represent.

Most of the books that pupils read match the sounds that they are learning. This helps most to become confident and fluent readers. However, for some pupils with SEND the books that they read are not as carefully matched to the sounds that they know.

They stop and start too much when they read because they are not confident in their phonics knowledge. Their books hinder them from reading with accuracy or fluency. Staff help pupils who find reading challenging.

This means that by the end of Year 2, most have caught up.

There is a positive and caring culture in school. Older pupils look out for and help younger pupils.

At breaktimes, pupils are polite, articulate, helpful and well mannered. In class, they work hard and there are few disruptions to learning in lessons.

Staff are knowledgeable in identifying and helping pupils with SEND.

Teachers' expectations for pupils with SEND are the same as for other pupils. Teachers make helpful adjustments so that pupils who find learning difficult or those with a disability can thrive and join in with their peers.

Leaders are re-establishing the trips and fieldwork that stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pupils support the local community and other causes through fundraising events. They develop a knowledge of British values, diversity, and of right and wrong.

Governors have an accurate overview of the school and of most subjects.

Their checks have missed some issues on the school's website, policies and in a few subjects. Governors use their knowledge to provide leaders with appropriate challenge and support. Governors and school leaders are sensitive to the staff's well-being and workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders are alert to safeguarding issues. They effectively identify pupils who may be at risk of harm.

Leaders make sure that all staff are well trained and that their knowledge is up to date. Governors act quickly when any safeguarding complaints arise. They also have strong measures to make the site secure.

Leaders work well with external agencies to manage any concerns. Teachers help pupils to be safe by teaching them about risks that they can meet outside of school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Reading books are not matched well enough to the phonics knowledge of a small number of pupils with SEND.

This stops these pupils from reading accurately and fluently. Leaders should make sure that the books match pupils' phonics abilities so that they read fluently. ? In some subjects, pupils cannot remember some key concepts or knowledge.

This means that they are not secure in their prior learning or ready to embark on new learning. Leaders should ensure that teachers check that pupils have remembered what has been taught so that they know more over time. ? In a few subjects, the curriculum content does not match the ambition of the national curriculum nor is it ordered well enough to guide teachers on what should be taught and when this should happen.

Pupils, in these subjects, do not build their knowledge as well as they could. Leaders should make sure that in every subject, knowledge builds towards ambitious end points in line with the national curriculum.

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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

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

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2017.

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