St Peters Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, West Hanningfield

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Peters Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, West Hanningfield continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish at school. Staff know and support each pupil, from early years through to Year 6, well.

Pupils, too, are very encouraging of each other. They are happy, caring and safe in their work and play.

Pupils behave well.

They treat each other with tolerance and respect, as they learn what this means through the school's 'fruits of the spirit' ethos.

Pupils get on well. They do not often fall out with each other.

Incidents of bullying are rare. Staff help to resolve any worries or concerns.
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Leaders are ambitious about what pupils can achieve.

Pupils study a broad and interesting range of subjects. Pupils learn better in some subjects than others. They learn about working outside of their comfort zone.

However, teachers do not give them enough opportunities for this, so pupils do not always get to explore learning in more depth or really challenge themselves enough. However, overall, pupils achieve well. Most leave in Year 6 with a firm foundation for learning in secondary school.

Leaders give pupils plenty of chances to develop a broad view of the world. For example, pupils explore wider world issues, including poverty, through charity project work such as the 'Global Neighbours Award'.

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

Leaders have worked constructively with staff and a wider partnership of schools to develop an ambitious curriculum.

Leaders prioritise reading and have ensured it is an effective foundation for pupils' learning. They have made sure staff have the knowledge to teach phonics well. Skilled adults precisely model sounds.

Pupils read books that match their phonic knowledge and develop early reading confidence. They develop a love of reading. Older pupils read a wide variety of different types of novels and texts.

Some pupils find reading tricky. Adults give these pupils individual support. This is precisely matched to their needs and helps them read more fluently.

Leaders' changes to the curriculum are paying off in most subjects. Leaders have given careful thought to how important content builds over time. For example, pupils' learning builds effectively from early years to Year 6 in mathematics, because a consistent approach to teaching the curriculum is used across year groups.

This is typical of most subjects.

Teachers deliver the curriculum well in most subjects. They provide clear explanations and use examples effectively.

Teachers check what pupils know from previous lessons and support pupils to fill any knowledge gaps. However, they do not always provide opportunities for pupils to move on to more complex knowledge or apply their knowledge in different contexts.

Leaders are further refining the curriculum in a few subjects but have still thought through content and important knowledge.

Training is planned in these subjects to help teachers develop the subject-specific expertise needed to teach more advanced concepts to pupils well. For example, in computing, pupils only explored the language of concepts such as on/off at a superficial level, so did not learn about the deeper meaning.

Teachers use assessments to check what pupils have learned over time.

Pupils find guidance teachers provide helpful. This helps them to improve the quality of their work. However, teachers sometimes do not use assessment well enough to move learning forward when pupils have a secure understanding.

Leaders make sure teachers know and understand the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff give pupils with SEND the help they need to be able to successfully access the full curriculum. All pupils with SEND learn important knowledge well and produce high-quality work.

Pupils behave in a kind and considerate way. They learn clear classroom routines and how to listen well. Learning is rarely, if ever, disrupted.

Pupils take responsibility for their own behaviour and offer each other gentle reminders about school rules.

In the early years, adults support children to develop positive learning habits. Clear routines are established around sharing, listening and taking turns.

Adults plan a range of purposeful learning activities, inside and outside the classroom, that support children's learning in all curriculum areas.

Pupils have many opportunities for broader development. They develop leadership skills as house captains and by leading assemblies.

Pupils value and participate in a range of clubs such as choir, gymnastics and cross country. They develop an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships and are accepting of difference.Governors have set out an ambitious new vision for the school.

They provide appropriate challenge and support school leaders to ensure this vision is turned into a reality. Staff are positive about leaders' consideration of their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff are well trained to identify safeguarding concerns and how to report them. Leaders act on concerns effectively. Where appropriate, they work with external agencies such as the local authority to seek appropriate advice and get the right help in place.

Pupils trust staff and are confident to share any worries or concerns. Pupils learn about how to stay safe through appropriate programmes of personal, social and health education and relationships and sex education.

Leaders manage safer recruitment effectively.

Leaders' checks on the suitability of adults to work in school and manage any concerns are robust.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers do not consistently identify when pupils are secure in their understanding and move learning on at an appropriate pace. As a result, some pupils who are capable of moving on to more complex knowledge or applying their knowledge in different contexts are not given these opportunities.

Leaders should ensure that all staff recognise when pupils are secure in their understanding and provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to apply their understanding to different contexts and build towards understanding more complex concepts. ? Teachers' knowledge of a small number of subjects and how best to teach them is underdeveloped. This means they do not always choose the most suitable learning tasks that focus on important subject knowledge.

Pupils do not develop a secure grasp of more advanced concepts well enough. Leaders should ensure they follow through with their plans to train staff to develop their knowledge in these subjects so that all subjects are taught equally well.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2013.