St Martin & St Mary Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Martin & St Mary Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in early years, live out the school's vision of life in all its fullness.

They embrace every opportunity that the school offers to them. They especially enjoy using the school's outdoor swimming pool. Pupils willingly adopt the school's values including friendship and honesty.

They are happy to attend this caring and welcoming school.

Pupils are keen to meet the high expectations that the school has for their achievement. Many pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve ...well.

Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Pupils follow staff's instructions. They behave well.

Those pupils who need extra help in managing their emotions receive effective support from caring and nurturing staff. Pupils know that staff will help them and, as a result, they feel safe.

Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to develop their leadership skills.

These include taking on roles as school councillors, dinner monitors, mini police and sports leaders. Pupils develop their cooperation and team-building skills through the lunchtime activities that the school provides. They are proud to represent their school in a wide range of sports across the county.

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

In the main, the curriculum has been carefully thought through and it is suitably ambitious. In most subjects, the school has organised the curriculum so that pupils' learning builds on what they already know. This supports teachers to design learning activities that help to increase pupils' knowledge and skills.

Pupils achieve well in these subjects. However, in a minority of subjects, the school's work to organise the curriculum is at an earlier stage of development. Some of the smaller steps of knowledge have not been identified.

On occasions, this prevents pupils from learning all of the important knowledge that they should.

Teachers regularly check to make sure that pupils understand their learning. This ensures that any misconceptions are addressed quickly.

However, in a small number of subjects, this is less effective. This is because teachers are not sure what knowledge should be checked to make sure that pupils are learning all that they should.

The school quickly identifies any pupils who may have SEND.

Staff are adept at making adaptations to their teaching so that these pupils can learn the curriculum. When necessary, the school works with a range of professionals to ensure that pupils receive expert support if they need it. Pupils with SEND typically achieve well.

The school has prioritised reading. Staff introduce children to a wide range of stories, songs and rhymes in the Nursery Year and the provision for two-year-olds. This supports children to develop strong listening skills in preparation for the phonics programme, which begins at the start of the Reception Year.

The school provides regular training to ensure that staff implement the phonics programme to a high standard. This helps pupils to build secure reading knowledge over time. Pupils make the most of the opportunities that are provided to practise reading.

They become competent readers. Pupils talked with enthusiasm about the books they have read and authors they like.

Pupils are polite and well-mannered.

They concentrate on their learning in a calm school environment. Children in the early years develop enthusiasm for learning and are curious about the world around them. Children in the two-year-old provision settle quickly into school routines and develop a sense of belonging as a result of the quality of care that they receive.

The school has made attendance a high priority. Rewards are given to pupils who attend regularly, and support is swiftly put into place for those pupils who do not attend school often enough. As a result, attendance is improving.

The school provides well for pupils' personal development. Pupils, including those with SEND, enjoy access to a wide range of high-quality clubs and activities. These include clay, tennis, gardening and orienteering.

Many pupils have been given the opportunity to learn a musical instrument including guitar, piano and flute. Pupils enjoy the trips that the school provides to enrich their learning, for example visits to museums and galleries and to cities such as Liverpool.

Governors and leaders are mindful of staff's workload and well-being in the decisions that they make about the school.

Staff are proud to work as part of the school's team.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, there is a lack of clarity about the knowledge that pupils need to acquire.

This makes it difficult for teachers to design learning and then check pupils' understanding. As a result, some pupils do not learn some aspects of the curriculum as well as they should. The school should define the essential knowledge that pupils must learn in all subjects, so that pupils can build their knowledge and understanding over time.

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 February 2019.

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