St Luke’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being part of this welcoming school. They take pride in living up to its values of community and compassion.

Pupils learn to distinguish between right and wrong. They appreciate that everyone is unique and they understand the importance of treating others in a way that they would like to be treated themselves. This helps pupils to feel happy at school.

The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge that have not been addressed. This means that these pupils do not achieve as well as they should in a range of subjects, includ...ing English.

Despite this shortcoming, pupils work hard and behave well in lessons.

Pupils learn about the positive difference that they can make for others in their local community and in the wider world. Charitable activities, such as providing donations to a local food bank and raising money for a school in Uganda, help pupils to develop their understanding of empathy.

Pupils enjoy attending the different clubs provided by the school. These include a wide range of sports activities as well as chess and crafts.

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

The published performance data in 2023 shows that by the end of Year 6, pupils' attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was significantly below the national average.

Some of these pupils missed considerable amounts of time in school as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, there were also weaknesses in the school's previous curriculum. This hampered how well pupils learned.

Historic weaknesses in developing pupils' writing knowledge in key stage 1 have resulted in some pupils moving into key stage 2 lacking the basic skills in spelling, letter formation and the correct use of punctuation. For some pupils in key stage 2, these gaps in knowledge have not been identified or addressed. This hinders the quality of their written communication.

In most subjects, the school has taken action to develop the curriculum. The important knowledge that pupils should learn has been carefully considered from the Nursery Year to Year 6. This is helping pupils to build a more secure body of knowledge over time.

However, weaknesses in the previous curriculum have resulted in pupils having gaps in their knowledge. In some subjects, these gaps have not been identified or addressed by teachers. This impedes the ability of some pupils to make sense of new learning.

It means that they do not achieve as well as they should.

In a small number of subjects, some teachers do not have the knowledge that they need to be able to deliver the revised curriculum. In some cases, the activities that teachers design do not deepen pupils' knowledge or enable them to connect their learning.

As a result, in these subjects, some pupils do not learn as well as they could.

Children in the early years benefit from carefully considered activities that support their personal, social and emotional development. However, in some other areas of learning, staff are not clear on what children need to learn to help them build up their knowledge.

This includes developing children's vocabulary. Furthermore, the range of activities in some classrooms do not help children revisit or build on what they already know. Consequently, some children do not learn or develop their spoken language as well as they should.

Children are not as well prepared to start Year 1 as they should be.

The school places a high priority on children in the Reception Year and pupils in key stage 1 developing a secure knowledge of phonics. Staff teach phonics effectively.

They quickly identify and support any pupils who need extra help.

Children begin to develop a love of books from the Nursery Year. As pupils begin to read books independently, teachers ensure that these closely match the sounds that pupils have learned.

Pupils use effective strategies to read unfamiliar words. Many pupils become fluent readers by the end of key stage 1. That said, some staff do not routinely check that pupils understand the meaning of new words or phrases.

Similarly, pupils in key stage 2 read with fluency, but some do not understand the meaning of key words in the texts. This limits their ability to make sense of what they have read.

The school has effective systems in place to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND.

Carefully considered support and resources ensure that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.

Children in the early years are well behaved. They work and play well together.

Pupils across the school learn with little disruption to their activities. Previously, too many pupils have been absent from school. The school has put in place a range of effective strategies that are reducing the number of pupils who are persistently absent.

The school has carefully selected opportunities to enhance pupils' personal development. For example, the school ensures that pupils learn about healthy relationships. Pupils understand the links between spending too much time online and the potential impact on their mental well-being.

The governing body understands what the school needs to do to improve the quality of education. It has sought external support to aid the school's actions to address weaknesses. Staff stated that the school has been considerate of their workload and well-being during recent times of change to the curriculum, policies and procedures.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In one or two subjects, some teachers do not have the subject knowledge that they need to teach the intended curriculum effectively. Some of the learning activities that pupils complete do not enable them to learn the curriculum, including key vocabulary, as well as they could.

The school should make sure that teachers have the knowledge that they need to effectively deliver the curriculum, so that pupils achieve well. ? In some subjects, teachers do not check how well pupils have remembered and understood what they have been previously taught. Some pupils have gaps in their knowledge that have not been identified.

These gaps hinder their ability to make sense of new learning and they do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers are well equipped to check that pupils' knowledge is secure before introducing new topics and concepts. ? Some pupils in key stage 2 have gaps in their knowledge in relation to spelling, letter formation and the correct use of punctuation.

These gaps have not been identified or addressed. This hinders the quality of their written communication. The school should ensure that there is increased emphasis on identifying and addressing these gaps in knowledge.

• In some areas of learning within the early years curriculum, staff are not clear on what children need to learn. This means that some activities do not support children to learn well or to develop their spoken language. The school should ensure that staff use assessment information to devise learning activities that help children build up a deep body of knowledge.