St Stephen’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

Pupils regularly leave Year 6 with results that are above average in English and mathematics, reflecting the good progress they make as they move up the school. Their skills in reading are particularly good. Pupils who are supported by pupil premium funding achieve particularly well, as a result of effective use of the additional money to support their development.

Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs learn well as a result of carefully organised additional support. Teaching is typically good. Teachers display high expectations of how well their pupils can achieve, and their effective marking shows pupils exactly ...what they need to do to improve their work.

Pupils enjoy coming to school, and appreciate the range of experiences and rewards that the school arranges for them. Pupils' behaviour is consistently good, and they are polite and courteous to each other and to adults. Leaders and managers at all levels know the strengths of the school, and continually strive to make it even better.

Teachers and teaching assistants value the support they receive in order to continually improve their skills. The atmosphere throughout the school is one of a happy family, where pupils are nurtured as individuals and feel safe, and where every pupil is expected to succeed. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Not enough teaching is outstanding, and the aspects of outstanding practice that do exist are not shared often enough with all staff.

Staff do not make the most of pupils' curiosity by developing their research skills in lessons. Some pupils are not helped to make the transition from Reception to Year 1 as effectively as they could be.

Information about this school

This is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school, where most pupils are from minority ethnic groups and four in ten speak English as an additional language.

The proportion of pupils entering or leaving during the school year is higher than that found nationally. The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium, which is additional government funding for certain groups of pupils, is much higher than the national average. In this school the funding applies mainly to pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and a small number pupils who are looked after by the local authority.

The proportions of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported by school action, school action plus, or a statement of special educational needs are broadly average. The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. The school is in a 'hard' federation with another primary school, which means that the two schools share the same executive headteacher and governing body.