St John the Evangelist CofE Primary School Macclesfield

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St John the Evangelist CofE Primary School Macclesfield continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, parents, carers and staff are proud to be part of this happy school. Pupils and children in the early years enjoy learning and feel safe.

A typical parent comment was that this is 'a lovely school with amazing teachers and happy children'.

Pupils said that staff care about their mental health and well-being, as well as their learning. They spoke positively about the support they receive from staff.

Pupils trust adults at the school to resolve any worries or concerns that they may have. Leaders and staff deal swiftly with any occasio...nal acts of unkindness or bullying.

Leaders have high expectations of achievement and behaviour for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They have designed a curriculum that enables pupils to achieve well in a range of subjects. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are polite to visitors, staff and to each other.

Pupils carry out roles of responsibility with pride. For example, they are proud to be house captains and forest rangers. At playtimes and lunchtimes, pupils have lots of fun together.

Older pupils take good care of their younger friends. Pupils, and parents, appreciate the wide range of extra-curricular activities that are now on offer, such as art, science and choir. Pupils participate in many sports competitions and local music events.

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

Leaders have developed an ambitious and broad curriculum for all pupils, carefully considering the mixed-age classes. In most subjects, they have identified what they want pupils to learn. The knowledge is broken down into logical steps.

This means that teachers know what they should teach and when it needs to be taught. Firm foundations of learning start in Reception class. Staff use every opportunity, including books and stories, to develop children's vocabulary and communication skills.

Children in the early years are well prepared for the demands of Year 1.

In most subjects, teachers check that pupils consolidate their learning as they move through the school. This helps pupils to link new ideas with learning that they have covered previously.

In these subjects, pupils achieve well. However, in a minority of subjects, teachers do not ensure that pupils have enough chances to revisit and recap their learning from previous years. Occasionally, this means that some pupils do not deepen their learning as much as they could.

The reading curriculum is well thought through and well taught. Leaders provide training so staff know how to teach phonics effectively. Lessons are clearly structured.

Pupils throughout the school enjoy reading. They talk with enthusiasm about the real-life stories and books which are on offer. Staff identify pupils who are not keeping up with their phonic knowledge.

They provide extra help to make sure that these pupils catch up quickly with their peers.

The teaching of mathematics is a strength. Pupils across the school enjoy mathematics lessons and achieve well.

The curriculum is well embedded and understood by all staff. Pupils are taught core mathematical knowledge, procedures and methods, using consistent teaching approaches. They then use this knowledge, with confidence, to reason and solve problems.

Teachers quickly identify gaps in what pupils have learned. They then adjust their lessons to help close these gaps.

Leaders and staff quickly and accurately identify pupils who may have special educational needs.

They put appropriate support in place to ensure that these pupils succeed. Pupils with SEND enjoy learning alongside their peers and achieve well. They participate fully in all aspects of school life.

Classrooms are calm and orderly. Pupils listen carefully in lessons and work well together. Lessons are rarely disrupted by poor behaviour.

On occasions when pupils become distracted, staff use a range of strategies effectively to manage pupils' individual needs. Pupils behave sensibly as they move around the school. They know the school rules and most pupils adhere to them.

Leaders have spoken with pupils and parents about the importance of regular attendance. This is helping to improve attendance for some pupils. However, a few pupils still do not attend regularly enough and this holds back their achievement.

Leaders have thought carefully about the opportunities for pupils' personal development. The personal, social and health education curriculum covers an age-appropriate range of topics that help to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Across the curriculum, they think of others by raising money for charitable causes, for example the local food bank and endangered animals.

These experiences enhance pupils' learning and prepare pupils well for life beyond primary school.

Governors know the school and its community well. They consider how the decisions that they make will affect the workload of staff.

Staff are positive about the way in which leaders look after their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have made sure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding.

Staff have regular safeguarding training and updates. Highly effective processes ensure that staff identify, record and act on any potential concerns about pupils. Leaders work well with external agencies to support pupils and their families.

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, pupils have gaps in the key knowledge that they have learned in previous years.

This means that pupils do not deepen their learning as much as they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers provide pupils with more opportunities to recall and consolidate learning from previous years. ? A small group of pupils are persistently absent from school.

This means that they are missing out on important learning. Leaders should continue to work with families to ensure that they attend school as regularly as they should.

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 the school to be good in April 2018.

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