St Peter’s Church of England Primary School (VC)

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils demonstrate the school values of resilience, friendship and forgiveness. They enjoy coming to school and are respectful.

They know and understand the school rules of 'be friendly and respectful, be ready to learn and be safe'.

In the classroom, pupils display positive attitudes to their learning. At social times, pupils enjoy the range of activities on offer to them in the playground.

Older pupils show maturity and self-regulation when playing rugby or football together. Pupils behave well. In the rare instances when bullying occurs, staff deal with it swiftly.

Pupils are active and responsible citizens who support the community. Pupils host a...nd attend the café church service at the local church, raise money for charity or write to the prime minister to raise concerns about fair trade. Pupils describe their school as a place where everyone is welcome.

They say differences are respected.

The school motto is 'a world of opportunities'. This describes the wide range of activities that enhance pupils' lives at school.

Trips and residential visits allow pupils to explore learning beyond the classroom and bring learning to life. The school promotes pupils' wider development well, such as their economic understanding. For example, pupils made a seasonal soup, which they sold at the school's Christmas fair.

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

The school responded swiftly and productively following below-average results in national assessments in reading and mathematics at the end of Year 6 in 2023.Since the headteacher's appointment, the quality of education has improved significantly. The new headteacher has brought a fresh eye to the curriculum, enabling staff to build on existing strengths.

Changes have been made to the curriculum and to how it is taught. This means that leaders have an acute awareness of its impact.

The curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced.

The school has identified the small steps of knowledge it expects pupils to learn and remember. The curriculum and learning experiences in the early years are carefully planned. They provide firm foundations for pupils' learning in Year 1 and beyond.

For example, in mathematics, children are immersed in activities. This helps them to learn about number and recognising amounts. In Year 1, pupils build on this and count in fives on a scale.

Older pupils build on this further. They learn how to tell the time in hourly intervals before telling the time to the nearest minute.

The impact of the well-taught curriculum has been significant.

Pupils produce a range of high-quality work. It shows their development of knowledge and skills through the curriculum. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Staff make adaptations to learning so that pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers.Assessment is used well in most areas of the curriculum. The pedagogy used by staff means that pupils revisit their learning regularly.

Knowledge organisers, recall activities and retrieval in lessons are tools that help pupils to know more and remember more. However, in some subjects, the curriculum is new. This means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

They struggle to connect new content with what has come before.

Reading is a top priority. In the early years, children follow a structured phonics programme.

Pupils learn the sounds they need to know to read consistently well. They read books that are accurately matched to these sounds. This allows them to practise reading, so they become fluent and accurate.

Assessment is accurate and allows the school to pinpoint which sounds pupils know. Pupils who fall behind receive effective support to catch up. Classrooms have enticing reading areas and a rich variety of texts.

These are helping older pupils to develop a genuine love of reading.

The 'windmill' and 'lighthouse' teams provide high-quality, expert support. This support is tailored to pupils and their families.

Staff adopt a tenacious approach to getting pupils to attend school. This has meant that persistent absence has greatly declined. Attendance has increased for all groups of pupils.

The school places a high emphasis on pupils' personal development. A variety of clubs, such as cricket, netball, judo and choir, are available. These help pupils to develop their talents and interests.

Pupils appreciate the junior leadership responsibilities they have. These include 'games makers', where pupils work with leaders to enhance the playground provision. Pupils across all classes help improve the school environment.

For example, as eco-warriors, they recycle and remind the whole school to conserve energy by switching off the lights.

Staff appreciate the way in which the new headteacher has introduced positive changes and is considerate of their workload. Governors have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses.

They are resolute in driving it forward. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school and the education that their children receive.

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 areas, the curriculum is new and not firmly embedded. There remain some gaps in pupils' knowledge in these areas. The school needs to make sure that the new curriculum plans are implemented effectively so that pupils are building secure knowledge and skills to achieve consistently well in all areas of the curriculum.

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