St Peter’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy their learning. They appreciate the very caring school community. In the early years, children settle quickly into school life.

They grow in confidence and independence to share their learning and 'have a go'. Older pupils discuss ideas and support one another. They respond well to teachers' high expectations.

They develop mature, positive attitudes to learning and achieve well.

Pupils are safe. They learn about staying safe and healthy, including what makes up healthy relationships.

...They demonstrate tolerance and respect for others. Bullying happens rarely. Pupils are confident that teachers will stop any unkind behaviour quickly.

Pupils behave well, both in lessons and on the playground.

Pupils enjoy the trips, visits and events that link to their learning. They proudly represent the school in sporting and musical events, such as the recent 'Braintree Big Sing'.

Pupils have many opportunities to take on positions of responsibility and to attend the various clubs on offer. Year 5 and 6 pupils support younger pupils' play at breaktimes. They help to serve and cut up food for younger pupils in the dining hall.

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

In most subjects, leaders have designed a curriculum that enables pupils to develop their learning in small steps. In these subjects, teachers have the expertise to put these plans in place well. Teachers introduce new ideas and vocabulary clearly.

They check pupils understanding before moving on. They provide more practice and extra help for individuals and groups who need it. Teachers check what pupils have remembered regularly, and this helps pupils remember important subject knowledge.

In a few subjects, leaders' curriculum planning is less well developed. The most important knowledge and skills have not been so clearly planned out, and teachers' assessment is not directly matched to curriculum plans. Pupils learn new facts but sometimes do not make links with what they have learned before.

Staff teach the school's chosen phonics programme very well. All staff are well trained and use appropriate resources to teach phonics effectively. Staff are adept at identifying and supporting pupils who are struggling to learn to read.

Books chosen for pupils to read match the sounds they know. As a result, pupils get the help they need to learn to read quickly and fluently. This starts with the youngest children in the early years.

Older pupils are passionate about reading and keen to share their favourite authors and titles.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) participate fully in the school community. Teachers adapt tasks and provide extra equipment when needed so that pupils with SEND get the help they need to access the same curriculum as their classmates.

Where pupils need extra help to meet their specific needs, this is provided effectively. This helps pupils with SEND to make strong progress.

Staff use a consistent, positive approach to managing pupils' behaviour.

This begins in the early years. Staff use reward strategies, such as 'good news postcards', effectively to promote positive attitudes to learning. Pupils behave sensibly in lessons from when they start school.

They understand routines and rules and the reasons for them. Pupils value learning in their calm and focused lessons.

Pupils' wider development is catered for well.

Pupils are kind to each other and accepting of differences. Leaders have established a personal, social and health education curriculum that helps pupils learn about mental and physical health and the importance of respect. Pupils know what makes up healthy relationships, how to look after each other and the negative effects of stereotyping.

Pupils learn about other cultures. For example, they learn first-hand about cultural traditions through a long-standing partnership with a school in Uganda.

Staff are proud to be part of the team here.

Leaders consider staff members' views and well-being when making decisions. Governors have a good understanding of what is working well and what needs to improve. This enables them to support the school improvement process effectively, hold leaders to account and know what leaders do well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils always have someone they can talk to if they are unhappy or worried. They learn how to keep safe online and when out and about.

Staff are well trained and regularly updated so they are aware of the signs that pupils might be at risk of harm. Leaders take appropriate actions to keep pupils safe in school. They ensure that when necessary, other agencies are involved in a timely manner to keep pupils safe.

Leaders' record-keeping of safeguarding is thorough. All appropriate checks are made on adults to ensure they are suitable to work in the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, leaders have not identified precisely enough the most important knowledge and how this develops over time.

In these subjects, pupils are not consistently able to make links within and across their learning because staff do not help them do so. Leaders should ensure that they identify and set out clearly the knowledge and skills to be learned in each subject and that they help staff build on pupils' previous learning effectively in all subjects. ? Assessment is less precise in some foundation subjects.

This means that in these subjects, teachers do not use assessment information as well as they could to identify and address any gaps in pupils' knowledge. Leaders should ensure that teachers continue to refine their use of assessment in the wider curriculum so that they accurately identify gaps in pupils' knowledge and use this information to inform their planning.

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 May 2017.