St Oswald’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Pupils generally achieve well in lessons and over time. Children usually join the Reception class with skills that are weaker than is typical.

Most pupils leave the school with attainment in reading, writing and mathematics that is at least average. Pupils who find it difficult to learn make good progress from their starting points and in view of their particular disabilities and special educational needs. Teaching is good.

Teachers are diligent in planning lessons, which usually go well. In the main, they know pupils' capabilities and provide opportunities which interest them and facilitate their progress. Behaviour and safety are good....

Pupils are polite and conscientious. They have a mature outlook on relationships and feel safe in school. The school is well led and a very positive and caring ethos has been fostered.

Staff strongly support the headteacher's leadership. Governors are vigorous in discharging most of their responsibilities. Parents support the school very strongly.

The school provides wide-ranging active experiences for pupils, which are sometimes outstandingly effective in cultivating their personal development. There is some excellent art work. The best writing of older pupils is exceptional in its imaginative style and use of vocabulary.

Pupils have a thorough grasp of science and some of their science notes are impressive. They have learnt a great deal from the creative use of the school's grounds and woodland, the many trips out, and from the school's 'adventure learning' approach. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Teaching does not always make best use of time because teachers talk for too long or more-able pupils spend too long on basic tasks.

Pupils' standards are not always reliably assessed, so work is not always matched perfectly to their needs. The style of lessons in the Reception class is not always easy to manage with limited staffing and children who can be unsettled. Senior staff and governors are not always sufficiently analytical in evaluating the effectiveness of the school's work.

Information about this school

This is a below average-sized primary school. All pupils are of White British family heritage. The school is located in a village built around a large industrial complex.

The village comprises a mixture of privately owned and social housing. The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is a little lower than the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after by the local authority.

The proportion of pupils whose learning needs are supported through school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is above average. Some pupils have severe learning needs.

In 2012, the school met the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. At present, the school has four classes: Reception, infants, lower juniors and upper juniors. There are two teaching assistants, but there is only teaching assistant support in the Reception class for a few sessions each week.