St Oswald’s Church of England Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The Christian ethos of this school underpins its values.

Pupils learn about hope, humility and compassion among other values. The school has a rich and diverse community. Leaders work hard to ensure everyone is included and valued.

Most pupils behave well. They are polite and welcoming to visitors. Adults model these behaviours to pupils.

The school has worked closely with pupils and families to improve attendance.

Pupils enjoy the range of after-school clubs on offer, including sports clubs and a cooking club. The school provides a free breakfast club, where everyone is welcome.

Pupils understand responsibility and are active citizens. They... have been 'parking wardens' outside of school to raise the awareness of safe parking. Pupils learn about difference.

They say that tolerance and respect of difference is important to them.

The school is ambitious for all pupils. The school ensures that children in the early years do well because the curriculum takes account of their starting points.

However, in key stage 1 and 2, important gaps in pupils' understanding are not routinely identified. As a result, many pupils cannot access the planned curriculum.

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

Leaders at all levels are ambitious for pupils, including those with a special educational need and/or disability (SEND).

They have created a curriculum which is challenging and reflects their ambitions. In the early years, the curriculum supports children to progress from Nursery to the end of Reception. This means that children make progress.

However, in key stage 1 and 2 this is less secure. In some subjects, the school has not clearly identified the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn. This means that, sometimes, lessons contain too much information.

As a result, pupils do not develop a secure curriculum knowledge over time.

Teachers use a range of strategies to help pupils learn the curriculum. This is particularly strong in the early years, where teachers make clear choices about the best ways to teach different parts of the curriculum.

This means that children are well supported to learn important knowledge. Across the school, teachers help pupils to understand how to approach activities. For example, they use an 'I do: We do: You do' approach to help pupils build confidence.

Pupils say this helps them to learn.However, in many lessons, the school does not use assessment well to check for gaps in pupils' knowledge. As a result, pupils struggle to make sense of new learning.

Children in the early years and Year 1 approach reading lessons with enthusiasm. This is because staff teach early reading well. Pupils at the early stage of learning to read have books which are well matched to their understanding.

However, in key stage 2, the school does not provide pupils who still struggle with their reading with the help they need to catch up. This is because the reading curriculum does not take account of gaps in their knowledge. As a result, a significant number of pupils are not reaching the expected standard by the end of Year 6.

Pupils behave well in lessons. There is a calm and orderly atmosphere around school. In the early years, staff help children develop secure routines and good manners.

This helps children learn important social skills. At social times, pupils generally play well. They enjoy using equipment when it is available to them.

Adults deal quickly with any poor behaviour.

The school works with families to ensure pupils attend well. There is a clear strategy in place to support good attendance and punctuality.

This has had a significant impact. Attendance at the time of the inspection was in line with national average.

The school prioritises pupils' personal development.

The Christian ethos underpins the values of the school. Through the curriculum and assemblies, pupils learn about tolerance and kindness. They understand how everyone may be different, but still equal.

They learn how to stay safe online and enjoy opportunities to debate and discuss important topics. Older pupils take on leadership responsibilities, such as corridor monitors or eco-council members. The school has ensured that clubs and enrichment experiences are freely available, so that no-one misses out.

Those responsible for governance have a strong oversight of the school development priorities. Trustees, governors and executive leaders in the trust know the school well. They provide appropriate challenge and support to the school.

This is helping the school to improve. They know there is still more work to do to improve the quality of education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the school has not clearly identified the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn. This means that pupils do not develop a secure subject understanding. The school should ensure that the subject knowledge is clearly identified, sequenced and taught for each subject area to ensure pupils build understanding over time.

• In key stage 2, the school does not provide appropriate support for pupils who still struggle with their reading. This means that the school are not addressing gaps in their fluency and understanding of language effectively. The school should ensure that all pupils receive the help they need to be able to read with fluency and confidence.

• In lessons, staff do not use assessment effectively to identify gaps and address misconceptions in learning. This means that, often, work is not matched well to pupils' understanding. The school should ensure that all staff use assessment effectively to identify gaps quickly and inform next steps in learning.