St Peter’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Much-improved leadership has enabled the school to improve its curriculum resources and to provide well-equipped indoor and outdoor learning environments.

Pupils think St Peter's is a great place to learn. They appreciate the support they are given, enjoy their time at school and learn well.

Pupils at St Peter's reflect their school values, 'respectful, resourceful, resilient and aiming high', in everything they do.

This is because staff have high expectations and support all pupils to meet them. Teachers challenge thinking by using pupils' interests to provide stimulating activities and experiences. One pupil told us, 'Sometimes, it is a little hard for me, ...but I don't give up.

I keep on trying.'

Leaders are ambitious for the pupils, and the school celebrates endeavour and success. Outcomes have risen rapidly.

Pupils talk enthusiastically about the many sporting achievements, their visits out of school, the visitors to school and their responsibilities. These positively contribute to pupils' confidence and well-being.

Staff and governors care deeply about the pupils of St Peter's and the local community.

As a team, they have created a nurturing school where pupils flourish and feel safe. Pupils' behaviour is good, and this produces a pleasant and productive learning environment.

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

In the past, there was a period of turbulence in leadership, and outcomes at the school declined.

Following her appointment in September 2018, the headteacher swiftly re-invigorated the curriculum and restructured leadership across the school. The senior leaders' ambitious curriculum is now well suited to the pupils. Carefully crafted sequences of lessons build on previous learning and have facilitated significant improvements in reading, writing and mathematics.

Similar changes across the wider curriculum are more recent, but there are strengths in some areas such as physical education (PE) and history.

Meticulously planned activities build on prior knowledge to ensure that pupils are achieving well. Staff have access to suitable training, and all adults are committed to the delivery of the new plans and strategies.

There remains some inconsistency in teaching in science and some foundation subjects across the school. However, leaders have comprehensive plans in place to address this.

Senior leaders are dedicated to ensuring that all pupils achieve highly.

They recognise that outcomes of statutory tests in the past were too low, meaning that some pupils were insufficiently prepared for their next stage of education. Their broader, revitalised curriculum and research-based changes to teaching have led to a transformation of standards within the school. A carefully constructed programme of intervention and support helps pupils to catch up if they have fallen behind.

Staff are ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The new special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) ensures that staff know how individual pupils can be supported to achieve. Teachers and teaching assistants adapt lessons well to ensure that all pupils experience success and develop independence.

Pupils with SEND are supported well in reading, writing and mathematics. However, further work is needed to improve the consistency of their achievement across the wider curriculum.

Leaders' investment in high-quality books and a structured reading programme for pupils has proved popular.

Phonics is taught in an ordered manner from the beginning of Reception. Pupils experience lots of stories and excitedly and confidently retell many that they have heard. The new library is welcomed, and pupils treat it with respect.

Across the school, pupils enthuse about reading, and older pupils relish the improved challenge. Although reading has significantly improved, leaders are currently working to ensure that the depth and challenge of reading and writing across different subjects is consistently strong.

Children in early years get a good start to their education.

Experienced and committed staff deliver a curriculum that closely matches the individual needs of children. A stimulating range of learning activities provides an appealing environment and underpins learning well. Children are closely listened to, and staff question them skilfully to develop their thinking.

The culture is safe, purposeful and kind, and staff are responsive to children's needs.

The new breakfast club supports pupils to make a good start to each day. Engaging assemblies and a varied range of experiences promote pupils' personal development very well.

Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities and participating in the many extra-curricular activities and clubs provided by the school. Visits to a variety of places support learning and enthuse pupils.

The school is an integral part of the village community.

Parents and members of the community regularly work with pupils and, in turn, pupils enthusiastically contribute to local and wider community events.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know pupils well and take their welfare and safety seriously.

Staff are trained to identify pupils who are at risk of harm. Any issues are quickly addressed and referred to appropriate agencies. Where agencies are slow to react, leaders are meticulous in following up their concerns.

Teachers help pupils to look after themselves by making them aware of risks. Pupils see staff as trusted adults they can speak to and ask for help if they need it.

Leaders ensure that safeguarding processes and procedures meet requirements and are checked regularly.

Governors have a good understanding of their responsibilities.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Under new leadership, the revisions to the curriculum have ensured that standards of reading, writing and particularly mathematics have significantly improved for current cohorts. Leaders' robust monitoring has rightly identified areas where the depth of challenge for reading and writing can be further improved.

Current enhancements to the curriculum need to become better embedded in order to improve outcomes and better prepare pupils for the secondary school curriculum. . The wider curriculum is much improved through leaders' well-sequenced and carefully planned learning.

However, teachers' range of teaching strategies and subject knowledge is still developing in science and some foundation subjects. As a result, teaching is not yet consistent across all year groups and in all subjects. Leaders should maintain their focus on providing staff with high-quality professional development to ensure that all subjects are taught to an equally high standard.