St Richard’s CofE First School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Pupils achieve well.

By the time they leave, their standards in English and mathematics are above age-related expectations. Good provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage helps children to become confident independent learners. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve well.

Needs are identified early and appropriate support given. Teaching has improved since the last inspection and is consistently good or better. Pupils feel safe, behave well and are punctual to lessons.

Staff are very good at helping pupils with behavioural, emotional and social needs to manage their feelings and control their behavi...our. The school is well led and managed. Leaders help all staff to improve their practice, which in turn helps pupils to make better progress.

The school provides good support for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Relationships are very good and pupils instinctively help one another. The school provides a wide range of extra activities so that all pupils have the opportunity to enjoy and succeed at something they like.

Provision for art is outstanding. Governors support the school well and ensure that the budget is spent wisely for the benefit of all pupils. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Attendance is low.

The school encourages full attendance but has not yet succeeded in gaining the support of all families. Teachers are less confident when teaching mathematics than when teaching English Marking is not consistently good across the school. Some pupils lack confidence when speaking aloud in class and this subsequently restricts the progress they make in writing because : they cannot express their ideas clearly enough.

Information about this school

St Richard's is larger than the average sized first school and serves an urban area. Most pupils are of from White British backgrounds. About 10% of pupils are from minority ethnic groups and speak English as an additional language.

About 15% of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium (this provides additional funding for looked after children, pupils from families known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families). This is a broadly average proportion The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.

The needs include behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, speech, language and communication needs and learning difficulties. The school shares a 0-19 Learning Campus with a nursery, a middle school, a high school and a special school. These establishments are inspected separately.

Pupils share some of the other schools' facilities. Other than this, no pupils are taught off-site. Some pupils attend breakfast and after-school clubs provided by the nursery.