St Martin’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St Martin's Church of England Primary School are rightly proud of their 'FRESH' values. They believe in friendship, respect, empathy, sharing and humility.

They talk passionately about these. The Christian ethos of the school underpins all aspects of school life. This is a school that celebrates diversity and welcomes all, no matter what their race or belief.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils' behaviour around the school and in class. Pupils conduct themselves well. They walk quietly and sensibly around corridors and the hall.

Pupils who attend the resource base are also well supported to adhere to these expectations.

Pupils enjoy ed...ucational visits, including a trip to the Black Country Museum, or visitors into school, such as the police. Pupils believe that such events help them to engage and remember more of their learning.

Pupils say they feel safe because staff care for them and act on any issues quickly. They understand different types of bullying, but say that bullying is rare.

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

Leaders, including governors, have an ambitious vision for what pupils should achieve.

A number of staffing changes mean that some subject leaders are new to their role. Leaders have worked hard with these staff to establish a suitable curriculum. Subject leaders have set out the key content that pupils need to learn.

They have organised this carefully so that pupils can build on what they already know. Teachers use assessment information to find out what pupils know. They use this to plan next steps in learning.

Subject leaders have not evaluated the impact of the changes made to the curriculum. This means they have not identified where further improvements might be needed.

Children get off to a good start to school life.

Staff quickly form positive and productive relationships with them. Staff know the children well and understand their individual needs. This is because they make very good use of information from parents, carers and other pre-school settings.

This helps children to make good progress in their learning.

Leaders have prioritised reading. Children in Nursery practise their listening skills so they can hear and recognise early sounds and letters.

Pupils build on this because of effective phonics teaching in Reception and key stage 1. Further support is given to pupils in key stage 2 if they need to catch up with their peers. The books that pupils read are well matched to the sounds that they have learned.

This helps them to learn and remember more. Pupils enjoy daily story time at the end of the day and listen to a range of texts, including the Bible.

Staff expect all children to behave well.

Staff are implementing the school's new behaviour policy effectively. There are clear school rules and routines that support this, which means that pupils understand and behave.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) typically receive good support and are fully included in all aspects of school life.

This includes pupils who attend the school's resource base. Staff receive regular and effective guidance about how to support pupils with SEND. This means that the needs of pupils with education, health and care plans, in particular, are well catered for.

Occasionally, for other pupils with SEND, support is not always matched closely to their needs. For example, in mathematics lessons, pupils do not always have access to resources that would help to make the learning more accessible.

Pupils' personal development is well catered for.

Leaders encourage resilience to help pupils prepare for their next steps and later lives. Leaders use trips and visitors into school to enhance the curriculum. Pupils enjoy these opportunities.

Learning across various subjects promotes pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are very respectful of difference and make everyone who joins the school feel welcome.

Parents believe that leaders have the safety and education of the pupils at heart, and that they will sort out any issues that arise.

Governors know the school well. They provide effective challenge and support. Staff enjoy working at the school.

They appreciate leaders' efforts to reduce their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding.

Effective systems are in place to keep pupils safe. Leaders carry out robust checks to ensure that staff appointed are suitable to work with children. Staff are well trained in safeguarding procedures.

School records show that leaders respond immediately to concerns raised.

Staff know the pupils well. They report any concerns they might have about pupils' safety and well-being.

Leaders monitor these reports to ensure that any trends are picked up quickly. They work closely with parents and external agencies where necessary to make sure that pupils and families receive the support they need.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Due to staffing changes, some subject leaders are still relatively new to their post.

As a result, they are in the earlier stages of developing their role and have not identified where the curriculum can be improved further. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders have the time and expertise to be able to effectively measure the impact of their work. They should ensure that the implementation of the curriculum supports pupils well to know and remember more.

• Occasionally, support for some pupils with SEND is not as closely matched to the pupils' needs as it could be. As a result, these pupils may not make as much progress as they could. Leaders should ensure that support for pupils with SEND is closely matched to fully meet their needs, to help them to learn more.