Staining Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Staining Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to attend this vibrant and friendly school. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and nurturing.

All pupils, including children in the early years, enjoy their lessons and look forward to all the learning opportunities on offer to them.

Staff have high expectations of what all pupils can achieve. Pupils rise to the school's expectations of them.

They achieve highly.

Pupils behave well. They uphold the school's values and conduct themselves positively during lessons and around the school.

P...upils play nicely together in the school's extensive grounds. They are proud of their newly renovated garden area. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere in classrooms, which helps pupils to focus on their learning.

Pupils enjoy being able to share their successes with each other in regular celebration events.

The school provides a wide range of clubs and trips so that pupils can develop their interests and talents. These include gardening, card-making and sports clubs.

Year 6 pupils are looking forward to their residential trip, where they are keen to go on a zip wire. Pupils learn to improve their leadership skills through being members of the ethos group and by being buddies to younger children.

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

The school is ambitious for all pupils.

It has designed the curriculum to be broad and varied. The knowledge that children should learn, and when this should happen, is clearly defined from the early years to Year 6. The school has ensured that the curriculum builds on what pupils already know and can do.

This enables pupils to develop an understanding of more complex ideas.

In most lessons, teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge. They generally deliver the curriculum well.

However, the school has not monitored the implementation of the curriculum as effectively as it should. In a few subjects, some of the activities that teachers select are not well chosen to help pupils to learn new content. This means that some pupils do not learn all that they could.

Children start to learn phonics from the beginning of the Reception Year. Staff implement the phonics programme well and with fidelity. They provide pupils with books that match their current phonics knowledge.

This means that most pupils learn to read quickly and fluently in readiness for key stage 2. Staff swiftly identify pupils who need extra support in learning to read so that they can catch up. The library contains a wide range of books.

Pupils spoke enthusiastically about their favourite stories and authors.

Pupils concentrate and work hard in lessons, which proceed without disruption. Pupils are curious and attentive learners.

Their positive attitudes to learning are fostered from the beginning of school in the early years. Staff provide children with a focused learning environment. This helps children to engage in well-thought-out activities that reinforce their learning.

The school identifies pupils' individual needs quickly and accurately. Staff provide pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) with extra help and support so that they can follow the same curriculum as their classmates. This helps pupils with SEND to achieve well.

The school support pupils' personal development well. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. As a result, they have a secure understanding of acceptance and tolerance.

They can understand and respect different viewpoints from their own. Pupils proudly told the inspector that they take part in charity fundraising events. They understand the importance of helping people who need it.

Over time, pupils develop into kind and considerate citizens.

The school successfully engages with parents and carers. For example, it shares a wide range of information to help parents to support their children's education at home.

The governing body is highly committed to the school. It has an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas to develop further. Governors provide appropriate support and challenge to ensure that the school continues to improve the quality of education that pupils receive.

Staff enjoy working at the school. The school takes their workload and well-being into account. Staff welcome the guidance that the school provides in making positive changes to the curriculum.

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 subjects, the school does not check in enough detail how well the curriculum is being implemented. Some teachers do not select the most appropriate activities to help pupils to acquire new information.

This means that some pupils are not making the progress in these subjects that they might. The school should check that the curriculum is being delivered as intended so that pupils know and remember more across all subjects.

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 October 2014.