St Paul’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at this inclusive school. The school's mission is to 'make a difference to everyone'.

Pupils embrace this goal, constantly looking out for how they can help each other. They develop a strong understanding of the school's values, such as respect and compassion. They live them out in the way they treat others.

The school has high expectations of pupils' behaviour. Pupils conduct themselves well around the school and most have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils listen carefully to each other and cooperate well when asked to reflect together.

They discuss and debate ideas thoughtfully.

Pupils relish contributing to school li...fe. Many have responsibilities in the classroom or represent their peers and the school.

Some pupils are 'eco-warriors', 'CREW members', or school councillors, for example. Pupils are proud to hold these positions which develop their confidence and independence.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities.

They speak enthusiastically about clubs and activities, such as martial arts, singing and sports. Pupils value trips and visits, such as to the local theatre and to London. The school ensures that there are no barriers to pupils participating in these opportunities.

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

The school has a clear and determined vision for pupils to gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life. Governors, leaders and staff share this unanimously. Their strong, shared values drive their work to provide a good quality of education, particularly to the high number of disadvantaged pupils who attend the school.

Pupils join the school at different times in their school career, many of whom have English as an additional language. The number of older pupils who join the school is high, including some who are refugees. These important factors, alongside recent improvements that have been made to the curriculum, mean that the school's quality of education is not reflected in the most recent published outcomes.

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum to realise its aims. The curriculum builds purposefully from when children join the Nursery or in the Reception Year. In the early years, there is a strong focus on developing children's language and communication.

This is particularly effective in the Reception Year, where children develop the vocabulary that they need in preparation for learning in key stage 1.

Pupils build their knowledge and skills cumulatively in almost all the subjects they learn. This is a result of the well-planned and implemented curriculum.

In history, for example, older pupils can explain the order of events in the past, building on their understanding of time from the Reception Year.In a few subjects, the school is still to define exactly what pupils should know and be able to do. Where this is the case, pupils do not deepen their knowledge and skills sufficiently.

This is reflected in the quality of work they produce in these subjects, which occasionally lacks depth and precision.

Pupils, of all ages, are enthusiastic and committed readers. They start learning to read as soon as they join the Reception Year.

An effective early reading programme helps them to improve their reading accuracy and fluency over time. Teachers read often to pupils, including in the Nursery. This builds pupils' knowledge of different authors and fosters their love of literature.

The school uses assessment effectively. It checks pupils' starting points well and modifies the curriculum to ensure that any gaps are remedied. In the early years, for example, the way teaching is adapted ensures that children have the social and emotional skills they need to succeed in key stage 1.

For older pupils, teaching checks their accurate use of subject-specific language.

A significant proportion of pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school identifies and assesses the needs of pupils with SEND accurately.

It plans support for pupils closely with parents. Teachers use the information they are provided with to make suitable changes to the curriculum. Consequently, pupils with SEND develop their knowledge and skills successfully.

The school provides high-quality pastoral support. This is recognised by parents, who speak very positively about the care their children receive. The school ensures that pupils learn how to keep themselves mentally and physically healthy.

Pupils who need support to attend school more regularly get the help they need to do so. The school tracks pupils' attendance precisely and takes swift action to reduce absence. Its determined work has resulted in recent improvements.

The school's work to improve attendance, particularly for pupils who are frequently absent, is ongoing.

Pupils develop a strong understanding of citizenship. They talk knowledgeably about accepting and celebrating their similarities and differences, for example.

The school teaches pupils about different faiths and religions and makes links between important moral issues in different subjects.

Governors understand their role and perform it effectively. They hold leaders strongly to account, providing the right level of support and challenge.

The school uses professional development well to enhance the quality of teaching, including for those newest to teaching. Leaders are highly reflective, and successfully make improvements to the school when required.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, the school is still identifying the essential knowledge and skills that pupils need to know. This means that pupils do not develop the same depth of understanding as they do in most other subjects. The school should ensure that it identifies and teaches the important knowledge that pupils need in all subjects.