St Werburgh’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

St Werburgh's Church of England Primary is an inclusive and nurturing school. Staff and pupils live out the Christian values harmoniously.

There is a strong community feel to the school. Pupils know the rules of 'be kind, be respectful and be safe'. This is evident in how pupils and staff interact with each other.

Pupils are happy and safe. They are proud of their school. As one pupil said: 'This is a fun school where you can feel free to be yourself.'



Pupils are well mannered, polite and respectfully confident. They engage well in lessons. They listen intently and are keen to share their ideas and answer questions.

Pupils support each oth...er. They work well together in lessons and show care for one another outside. Older pupils provide guidance and support to younger pupils at breaktimes.

Pupils who need help to regulate their emotions are supported well.

Pupils benefit from an ambitious and broad curriculum. This is enhanced by carefully selected trips and visitors.

The school provides a range of musical, creative and sporting opportunities to nurture pupils' talents and interests. The school ensures that all pupils are able to access these.

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

Children get off to a good start in the Reception Year.

The provision is well resourced, both indoors and outside. The environment is organised carefully to help children to quickly learn new knowledge and develop their skills. Children are provided with opportunities to follow their own interests, explore and take learning risks.

Staff have high expectations of what children can achieve. They have established clear routines that allow children to develop independence, learn how to take turns and to share. Children are well prepared for key stage 1.

The school has prioritised reading. Staff have been trained to deliver the phonics programme well. Reading books are closely matched to the sounds that pupils know.

As a result, pupils soon become fluent readers. Any pupils who begin to fall behind get the help that they need to keep up. Beyond phonics, the reading curriculum is well organised.

Pupils study a wide range of texts of increasing complexity. The school promotes a love of reading in a variety of ways, including visits from authors and the recent addition of the new library pod.

The mathematics curriculum helps pupils to become fluent with numbers, and to develop reasoning and problem-solving skills.

In lessons, teachers provide clear and well-structured explanations. They use questioning skilfully to identify and address misconceptions. Pupils revisit content through the '10 for 10' questions.

They say that this helps them to remember what they have learned before.

The wider curriculum is ambitious and well planned. It builds cumulatively on what pupils know, from the Reception Year through to Year 6.

Pupils enjoy lessons and talk positively about their learning. Teachers use 'What three things?' to identify the most important content that they want pupils to learn in lessons. This helps pupils to remember the curriculum.

When planning lessons, teachers consider how they can help pupils to reflect on their learning and to further deepen their understanding. However, this is not consistently carried out or applied. As a result, learning for some pupils is not always maximised.

Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is strong. The school ensures that these pupils' needs are identified and understood. Teachers adapt lessons well to cater for these.

As a result, in the vast majority of cases, pupils with SEND successfully learn the same curriculum as their peers.

Supporting pupils' personal development is prioritised. It is a strength of the school.

Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They show a secure and mature understanding of diversity and equality. They know what the protected characteristics are and what these mean in law.

They understand fundamental British values. They can relate these to their everyday lives and talk about them with confidence. Pupils take on many extra roles and responsibilities, including being school ambassadors.

The way that the school helps pupils to develop character is exemplary. Pupils are encouraged to develop their own views and opinions and debate these in a respectful way.

The school is well led and managed.

Staff, including early careers teachers, feel very well supported. Staff appreciate the wide range of training and support that they receive. This includes working with other schools across the trust to share good practice.

Those with responsibility for governance know the school well. They provide appropriate support and challenge.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some of the foundation subjects, planned opportunities for pupils to deepen and extend their learning are inconsistently implemented. As a result, learning for some pupils is not always maximised. The school should ensure that the planned opportunities for pupils to deepen and extend their learning are consistently implemented.