St Peter’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The headteacher and the new staff team have turned the fortunes of this school around since the previous inspection. Pupils now achieve well.

They are proud of their school and arrive each day eager to learn. Pupils follow the school's Christian values of 'hope, honesty and compassion' through their actions, deeds and words.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils academically, socially and emotionally.

Pupils said that staff make the school a safe and happy place to learn. They make friends easily because they care about each other. At playtimes, pupils play happily with their friends in the playground.

Pupils behave well. They are polite and well-...mannered and provide a warm welcome to visitors to the school. Any arguments are quickly resolved.

Pupils are confident that should any bullying occur, staff will make it stop.

Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to broaden their experiences beyond the academic curriculum. Older pupils contribute to the life of the school through their roles as members of the school council and by taking on the roles of mental health champions.

Parents and carers hold the school in the highest regard. Most would recommend the school to others. Parents typically commented: 'This school has a warm, friendly atmosphere where children are valued and blossom academically.'



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

The headteacher knows the school well. Together with other leaders, he has accurately pinpointed what the school does effectively and what needs to improve. Leaders have designed a curriculum which is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Curriculum plans for some subjects have been successfully implemented and embedded across the school. The planning of these subjects is logical and gives teachers precise guidance about the knowledge that should be taught, and in what order, from the early years to Year 6. However, for a few subjects, the journey to full implementation is still a work in progress.

Consequently, some pupils may not achieve as well as they should in these subjects.

Leaders in some subjects monitor their areas of responsibility effectively. They make regular and detailed checks on curriculum plans and pupils' work, and visit lessons.

This helps these subject leaders to ensure that the intended curriculum is being taught. However, the monitoring of some other subjects is not as well developed. This is because a few aspects of the monitoring of these subjects were paused due to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In some subjects, there are detailed systems in place to monitor pupils' progress as they learn more and remember more. However, these systems are at an early stage of development for a small number of the foundation subjects, for example music and modern foreign languages. As a result, leaders do not have an accurate overview of how well pupils are achieving in these subjects within year groups.

Leaders have placed reading at the heart of the school's curriculum. Children are introduced to the joy of listening to stories and reciting rhymes and poems as soon as they start in the Nursery class. Books are everywhere in the early years and staff give careful attention to developing children's language.

Leaders have implemented a new approach to the teaching of phonics. Well-trained staff deliver this new phonics programme well. Teachers carefully match reading books to pupils' phonic knowledge.

Leaders make sure that those who are struggling to keep up with the reading curriculum get the support that they need to catch up quickly. Older pupils enjoy reading. They talk eloquently about their favourite authors and the different types of books they like to read.

Most pupils listen well in class. They talk avidly about what they have already learned in the different subjects. For example, older pupils talked knowledgeably about Robert Peel, whom they had studied in key stage 1.

Pupils show how their knowledge in one subject is supporting their learning in another. For example, pupils in key stage 2 could describe in detail how an experiment based on friction and resistance was then recorded using an accurate bar chart.

Pupils with SEND are fully involved in the life of the school.

They said they are treated 'fairly and equally'. Through additional support from staff and the use of relevant resources, pupils with SEND learn alongside their friends in class.

The curriculum is enhanced further through a wide range of opportunities.

Pupils talked excitedly about a recent visit from a Maya archaeologist. They enjoy a varied range of clubs after school, which are well attended. Pupils' mental and physical health is promoted well.

They learn about different faiths and cultures and raise money for charitable causes.

Governors are supportive of the senior leaders. They hold them fully to account for all aspects of the school's work, including the quality of education.

Staff enjoy working at the school and morale is high. They appreciate all that leaders do to support their well-being and reduce their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff recognise that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility. Leaders provide regular safeguarding training for all staff. As a result, staff are knowledgeable about the signs of abuse or neglect.

They understand the procedures to follow should they have a concern about a pupil.

Leaders and pastoral staff work closely with other agencies to make sure that families facing challenging circumstances receive the support they need in a timely manner.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe when online.

They understand that adults are there to help them if they have any worries or concerns. Pupils understand that behaviours such as peer-to-peer abuse are not acceptable.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A few subjects in the curriculum are not well embedded across the school or monitored effectively by subject leaders.

This means that some pupils are not achieving as well as they should in these areas of the curriculum. Also, these subject leaders do not know if the curriculum in their area of responsibility is being delivered effectively. Leaders need to ensure that these subjects are embedded and monitored to the same high standard as other areas of the curriculum.

• Systems to monitor the progress that pupils make as they move through the school are at an early stage of development in some of the foundation subjects. This means that leaders do not have an accurate understanding of how well pupils are achieving in different year groups. Leaders should develop these systems so that they give them an accurate overview of how well pupils are achieving in all the foundation subjects as they move through the school.