St Martin’s CofE Junior Infant and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This school is centred on the compassionate, warm relationships between pupils and staff.

Pupils are treated with respect and care. They are celebrated for their individuality. The school's 'SHINE' values permeate the nurturing environment.

Pupils happily say that they 'just love shining, because that is what this school is about'.

Throughout the school, pupils are polite and charismatic. Many live up to the school's high expectations for behaving kindly and responsibly.

From the beginning of the Nursery Year, children are enthused and engaged in their learning. Pupils welcome visitors readily. They are extremely proud of their school.

The s...chool places great emphasis on academic success for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It strives for pupils to value their education, and it ensures that pupils benefit from the school's educational offer. Most pupils achieve well.

The school has created a programme for personal development which goes beyond the expected. Pupils learn how to become positive, responsible citizens. They benefit from a broad range of carefully considered experiences.

The school fosters pupils' talents and interests through the wide variety of clubs, visits and experiences that it offers. Pupils' well-being is of extremely high importance.

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

The school has established a curriculum which is taught from the beginning of the Nursery Year to the end of Year 6.

The content is carefully set out to enable pupils to learn more over time. From typically low starting points, pupils progress well through the curriculum.

Subject leadership is well established.

Staff have the requisite information to know what curriculum content to deliver and when to do so.

In the main, staff deliver the curriculum effectively. They routinely check that pupils are learning the important knowledge set out.

Many pupils learn well, applying their secure subject knowledge to deepen their learning. On occasion though, staff's chosen teaching methods do not help pupils to learn as well as they could. Where this happens, a small number of pupils make avoidable errors in their work.

Likewise, while subject-specific vocabulary has been mapped out, sometimes pupils are not helped to develop their spoken language as well as they could. This means that some pupils are not able to articulate and extend their learning.

Staff quickly support pupils in rectifying mistakes so that they do not carry long-term misunderstandings.

Staff use effective strategies to quickly check pupils' understanding and support those who may need some additional help.

The school celebrates reading. Pupils enjoy selecting books from the school's wide range of texts written by different authors, showcasing a diverse society.

Children swiftly gain the knowledge and skills that they need to become fluent and confident readers. From the outset, children in the Nursery Year practise pre-reading skills such as learning to hear and make sounds and listening to rhyme. This prepares them well for learning to read from the start of the Reception Year.

Any pupils who find learning to read difficult are supported well by trained members of staff.

The school has effective approaches for identifying pupils with SEND. Pupils are skilfully supported, both emotionally and academically.

They are involved in the full life of the school.

Attendance at school is a high priority. The school is tenacious in supporting families to strengthen attendance.

As a result, the number of pupils who are persistently absent has significantly reduced in recent years.

Behaviour around the school is typically calm and orderly. Children in the early years are cooperative and play sensibly together.

Many older pupils model the school's behaviour expectations to others. This is particularly true for Year 6 pupils as they are awarded 'SHINE' bands in recognition of their embodiment of the school values.

The school is highly aspirational for pupils' future success.

It is passionate about helping pupils to develop a positive self-image and a strong sense of self-belief. Pupils learn about a wealth of topics to help prepare them for life in modern Britain. Themes include positive mental and physical health, financial safety and learning about different cultures and beliefs.

The school routinely seeks and actions pupils' opinions, For example by running an electronic music club following interest expressed by pupils. Pupils are encouraged to be active members of their community. A range of exciting trips and visits help to bring the learning to life.

Governors know the school well and are effective in the support and challenge that they provide. Staff are positive about the help that they receive in managing any initiatives that may impact their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, staff are not implementing the curriculum as precisely or clearly as it is intended. This prevents some pupils from developing the depth of subject knowledge and independence in learning of which they are capable. The school should ensure that it develops staff expertise in teaching approaches to deliver the curriculum consistently and effectively.

On occasion, the school's approach to embedding and utilising vocabulary is not as effective as it could be. This means that some pupils, and children in the early years, do not develop their oracy skills as well as the school intends. The school should ensure that it prioritises developing pupils' oracy knowledge and skills to enable pupils to articulate and extend their learning.