The Canon Peter Hall CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

The Canon Peter Hall CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well.

They enjoy coming to school. Staff have high expectations of pupils' learning and behaviour. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils are polite, respectful and friendly to each other and adults. The school is a calm and orderly environment that is very well looked after. Bullying is rare.

Leaders take any concerns seriously. Pupils know that if they are worried, there are staff who will help them. Pupils always have someone to play with at breakfast club, lunch or breaktimes.

Lead...ers have developed an ambitious curriculum. They are clear that pupils need a wide range of skills and experiences to prepare them for high school and the world of work beyond this. Pupils learn about a range of job and career opportunities.

Teachers make learning purposeful for pupils. Pupils work hard in lessons and show resilience when work is challenging. Pupils gain the knowledge that they need and are well prepared for their next steps.

Pupils are proud to attend the school. They value the responsibilities they have. For example, play leaders organise games and activities at breakfast club.

These are enjoyed by all who attend. Older pupils read with younger pupils who say that this helps their reading. This creates a strong sense of community.

Parents value the work the school is doing for their children.

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

Leaders are in the process of implementing a well-thought-out curriculum. In most subjects, the knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which they should learn it has been carefully considered.

Leaders are developing each subject carefully. However, the process is not complete for all subjects. For example, in design and technology and computing, leaders are still working to make sure that a coherently planned curriculum is fully in place.

In Reception, children get off to a strong start. Staff develop children's understanding of the world, for example through forest school activities and by celebrating the Chinese New Year. This work is built on in later years.

Older pupils learn about the world of work. Experiences are designed to develop pupils' knowledge, skills and attitudes toward work and life. For example, Year 6 pupils learn about being employed, sub-contracted or self-employed.

They also have opportunity to apply for roles within the school and experience job interviews.

Reading is taught effectively. Phonics outcomes declined in 2022.

Leaders then worked to improve the teaching of early reading. Effective training for staff has resulted in the phonics curriculum now being implemented consistently. Pupils learn about letters and the sounds that they represent in a systematic way.

Leaders plan a variety of opportunities for pupils to become confident and fluent readers. Staff ensure that pupils' misconceptions are addressed when saying and writing new words. Pupils who need extra help learning to read receive this quickly.

However, some staff who read with individual pupils do not have a precise understanding of the school's approach to teaching reading. This means these sessions are not as useful as they could be in helping pupils who are learning to read.

Staff provide opportunities for pupils to revisit previous learning.

This ensures that any gaps in pupils' knowledge are identified and addressed quickly. Teachers check in lessons to make sure that pupils are learning what they are being taught. Pupils with SEND are well supported.

They learn alongside their peers. Staff consider the needs of each pupil when planning and teaching lessons.

There is a strong focus on pupils' wider development.

Leaders ensure that there are a range of extra-curricular activities. This includes sports and music tuition to develop pupils' talents and interests. Pupils learn about a variety of religions.

They understand the importance of respecting and valuing people and their differences. Pupils develop a strong sense of right and wrong.

Staff are well supported by leaders within the school and from the trust.

Staff value the regular opportunities for professional development and training. Leaders consider the well-being of staff in the decisions that they make. Engagement with parents and carers and the local community is a strong feature of the school.

Governors and trust officers support and challenge school leaders effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding.

Leaders ensure that the correct procedures are followed when appointing new staff. Leaders know the community they serve very well. They work well with outside agencies to get the right support for pupils and their families.

Staff receive regular training and understand their responsibilities for keeping pupils safe. Staff ensure that pupils understand how to use the internet safely.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some adults do not have the expertise to help pupils apply their phonic knowledge when reading.

As a result, some pupils at the earliest stages of reading do not learn to read as quickly as they could. Leaders should ensure that all staff get the training that they need to help pupils use their developing phonic knowledge to become fluent readers. ? In a few subjects, such as design and technology, curriculum plans do not set out the essential knowledge and skills that leaders want pupils to learn and remember.

This means that pupils do not learn as well as they could, because they do not build on what they already know. Leaders should ensure that they set out the knowledge that they want pupils to learn from the early years to Year 6.

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2017.