St Mark’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this school. It is a welcoming place to be. Pupils and staff have a strong sense of belonging.

Staff forge strong relationships with pupils and know their families well. Pupils feel safe to talk to staff about any concerns or worries they may have.

The trust and the school have high expectations of all pupils' learning.

This includes those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils try their best. They typically achieve well.

Year 6 pupils are well prepared for their secondary education.

Pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes. They understand the school rules, and they know that these... rules are there to help them to stay safe.

Pupils appreciate the range of opportunities on offer beyond the academic curriculum. These include 'ten top opportunities' for pupils to experience before they leave school in Year 6. For example, opportunities include a visit to the seaside to feel the sand between their toes, a night at an aquarium to sleep 'under the sea' and a chance to camp out under the stars in the school grounds.

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

The trust, the local governing body and the school have worked together to revise the curriculum. They have ensured that it is well organised and enables children in the early years and pupils in key stages 1 and 2 to build up their knowledge logically and securely. However, in a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not identify the essential knowledge that pupils need to know.

This means that some pupils do not gain the building blocks of knowledge that are crucial to their later learning.

The curriculum is typically delivered well. However, pupils do not have enough opportunity to recap and consolidate their learning.

At times, gaps in learning or misconceptions go unchecked. This sometimes makes it difficult for pupils to make connections between their existing knowledge and new learning.

Pupils' needs, interests and talents are known well at this school.

There are effective systems in place to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND. These pupils benefit from the support that they receive. This ensures that they can access the same curriculum as their peers.

Reading is prioritised across the school. Pupils love to read the range of books that are available. Pupils enjoy adults reading carefully chosen books to them at story times.

The proportion of Year 1 pupils who met the expected standard in the phonics screening check in 2022 was significantly lower than in other schools. The school has taken appropriate action to tackle this weakness. A new early reading and phonics curriculum has recently been introduced.

Most staff have received training so that they deliver the new early reading programme effectively. As a result, children in the provision for two-year-olds develop their early language well, while most children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 gain a secure knowledge of phonics. However, there is a minority of staff who are still developing their own expertise in how to best deliver the early reading and phonics curriculum.

A small number of pupils are not supported to catch up in phonics as well as they could. This hinders some pupils in becoming fluent readers as quickly as they should.

Pupils' attendance has improved considerably in recent times.

The majority of pupils attend school regularly. This means that many more pupils benefit from crucial learning, such as building their phonic knowledge and developing their reading fluency.

Pupils behave sensibly in lessons.

Low-level disruption is rare. Most pupils, including two-years-olds and children in the early years, have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils are keen to learn, and they work well together.

There are many opportunities for pupils to build their knowledge of staying safe and protecting their well-being. Pupils learn about the differences between people, for example different families and religions. They learn about important values such as respect, tolerance and democracy.

These experiences prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils try hard to make a positive contribution to the school and the community. They are proud of the many leadership roles and responsibilities that they hold.

Members of the local governing body know the school well. There are effective systems in place to ensure smooth working between the local governing body and the trust. Governors have ensured that leaders have focused on improving the curriculum.

Governors check that staff have the training and resources they need to do their jobs well. Trustees check that pupils across the school achieve well.

Many changes have taken place since the previous inspection.

However, leaders have continued to consider the impact of these changes on staff's workload and well-being. The school communicates well with parents and carers. For example, it guides them on how to support their child's learning at home.

Many parents who shared their views with inspectors said that they appreciate the care and support the school provides.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority) ? For a few subjects in key stages 1 and 2, the school has not given sufficient thought to the essential knowledge that pupils must learn and in what order this should be taught.

Some pupils do not achieve as highly as they could in these subjects. The school should finalise its curriculum thinking so that teachers know exactly what pupils must learn and when this should be taught. ? In a few subjects, pupils do not get enough chances to recap on what they have learned previously.

Sometimes, gaps in their learning are not picked up well enough. This means that pupils cannot always apply what they have learned previously to new learning. The school should develop teachers' strategies to check prior learning in these subjects to ensure that pupils know more and remember more over time.

• A small number of pupils who find reading more difficult are not supported as well as they should be to catch up. This hinders these pupils from becoming confident readers. The school should ensure that staff are supported to deliver the phonics and early reading curriculum effectively so that pupils become fluent readers.