Wigan St Andrew’s CofE Junior and Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection.

However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone is welcome at Wigan St Andrew's Church of England Primary School.

Warm relationships underpin this caring learning community. Pupils value the support that they receive from adults. Pupils trust adults to help them when they are worried.

This helps pupils to feel happy and safe.

Staff have ...clear expectations for pupils' behaviour. Most pupils work hard in lessons.

They are keen to earn team points and the weekly 'star of the week' trophy. Pupils play cooperatively at social times. They told the inspector that pupils can use the friendship stop at playtimes.

This means that they always have someone to play with. Older pupils are kind and compassionate role models. They help younger pupils to stay active at playtimes.

Pupils are proud when they are voted as 'friend of the week' in their classes. When minor disagreements occur, staff support pupils to resolve their differences. Leaders deal with any incidents of bullying effectively.

Leaders are aspirational for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, pupils do not achieve as well as they should in some subjects, including reading. This is because leaders have not ensured gaps in pupils' learning are secured before new knowledge is taught.

Pupils enjoy being members of the school council. They are proud to contribute to their community through activities such as litter picking. Pupils appreciate the range of clubs on offer.

These include opportunities to take part in dance and football. Pupils also enjoy the Greek club and the C (confidence) club that they are able to attend.

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

The previous curriculum did not give all pupils, including those with SEND, enough opportunity to be well prepared for the next stage in their education.

Leaders have begun to devise a more appropriate and aspirational curriculum for pupils. However, these changes are recent. Some pupils continue to have gaps in their knowledge and skills.

In some subjects, leaders have ensured that the curriculum identifies the important knowledge that pupils will learn and when they will learn it. This means that pupils, including those with SEND, can learn in a logical way from the early years to Year 6. However, leaders have not checked well enough to make sure that these new curriculums are being delivered as intended.

For example, in some subjects, pupils are not learning some of the content that is identified in the revised curriculums.

In some subjects, teachers have a clear understanding of where pupils have gaps in their knowledge. They use this information to decide what pupils need to learn next.

Teachers regularly check that pupils can recall their learning and recap key knowledge. As a result, most pupils achieve well in these subjects. However, in several other subjects, teachers do not regularly recap previous learning to support pupils to learn new knowledge.

As a result, some pupils struggle to connect new learning to what they have learned in the past.

Leaders have invested in a new phonics programme. However, some staff have not received sufficient training to deliver the programme effectively.

Some staff, who are trained, do not ensure that the programme is delivered systematically. As a result, some children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 are not keeping up with the programme. For example, many children in the early years are currently behind the expectations of the phonics programme.

This limits how well prepared children are for the demands of the Year 1 curriculum.

Pupils enjoy listening to and reading a range texts. Older pupils told the inspector that they look forward to reading sessions or selecting a book from their library.

However, some of the books that pupils use to practise their reading in key stage 1 are not matched accurately to the sounds that they know. This affects pupils' confidence and hinders them from becoming fluent and confident readers.

Leaders provide staff with training to identify and meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

Pupils with SEND follow the same curriculum as their peers. However, as is the case for other pupils, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should due to weaknesses in the implementation of some subject curriculums.

Pupils and children understand and value the routines that are in place.

Any disruption to pupils' learning during lessons is rare.

Pupils celebrate cultures, communities and ways of living which are different from their own. They learn to respect differences between people in the community.

Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Governors are supportive of the school. They monitor the development of some important aspects of leaders' work and hold them to account effectively.

Leaders and governors prioritise the well-being of staff and are mindful of staff's workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff know how to keep pupils safe.

Staff are alert and respond quickly when they notice that pupils might be at risk. They report concerns about pupils to leaders responsible for safeguarding in a timely manner.

Leaders are advocates for vulnerable pupils.

Leaders liaise with a wide range of external agencies to provide effective support for pupils and their families when needed.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils learn how to stay safe on roads and in water.

They also learn how to report anything that makes them feel uncomfortable online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have not ensured that all staff are trained to deliver the new phonics programme effectively. They have also not checked that staff who are trained are putting their early reading training into practice.

This means that the delivery of the phonics programme is variable. This stops some children and pupils becoming confident readers. Leaders should ensure that staff follow the agreed early reading curriculum so that pupils learn to read with fluency and accuracy.

• Some younger pupils find their reading books too hard. This stops them from applying their knowledge of phonics successfully and means that they are unable to read with fluency. Leaders should ensure that they support these pupils to develop their reading fluency by providing them with reading books that closely match their phonic knowledge.

• In several subjects, teachers do not revisit past learning with enough frequency to strengthen pupils' long-term memory of the curriculum. This means that some pupils cannot remember what they have been taught and struggle to apply knowledge in a new context. Leaders should ensure that teachers revisit prior learning regularly and make sure that pupils remember the important knowledge to enable them to make connections in their learning.

• Teachers do not deliver some subject curriculums as leaders intend. This means that pupils are not learning the key knowledge they need in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that these curriculums are taught as intended to ensure pupils secure key knowledge 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.

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