St Mary Magdalene & St Stephen’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Mary Magdalene CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and school staff create a positive and nurturing environment for their pupils.

Pupils show respect for adults and each other. They behave well in and out of lessons. Leaders act swiftly and appropriately should any incidents of bullying occur.

Pupils are happy and safe in school. They know they can speak to school staff if they are worried about anything.

Leaders' work to promote pupils' personal development is of high quality.

They provide a wide range of opportunities for pupils to broaden their horizons beyond what is available in the loc...al area. These include various programmes designed to inspire pupils to have high aspirations for their futures. For example, in partnership with an outside organisation, leaders provide pupils with access to a range of professional career mentors.

These mentors encourage pupils to plan their pathway to achieving their desired career.

Leaders have high ambitions for what pupils can achieve. Leaders actively prioritise equality and inclusion.

Leaders think carefully about the curriculum and how to ensure all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), access all that the school has to offer. For example, leaders work closely with pupils and families to ensure all pupils participate in outings and visits.

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

Pupils study a range of subjects in line with the national curriculum.

Leaders take account of the backgrounds and interests of pupils when designing the curriculum. Leaders consider what the most important knowledge is that they want pupils to know and remember by the time they leave the school. They structure and sequence this knowledge from the early years to Year 6.

Leaders check that teachers teach the right things in each subject. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to recall the knowledge that they learned previously. They help pupils to link what they learned before with what they are learning now.

For example, in mathematics in Year 4, pupils used their prior knowledge of tenths to help them to understand decimal numbers. Sometimes teachers do not use pupils' recall of prior learning to identify any gaps in pupils' knowledge and plan what pupils need to learn again or review. As a result, on occasion important knowledge is not securely embedded in pupils' long-term memory.

Leaders have appropriate plans in place already to address this.

Reading is given a high priority. Leaders provide many opportunities for pupils to read throughout the day.

They choose books carefully, with the aim to inspire and motivate pupils. Pupils borrow books from school to read at home. Leaders keep a close check on how much pupils read.

They provide extra-reading sessions in school for any pupils who do not read as much as they should. Teachers and teaching assistants receive training to teach phonics. Phonics sessions take place daily from the start of the Reception Year.

Teachers check that children learn phonics securely. Any pupils who struggle with early reading quickly receive extra phonics teaching. As a result, all pupils keep up with the phonics programme.

The school's commitment to reading helps pupils gain the necessary knowledge and skills to become fluent and confident readers.

Leaders train teachers and teaching assistants to identify any pupils with SEND. Leaders work with parents, carers and a range of external professionals including educational psychologists, and speech and language therapists, to provide support for pupils.

Expert therapists provide additional, specific training for some teachers and teaching assistants so that they have specialist knowledge to support pupils well. Pupils with SEND learn the curriculum alongside their peers. Teachers adapt learning and provide additional resources for pupils with SEND so that all pupils access the same curriculum.

On a few occasions, support and/or resources for pupils with SEND are not matched to pupils' needs precisely enough to help them to keep up with their peers.

Pupils are motivated and eager to learn. Any low-level disruption does not negatively impact learning the curriculum.

Pupils are taught about rights and responsibilities. Pupils elect representatives to be eco-warriors, head pupils, and to join the rights-respecting committee and participate in the pupils' parliament. The parliament votes and makes decisions for the school, including which charitable organisations to support.

Leaders and teachers teach pupils about different types of bullying, including online bullying. Pupils are taught about relationships issues including consent and sexual abuse in age-appropriate ways. This includes through workshops delivered by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Leaders and governors lead and manage the school well. They consider regularly how to make the school even better. They prioritise the right things.

Governors seek the views of staff and act to help them to manage their workload and support their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders provide safeguarding training for all staff.

Staff know the signs that indicate a pupil may be in need of help. Staff report concerns to leaders should any arise. Leaders act on these appropriately.

They seek advice from external safeguarding partners where necessary. Leaders work closely with families and pupils to make sure they get the right help.

Leaders are alert to any concerns in the local area.

They use this knowledge to make sure pupils are taught about risks and how to keep themselves safe from harm. For example, leaders use books and mentoring programmes to educate pupils about gangs. Pupils know how to report any concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes teachers do not use their checks on what pupils know and remember to identify and adjust what pupils need to learn next. Occasionally, as a result, pupils have gaps in the important knowledge that they need to remember long term. Leaders must make sure that teaching uses assessment information to identify and address any gaps in pupils' knowledge.

• Occasionally, adaptions to the delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND are not tailored precisely enough to meet their needs and ensure they keep up with their peers. Leaders must make sure that pupils with SEND receive carefully tailored support and/or resources to enable them to access the same curriculum as their peers and keep up in all subjects.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 a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2012.