St John’s CofE Primary School Mosley Common

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St John's CofE Primary School Mosley Common continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy attending this friendly, caring school. Positive relationships between pupils and staff help pupils to feel happy and safe. Pupils know that adults are there to help them if they have any worries or concerns.

If bullying should happen, staff are quick to tackle it.

Leaders' vision to 'aim high – believe – achieve' is evident in their high expectations for all. Pupils strive to achieve their best.

They work hard in lessons and have positive attitudes to learning. Pu...pils behave well. They understand and follow the 'St John's Way'.

Classrooms are calm and purposeful places to learn.

Leaders provide a wide variety of opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils have access to a range of extra-curricular clubs and activities.

They enjoy representing their school in a wide range of sporting competitions. Pupils also value and appreciate the opportunities they have to contribute to their school community, such as leading the ethos group and acting as anti-bullying ambassadors.

Most parents and carers are happy with the school.

The comment of one parent, typical of many, is that 'St John's is a welcoming school, which goes above and beyond for all children.'

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

Leaders and staff have developed a well-constructed and ambitious curriculum. The curriculum is organised so that teachers are clear about the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils must learn and the order in which this content should be taught.

Leaders make sure that, from the early years, learning builds on what pupils know and can do. From an early start, staff foster a love of learning. This helps children and pupils, including those with SEND, to achieve well.

Subject leaders are knowledgeable about their subjects. They work alongside teachers to ensure that the curriculum is delivered effectively. In lessons, staff teach the curriculum as leaders intend.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge and explain new content clearly to pupils. In most subjects, they deliver learning activities which ensure that pupils consolidate their learning as they move through the school. This means that pupils learn well and can talk confidently about their current learning.

Despite this, in a few subjects, some pupils are uncertain when asked to recall or explain key subject-specific content from previous years. This is because some teachers do not ensure that pupils have enough chances to revisit and recap their learning. Occasionally, this means that some pupils do not have the knowledge they need to build on to ensure that they know and remember more over time.

Reading is at the heart of the school's curriculum. Leaders have created interesting reading areas to encourage pupils to develop a love of reading. Older pupils talk with enthusiasm about the stories they have shared with each other.

They recognise the value of reading widely.

Pupils, including children in the early years, achieve well in phonics. Leaders are not complacent, and to improve outcomes further, they have introduced a new phonics scheme.

Staff have recently received training on the teaching of phonics, and most staff are quickly learning the new approach. They identify pupils who are not keeping up with their phonics knowledge and provide extra help to make sure that these pupils catch up quickly with their peers. Some staff are still developing their understanding of the requirements of the new phonics curriculum.

This means that there are a few inconsistencies in the teaching of phonics across the school, which slows down the rate at which a small number of pupils become fluent and confident readers.

Leaders quickly and accurately identify pupils with SEND. They work well with external partners to ensure that these pupils receive high-quality support in a timely manner.

Staff ensure that, when needed, curriculums are carefully adapted, including through providing additional support and resources. As a result, pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers and achieve well.

Pupils are a credit to the school.

They listen carefully in lessons and work well together. Pupils are kind and caring towards each other. They respond well to school routines.

Any instances of off-task behaviour are dealt with quickly by staff. This means that there is little disruption to pupils' learning.

Leaders have focused on providing a programme of personal development for pupils, which is varied and age-appropriate.

They have paid particular attention to pupils' mental health. Pupils are respectful of the differences between themselves and others. They enjoy learning about religions and cultures that are different from their own.

This prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

Leaders and governors work well together to promote the well-being of everyone in the school community. They think about how the decisions they make will affect the workload of staff.

Staff thoroughly enjoy working at the school. They appreciate the way their well-being is valued and considered by leaders.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have made sure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding at the school. Staff have regular safeguarding training and updates. They are clear about their duty of care to pupils.

Highly effective processes are in place to ensure that any potential concerns about pupils are identified, recorded and acted upon.

Leaders and staff know families well and have established strong and supportive relationships with parents. When necessary, leaders refer their concerns to other agencies to get the support that pupils and their families need.

Pupils learn about the potential risks they may encounter, including online and in the wider community. Through the curriculum, pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, some pupils are unable to recall learning from previous years.

As a result, these pupils do not have the depth of knowledge they need to help them know and remember more as they progress through the school. Leaders should ensure that pupils are given sufficient opportunities to recap and recall important learning from previous years. ? Some staff are still developing their understanding of the requirements of the new phonics curriculum.

This means that there are a few inconsistencies in the teaching of phonics across the school, which slows down the rate at which a small number of pupils become fluent and confident readers. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the necessary expertise to implement the changes to the phonics programme with consistency.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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2014.