St Paul’s Church of England Primary School Brinnington

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have lots of friends and are happy at school. They know that the adults in school care about them and their families.

Pupils follow the school rules well.

They share the fitness equipment and join in playtime activities cooperatively. Pupils with more complex needs benefit from extra support to manage their emotions. This helps pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to learn without distraction.

The school expects pupils, including those with SEND, to achieve highly. However, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. This is because the school has not made clear its expectations for what pupils shoul...d learn in several subjects, including reading.

Pupils value the many opportunities on offer beyond the academic curriculum. For example, they enjoy singing and playing instruments at a local concert hall. This builds their confidence and self-esteem.

Older pupils spoke enthusiastically about attending residential trips. Pupils enjoy the annual Inter Faith Week, where representatives of a variety of faiths visit school.

Pupils who represent their classmates on the school council, or have other responsibilities in school, take their roles seriously.

They are proud to make a positive difference to their school and the local community. For example, pupils raise funds for national charities and bake cakes for the elderly.

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

The school has taken action to improve the curriculum in some subjects.

It has broken down what pupils need to know into small, logical steps that build pupils' learning over time. This helps teachers to deliver curriculum content in a more effective manner. Pupils are beginning to form a more secure body of knowledge in these subjects.

In several subjects, the school is at an early stage of identifying the specific knowledge that pupils need to know. Consequently, teachers do not have enough guidance on what they should teach and when they should teach it. In these subjects, including reading, some lessons do not build well on what has come before.

This leads to pupils developing gaps in their knowledge. It means that they do not achieve as well as they should.

In those subjects where the curriculum has been improved, teachers use assessment strategies well to check on pupils' understanding and to address any gaps in their learning.

However, this approach is not as evident in other subjects. This means that, in these subjects, the school is not sure what pupils know and remember. In turn, teachers are not well placed to address gaps in pupils' knowledge.

The school has prioritised supporting pupils to develop a love of reading. Children in the Nursery Year are introduced to stories and rhymes. Staff use drama to help bring stories to life and to make reading enjoyable.

The school's approach to teaching children in the Reception Year to read is well structured. Staff are well trained. They deliver the phonics programme effectively.

Teachers ensure that children practise reading using books that are well matched to the sounds that they are learning. Staff provide additional support for children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 who are not keeping up with the phonics programme. However, this support is not effective enough in closing the gaps in pupils' reading knowledge.

This means that some pupils do not learn to read fluently as quickly as they should.

Pupils with SEND are identified at the earliest opportunity. As a result of considerable training, staff are confident and effective in adapting how they deliver the curriculum to meet the needs of these pupils.

This enables pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as their peers.

Children in the early years make a positive start to school life. They form secure relationships with adults and with their friends.

Older pupils build on these strong foundations. They are polite, friendly and caring towards each other. Pupils behave well in classrooms and around the school.

They engage in their learning and are attentive in lessons.

Pupils' attendance rates are below the national average. The school has identified the reasons for the high absence rates of many pupils.

It is taking effective action to provide support for these pupils and their families. As a result, pupils who had previously had low attendance rates are starting to attend school more regularly.

The school provides well for pupils' personal development.

Pupils learn to value and respect the differences that exist between themselves and others in society. They are taught how to develop and maintain healthy relationships. The school provides pupils with opportunities to engage with their local police force.

This helps pupils to develop their understanding of what it means to be a positive member of the local community and how to stay safe.

Governors understand their responsibilities. They carry out their statutory duties appropriately.

Staff spoke positively about how the school considers their well-being. For example, they value the time that is allocated to them to come together and to support each other.

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, including reading, the school has not clearly identified the most important knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should be taught. This means that, in these subjects, pupils have an uneven learning journey. The school should refine its curriculum thinking in these subjects so that pupils develop a strong body of knowledge over time.

• The school's approaches to assessment in several subjects are in their infancy. This hinders how well teachers identify and address pupils' knowledge gaps. The school should ensure that staff are well equipped to establish what pupils know and remember in these subjects.

• Pupils who find learning to read difficult do not receive the support that they need to catch up. Consequently, these pupils do not build their phonics knowledge as quickly as they should. The school should make sure that pupils who struggle to learn to read benefit from regular and effective support.

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