St Matthias Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Participation in the federation has helped to stabilise the school and supported its improvement. It has provided strong leadership and governance both sharply focused on raising the quality of teaching and the pupils' attainment.

Teaching has improved considerably and is now consistently good across the school. This is leading to the good progress now seen in all year groups and to rising attainment. Good teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes and well-organised induction arrangements help the children settle into their new surroundings and enable them to quickly start to learn.

Improving behaviour has been a key to raising achie...vement and contributes to the harmonious atmosphere in the school. Pupils are polite, well mannered and understand the importance of behaving well. Reading is seen as crucial if the pupils are to succeed.

Basic skills are developed well through a tightly structured programme that also promotes wider skills of comprehension. The active promotion of the school's values of 'Endurance, Hope and Trust' through lessons and assemblies contributes greatly to the pupils' personal development. The school makes sure the pupils get plenty of physical exercise.

Pupils develop healthy lifestyles through their participation in a wide range of physical and sporting activities. The needs of each individual pupil are carefully identified so that focused support can be put in place to support their development. Pupils show great determination to be successful by working hard in lessons and trying their best at all times.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : When teaching is less successful it is generally because teachers do not make learning interesting enough to engage pupils and retain their attention fully. The pupils' grammar, spelling and punctuation are not promoted as well as other key skills.

Information about this school

The school is average in size.

Almost all pupils are from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds and three quarters are from families of Black Caribbean and Black African heritages. One third of the pupils speak English as an additional language, although few are at an early stage of learning English. The majority of pupils are known to be eligible for funding through the pupil premium.

This is extra money given to schools for looked after children and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils supported through school action is well below average. The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.

Their needs are varied. More pupils than in most other primary schools join or leave partway through their primary school education. The school is a member of the Primary Advantage Federation of local schools.

The federation is led by an Executive Principal and the school by a headteacher who took up the post at Easter 2013. Governance is through a federation governing body and a school committee with a range of devolved responsibilities. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress.