Saighton Church of England Primary School & Pre-School

Inspection of a good school: Saighton Church of England Primary School & Pre- School Saighton Lane, Saighton, Chester, Cheshire CH3 6EG

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Outcome

Saighton Church of England Primary School & Pre-School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy at this school. They enjoy being part of a friendly community. As pupils arrive for school each morning, staff are there to greet them with a warm welcome. Trusting relationships with their friends and with staff help pupils to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for what pupils can achieve, and pupils try their best. Leaders ensure that pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have the help that they need to access an ambitious curriculum. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well around school. They move calmly and sensibly between their classroom and the hall, for example. Children in the early years know when it is time to play and when to stop and listen. Pupils said that their teachers act quickly and successfully to resolve any bullying, should it ever occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a well-developed understanding of diversity. They know that everyone has differences and similarities. Older pupils enjoy supporting others, for example as school and vision ambassadors to promote the school’s values. Leaders and staff have successfully enhanced pupils’ learning through a range of residential visits, trips and after- school clubs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and respectful. They are enthusiastic about sharing their learning. Pupils are proud of their school. One typical comment was that ‘you get a good education here’.

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

Leaders have built an ambitious curriculum from the early years to Year 6. Leaders have designed the curriculum carefully so that pupils extend their love of books and reading. They also provide many opportunities for outdoor learning. Staff teach pupils new 4 October 2022

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knowledge in well-ordered steps as they move through the school in most subjects. This helps pupils, including children in the early years, to achieve well.

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Leaders make sure that pupils learn phonics through a well-ordered curriculum. This begins when children start in the early years. Any pupils who are at risk of falling behind in their learning of phonics are identified early. For these pupils, additional and effective support is provided by staff. By the end of key stage 1, most pupils are successful readers.

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Teachers provide lots of opportunities for pupils to read and to listen to stories. Leaders say that this means reading becomes the ‘heartbeat of the school’. Staff teach pupils the meaning of important new words and help them to understand how language is written. As a result, pupils’ understanding of the texts that they read is improving well over time. Older pupils read fluently with expression, intonation and a real sense of understanding.

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In the majority of subjects, such as English and mathematics, teachers know what pupils in their classes need to learn and understand. However, in a small number of other subjects, teachers are less clear about some of the important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in those subjects. This is because the curriculum does not provide them with this information. In history, for example, pupils have learned facts from the curriculum. However, leaders have not been precise enough in identifying some of the key knowledge that they most want pupils to know in readiness for future learning. This makes it more difficult for teachers to provide learning that builds solidly on what pupils already know, and to deepen pupils’ understanding further.

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Teachers, including those in the early years, make suitable checks on pupils’ learning. These checks help them to identify which pupils need more help, support and guidance.

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Leaders and staff are skilled at identifying the specific needs of pupils with SEND. Teachers and teaching assistants support the learning of all pupils effectively. They ensure that pupils with SEND follow the same curriculum as other pupils. This helps these pupils to achieve well.

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Children in the early years know the routines to help them work and play safely and purposefully. Pupils across the school concentrate on their learning with limited distractions. This allows them to do their best in lessons.

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Leaders have created effective provision for character education. They have made sure that the curriculum provides high-quality opportunities to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, links with the local church and diocese help develop pupils’ deep spiritual and global understanding.

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Governors know the school well. They ask leaders challenging questions to understand how well the curriculum is helping pupils to know more and remember more. Staff report that leaders and governors are considerate of their well-being and workload. They believe that, as a small team, they work together closely, and each staff member can ask for support from anyone else. They said that they are proud to work at the school. 4 October 2022

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Parents and carers spoke positively about the communication from school. They also value the support provided by leaders and staff to their children. They know that their concerns will be listened to.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

School leaders have clear processes and procedures to ensure that recruitment of staff meets statutory requirements. Staff know the school’s safeguarding procedures well. Leaders ensure that staff complete appropriate training and provide updates which help to keep their knowledge of safeguarding up to date. This helps staff to identify pupils who may be at risk from harm.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff have established strong working relationships with families and with a range of other agencies. This enables leaders to secure help for families who need it.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors ensure that appropriate risk assessments are carried out as needed. Through the curriculum, pupils learn about how to stay safe, including when working online and in the school’s outdoor classroom.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The content of the curriculum in a small number of subjects is not as clear for teachers as it is in most other subjects. This means that, in these subjects, it is more difficult for teachers to design learning that builds securely on what pupils already know and can do. Leaders should review and improve the clarity of the curriculum content in these subjects so that pupils build securely on learning as they move through the school.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2014. 4 October 2022

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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.

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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. 4 October 2022

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Inspection number 10240652 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Catherine Fairclough

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School details

Website www.saightoncofeprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is a Church of England voluntary aided school. The last section 48 inspection took place in June 2016.  A number of new governors have been appointed since the last inspection.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, and with other leaders and members of staff. They also spoke with members of the governing body. Inspectors also spoke with representatives from the local authority and diocese.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents and spoke with leaders about the school’s work to safeguard pupils. 4 October 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors observed younger pupils reading to staff. Older pupils read to the inspectors.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in class and as they moved around school. They also observed pupils in the dining hall and playing outside at lunchtime.  Inspectors spoke with a group of pupils about their experiences at school. There were no responses to the pupil survey.  Inspectors looked at the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. They also met with parents and carers before school to find out their views

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of the school.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Ian Shackleton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Katie Hague Ofsted Inspector 4 October 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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