St Mary’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Over some time, leaders have not provided pupils at the school with a good enough education. Leaders have not planned the curriculum well enough or ensured it is implemented effectively. Pupils do not learn enough in different subjects, including early reading.

Too few pupils are well prepared for the next steps in their education as they move through the school.

Pupils do not concentrate as well as they should in lessons and learning time is lost as a result. Leaders' expectations of behaviour are not consistently high.

Staff do not make sure that pupils move sensibly around the school.

Pupils generally enjoy their lunchtimes and play well together.... However, they would benefit from new play equipment, which is due to be installed in October.

The school's shared values give pupils a sense of belonging. Pupils feel safe. They attend well and most enjoy school.

Pupils say that bullying is rare, and if it does happen staff sort this out straight away. Pupils who need extra help, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), get the emotional support they need so they are ready to learn.

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

Leaders have been much too slow to improve the school.

They have not taken sufficient notice of valuable advice. They have introduced some changes but not completed or sustained them. Leaders have not challenged staff well enough to ensure that the quality of education is good.

As a result, pupils do not receive a good quality of education. Changes to teaching and leadership roles have hindered the pace of improvement. Some subject leaders are new and therefore not yet sufficiently clear about their roles.

This has slowed the pace of change further. Some key improvement work is only just beginning to focus on weaker areas, such as English. Leaders remain too dependent on external support to bring about improvement.

The headteacher has devised new curriculum policies and guidance for what is to be taught and understood in a range of foundation subjects and English. These plans are not yet approved by governors. Staff training to ensure teachers follow these plans is just starting.

Planned sequences of learning, in subjects such as geography, do not consistently build on what pupils already know. Pupils' work can be too easy or too hard.

The school's approach to teaching early reading and phonics is not good enough.

Pupils who struggle to learn to read in Years 1 and 2 do not have books matched to the letters and sounds they know. Leaders have recently introduced a new approach to teaching phonics in Years 1 and 2. The phonics leader is checking where pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

She is putting plans in place to help these pupils to catch up. However, it is too soon for this to have made a difference.Over time, pupils' achievement has not been good enough.

Last year, pupils did much better in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6. However, in the past, writing was not taught well in Years 1 and 2. As a result, when these pupils entered Years 3 and 4, they needed to catch up.

Leaders have been successful in improving mathematics. The curriculum is now better sequenced and so, increasingly, pupils learn well. However, some younger pupils do not do as well as they should.

Pupils with SEND receive support to help their needs. However, weaknesses in the curriculum do not enable some younger pupils to build their learning well over time.

In the early years, most children are settling well.

However, leaders' expectations for children's learning are too low. Leaders are implementing training to ensure that staff in Reception secure the right knowledge to deliver the school's phonics programme.

Pupils take their responsibilities seriously.

They enjoy enterprising activities such as running the school's healthy fruit shop. Pupils learn about different religions and cultures, and the world. Opportunities such as 'forest school', attending theatre visits, and meeting additional visitors enrich pupils' experiences beyond the classroom.

The interim governing board (IGB) has some grasp of the strengths and weaknesses in the school. Governors have spent some time dealing with parents' concerns about a lack of communication from the school. They have appropriate skills and are working closely with the local authority to bring about changes.

However, the IGB has not always had the information that it needs to challenge leaders effectively about the school's work.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Pupils can talk about how to keep safe and they know who to go to if they have concerns.

Staff checks are fit for purpose and in line with current legislation. Leaders who are responsible for safeguarding make timely referrals and work closely with external agencies to minimise pupils' risk of harm.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The governing body resigned in November 2018.

An IGB is now in place. Much of the IGB's time has been spent responding to parental concerns. The IGB has not always had the information that it needs to challenge leaders effectively to improve the school.

Leaders should ensure that the IGB has the information it needs to hold them to account so that the school's 'overall effectiveness' improves rapidly. . Leadership roles change regularly due to staff turnover.

Leaders do not ensure that previous improvements are secure before they move on to the next aspect for improvement. Consequently, improvements are not sustained over time. Leaders must ensure that improvements are implemented effectively and embedded.

While some subject leaders are developing their roles, others have not started, or their work is being implemented too slowly. The headteacher must ensure that leaders at all levels receive the professional development they need to bring about school-wide improvement. .

Pupils in key stage 1 do not achieve well enough in writing. The curriculum does not build on what children can do at the end of Reception. Leaders need to review the curriculum for writing to ensure that pupils' learning builds effectively over time.

. The school's approach to teaching early reading and phonics so that pupils can read and spell accurately is not good enough. This means that pupils enter key stage 2 with weaknesses in their spelling.

Leaders must now make sure that all staff have the skills and knowledge to teach early reading well. Work to improve the reading curriculum in key stage 2 also needs more time to secure. .

Staff are not clear enough about what needs to be taught and when in foundation subjects, such as geography. Governors have not yet approved the new plans. Leaders should ensure that teachers know what pupils are expected to learn in each subject and sequence learning effectively to achieve this.