St Mark’s Church of England Primary School, Eccles

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher and governors have successfully steered the school through an unsettled phase.

They have rectified weaknesses in teaching and reversed a dip in pupils' achievement in 2014. Pupils made faster progress during Key Stage 2 in the last academic year. As a result, their attainment at the end of Year 6 improved substantially in 2015 in reading, writing and mathematics.

Pupils' attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 has steadily improved since the previous inspection and is above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. Higher achievement at both key stages in 2015 ensures that pupils are well prepared for the next st...ages of their learning. Improvements in teaching and greater precision in assessing pupils' needs have lifted pupils' achievement.

Early years provision gives children a happy, secure and stimulating start to their education in school. Pupils are well behaved and safe. They enjoy school and attend regularly.

The headteacher provides caring, committed and effective leadership. Governors, leaders and other members of staff share his determination to secure the best education for all pupils. Governors work very well with school leaders to check the quality of teaching and learning.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : Pupils make slightly slower progress in writing than in reading and mathematics. Occasionally, teachers' expectations are not high enough and the work set for pupils is not hard enough, particularly for the most able and in writing. While pupils use a wide range of good-quality vocabulary, now and then teachers do not always challenge them to be even more adventurous in their choice of words.

There are too few opportunities for pupils to complete longer pieces of writing or to write in subjects other than English. Not all subject leaders contribute fully to the school's improvement. A small number of parents do not feel fully informed about the school's work and about their children's progress.

Information about this school

The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below that found in most schools. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority.

Most pupils are White British. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported is average. The school did not meet the government's current floor standards in 2014, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.

The school has five mixed age classes. The Reception and Year 1 pupils are in one class; Years 1 and 2 are taught in the second class; Years 3 and 4 in the third class; Years 4 and 5 in the fourth class and Years 5 and 6 in the fifth class. The school provides full-time early years provision in a mixed class of Reception children and Year 1 pupils.