St Michael’s CofE Primary School, Sunninghill

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Michael's CofE Primary School, Sunninghill continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils study a varied curriculum with a wide range of opportunities that enrich their learning and promote their personal development.

Pupils rise to the challenges of the curriculum. They persevere with their learning, knowing that it is important to keep going and not give up. Pupils acquire a wide range of important knowledge and skills.

Pupils say that the school's values encourage them to be reflective, responsible, resourceful, rational, resilient and respectful. As one pupil said, these guide them 'to be the best people we can be.' Pupils take great pr...ide in demonstrating these values.

They wear the badge they receive in recognition of this with pride.Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They commit to working hard and they concentrate carefully on tasks.

They discuss their learning with their peers, explaining their thinking and challenging one another. They take pride in their work and present it neatly.

At breaktimes and lunchtimes, pupils play together happily with their friends.

They are friendly and respectful towards one another. Pupils say that bullying does not happen in this school and that pupils are kind to one another. Pupils are safe and well looked after.

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

Leaders have developed a carefully thought out, challenging curriculum in most subjects. Pupils are taught subject content in a logical order. They are able to use their prior learning to help them understand new knowledge and skills.

However, the curriculum for geography and history has not yet been mapped out in enough detail. Leaders are very clear about the geographical and historical enquiry skills that they intend pupils to develop. However, leaders are less clear about the specific content they expect pupils to know and understand.

Teachers are not clear about what it is they need to teach pupils next so that they acquire the necessary knowledge. As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects.However, in the majority of subjects, teachers deliver the curriculum well.

They are knowledgeable about these subjects, giving pupils clear explanations. For example, in mathematics, teachers use practical resources and visual representations to help pupils develop a secure understanding of number. They teach pupils increasingly complex concepts in a logical order.

As a result, pupils confidently use the methods they have been taught to perform calculations and solve problems. Pupils take their learning seriously and they work hard during lessons. They listen carefully to instructions and follow the rules and routines of the school well.

Leaders make the teaching of reading a priority. They have trained teachers and teaching partners so that they are skilled at teaching phonics. As a result, children get off to a strong start learning to read in the early years.

They quickly develop a secure grasp of phonics and this helps them when they are reading unknown words. As pupils move through the school, they become increasingly fluent in their reading. Teachers ask questions that deepen pupils' understanding of the books they have read.

Pupils become confident readers. They develop a love of books and are passionate about reading.

Teachers in the early years have created a happy and exciting place for children to learn.

Staff form very positive relationships with the children. They support children's learning well. They teach them important knowledge and skills, providing lots of opportunities for children to practise these.

This forms a strong foundation for their future learning. Children are very happy in the early years and they get off to a good start with their learning.

Staff use assessment well to plan effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

As a result, these pupils benefit from using a range of helpful resources and they are supported well during lessons. This helps them to be successful in their learning.

Pupils' personal development is promoted through a wide range of opportunities.

For example, each year pupils take part in a whole school concert. They learn and perform a variety of songs that teach thoughtful messages about friendship and kindness. Pupils also learn about different cultures when practising for their 'dance around the world' performance.

Pupils thoroughly enjoy taking part in these events. Pupils also learn to be good citizens and to play an active role in the local community. They feel it is important to make a positive difference in people's lives.

Pupils particularly enjoy visiting the local nursing home to sing songs and chat to the residents.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders make sure that pupils' safety and welfare remain the number one priority.

They have trained all staff so that they understand their duty to keep pupils safe. Together they provide a wide range of support for vulnerable pupils and families.

Leaders plan a range of assemblies and workshops about personal safety.

This helps pupils to develop a secure understanding of how to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils are knowledgeable about road safety. They also know how to behave safely when using the internet.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

While leaders have carefully planned a challenging, well-sequenced curriculum in most subjects, the curriculum is not yet sufficiently coherently planned in geography and history. Leaders have mapped out the important geographical and historical enquiry skills they intend pupils to learn. However, the specific content that they intend pupils to study in these subjects is not clear enough.

Leaders need to ensure that this is addressed so that pupils achieve what they are capable of in these subjects. It is clear from their work so far that leaders are in the process of bringing this about.

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 non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good, or that standards may be declining, 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 convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 13–14 July 2016.

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