St Mary Magdalene CofE Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This well-led school has a strong sense of identity and community. It is proud of its history and traditions. It teaches pupils to be honest and respectful, and to look for ways to serve others.

This helps pupils to feel good about themselves, which is reflected in their positive and caring attitudes.

Pupils are typically good mannered. They hold doors open for others and know the value of a kind comment or action.

The school is a calm, harmonious place where pupils feel safe and secure. They enjoy lessons and greet others with smiles, warm words and good humour. Adults are positive role models.

They show high levels of care and take time to listen t...o pupils and parents. Pupils know that an adult will always help them if they have any problems. Relationships across the school are excellent.

Leaders set high expectations for pupils' learning and further improvement. The school offers a broad curriculum and has a strong track record in teaching reading. However, standards in writing and mathematics have dropped.

School leaders and staff know there is room for improvement for teaching and learning in these subjects. They are busy making changes for the better.

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

The school has some aspects to improve.

It also has distinctive strengths. Staff treat pupils kindly and teach them the importance of respect for others. Pupils respond well to this, which shows in their good behaviour and thoughtful attitudes.

A notable strength is informed leadership. Leaders know what is working well and where further developments are needed. In mathematics, the curriculum is well designed but classroom practice varies in effectiveness.

For example, the use of assessment to inform teaching is not sufficiently consistent. This slows pupils' progress. In response, new leadership is providing ambitious direction that is building on existing strengths and bringing improvement.

Similarly, a refreshed approach to teaching letter formation and writing is supporting good habits from the start. Nevertheless, there is more to do to lift the quality of pupils' writing further and raise standards in mathematics. In going about this work, leaders consult with staff and consider their workload.

This builds united team spirit and a shared vision for the school's next steps.

Reading is taught well. The school does a lot to support children's early language and communication.

In the early years, staff teach children to listen carefully and to master letter sounds. The school's phonics programme builds on this. It is taught with successful consistency, including effective support for those who need extra help.

If necessary, this continues into key stage 2 and enables all pupils to learn to read. In addition, activities such as lunchtime library club and 'blind date with a book' prompt interest and excitement about reading for pleasure.

The wider curriculum also has strengths.

The school has identified the key knowledge that pupils should learn in different subjects. This is planned in a logical sequence from early years to Year 6, with deliberate opportunities for pupils to revisit and use what they know. In design technology, art and design and geography, for instance, new projects require pupils to apply earlier learning and build further on it.

This allows staff to check what pupils know and helps pupils to embed and strengthen their knowledge. A similar approach is evident across other wider curriculum subjects.

The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities early on.

Staff have good communication with parents and carers and other professional services about pupils' needs and provide appropriate extra help. For example, the school offers a high level of speech and language therapy in order to support pupils' early speech.

In addition to classroom learning, the school teaches pupils how to take responsibility for others.

Older pupils look after younger ones and school councillors and eco warriors help make decisions about school life. School trips to museums, galleries and a residential stay introduce pupils to new experiences and support their wider personal development.

The school keeps a careful eye on attendance, with appropriate reminders to parents when necessary.

As a result, attendance has improved. The majority of pupils are rarely absent.

Governors are well informed.

They have access to a range of reliable information. This keeps them up to date with what is going on and guides their decisions about school improvement. Parents are supportive and rightly say lots of positive things about the school.

They value the school's family feel, the caring and visible school team and level of care provided.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The quality of teaching and assessment in mathematics varies in effectiveness.

This has hindered progress and standards. The school should continue to support staff with training and guidance to strengthen teaching and learning in mathematics. It should do this so that pupils make better progress in this subject and standards rise.

• Pupils' writing could be better. While the school has made some changes, including a new approach to letter formation and handwriting, these are at an early stage and pupils' standard of writing remains variable. The school should continue to support staff in implementing the new approaches to writing with consistency so that standards continue to rise.

Also at this postcode