Christ Church Upper Armley Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have established a supportive and caring learning community.

Pupils treat each other with kindness. They welcome new pupils to school and help them to settle in quickly. An ethos of inclusion and respect runs throughout the school.

Leaders help parents and carers feel welcome and listened to. The recent introduction of 'Warm Wednesday' provides parents with an opportunity to meet other parents and staff in a warm and supportive environment.

Teachers and pupils understand and follow the clear system for promoting good behaviour.

There is a strong culture of positive rewards and recognition. Staff have high expectations of all pupils. Most pupi...ls behave well in lessons and at social times.

In a small number of lessons, where the learning is less engaging, some pupils lose focus. Pupils understand what bullying means and how to report it. They are confident that bullying happens rarely in their school.

Staff deal quickly and sensitively with any incidents that do arise.

Leaders, including members of the trust, are taking positive action to improve pupils' attendance levels. Despite this, some younger children in Reception remain on part-time attendance for extended periods of time.

In addition, too many pupils arrive late to school each day. These pupils miss important learning opportunities.

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

Reading is a high priority across all year groups.

The new programme for teaching phonics is established well in Reception and Year 1. Training for all staff has contributed to a consistent approach to teaching phonics. Leaders use assessment well to identify gaps in learning.

However, teachers do not structure lessons to meet the needs of some of the weakest readers. These pupils do not have the phonic knowledge to access the same learning as their peers. Therefore, essential learning time is lost.

Leaders have developed a carefully sequenced approach to reading in Year 2 and key stage 2. Teachers use high-quality books to help promote a love of reading and broaden pupils' vocabulary. Pupils develop the reading skills they need to access learning across the curriculum.

The curriculum for mathematics identifies the small steps of learning that pupils need to master. Across all year groups, teachers provide pupils with a range of resources to support their thinking. This helps to build pupils' confidence.

Lessons include daily opportunities for pupils to recap and develop their mathematical knowledge. The subject leader, with support from the trust, provides teachers with the training they need to strengthen their mathematical subject knowledge.

The curriculum for subjects other than English and mathematics is still developing.

In most subjects, leaders have designed a programme of learning that meets national curriculum expectations. Published schemes of work help to provide teachers with the subject knowledge they need in each curriculum area. However, in subjects such as history and music, leaders have not identified the key knowledge and vocabulary that will be introduced in Reception to prepare children for later learning.

Provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has greatly improved since the school joined the trust. Inclusion is a high priority for all leaders. The inclusion leader provides staff with the training they need to support pupils with SEND effectively.

Pupils with education, health and care plans receive the support they need to meet their individual targets well. Leaders encourage parents to contribute to their child's learning targets. Staff use effective working relationships with a range of external professionals to help ensure pupils receive the support they need to learn and thrive.

The curriculum for personal development is strong. Leaders have adapted the curriculum to prepare pupils for the challenges they face in the local and wider community. Leaders are working towards a national award for the inclusion of refugees and people seeking asylum.

An ethos of 'Everyone is Welcome' runs throughout the personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum. Pupils take on leadership roles such as school councillor and well-being warrior. They are proud of the difference they make to their school.

The governor advisory board provides highly effective support to school leaders. They recognise that the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the impact of planned improvements to the curriculum. This impacted negatively on pupil outcomes at the end of key stage 2 in 2022.

However, the board provides sufficiently high levels of challenge to hold leaders to account for continued school improvement. Teachers speak positively of the support leaders, including advisory board members, provide for their well-being and workload. Most staff are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Leaders provide staff with the training they need to keep pupils safe.

Staff know how to respond sensitively to pupils who have worries or concerns. Staff report these concerns to leaders, who take swift and effective action. The school safeguarding team works closely with parents and external agencies to help bring about improvement.

Recruitment procedures are robust.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in and out of school. They have a secure understanding of how to stay safe online.

Teachers help pupils to develop an understanding of consent and positive relationships. Pupils speak confidently about the impact of physical and emotional violence. This helps them to stay safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils in the early stages of learning to read struggle to access the teaching of phonics. These pupils do not make the same progress as their peers. Leaders should ensure that teachers provide all pupils with the necessary support for them to make rapid progress in phonics.

• The curriculum for some foundation subjects is not aligned well with the early years curriculum. This means that adults in Reception miss opportunities to introduce children to the subject vocabulary they will develop further in key stage 1. Leaders should ensure that the early years curriculum includes explicit opportunities to introduce children to this early subject knowledge and vocabulary.

• Too many pupils arrive late to school each day. This means pupils miss out on essential learning and fall behind their peers. Leaders should continue to help parents and their children develop positive attitudes to school attendance from the very start of Reception through to Year 6.