St Thomas’ CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This school is a happy and welcoming learning community.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), support each other and feel comfortable being themselves. They value their respectful and caring relationships with staff. The school brings out the best in pupils and enables them to thrive.

Across the school, staff have high expectations for pupils' learning and their broader development. Pupils typically relish the opportunity to live up to these expectations. They work consistently hard and are proud to immerse themselves in the wider life of the school, including as play or song leaders.

Pupils play a key role in mai...ntaining the school's harmonious and purposeful culture. They embrace the school's rules to be kind, safe and ready for learning. They contribute to school-wide improvements through their role as members of the school council.

The school nurtures pupils' talents through a diverse enrichment programme involving a vast array of sporting, creative and enterprise activities. Pupils benefit from a rich and varied set of experiences that broaden their horizons, such as residential trips and fundraising events. During their time at the school, pupils develop into responsible, mature and well-rounded citizens.

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

The school has worked effectively to address the issues raised at the last inspection, particularly to secure important improvements to the quality of its curriculum. This has had a positive impact on improving pupils' attainment. The school's ambitious curriculum carefully sets out the knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should learn from the Nursery class to Year 6.

Teachers typically deliver the curriculum effectively. They explain new concepts clearly and model new skills well. Pupils are proud to talk about and explain the work that they are doing.

Within lessons, teachers check how well pupils are learning effectively. This helps them to identify and address pupils' misconceptions as they happen. However, in a few subjects, the school's approaches to help pupils retain key knowledge over time are at an early stage of implementation.

This means that pupils' ability to accurately recall and remember their knowledge in these subjects is not as secure as it is in others.

Learning to read is a priority. Children develop their love of reading from the beginning of their time in the Nursery class through rhymes and songs.

Staff deliver the well-ordered phonics programme effectively. They make sure that pupils read from books that include the sounds that they have already learned. Teachers swiftly spot any pupils who are not keeping up with the programme and help them to catch up quickly.

Older pupils talk confidently and enthusiastically about the books that they enjoy reading.

Pupils behave exceptionally well. From the start of the early years, they follow clear routines impeccably.

This ensures that no time is wasted. Pupils concentrate well. They are keen to participate in lessons.

Pupils cooperate, take turns and look out for each other.

Pupils rarely miss school. The school has developed clear procedures to manage pupils' attendance and punctuality.

It works effectively to support a few families where pupils' at-tendance needs to improve.

The school works effectively to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND at the earliest possible opportunity. Staff work with a range of external services, such as speech and language therapists, to understand pupils' needs and provide the right support.

The programme to support pupils' personal development is exceptional. Pupils value the wide range of leadership opportunities available to them. These enable them to make positive improvements to the pupils' experience of school, such as through the school council.

Pupils develop a sophisticated understanding of healthy lifestyles and online safety. They know about the harm that prejudice and discrimination can cause. The school's 'Special Person of Character' initiative skilfully promotes pupils' aspirations and supports their development.

The school has thought carefully about the qualities and values that it wants to instil into pupils. It ensures that pupils develop into respectful, caring and considerate individuals ready for life beyond school.

The governing body has effective systems to support and challenge the school to continually improve the quality of education that pupils receive.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the strong relationships and teamwork with their colleagues. Staff appreciate the many training opportunities that the school provides for them.

The school considers staff's workload to help them to fulfil their responsibilities. Staff work effectively with parents, carers and the wider community.

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 subjects, the strategies to secure previous learning are at an early stage of implementation. This means that pupils are less confident in recalling what they have been taught. The school should ensure that the curriculum enables pupils to develop secure foundations on which to build new learning.