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St Mark's Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.
What is it like to attend this school?
St Mark's is a vibrant, supportive and highly ambitious school for all pupils. The school's values of love, forgiveness, hope and faith permeate throughout. Pupils arrive with eagerness to learn and are supported by caring and dedicated staff.
Throughout the school, there is a buzz and excitement brought about by engaging and well-planned learning. Consequently, pupils thrive.
Pupils feel safe and are happy.
They know that if they need help, they can go to a trusted adult. Pupils value their educational trips and residential visits, linked to their lear...ning in the classroom. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive highly skilled and effective support.
Pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education.
Pupils behave brilliantly, and they are highly respectful of each other. They learn about the world around them through precise and well-planned activities.
Pupils discover how to look after small animals on the school farm. They also develop their outdoor practical skills, including building shelters and learning about habitats in the on-site forest area.
Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school.
The comment of one parent, which typifies the school, is: 'St Mark's is a wonderful school, and I feel incredibly lucky my son attends such a fantastic setting.'
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The curriculum is highly ambitious for all, including pupils with SEND. Following a recent curriculum review, the school has made well-considered changes.
The curriculum is sequenced carefully, building upon individual pupil's knowledge effectively. Detailed checks are made on how well pupils are learning in English and mathematics. However, assessment is less precise in other subjects.
Starting in the Reception Year, pupils are enthusiastic about their learning and strive to do their best. They flourish because of the high level of care, clear boundaries and the nurturing environment they experience. Teachers select activities carefully that help pupils to remember essential knowledge.
In mathematics, for instance, they learn about directions and positioning. They can carefully enter directions into a programmable robot, to move in different directions on a map. In history lessons, pupils' secure knowledge of World War II enables them to sequence events on a timeline correctly.
Pupils have opportunities to deepen their understanding by revisiting previously learned knowledge, so they can connect it to their new learning.
The teaching of early reading, including phonics, is a top priority in the school. There is an established and highly structured approach to how reading is taught.
This is extremely successful. In the Reception Year, children are introduced to a wide variety of stories to help to extend their vocabulary. Throughout the school, reading is skilfully threaded through all curriculum areas.
Pupils use their phonics knowledge with determination to sound out unfamiliar words. Those who need extra help with phonics are identified quickly and receive timely and appropriate support that helps them to catch up. The school's successful work leads to pupils reading widely, often and with confidence and precision.
Staff swiftly identify any additional needs that pupils have. They provide a range of well-considered and carefully planned support. Teachers carefully adapt their teaching and learning activities so pupils can access the same curriculum as their peers.
The school's specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (The Bridge) successfully supports pupils with both their academic and wider development as part of the main school.
Pupils are supported well to develop beyond their academic learning. They learn about different family types and healthy relationships.
Pupils are taught about the importance of aiming high and the need to be resilient. Career fairs give pupils an insight into a range of opportunities for the future. Pupils know how to stay healthy and active.
Mental health ambassadors help to promote the importance of keeping mentally healthy. Pupils are taught how to keep safe when, for example, using the internet, when visiting parks and when using bridges in the locality. Pupils understand how to be valued citizens and how to help people in the community.
The school's 'agents of change' programme helps pupils to understand that their simple actions can make the world a better place. Activities include raising money for charities, writing to companies to encourage them to become more environmentally friendly, litter picking in the local area or simply giving someone a smile.
Governors understand and carry out their roles very effectively.
They know the strengths and areas for the school to develop. Staff highly appreciate how leaders consider their well-being and workload. The caring and strong team approach ensures that pupils are the very centre of everything staff do.
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
What does the school need to do to improve?
(Information for the school and appropriate authority)
• In some subjects, leaders do not check how well pupils are learning the planned curriculum. They are not clear enough about precise gaps in pupils' knowledge.
As a result, they do not know how well pupils are understanding the curriculum over time. The school needs to strengthen the current assessment procedures so that staff are more knowledgeable about the impact the curriculum is having on pupils' learning.
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 March 2018.
