Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Children and pupils are proud of their school.

There is a palpable sense of belonging, and pupils thrive as a result. They are confident that all staff will provide the help and support they need.

Since the previous inspection, the school has raised expectations of behaviour significantly.

This starts in the Nursery. Children are taught about sharing, turn-taking and consideration for others from the beginning. They quickly learn the routines that help them learn and support their social and emotional development.

Pupils know and understand the school's values and are proud to tell visitors how they demonstrate these in their actions each day.
...r/>Pupils enjoy their learning. The ambitious new curriculum now in place is helping them achieve better and understand that what they learn in one subject can help them in another.

Pupils enjoy talking about what they have learned and show real excitement about what is coming next.

The school has worked hard to make sure that pupils' personal development is now as important as their academic achievement. Exciting trips and visits are now taking place, and pupils thoroughly enjoy the very wide range of clubs they can join.

The school aims to widen pupils' horizons, and, increasingly, pupils have opportunities to participate in aspirational activities, including working on a project with a university.

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

Since the previous inspection, leaders have worked enormously hard to create the broad and ambitious curriculum that was lacking. Subject curriculums are now well organised, and teachers are clear about the sequence of learning so all pupils can make progress through the curriculum.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are central to the school's thinking. Early identification of needs and carefully constructed individual learning programmes are used well by teachers to support their learning. The school has identified a 'pupil entitlement', which sets out how all pupils should be supported to learn in every lesson.

This is beginning to impact pupils building on their learning over time.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge and teaching skills. The use of technology is a real feature in this school, which supports learning well.

However, many pupils have historic gaps in their learning that sometimes require consideration of a wider range of teaching approaches than is currently the case. Teachers check that pupils learn the intended curriculum over time. This helps them identify any gaps in learning and adapt the curriculum accordingly.

However, teachers do not always check that pupils have understood the content of a lesson. This means pupils' misconceptions sometimes continue for too long before they are recognised and addressed.

The school is aware that sometimes pupils' learning lacks the depth needed.

This is because pupils are not provided with sufficient opportunities to develop and apply their writing skills in their work. The school has developed a structured programme for regular subject-based writing opportunities throughout the academic year. However, this has not yet been implemented.

Reading is a priority in the school. Pupils have access to a wide range of stories, poetry and non-fiction. They enjoy reading and being read to.

Nearly all say that they read at home, and the school has set up an online facility for parents to share their child's reading with the school, which has been very successful.

Early reading is taught well by trained staff. In the Nursery, children are introduced to rhymes and letter symbols to prepare them for their Reception Year.

Regular checks make sure that those falling behind are identified quickly and supported. Pupils learn how to decode quickly. However, a few pupils do not pronounce the letter sounds accurately.

Although teachers model the letter sounds clearly, they do not always correct pupils. This means they struggle with blending sounds to read whole words, which slows their progress in reading confidently.

Behaviour has improved significantly since the previous inspection.

Pupils say that their lessons are no longer disrupted, and they are much kinder to one another now. For the few pupils who struggle to meet the new expectations, the school works sensitively and effectively with them and their families to provide the support needed.

The school provides many opportunities for pupils to develop character, leadership and an understanding of what it means to be a good citizen in the wider community.

For instance, there are many languages spoken in the school so a pupil translation group has been established helping new arrivals to settle quickly. Pupils also take part in sustainability projects and learn about a wide range of cultures and faiths.

Staff are proud to work here.

They feel well supported by both the school and trust. They say that their well-being is important and their workload is always considered. Training and career development opportunities provided by the trust are much appreciated.

The trust has driven the school's improvement effectively. A collegiate approach with school leaders that puts the needs of the pupils at the centre has enabled great strides forward. Statutory responsibilities are well understood and regularly reviewed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Writing is not developed well enough. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to think hard and make carefully constructed written responses that meet the requirements of a subject.

The school should make sure teachers understand how to provide opportunities for pupils to apply their writing skills across the curriculum. ? Some teachers do not always check that pupils have understood the intended learning. This means that misconceptions, as a result of gaps in learning, continue throughout a lesson and beyond, slowing progress as a result.

This is exacerbated because teachers do not always consider different approaches to presenting learning where appropriate. The school should ensure teachers have the strategies to check learning and adapt their presentation of learning in order to address misconceptions effectively. ? Some pupils who are struggling to learn to read are not supported consistently enough to recognise and say the sounds of letters accurately.

This means they pronounce words incorrectly. As a result, they do not recognise the word they are reading. The school should make sure that all teachers consistently check and correct pupils' pronunciation so pupils develop their confidence to read well.