St John's CofE Primary School, Dukinfield

Inspection of a good school: St John’s CofE Primary School, Dukinfield Westmorland Avenue, Dukinfield, Cheshire SK16 5JA

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 September 2022

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Outcome

St John’s CofE Primary School, Dukinfield continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff are proud to be ‘Saint Johnners’. They described the school as being at the heart of the community. There are strong partnerships between staff, pupils, parents and carers. This is evident in the reading partnership that promotes pupils’ love of reading. Pupils said that they feel safe and happy. They learn how to be safe when in water, on roads and when online.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers expect pupils to behave well. Pupils said that they can concentrate and get on with their work. Bullying, racism and homophobia are rare. Bullying via social media or online games is also rare. Pupils are confident that when bullying does happen, staff quickly sort out the problem.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ learning. Pupils achieve well. They enjoy taking up a wide range of responsibilities in school. These activities help to develop pupils’ wider personal qualities such as empathy. Pupils join in with a full range of musical and sporting activities at breaktimes and after school. They take part in shows, celebrations and festivals. These activities help to develop pupils’ wider knowledge of the world in which they live. By the end of their time at St John’s, they have the knowledge and skills ready for secondary school.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. It meets the needs of pupils well. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In most subjects, leaders have thought about what they want pupils to know and to do. They have considered the order in which content should be taught. The curriculum works well for pupils who are taught in mixed-age classes. It also helps younger children in the Nursery and Reception Years to gain the knowledge that they need for Year 1. Leaders are still working on some aspects of the curriculum. In a couple of subjects, the content is not ordered well enough. Leaders know that the content does not quite match the ambition of the national curriculum. 21 and 22 September 2022

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Most subjects are led effectively. Staff work together to share knowledge, ideas and experience. They also work with subject specialists such as expert artists, coaches and musicians. This increases the staff’s subject knowledge further.

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In most subjects, teachers use assessment information well to adapt their teaching to what pupils need to learn next. However, in some subjects, pupils have forgotten what they have been taught. This is because teachers do not check well enough that pupils have remembered their previous learning. This hinders pupils from applying what they have learned when they meet a new topic.

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Pupils read widely and often. They talked about their favourite books and authors with enthusiasm, although some pupils struggled to remember the names of poets and playwrights. From the time that children start in the Nursery and/or Reception class, they learn from quality texts. Well-trained staff deliver the phonics programme effectively. Children in the early years quickly learn the sounds that letters represent. Most of the books that pupils read match the sounds that they are learning. This helps most to become confident and fluent readers. However, for some pupils with SEND the books that they read are not as carefully matched to the sounds that they know. They stop and start too much when they read because they are not confident in their phonics knowledge. Their books hinder them from reading with accuracy or fluency. Staff help pupils who find reading challenging. This means that by the end of Year 2, most have caught up.

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There is a positive and caring culture in school. Older pupils look out for and help younger pupils. At breaktimes, pupils are polite, articulate, helpful and well mannered. In class, they work hard and there are few disruptions to learning in lessons.

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Staff are knowledgeable in identifying and helping pupils with SEND. Teachers’ expectations for pupils with SEND are the same as for other pupils. Teachers make helpful adjustments so that pupils who find learning difficult or those with a disability can thrive and join in with their peers.

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Leaders are re-establishing the trips and fieldwork that stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Pupils support the local community and other causes through fundraising events. They develop a knowledge of British values, diversity, and of right and wrong.

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Governors have an accurate overview of the school and of most subjects. Their checks have missed some issues on the school’s website, policies and in a few subjects. Governors use their knowledge to provide leaders with appropriate challenge and support. Governors and school leaders are sensitive to the staff’s well-being and workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are alert to safeguarding issues. They effectively identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. Leaders make sure that all staff are well trained and that their knowledge is up to date. Governors act quickly when any safeguarding complaints arise. They also have strong measures to make the site secure. Leaders work well with external agencies to 21 and 22 September 2022

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manage any concerns. Teachers help pupils to be safe by teaching them about risks that they can meet outside of school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Reading books are not matched well enough to the phonics knowledge of a small number of pupils with SEND. This stops these pupils from reading accurately and fluently. Leaders should make sure that the books match pupils’ phonics abilities so that they read fluently.  In some subjects, pupils cannot remember some key concepts or knowledge. This means that they are not secure in their prior learning or ready to embark on new learning. Leaders should ensure that teachers check that pupils have remembered what has been taught so that they know more over time.  In a few subjects, the curriculum content does not match the ambition of the national curriculum nor is it ordered well enough to guide teachers on what should be taught and when this should happen. Pupils, in these subjects, do not build their knowledge as well as they could. Leaders should make sure that in every subject, knowledge builds towards ambitious end points in line with the national curriculum.

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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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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2017.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 21 and 22 September 2022

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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. 21 and 22 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241862 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 September 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the school has grown from 30 pupils per year group to 45 pupils.  School leaders do not make use of alternative provision.  This is a Church of England school. It was subject to an inspection of its religious character in December 2015.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority and with a representative of the Diocese of Chester.  The inspector met with two representatives of the governing body in person and two others joined the conversation virtually.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: art and design, mathematics and early reading. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with 21 and 22 September 2022

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subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. He heard younger pupils read their books to an adult.  The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspector met with leaders to discuss safeguarding and looked at a range of documents.  The inspector took account of Ofsted Parent View and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Allan Torr, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 September 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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