St Luke’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Luke's CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

St Luke's is a caring and welcoming school where pupils are happy and safe.

Leaders and staff know their pupils well. Pupils are confident to talk to any adult in school if they have any worries. Teachers ensure that pupils behave well and work hard in lessons.

Leaders are determined for all pupils to be ready and respectful. Across the school, pupils and staff treat each other with warmth. Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 can volunteer their time to be 'playground angels'.

They take this responsibility very seriously, looking after the younger pupils during their playti...mes. On rare occasions when bullying occurs, leaders and staff deal with it swiftly and effectively.

Leaders encourage pupils to take on responsibilities across the school.

For example, pupils vote for their head boy and head girl. They also take on roles as prefects. Staff encourage pupils to develop their confidence.

For instance, pupils represent the school by showing prospective parents around or by presenting to governors.

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

Leaders have put in place a curriculum which has ambitious endpoints. It is well arranged and covers all elements of the national curriculum.

Leaders have worked hard to ensure that pupils build on what they already know and can do. The curriculum prepares pupils for the next stage in their education. In mathematics, for example, children in the early years recognise and understand numbers.

This helps them add and subtract numbers when they move to Year 1. By Year 6, pupils deal with larger numbers, fractions and decimals with confidence. Overall, pupils achieve strong outcomes at the end of each key stage.

Teachers present information to pupils clearly. They break down learning into small steps and use resources appropriately. These help pupils to learn successfully, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders and staff work effectively together to identify pupils with SEND. They make appropriate adaptations to support the learning of pupils with SEND, making sure that they learn well. Teachers promote discussions in lessons through effective questioning.

They encourage pupils to share their ideas. Occasionally, teachers do not routinely check that pupils have the necessary knowledge to understand new ideas and address any gaps or miunderstandings. This limits pupils' readiness for learning future content.

Leaders prioritise enabling all pupils to read. They make sure that all staff have regular training so that they become experts in teaching phonics. Staff develop children's communication and language skills effectively in Nursery.

Children start to learn phonics from when they join Reception. Staff provide pupils with books which contain the letter sounds they already know. They help pupils to read fluently and with confidence.

Staff identify any pupils who are falling behind in their phonics knowledge at the earliest opportunity. These pupils receive support through extra phonics sessions, and they soon catch up. Pupils showed a great love of reading.

Staff encourage them to participate in competitions run by the local library. Pupils are eager to read as many books as possible to win a prize.

Staff ensure that pupils' behaviour is calm and purposeful.

This begins in early years, where children follow instructions well. Staff manage pupils' behaviour consistently. This means that lessons continue without interruption.

Leaders ensure that pupils have a wide variety of activities to develop their enrichment opportunities. They make use of the school's proximity to museums, galleries, theatres and other places of interest for regular visits. Leaders provide pupils with opportunities to understand the world beyond their local community.

Through their 'dream catcher' assemblies, pupils meet people from different professions, including engineering, law, architecture and the military.

Staff felt that leaders are thoughtful and considerate of their workload and well-being. They appreciated that leaders are approachable.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff are vigilant. They are effective at identifying signs that a child might be at risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation.

Leaders work well with external agencies to ensure pupils who are most at risk receive prompt and appropriate support. Staff receive up-to-date training, including on different potential risks to pupils. This includes gang violence and preventing radicalisation.

Pupils are encouraged how to keep themselves safe at home, at school or when online. Through the curriculum they are taught about internet safety, stranger danger and healthy relationships.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, teachers do not ensure that pupils have secured the knowledge necessary for them to understand new ideas.

This limits pupils' deeper subject-specific understanding. The school should ensure that teaching checks pupils' knowledge and skills effectively and addresses any gaps or misconceptions so that pupils are fully ready to learn future content.

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 February 2018.