Thurnham Glasson Christ Church, Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, arrive at school happy and excited to start the day.

They enjoy coming to school. They feel well cared for and safe.

Pupils look after each other.

For example, older pupils organise games for everyone to enjoy during lunchtimes. Pupils know that adults will help them if there are any problems in the school. Leaders deal well with any incidents of bullying.

Pupils are polite and respectful to each other and staff. Most pupils live up to the high expectations that leaders set for their behaviour. As a result, there is a happy and calm feeling in the school.

Leaders want pupils to achieve well. How...ever, not all do. This is because, in a range of subjects, leaders have not ensured that pupils benefit from a curriculum that enables them to build on their learning over time.

Pupils take great pride in their roles on the school council, the eco-council and the footsteps ethos group. They can explain the importance of taking on responsibility and helping people in the local community. Although this is a very small school, leaders successfully give the pupils a broad range of experiences to ensure that they are ready for life in a diverse society.

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

Leaders have worked with local authority officers to develop an appropriate curriculum for all pupils at the school. However, due to a number of staffing and class changes, this work is not complete for all subjects. Leaders have not set out clearly the detail of what they expect pupils to learn from the early years to Year 6.

As a result, the curriculum in some subjects does not help pupils to achieve as well as they might.

Teachers have good subject knowledge and design interesting and engaging lessons. Work in pupils' books shows that lessons link together.

However, in some subjects the work that pupils complete does not match what is intended in the curriculum. This means that teaching cannot build on previous learning effectively. This hinders pupils from learning all that they should.

Teachers check that pupils have understood what they have learned during lessons. However, these checks do not identify gaps in pupils' knowledge sufficiently well. This means that some pupils move through the curriculum with ongoing gaps in their learning.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) follow the same curriculum as their peers. Leaders identify pupils' needs well and work with a range of agencies to support pupils and their families. On occasions, teachers do not match carefully enough the work provided for some pupils to their needs.

This means that sometimes they do not make the progress through the subject curriculums that they could.

Leaders have developed the provision for early reading well. Teachers follow the agreed programme with fidelity.

Pupils become fluent readers and understand how to use their knowledge of phonics when they meet new words. Staff match books well to pupils' reading ability and interests. Older pupils enjoy reading and understand the importance of reading widely.

Leaders ensure that pupils have a broad diet of texts from a range of authors.

Pupils behave well in lessons and at social times. Pupils work and play with friends from the different age groups in the school.

They are keen to learn and know the importance of listening carefully. Disruption in lessons is rare. When needed, teachers use the school's behaviour policy effectively to ensure there is no impact on learning.

Pupils, parents and carers enjoy celebrating good behaviour in assemblies.

Leaders encourage pupils to have a social conscience. They provide lunch and worship for the local community, take part in pupil parliaments linking with other schools in the area and learn about their role in helping the environment through a 'trash fashion event'.

They enjoy going on trips to enhance their learning and talked to an inspector with enthusiasm about residential visits, for example, to the Isle of Man. Staff prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Leaders take every opportunity to ensure that pupils respect diversity.

Pupils are clear that everyone is welcome at their school.

Governors are very mindful of staff's workload. They support them in practical ways when they can and consider their roles and responsibilities.

Staff feel proud to work at this school and know that leaders appreciate them.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the experiences that their children have at this small, caring school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have robust systems in place to check that all staff receive and understand the training that they need. Staff know what to look out for to identify pupils at risk of harm. Leaders keep staff up to date with safeguarding issues.

Staff report any concerns immediately. Leaders work closely with families to support them and help them when possible.

Leaders have prioritised the importance of all pupils learning to swim, due to the location of the school.

As a result, children from the Nursery class up to Year 6 attend swimming lessons every week. Pupils learn how to be safe online and know the importance of talking to a trusted adult if they have concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, leaders have not identified what they want pupils to learn and when this content should be taught.

This prevents teachers from designing learning that builds up pupils' learning over time. Leaders should ensure that teachers know what to teach, so that pupils achieve well across a range of subjects. ? At times, teachers design learning that does not match the intended content in the subject curriculums.

In addition, teachers sometimes do not spot and address gaps in pupils' understanding. This means that pupils do not learn all that they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers are delivering the agreed content in the subject curriculums, and that they are overcoming gaps in pupils' knowledge, so that pupils know and remember more over time.

• Sometimes, the work that pupils with SEND are asked to complete does not match their needs. This limits their progress through the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that staff gain the expertise that they need to enable pupils with SEND to achieve well.