St John’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are happy.

They are proud to be a part of the St John's community. Pupils demonstrate the school's values of 'believe, endeavour, succeed, together' in the classrooms and on the playground. Pupils are kind and thoughtful.

They know how to, and do, show respect to everyone. Staff know pupils very well, and pupils feel safe. Pupils know that if they have any worries, they are listened to by a trusted adult.

The school has high expectations for all pupils' behaviour and learning. Pupils have positive attitudes to studying and enjoy their lessons. Pupils have opportunities to think deeply about their learning, problem solve and reason.
<...br/>Pupils are proud of their work. The school provides plenty of opportunities for pupils to share their achievements with others. The kindness cup, the annual careers fair and learning how to be healthy in body and mind all form part of a strong offer for pupils.

Pupils appreciate the recent opportunities to develop their leadership skills at school. They take these roles very seriously and enjoy being librarians and lunchtime leaders. Pupils are considerate of others' views and are polite and welcoming to visitors.

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

The school curriculum is well established. The school's clear rationale for its curriculum choices is understood by everyone. The knowledge pupils should know is set out precisely.

The curriculum is ordered in a logical sequence so that staff know what to teach and when to teach it. As a result, there are clear expectations for what all pupils should achieve.

The recent refinements to the wider curriculum have made the key connections between concepts clearer.

The sequences of lessons are well constructed and help pupils to remember detailed facts. Pupils connect their learning together. For example, pupils were able to describe different mountain formations in geography and why mountains have varied shapes.

Early reading is prioritised. The phonics programme is highly ambitious. Pupils have daily lessons to help them learn new sounds.

However, sometimes, pupils do not get enough practice to blend the sounds they know when reading new words. This means that some pupils struggle to read as fluently as they could. Pupils who need additional help to learn to read are identified quickly.

They receive effective support that helps them to catch up.

Children in the early years have a positive start to their schooling. The curriculum considers the children's starting points and interests.

This helps children to sustain their interest and engage purposefully in their learning. They especially enjoy experimenting in the investigation station, where they have fun in the 'gunk'. Here, they learn how materials work in readiness for what comes next in Year 1.

The school has a clear pathway to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It works closely with a range of professionals to provide effective support to meet the needs of all pupils. Careful adaptations to lessons and resources help pupils with SEND achieve well.

The school's recent work on developing positive attitudes to learning has helped pupils understand the school's raised expectations in lessons. As a result, low-level disruption is rare. Most pupils demonstrate high levels of concentration in their lessons.

They work collaboratively with each other and listen carefully to other views. Pupils enjoy receiving 'monster points' when they demonstrate the school's expectations. The school prioritises pupils' attendance.

It knows the families well and provides a holistic approach that helps improve attendance where it is a concern.

The school has a well-structured personal development programme. Pupils know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy.

Pupils know about a range of faiths and can explain how they demonstrate respect, tolerance and democracy in school. They have detailed knowledge about world events and what is happening in the news. Pupils enjoy their trips and extra-curricular activities.

Pupils like to help others in the school such as being lunch monitors in the school hall. They are proud when they are chosen as the class captain.

The school uses research to support it to evaluate its work.

It makes effective decisions about how it can continue to improve. The school works closely with the local community and is responsive in ensuring the needs of all pupils are met. Staff are proud to be part of the school and know their workload is considered.

Governors work closely with the school to understand its priorities and fulfil its statutory responsibilities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The school knows its families well and takes effective action to keep pupils safe.

However, sometimes, these actions are recorded in different systems. This can make it difficult to understand the chronological order of actions taken. This makes it harder for the school to monitor incidents and report as effectively as it could to the governing body.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Although safeguarding is effective, there is some variation in how well the school documents the actions taken in response to safeguarding incidents and how they analyse patterns that arise from such incidents. This makes it harder for the school to assess the impact of the actions it takes and decide on its next steps to help pupils receive appropriate support. The school should improve how well safeguarding incidents and actions are recorded and use consistent analysis of safeguarding incidents to enhance the culture of safeguarding.

• The early reading and phonics programme is not delivered precisely enough. As a result, some pupils do not receive enough practice to automatically blend the sounds they have learned to read fluently. The school should ensure all teachers have the knowledge and skills to teach early reading effectively so pupils become fluent readers as quickly as they can.