St Paul’s CofE Primary School, Kingston Hill

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Paul's CofE Primary School, Kingston Hill continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this school.

They feel safe, knowing that adults will help them if they have any concerns. There is a strong sense of community. Leaders and staff know pupils and families very well.

A parent's comment echoed those of many: 'The school creates a welcoming and supportive atmosphere for children, where children feel supported and are encouraged to succeed.'

The school aspires for all pupils to be 'sailing to success'. Pupils respond by excelling, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics.

The school is striving to help ...them achieve equally well in other subjects.

Pupils behave well, in and out of lessons. They listen to instructions and follow them promptly.

Pupils are courteous, confident and articulate. They attend school regularly. If absence becomes a concern, the school works hard to help pupils improve their attendance.

The school celebrates the diverse community it serves. Pupils talk about how they are expected to be kind to everyone. They are reminded that they all 'smile in the same language'.

Pupils take pride in their leadership roles and perform them diligently. Younger pupils appreciate the support they receive from Year 6 playground leaders. Pupils experience democracy firsthand by electing their school council representatives.

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

The school has created a well-thought-out curriculum. Its design ensures that pupils consistently build on their prior learning, equipping them with the necessary knowledge to grasp new concepts. In history, for example, children in the early years are taught how to sequence books according to the school term in which they read them.

This understanding of past to present prepares them for when they study local history in Year 1. In a very few subjects, however, the endpoints pupils are expected to reach are not as clear as they should be.

In most cases, the curriculum is delivered well.

New learning is thoroughly explored. Teaching helps to encourage lively and informed discussion about the subject being studied. Assessment is used effectively.

Staff check pupils' understanding and address misconceptions at the earliest opportunity. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective adaptations to support their learning. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, learn the curriculum well.

Sometimes, however, pupils receive too much information in one go. When this happens, they find it hard to process and remember learning.

The school focuses on teaching early reading.

Leaders and staff work together to help pupils read fluently by the end of Year 2. Staff are trained as expert teachers of reading. The phonics curriculum is delivered expertly.

Pupils get plenty of opportunities to practise and consolidate their phonics knowledge. They read books containing sounds they already know. Those who are lagging in their phonics receive additional support.

They catch up quickly.

Pupils show a genuine love of reading, and of books. They enjoy visits from authors who come to read to them in school.

They recommend books to each other. Pupils get to choose the books that adults read to them daily.

Pupils' attitudes to learning are admirable.

They show a readiness to learn and participate actively in lessons. They respond to adults' questions and instructions promptly and sensibly. Disruptions to learning are rare.

Pupils know how to keep themselves healthy. They understand the negative effects of an inactive lifestyle. The curriculum is complemented by a wide range of educational visits, which they thoroughly enjoy.

They take advantage of their location to visit museums, galleries and other places of interests. Governors deploy resources effectively to ensure all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, benefit from these experiences.

Leaders provide pupils the opportunity to understand the world around them.

Each class has two nominated pupils who act as eco-captains. These pupils meet regularly to perform tasks and discuss different ways they can improve their environment. This year, for example, they have led an assembly on the impact of plastic waste on the planet.

They also litter picked in the playground and weighed the food waste in the dining room.

Staff say leaders are open and approachable. They appreciate that leaders always consider the impact of initiatives on workload.

They feel valued and respected.

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 very few subjects, the endpoints leaders want pupils to reach are not clearly set out.

This means that pupils are not achieving as highly as they should in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that the desired learning outcomes for these subjects are clearly defined. ? Sometimes, teaching presents too much information in one go.

When this happens, pupils do not retain as much learning as they should. The school should ensure that teaching considers how much information pupils can process and retain to enable them to consistently learn the curriculum well.

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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2019.

Also at this postcode