St Margaret’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

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

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being a part of their friendly school community.

They welcome everyone to their school, greeting adults and friends with a happy 'good morning'. Leaders and staff want the best for every pupil and build trusting relationships with them. Parents and carers are very positive about the school.

One parent said that leaders and teachers are caring and 'put the children first in everything they do'.

As the school's educational vision states, this is a school that 'strives for excellence, values effort and celebrates achievement'. Leaders and teachers have... high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and work hard in lessons. Pupils know that teachers want them to succeed, and they try hard to rise to this.

The school's values of respect, friendship, resilience, teamwork, kindness and love are at the heart of everything it does.

Pupils can explain why these values are important to school life. During playtimes, pupils are kind to each other and include friends in their games. Bullying hardly ever happens at this school.

However, when there is an incident of bullying, teachers take it seriously and deal with the situation quickly.

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

Leaders and teachers have designed an engaging and ambitious curriculum that starts from the early years. Leaders have identified the essential knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which it will be taught.

As a result, teachers have the information they need to teach the curriculum effectively. However, leaders have not checked that all teachers adapt the curriculum to take account of pupils' different starting points. Sometimes, activities that teachers choose for pupils are too difficult or too easy.

On occasion, teachers do not provide the right support to enable all pupils to achieve the task set for them. As a result, in a few subjects, not all pupils achieve as well as they could.

Leaders prioritise reading.

Children in Reception have daily phonics lessons, where they link letters and sounds to read simple words. The phonics programme is progressively sequenced and staff who teach phonics are well trained. Teachers ensure that pupils read books that are matched to the sounds that they learn in lessons.

Pupils' abilities to read and write are carefully nurtured. If pupils find reading difficult, staff quickly provide extra support. This helps pupils learn to read with increasing fluency and comprehension.

As pupils move up the school, they read a rich variety of high-quality texts. This helps pupils become enthusiastic readers and confident communicators.

Pupils with SEND are well supported with their learning in all subjects.

Leaders have high ambition for these pupils. They work closely with external agencies to make sure they have a good understanding of the varying and complex needs which some pupils have. The special educational needs coordinator provides training for staff so that they know how to adapt learning to meet pupils' needs effectively.

As a result, pupils with SEND access the full curriculum and achieve well.

Pupils' personal development is strong. When learning outside, pupils practise collaboration and communication skills, developing confidence and resilience well.

Through the school's personal, social, health and economic education, pupils are taught about tolerance and respect. They celebrate difference and do not judge others. Pupils have a good understanding of a range of faiths and cultures.

They understand that families are not all the same. Pupils' learning also extends to the local community. For example, each year, as part of the Year 6 Second World War topic, elderly people who live in the locality are invited into school to attend a 'war-time dance', where pupils cook and serve war-time food and play music from the 1940s.

Staff enjoy working at St Margaret's CofE Primary and feel valued by school leaders. They appreciate the many professional development opportunities they receive. Staff are grateful for leaders' support in managing their workload so that they can do their job well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have embedded a culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. As a result, pupils' welfare and pastoral needs are met very well.

Staff know to report any concern about a pupil, no matter how small. Clearly communicated recording and reporting procedures ensure that staff pass on concerns in a timely manner. Designated safeguarding leaders work with external agencies so that pupils are kept safe, and families receive the help that they need.

Leaders deliver annual safeguarding training for staff, as well as providing staff with updates throughout the year. Leaders and governors regularly check records of recruitment.

The curriculum helps pupils learn how to stay safe.

This includes knowing how to keep safe online. Pupils feel safe in school. They know they can talk to an adult if they are worried about something.

They know staff will help them.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Not all teachers adapt the curriculum so that it meets the needs of all pupils closely enough. In a few subjects, some pupils are not given the support they need to progress through the planned curriculum.

Leaders must ensure that the curriculum is sufficiently adapted to enable all pupils to achieve well from their different starting points. In addition, leaders should check that the curriculum routinely provides opportunities for pupils to deepen and embed their understanding in all subjects.

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 September 2012.

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