St Peter’s CofE Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Peter's CofE Primary and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils really like coming to St Peter's. Older pupils know how important it is to be positive role models for younger pupils. They take their responsibilities very seriously.

They also know that the adults who work in school are key to their learning. In the words of one pupil, 'The teachers make our school special. They give up their time to take us to places and to do great things with us.

It is like one big family.'

Pupils are tolerant and respectful. They understand that other pupils may come from different family backgrounds or have different view...s.

Pupils feel safe in school. They say that bullying is very rare but that they trust adults to deal with any fallouts quickly. They look forward to the many enrichment activities that help their learning and make them more resilient.

Parents and carers are full of praise for the school. They value all it does to promote the academic excellence and social development of their children. A parent, who reflected the views of many, commented, 'I wouldn't choose to send my children anywhere else.

All the staff care so deeply about them and that shows through everything that they do.'

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

Children make an excellent start to their education in the early years. They thrive in the bright stimulating environment.

Children quickly settle into routines that support their learning and behaviour. Teachers plan lessons that engage and excite children. Adults use skilful questioning and conversation to develop and extend children's vocabulary.

The school prioritises reading and mathematics from the start. In the Nursery Class, children are eager to join in with adults who read to them with expression and joy. Meanwhile, other children undertake independent activities that deepen their understanding of numbers.

Adults teach early reading skills with precision and accuracy. They are adept at identifying pupils at risk of falling behind. Pupils in key stage 1 make rapid progress in phonics and achieve well.

Pupils in all year groups benefit from extended reading and writing lessons.

Mathematics is well taught. The school has cleverly designed the timetable to make sure pupils gain the knowledge appropriate to their year group.

This minimises gaps in pupils' learning as they progress through school. The impact of this can be seen in the outcomes for pupils, who achieve well.

Subject leaders and teachers have extensive subject knowledge.

The school makes sure they receive relevant training. Teachers plan lessons that ensure pupils know more and remember more. For example, in history, pupils in Class 1 recalled facts about the astronaut Neil Armstrong from a previous lesson.

This helped them to explain and understand why he is an important historical figure.

In some subjects, teaching does not enable all pupils to build rapidly from their starting points as well as it could. Teachers do not plan consistently well for those pupils who already have a good knowledge of the subject.

This limits pupils who are ready to extend or deepen their understanding.

The school is ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school is inclusive and welcoming.

Leaders and teachers know each pupil's needs well and make sure these are catered for. Pupils with SEND make strong progress from their starting points.

The school has high expectations of pupils' attendance and behaviour.

Pupils rise to these expectations. Attendance is now higher than the national average. Few pupils are persistently absent from school.

Pupils' behaviour in lessons and at other times is often exemplary. Pupils are courteous to each other and to adults. Pupils can focus on their learning because disruption to lessons is very rare.

The school has a well-designed curriculum for pupils' personal development. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. Staff teach pupils how to look after their physical and mental well-being.

The school uses outside organisations to improve pupils' learning experiences, for example when learning about how to manage finances.

Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the school's strengths and areas for improvement. They are not complacent and constantly look for further improvements.

Parents and pupils talk of how they are inspired by the ambition and care of the school's staff.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Learning is not adapted sufficiently to enable some pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding.

As a result, these pupils do not build their knowledge as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that learning is adapted when necessary to ensure all pupils progress as well as possible through the curriculum.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2014.