St Luke’s CofE First School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending St Luke's Church of England First School. They are happy and safe.

The core values of community, diversity and well-being are central to this school's work. Bullying is not tolerated at the school. Staff act quickly to resolve any concerns.

Leaders do not set high enough expectations for what some pupils can achieve. The work provided for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) does not meet their needs. Mathematics and reading are taught regularly and work builds on what has gone before.

Pupils enjoy reading. However, leaders have not made the necessary improvements to the curriculum in some subjects to en...sure that pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

Leaders ensure that pupils' behaviour is managed fairly across the school.

Pupils are polite and friendly. On occasions, when expectations are not high enough, some pupils become distracted in class. At breaktimes and lunchtimes, pupils play happily together.

Pupils who are play leaders or well-being leaders help out in different ways. Activities such as after-school clubs and trips have started again as COVID-19 restrictions have eased. These help pupils to grow in confidence, develop new interests and broaden their outlook.

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

In the main, leaders have ensured that the curriculum is carefully sequenced and is being implemented effectively. However, in some subjects, the curriculum does not enable pupils to develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the subject. As a result, pupils do not deepen their learning and they do not remember key information.

In some subjects, including design technology and music, curriculum plans have only recently been introduced. Leaders' plans were delayed because of the pandemic. This means that leaders have not yet evaluated the impact of this new curriculum on what pupils know and remember.

Curriculum leaders ensure that teachers have the subject knowledge they need to teach each subject well. Teachers teach pupils the vocabulary needed to deepen learning. This allows pupils to build up knowledge over time.

Despite this, teachers do not always set work that is well matched to the needs of pupils. This is because teachers' checks on some pupils' learning are not as effective as they should be. As a result, teachers do not always pick up when pupils are struggling or need to move on.

Good communication between home and school helps children in early years settle well into school life. They develop positive attitudes to learning. Staff have high expectations of children.

They model early language and communication skills well. Teachers plan learning activities that are well matched to children's needs. Children enjoy learning about number through stories, songs and rhymes.

Leaders now prioritise reading. Recent changes in the teaching of phonics are being implemented.However, teachers' expectations in reading are still not high enough for some pupils.

Not all pupils read to adults regularly in school. Some books for a few pupils, including some pupils with SEND, do not closely match the sounds pupils are learning.

Leaders have not ensured that the curriculum consistently meets the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND.

As a result, some pupils are not effectively supported in class. Some parents and carers of pupils with SEND are concerned about the quality of support their children receive at school. Pupils in the nurture group are supported well.

They receive additional pastoral support and support from external agencies where required. Leaders have made some recent progress in securing effective support for some pupils with SEND.

Activities beyond the academic curriculum support pupils' personal development.

Pupils enjoy fundraising for charity. A planned carol-singing visit to a local care home was cancelled due to the pandemic. Instead, pupils enjoyed writing letters to residents.

Trips and after-school clubs, such as those for drama, gardening and sports, have been reinstated. Opportunities for roles such as spiritual leader, play leader and well-being leader allow pupils to take on responsibilities. In doing so, they develop confidence and communication skills.

In personal, social and health education lessons, pupils confidently share ideas and feelings. They listen to and value the opinions of others. Strong pastoral support means that pupils get the help and advice they need.

Governors have an understanding of the school's strengths and priorities for improvement. Those new to governance talk confidently about recent improvements. However, governors are clear that the school has not made as much progress as they would have liked due to COVID-19.

Staff feel well supported by leaders, who manage their workload effectively. Staff are appreciative of the support they receive from leaders to cope with the impact of COVID-19 on school and home life.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders make sure that staff know what to do if they have concerns about a pupil. They are aware of specific areas of concern, such as protecting pupils from sexual harassment, radicalisation and exploitation. Leaders seek the right support for vulnerable pupils.

This includes support from external agencies when necessary.

Leaders ensure that the appropriate checks on staff are undertaken before they are appointed. Pupils regularly learn about how to maintain healthy relationships and to keep safe when online.

They know how to raise concerns with trusted adults in school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers' checks on some pupils' learning are not as effective as they should be. This means that teachers do not always pick up when pupils are struggling or need to move on.

This slows their progress. Leaders should ensure that all teachers use assessment well to identify accurate next steps for pupils. ? Provision for some pupils with SEND does not meet their needs.

This means that some pupils do not get the help and support they need in order to be successful. Leaders need to review provision for some pupils to ensure that all pupils with SEND get the help and support they need to do well in school. Teachers should ensure that reading books for pupils with SEND who are still at the early stages of reading are matched to the sounds they are learning.

• In some subjects, the curriculum does not enable pupils to develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding. This means that pupils do not deepen their knowledge and they struggle to retain key information. In these subjects, leaders need to review the curriculum to make steps in learning more explicit and allow pupils adequate time to deepen their learning and remember more of what they have been taught.

• Leaders have recently introduced revised curriculum plans in a small number of subjects. They have not yet evaluated the impact that these plans are having on what pupils know and remember. Leaders should support subject leaders to evaluate the impact of plans on what pupils know and remember.

Also at this postcode