St John's Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe

Inspection of St John’s Church of England Primary School, Radcliffe Johnson Street, Radcliffe, Manchester M26 1AW

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 17 and 18 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to attend St John’s Church of England Primary School. They said that they enjoy spending time with their friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that they feel safe in school. They explained that leaders deal effectively with poor behaviour and bullying so that it does not happen again. Relationships between adults and pupils are positive. In class, pupils listen to each other respectfully.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils try hard to follow the school rules. Pupils live up to the high expectations that leaders have of their behaviour. They look after themselves and each other. Pupils look after their school. They try to be the best that they can be in all that they turn their hands to each day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, experience a wide range of extra- curricular activities. Pupils learn about the benefits of keeping fit and healthy. Many take part in the wide range of after-school sports clubs. Recently the school has achieved success in netball competitions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. Pupils leave St John’s Church of England Primary School well prepared for the challenges of secondary school.

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better?

Leaders have created an interesting and ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including children in the early years. They have worked hard to ensure that all pupils learn about their locality and the wider world. The promotion of spoken language and the acquisition of new vocabulary underpins leaders’ well-planned curriculum. This strategy is particularly successful in supporting children in the early years get off to the best possible start.

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better?

Leaders have ensured that staff are well trained to deliver most areas of the curriculum. As a result, in many curriculum areas staff have the necessary skills to develop engaging activities to help pupils to learn all that they can. In most subjects, including English and mathematics, leaders have identified the important knowledge that they want pupils to learn. In these subjects, teachers design learning that successfully builds on what pupils know already. Teachers check that pupils are confident with earlier learning before they progress further. This supports pupils to achieve well in these subjects.

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better?

Recently, leaders have made some changes to a small number of other curriculum subjects. In these areas, they have introduced new, more relevant subject content. Leaders have also considered the important skills they want pupils to acquire in each 17 and 18 May 2022

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year group. That said, leaders have not identified the important knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember in a minority of these remaining subjects. Nor have leaders made sufficient checks on how well teachers deliver these revised curriculums. In one or two subjects, on occasions, teachers have not received the training that they require to enable them to choose the most appropriate activities. This occasionally hinders pupils from learning everything that they are capable of learning.

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Pupils are enthusiastic. They respect the views of their classmates. Pupils approach their learning with positive behaviours. Teachers can get on with teaching without having to deal with negative behaviours.

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Leaders and trustees have ensured that staff identify the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and effectively. Pupils with SEND get the support they need to build on their knowledge across most subjects.

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Leaders have prioritised the early reading and phonics curriculum. Children in the early years listen to stories and nursery rhymes. Skilfully trained staff teach pupils in key stage 1, and children in the early years, new sounds in a logical order. Staff support pupils who fall behind with their phonics to catch up quickly. Pupils take home books to read that precisely match the sounds that they have been learning in class. Across school, pupils develop their reading fluency and accuracy.

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Pupils have opportunities to develop their skills and talents beyond the taught curriculum. Pupils develop their citizenship skills through initiatives such as supporting local food banks. Leaders ensure that all pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, engage in a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Trips and visits are well considered to supplement the curriculum and deepen pupils’ learning experiences. Pupils learn to respect the views and beliefs of others.

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Staff said that leaders care for them. Staff are very appreciative of the efforts that new senior leaders have taken to reduce their workloads. They said that they are one family and one team.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know the pupils and their families well. They have ensured that all staff receive regular, appropriate safeguarding training. This provides staff with the skills and knowledge necessary to spot the signs of potential abuse or neglect in pupils.

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Safeguarding

Leaders keep careful records of their work to safeguard pupils. They work closely with several external partner agencies. This helps them to provide support to families in a timely manner.

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Safeguarding

Throughout the curriculum, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They learn how to stay safe online and while around busy roads. 17 and 18 May 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not identified the essential knowledge that they want pupils to learn in a very small number of subjects. This prevents a minority of pupils from learning all that they should in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that in these few remaining subjects they identify the essential knowledge that they want pupils to learn. This will support teachers to design learning activities that enable all pupils to flourish.  In a minority of subjects, leaders do not make sufficient checks on how well teachers deliver curriculum content. This means that occasionally some teachers are not receiving support necessary to improve how they plan new learning. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive additional training when required so that they know how to plan new learning that helps pupils to excel.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 17 and 18 May 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10226217 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England Primary School. It is part of the Christ Church Multi Academy Trust. The most recent section 48 inspection was in March 2020.  A new headteacher and a new deputy headteacher have been appointed this academic year.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During this inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other members of staff. Inspectors met with four members of the local academy committee, including the chair of the local academy committee.  The lead inspector met with two trustees, including the chair of the multi- academy trust. The lead inspector also met with the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust. 17 and 18 May 2022

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 Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of safeguarding documentation, including the records of training and employment checks on staff. Inspectors spoke with staff about their safeguarding knowledge and responsibilities.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at playtimes. Inspectors spoke with staff about their well-being and workload.  Inspectors spoke with parents and carers as they dropped their children off at school. They considered the responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil survey.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history and computing. Inspectors spoke with subject leaders and teachers. They visited lessons, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with pupils. Inspectors observed children in the early years and pupils in key stages 1 and 2 read to a trusted

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adult. Inspectors also considered how leaders organised other areas of the curriculum.

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Inspection team

John Donald, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Craig Richardson Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 May 2022

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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