St Peter-in-Chains RC Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small and happy school where all get to know each other well.

For example, Year 2 buddies look out for Reception children in the playground and dining hall. Staff build up strong and trustful working relationships with children from the start. They also build strong connections with parents and carers.

Pupils thus feel safe and parents are assured that their children are well cared for.

The new senior leadership team has set high ambitions for all pupils' achievement and their social development. They have secured many improvements, at pace, both to the curriculum and pupils' behaviour.

Pupils are taught a broad curriculum and achieve well,... overall. This includes the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff make effective tailored adaptations, without compromise of ambition, to meet the specific needs of pupils with SEND.

In class and around the school, leaders and staff ensure that there is a calm purposeful environment.

Pupils relish attending the weekly rewards assembly with their peers at the nearby junior school site. With their successful learning and strong social skills, pupils are well prepared for their transition into Year 3.

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

New senior leadership was quick to identify several weaknesses in the school's work that needed addressing. Leaders have made significant improvements at speed, despite some highly challenging circumstances. They welcome guidance and feedback from external education professionals and act on recommendations with alacrity.

The school's leadership knows what more needs to be done to develop the quality of education further and has plausible plans in place to bring this about.

The school prioritises the teaching of reading, right from the start of Reception. Children are surrounded by books, whether in the large library, the corridors or in classrooms.

Pupils love listening to their teachers read to them. They enjoy attending reading workshops, sometimes with authors, at the local library. All staff have been trained to teach the new phonics programme effectively.

They make sure that pupils practise reading using books matched to the sounds that they know. Staff give pupils who fall behind and those with SEND extra bespoke help. As a result, pupils become confident, keen and fluent readers.

In many subjects, including for example mathematics, science, history and geography, the school has given careful thought to the curriculum and ensures that pupils achieve well. The quality of pupils' learning also benefits from the school's specialist expertise in the teaching of music and physical education. Overall, staff have gained from much quality training.

This has assured their subject-specific knowledge and teaching expertise in most subjects. Teachers use assessment well. They check on pupils' knowledge and identify gaps and misconceptions and address these.

The early years curriculum is also rich and is taught well. Indoors, staff provide particularly well-chosen resources. These resources are set out to support children's learning across all the areas of the early years curriculum.

Outdoor provision, however, is sometimes not as strong and effective at extending children's understanding.

Support staff work in clear collaboration with teachers. Together, they make well-considered adaptations to teaching and resources to give extra help to pupils with SEND.

This enables these pupils to access the same knowledge as their classmates. The school gives pupils with very complex needs a bespoke and ambitious curriculum, as well as carefully tailored extra support. This ensures that they learn with success and confidence.

In some wider curriculum subjects, although taught regularly, curriculum thinking is underdeveloped. The school does not routinely have the subject-specific knowledge and subject teaching expertise to ensure that pupils learn as well in these subject as they do in others. As a result, in these subjects, pupils do not meet their full potential with their learning.

Leaders have identified this as a priority to be addressed in the next academic year.

The school introduced a new behaviour policy this year. It was underpinned by staff training on autism and de-escalation strategies.

The revised policy has been consistently implemented by all. This has had a markedly positive impact. From the time children arrive in Reception, staff set them clear routines and expectations for behaviour.

Children are attentive, share resources and collaborate with staff and each other. Across the school, pupils are eager learners. Pupils who may get anxious, including those with SEND, are helped to calm down.

Lessons and social times are thus composed and purposeful. The school does all it can be reasonably expected to do to encourage regular attendance.

The school teaches pupils a range of topics that promote their personal development.

These include learning about the importance of rules, building resilience, looking after money and autism awareness. Pupils are also taught about a range of faiths and are encouraged to take part in charitable fund-raising events, such as for people who are homeless. Pupils can choose to attend clubs, such as gymnastics and drama.

All are taken on local outings as well as some educational visits further afield, such as to London Zoo.

Staff very much value the training opportunities that they have had this academic year. These have developed their skills in carrying out their teaching and support rolls.

Staff are consulted on changes. Most welcome them. They can see the benefits to pupils and to their own professional development.

They said that they are working `smarter' and not harder. Nevertheless, a small minority of staff are less convinced about the changes.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few foundation subjects, there remains work to be done to ensure that the curriculum is ambitious, well sequenced and resourced, and well taught. This means that in those subjects, pupils are not achieving as well as they could. The school should ensure that it implements its stated intention to develop the subject leadership, teaching expertise and resources needed to enable pupils to gain deep knowledge across all subjects.