St John’s Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to attend St John's Church of England Primary School. They said that they enjoy spending time with their friends.

Pupils said that they feel safe in school. They explained that leaders deal effectively with poor behaviour and bullying so that it does not happen again. Relationships between adults and pupils are positive.

In class, pupils listen to each other respectfully.

Pupils try hard to follow the school rules. Pupils live up to the high expectations that leaders have of their behaviour.

They look after themselves and each other. Pupils look after their school. They try to be the best that they can be in all that they turn their ...hands to each day.

Pupils, including children in the early years, experience a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Pupils learn about the benefits of keeping fit and healthy. Many take part in the wide range of after-school sports clubs.

Recently the school has achieved success in netball competitions.

Staff have high expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well.

Pupils leave St John's Church of England Primary School well prepared for the challenges of secondary school.

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

Leaders have created an interesting and ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including children in the early years. They have worked hard to ensure that all pupils learn about their locality and the wider world.

The promotion of spoken language and the acquisition of new vocabulary underpins leaders' well-planned curriculum. This strategy is particularly successful in supporting children in the early years get off to the best possible start.

Leaders have ensured that staff are well trained to deliver most areas of the curriculum.

As a result, in many curriculum areas staff have the necessary skills to develop engaging activities to help pupils to learn all that they can. In most subjects, including English and mathematics, leaders have identified the important knowledge that they want pupils to learn. In these subjects, teachers design learning that successfully builds on what pupils know already.

Teachers check that pupils are confident with earlier learning before they progress further. This supports pupils to achieve well in these subjects.

Recently, leaders have made some changes to a small number of other curriculum subjects.

In these areas, they have introduced new, more relevant subject content. Leaders have also considered the important skills they want pupils to acquire in each year group. That said, leaders have not identified the important knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember in a minority of these remaining subjects.

Nor have leaders made sufficient checks on how well teachers deliver these revised curriculums. In one or two subjects, on occasions, teachers have not received the training that they require to enable them to choose the most appropriate activities. This occasionally hinders pupils from learning everything that they are capable of learning.

Pupils are enthusiastic. They respect the views of their classmates. Pupils approach their learning with positive behaviours.

Teachers can get on with teaching without having to deal with negative behaviours.

Leaders and trustees have ensured that staff identify the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and effectively. Pupils with SEND get the support they need to build on their knowledge across most subjects.

Leaders have prioritised the early reading and phonics curriculum. Children in the early years listen to stories and nursery rhymes. Skilfully trained staff teach pupils in key stage 1, and children in the early years, new sounds in a logical order.

Staff support pupils who fall behind with their phonics to catch up quickly. Pupils take home books to read that precisely match the sounds that they have been learning in class. Across school, pupils develop their reading fluency and accuracy.

Pupils have opportunities to develop their skills and talents beyond the taught curriculum. Pupils develop their citizenship skills through initiatives such as supporting local food banks. Leaders ensure that all pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, engage in a wide range of extra-curricular activities.

Trips and visits are well considered to supplement the curriculum and deepen pupils' learning experiences. Pupils learn to respect the views and beliefs of others.

Staff said that leaders care for them.

Staff are very appreciative of the efforts that new senior leaders have taken to reduce their workloads. They said that they are one family and one team.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders know the pupils and their families well. They have ensured that all staff receive regular, appropriate safeguarding training. This provides staff with the skills and knowledge necessary to spot the signs of potential abuse or neglect in pupils.

Leaders keep careful records of their work to safeguard pupils. They work closely with several external partner agencies. This helps them to provide support to families in a timely manner.

Throughout the curriculum, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They learn how to stay safe online and while around busy roads.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not identified the essential knowledge that they want pupils to learn in a very small number of subjects.

This prevents a minority of pupils from learning all that they should in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that in these few remaining subjects they identify the essential knowledge that they want pupils to learn. This will support teachers to design learning activities that enable all pupils to flourish.

• In a minority of subjects, leaders do not make sufficient checks on how well teachers deliver curriculum content. This means that occasionally some teachers are not receiving support necessary to improve how they plan new learning. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive additional training when required so that they know how to plan new learning that helps pupils to excel.