St Peter’s Church of England Aided Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's vision, 'Living life in all its fullness', is the heartbeat of this welcoming and happy school. Staff know pupils and their families well.

Pupils enjoy coming to school and they feel safe. Leaders have created a nurturing and caring environment that is valued by parents. Leaders expect pupils to do their very best.

All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), rise to this challenge by engaging fully in lessons and working hard. As a result, pupils achieve well.

Pupils behave well around the school because leaders have set clear expectations of them.

Consequently, pupils are calm and engaged in le...ssons and play well together at breaktimes. There are strong and positive relationships between adults and pupils. Bullying is very rare and adults resolve it quickly if it happens.

The school provides a wealth of opportunities for pupils to develop their leadership skills, including as science ambassadors, sports leaders and eco-warriors. This creates a positive atmosphere around the school. 'Pupil Play Leaders' organise fun games and activities at breaktimes for others to enjoy.

Pupils are proud to represent their school in this way.

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

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum that clearly reflects the school's vision. They have set out clearly the essential knowledge and skills that all pupils need to learn.

Consequently, all pupils, including those with SEND, learn new knowledge over time and are able to make links with what they already know.

In most subjects, especially art and design and mathematics, teachers' subject knowledge is secure. Teachers routinely set challenging tasks for pupils and regularly check how well they understand their learning.

Teachers skilfully adapt their teaching to ensure that all pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well. This helps pupils build and consolidate their learning over time so that they achieve well.

However, in some subjects, the curriculum is not always taught consistently well.

Teachers do not always design tasks which ensure that pupils remember their learning securely. Leaders are rightly taking steps to improve this and ensure that pupils achieve well in all subjects.

Leaders rightly prioritise reading.

Pupils across the school have many opportunities to practise reading. Increasingly, they are reading well, with fluency and comprehension. However, there is not a consistent approach to supporting pupils in the earliest stages of reading.

This means that some pupils do not catch up to become fluent readers as quickly as they should. Leaders have already made this a priority to address.The school's work to support pupils' personal development is a strength.

Leaders ensure that pupils develop as responsible, caring citizens. Activities include pupils delivering hand-made gift parcels in their locality, and the choir has enjoyed entertaining residents in local care homes. Pupils are particularly proud of singing in the Young Voices event at the London O2 Arena.

Pupils enjoy a broad range of extra-curricular activities to enhance their learning. This includes school trips to London Zoo, the Sea City Museum in Southampton and Butser Ancient Farm, as well as opportunities to experience staying away from home on residential visits.

Leaders and governors have worked tirelessly to improve the school.

They have fully established a positive culture whereby all staff feel recognised and valued. Staff are very happy working at this school and describe the headteacher as 'inspirational'. They appreciate the ample opportunities to gain new skills and develop their careers.

Leaders make sure staff maintain a healthy work-life balance. Staff work together well to build a successful and caring school community. Parents recognise this and are full of praise for the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. They make sure that every child is known and understood well.

Detailed and meticulous record-keeping ensures leaders can identify those pupils at risk of harm. Leaders work well with external agencies to ensure that children and their families get the help and support they need. Staff are well trained and know what they must do to keep children safe.

Safeguarding leaders ensure that appropriate checks are made on all adults who work with the children in the school.

All pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online and when out in the community.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is an inconsistent approach to the support provided for pupils at the earliest stages of learning to read.

Sometimes, this support is not effective. This means that some pupils do not learn to read quickly enough. Leaders must ensure that a consistent approach to reading is implemented so support for reading is effective for all pupils in the school.

• In some subjects, teachers do not always design tasks that help pupils to build on content they have been taught when learning new information. As a result, pupils struggle to remember new knowledge securely. Leaders must improve teachers' subject and pedagogical content knowledge so that teachers can help pupils to remember long term the content they have been taught.

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