St Peter’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel valued and safe at this welcoming, happy school. One pupil summed up the feelings of many by saying 'You are never alone here, there is always someone looking out for you.'

Pupils, parents and carers, and staff proudly describe the school as being like a family.

Pupils work hard, respect others and behave well in line with the school's expectations. Children starting in Reception learn that this is the 'St Peters Way'.

Pupils get along together well. Any minor fall outs or unhelpful behaviour is quickly resolved. In lessons, pupils are settled and focused.

They try their best, listen to their teachers and are keen to offer up their ideas.... Pupils generally achieve well.

Pupils feel well supported and cared for This helps them develop confidence to try new things.

They are keen to take on roles of responsibility, such as house captain, subject ambassador or being a buddy for younger children. Pupils approach their roles with maturity and discharge their responsibilities diligently. They are proud to make an important difference in their school.

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

The school has developed an ambitious curriculum, which builds knowledge successfully towards national curriculum endpoints. It has a broad and balanced range of subjects. The school is in the process of reviewing and refining what pupils learn and when in each subject.

This is helping to further connect strands of knowledge from Reception to Year 6. The curriculum for mathematics and modern foreign languages has undergone significant revision already. In these subjects, pupils remember and apply their knowledge particularly well.

Teachers present information clearly. They routinely recap on prior learning and swiftly identify where pupils are confused or have gaps in their knowledge. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs quickly identified.

Staff ensure that pupils with SEND are given the support they need to access the curriculum and learn well.

Children are encouraged to begin to make marks and explore writing for a wide range of purposes in Reception. Recently, the school has changed its approach to the way it develops pupils' writing skills.

This is helping pupils to develop their letter formation, grammar and spelling. The impact of this can be seen through the work of younger pupils. A small number of older pupils still find writing difficult.

Staff have been trained to further support these pupils, using a range of assessment tools.

Pupils learn to read quickly and well. Phonics is taught right from the start of Reception.

Children in their first weeks of school excitedly hunt for words and objects starting with the letter sound that they had been learning. Teachers use regular assessments to identify any pupils who fall behind in learning their phonics. These pupils are given the help that they need to catch up quickly.

The school carefully matches reading books to the sounds that pupils know so that they experience success and grow in confidence and fluency.

The curriculum for personal development has been well developed. In addition to their lessons, pupils benefit from a wide range of additional opportunities.

A large selection of clubs suits all interests and talents. School trips and residentials are memorable and meaningful for pupils.

Pupils have a strong understanding of democracy and how it operates, both within school and wider society.

For example, pupils take part in elections for house captains. Pupils who are nominated carefully compose speeches and deliver them with conviction and passion.

The school behaviour policy is clear.

Staff apply the policy consistently throughout the school. Children benefit from well-established routines, which support them in developing their independence. For example, staff encourage children in Reception to have a go putting on their coveralls for forest schools before offering a helping hand if it is needed.

Pupils attend school well. The school monitors pupils' attendance and offers support where necessary.

Staff value the well-chosen training they are given to help drive the school forward.

They say that leaders consider their workload and that they are well supported in their teaching. Governors ensure that they have the information they need to understand the school fully and to hold leaders to account effectively.

Parents are very happy with the school, which they describe as friendly and inclusive.

They are positive about the support the school provides to help their children thrive in all aspects of their development. One parent, summing up the views of many, described how the school had given their child a 'thirst for knowledge'.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not have secure transcription skills in key stage 2. This hampers their ability to write because they cannot spell well or form their letters correctly. The school have developed the curriculum and supports to address this.

This is beginning to have an impact. The school should fully evaluate the effectiveness of these changes as they embed and check that all pupils can write clearly and well. A few subjects are awaiting curriculum revision.

In these subjects, teaching sequences sometimes lack clarity and do not always build well enough on prior knowledge. This means that pupils do not retain knowledge as effectively as they do in most subjects. The school should continue to review and refine the curriculum to ensure that it supports pupils to connect and build on prior knowledge as effectively in all subjects.

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