St Jude’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders create a nurturing environment, where children are happy and safe. Pupils enjoy learning and are proud of their school. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive and respectful.

When there is a concern or incident, pupils know that they can speak to any adult in the school. Staff deal with any bullying concerns quickly and sensitively.

Leaders' expectations for pupils' behaviour and education are typically high.

Pupils learn the planned curriculum well in most of the school. Pupils make a strong start to early reading and mathematics. However, children in the early years do not benefit from this experience in all areas of the curriculum.
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Staff help pupils to become confident and respectful. Teachers make pupils aware of different cultures and views in society. Pupils know that discrimination or bullying will not be tolerated here.

Leaders provide opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities. For example, pupils become digital ambassadors or members of the school council. Pupils valued opportunities to support the school community.

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

Leaders ensure that the curriculum is ambitious. Pupils make a strong start with reading in early years through a well-delivered phonics programme. The love of reading is evident throughout the school.

Pupils enjoy class story times, including in early years, where children retell stories through play. Teachers choose high-quality texts to challenge pupils and expose them to new vocabulary.

In most subjects, leaders consider what pupils should know and when they learn it.

Typically, this helps build on pupils' prior learning. Teachers' strong subject knowledge helps pupils to deepen their understanding of increasingly complex concepts. For example, Year 6 pupils solved problems involving fractions using multiplication and division facts.

Teaching supports most pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to access the same curriculum as their peers. Leaders identify the needs of pupils with SEND and provide effective support, including through the appropriate use of resources.

Teachers are knowledgeable and deliver the planned curriculum effectively.

In a few subjects, the curriculum is new and not fully embedded. In these subjects, leaders do not identify the key content and vocabulary that pupils need to learn and when. In early years, teaching focuses too much on what activities children do.

Leaders' curricular thinking in early years does not break down children's learning into small steps.

Teachers check pupils' understanding during lessons. They address misconceptions and adapt their teaching well to support pupils' understanding.

For example, in geography, Year 4 pupils used the correct terminology when using a key with support from adults.

Recent changes in senior leadership have been managed well by the governing body. The governing body are working with the diocese and local schools to support leaders.

This has made a positive difference. Most staff feel that leaders support their well-being and professional development. Leaders have dealt with some historic staff concerns, including about their workload, but these continue to remain for a minority of staff.

The caring and nurturing relationships begin as soon as children join the early years. Leaders teach clear expectations and routines, which children follow. Behaviour throughout the school is calm and consistent.

Pupils have a positive attitude to learning. Teachers ensure that lessons are purposeful with no disruption to pupils' learning. Pupils enjoy gaining rewards for positive behaviour.

Leaders provide pupils with many enrichment activities, visits, and clubs. For example, pupils enthusiastically took part in coding club. Pupils have many opportunities to take on responsibilities, including through elected school roles.

Play leaders support younger pupils at lunchtime. Well-being leads support others to understand about positive mental health. Teachers encourage pupils to debate and consider issues in wider society, such as debating about human rights.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure a culture of safeguarding. Leaders responsible for safeguarding meet regularly to discuss any concerns.

Leaders have effective systems in place to report safeguarding concerns. All staff receive appropriate training, which helps them to identify any concerns and risks to pupils.

Leaders work with the local authority and other professionals to ensure pupils receive the right support.

Teachers give pupils a strong understanding of potential safeguarding risks, such as cyber-bullying and harassment. Pupils know that they can ask any adult in school for help or submit their concern into the worry box.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, leaders have not planned a coherently sequenced curriculum which identifies key knowledge, starting in the early years.

In these subjects, pupils are not securely building on prior knowledge. As a result, there are gaps in pupils' understanding. Subject leaders must identify the key knowledge to be taught from early years through to year 6 in all subjects to be taught sequentially.

• In early years, leaders plan activities that reflect the end goals of the early years curriculum. They do not consider in sufficient depth the key knowledge, including important vocabulary, that children should learn and when. Leaders must identify and sequence the small steps of knowledge and vocabularly that children require for future learning.

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