St Nicholas CE Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this school. They know the school values of hope, love, curiosity, integrity and unity.

They feel part of a community. One pupil commented, 'Everyone knows you… and we are all friends.'

There are high expectations for what pupils can achieve personally and academically.

The longer pupils are in the school, the more they learn and remember.

The school promotes positive behaviour and helps pupils to develop a secure understanding of the protected characteristics. This understanding is an important part of the school's behaviour policy.

On the rare occasions when something goes wrong, adults help pupils to understand why... this has happened and how to make better choices in the future. Pupils behave well. They develop a strong sense of respect for others.

Pupils enjoy a range of wider opportunities. The school has established an entitlement and enrichment programme to ensure that all children and pupils have the chance to 'let their light shine' by broadening their interests and developing their talents. Pupils take part in singing events at the local community centre.

Many pupils attend football and dodgeball clubs as well as the chill-out club.

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

The school's curriculum is ambitious and clearly identifies the important knowledge that pupils should learn and in what order. In most subjects, this includes adaptations for pupils at this school, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Books are at the heart of the early years curriculum. Children become familiar with the books they read throughout the week. They quickly gain confidence in being at school and in how to learn.

Pupils benefit from the advice of knowledgeable teachers. They learn about the significance of Henry VIII and how to use suffixes in their writing. Most pupils, including those with SEND, develop secure knowledge of the subjects they study.

They can talk about the Roman and Viking arrivals in Britain. Pupils speak enthusiastically about scientific experiments they have conducted. They can link the dissection of a heart in science lessons with one of the books they are reading in English lessons.

In many subjects, what pupils need to know and understand is precisely identified. However, on occasion, not all staff consistently address any misconceptions pupils may have. Sometimes, pupils do not receive the advice and tasks they need to move their learning on.

Reading is a priority. Children in the early years begin to learn to read as soon as they start school. Staff complete regular training about how to teach children to read.

Most staff teach sessions that help children to develop their phonics knowledge quickly. Pupils who are new to the school and/or new to the English language get the help they need to learn to read. Pupils enjoy reading.

They take books home from the library and practise their reading fluency.

Pupils with SEND have their needs promptly identified. The school has developed a 'silver curriculum' that highlights the building blocks of knowledge that all pupils need.

This enables staff to focus on helping pupils with SEND and pupils who speak English as an additional language to gain the understanding they need to build their knowledge over time. This helps all pupils to access the school's ambitious curriculum.

There is a calm atmosphere throughout the school.

Pupils value their education. They benefit from extra support with behaviour or social, emotional and mental health needs in the 'lighthouse' room, when necessary.

The provision for pupils' personal development is well considered and ambitious.

Pupils develop their understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including online. They visit places of worship, enjoy taking part in poetry events and have opportunities to learn about careers. The school works hard to build positive relationships with the wider community.

In the early years, parents and carers have opportunities to 'stay and play' and to see how their children are learning.

There is a strong shared vision at this school. That vision places pupils' experience of education and staff's experience of the workplace at the centre of policies and practices.

Staff overwhelmingly say they feel proud of working at this school. They say that they feel respected. The trust has ensured that a range of training is available for all staff.

There are clear procedures in place to monitor most elements of the school's provision. In a small number of cases, including in relation to aspects of the curriculum, the checks to evaluate the quality of the provision lack precision.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers and teaching assistants do not always precisely link their planning and teaching to pupils' existing knowledge, including by identifying and resolving any misconceptions pupils may have in their learning. As a result, pupils are not always helped to develop their knowledge and skills as effectively as they could be. The school should ensure that planning and teaching are precisely and consistently connected with pupils' existing knowledge and understanding.

• Checks on some aspects of the school's curriculum are not as rigorous as they could be. As a result, the school does not have a complete picture of strengths and areas for improvement in relation to some areas of the curriculum. The school should ensure that there is precise information held about all aspects of the curriculum to support the work to continue to improve further the quality of education that the pupils access.