St Matthew’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Matthew's CofE Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend St Matthew's CofE Primary School. Pupils attend very well, feel safe and enjoy their learning.

They behave very well in lessons and around the school.

The school has high expectations of pupils' achievement. Leaders and staff fully realise the school's vision and values and demonstrate commitment to pupils' success.

Pupils rise to the challenges presented. As a result, pupils achieve well.

The school has placed great emphasis on developing pupils' character.

...Pupils develop their resilience and independence. Staff help pupils to enhance their social and communication skills. Pupils make good use of the carefully designed provision for outdoor play, which helps them to develop these skills.

They thrive because the school has ensured that pupils can interact with one another purposefully and supportively. This includes through the school's exceptional programme to develop pupils' leadership skills. Year 6 pupils take on roles as 'Owls' and 'Owlets' and mentor younger pupils during social times and beyond.

The school provides a meticulously planned programme of trips, residentials and visitors to broaden pupils' horizons and enrich curriculum learning experiences.

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

The school has created an ambitious curriculum. The most important knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember has been prioritised and set out in a logical order.

For example, in mathematics, children in the early years learn how to compare numbers using various approaches. In Year 2, pupils learn to add and subtract using apparatus, enabling them to build their knowledge of number facts and subsequently to solve problems.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge.

Pupils grasp knowledge quickly when teaching is closely linked to the content they are expected to learn. In Year 4 science, for example, pupils create a model of teeth and gums, recognising the different purposes of teeth and applying this knowledge to further their understanding. However, there are occasions when some pupils do not learn as much as they could.

This is because sometimes the choice of teaching activities does not match pupils' needs, and some teachers do not check pupils' understanding quickly enough.

The school enhances the curriculum by making connections between subjects. In Year 6 science, pupils apply their prior experience of sprinting in physical education and the principles of exercise to their learning about the function of the circulatory system and how the heart is structured.

The school prioritises reading. Children in the early years learn phonics as soon as they start in Reception and quickly learn to recognise sounds and words. In Years 1 and 2, pupils become more confident and fluent in reading.

The school has effective strategies in place to identify those pupils who may have fallen behind. These pupils are provided with support and catch up rapidly. Older pupils value and enjoy reading a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books.

They recall important facts and communicate well.

Pupils with SEND achieve well. This is because the school begins to identify those with specific needs from the early years.

The school ensures that staff are well trained, enabling them to support pupils appropriately. Staff adapt the curriculum effectively and allow pupils to learn at their own speed.

The school is calm and orderly.

Low-level disruption in lessons is rare and around the school pupils conduct themselves well. Children in the early years learn to cooperate and socialise with each other.

The school ensures that pupils' personal development is given high priority.

This aspect of the school's work is wide-ranging and of high quality. Pupils demonstrate an effective awareness of mental and physical health. They understand and appreciate the importance of having healthy relationships.

The school has ensured that the curriculum includes texts and authors from a wide range of faiths, cultures and backgrounds, which helps to prepare pupils well for living in a multicultural and diverse society. A wide range of sporting and other extra-curricular activities exist, with high uptake from pupils.

There is a culture of mutual trust and support among the staff.

Leaders have prioritised and improved important aspects of the school's work. Staff value the importance of teamwork and appreciate the actions of the school to make this more cohesive. The governors ensure that the school fully realises its vision and hold leaders effectively to account.

The school works in conjunction with the community. For example, the school sells homegrown farm and eco-friendly products to the community, and funds are raised for good causes. Parents and carers are very supportive of the school.

They report effective communication between the school and the home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes teachers do not check pupils' understanding closely.

As a result, there are occasions when they provide pupils with work which has not been matched to their existing understanding. On these occasions, pupils do not learn as much as they could. The school should ensure that teachers check pupils' understanding so that it can provide activities which enable pupils to know, remember and understand more.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

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

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2015.