All Saints CofE First School

Inspection of a good school: All Saints CofE First School Cheadle Road, Leek, Staffordshire ST13 5QY

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Outcome

All Saints CofE First School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At All Saints, leaders have high aspirations for all pupils, based around the school motto. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) respond well to leaders’ high expectations. Pupils achieve well. The school’s values are central to school life. Pupils behave well in classes and around school. They are happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a range of clubs, which are changed regularly. The clubs cater for a range of pupils’ talents and interests. These include sports clubs, coding, forest school and choir.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and respectful. They have many responsibilities in school, such as being school councillors or buddies in the dining hall. As one pupil said, ‘we make good decisions for our school, we want to make our world better’. Pupils understand what bullying is. When it does occasionally occur, pupils and parents agree that staff and leaders will sort this out at the earliest possible stage.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The comment of one parent reflects the thoughts of others: ‘The school has a “be the best you can be” motto and they celebrate all the children as individuals.’

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

Leaders have carefully considered what pupils will learn in each subject. This includes children’s learning in early years. They have also thought about the order in which pupils need to learn new knowledge and skills. In many subjects, this enables pupils to learn what is most important, and pupils achieve well. In Nursery, for example, children learned about shapes and some of their properties. They then were able to talk about these when collaging a crown for the King’s coronation. However, in some units of work, the key knowledge that leaders want pupils to know and remember is not as clear or is too vast. As a result, some pupils struggle to remember what leaders want them to remember in these areas. 4 and 5 May 2023

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Teachers assess pupils’ learning thoroughly in most subjects. They use assessment information to build on pupils’ knowledge systematically. They adapt teaching to address any gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Most pupils keep up with the school’s ambitious curriculum.

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Reading is at the centre of the curriculum. Staff find creative ways to develop pupils’ love of reading, for example when ‘secret storytellers’ read to pupils in class. Pupils are read to often. Staff read with enthusiasm and regularly ask questions so that pupils understand what is happening. This results in pupils engaging well in story times.

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Some pupils have gaps in their phonics knowledge. Leaders introduced a new phonics curriculum to help close these gaps. Staff have received training to deliver the new curriculum. The pupils who struggle with reading now receive effective support to help them to keep up and catch up. However, on occasion, the books that some pupils read are not always well matched to the sounds that they are learning.

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Pupils with SEND are identified early and receive good support. They are fully included in all aspects of school life. Staff receive regular and effective guidance about how to support pupils with SEND. They understand pupils’ particular circumstances and match learning to meet these needs. As a result of this, pupils with SEND participate fully in lessons and achieve well.

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Pupils behave well in lessons. They enjoy the activities that teachers plan for them. Lessons are calm and purposeful. Pupils enjoy earning points for good behaviour. Leaders ensure that any incidents of poor behaviour are used as learning points for the future.

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Pupils learn about tolerance, respect and maintaining positive relationships with others. This includes learning about the faiths and beliefs that others have. Pupils say that no matter what a new pupil’s faith or ethnicity ‘we would help them; we make friends quickly’. Leaders make extremely effective use of visitors into school, both to engage pupils in the curriculum but also to enable them to be aspirational in later life.

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Governors know the school well. The school also receives good support from the Talentum Learning Trust. While staff are aware that their current workload is demanding, they feel that leaders are considerate of it.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders understand their role in keeping children safe. Staff know pupils and their families well and are quick to spot any signs that a pupil may be at risk from harm. There is a strong culture of safeguarding at this school. Leaders ensure that staff receive regular safeguarding training, including on any local safeguarding issues. Pupils learn about online safety and healthy relationships. They learn about safety in the local area and near water, for example during scooter training sessions. Pupils know how to raise concerns with trusted adults in school. 4 and 5 May 2023

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Leaders secure help for pupils who need it, working in partnership with external agencies. This helps them to provide timely and proportionate support to pupils and their families.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, the books that some pupils read are not well matched to the sounds they are learning. This slows some pupils’ progress in learning to read. Leaders should ensure that the books pupils read are all closely matched to the sounds that they are learning.  In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not clearly identify the key knowledge that leaders want pupils to know and remember. At times, some units of work contain too much content. As a result, pupils do not always know and remember the intended learning in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that all areas of the curriculum make clear the important knowledge they want pupils to learn.

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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 predecessor school, All Saints CofE (A) First School, to be good in June 2018.

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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. 4 and 5 May 2023

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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 and 5 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10282703 Type of school First

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision.  The school is within the Diocese of Lichfield. Its most recent section 48 inspection took place in September 2019. Section 48 inspections were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They restarted in September 2021. The school’s next section 48 inspection will take place within eight years from the previous inspection.

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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 school leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector held meetings with the headteacher and five members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. He also met with two trustees of the multi academy trust, including the chief executive officer of the trust.  The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the diocese. He also spoke to parents and carers at the end of the school day. 4 and 5 May 2023

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 The inspector viewed a range of safeguarding documentation. He examined checks on safer recruitment and spoke with members of staff to check their safeguarding knowledge.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. He met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and viewed examples of pupils’ work. The inspector also spoke with pupils about their learning.  The inspector observed children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 read to a trusted adult.  The inspector spoke with members of staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspector considered the responses, including the free-text comments, to Ofsted Parent View. He also considered the responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Barry Yeardsley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 May 2023

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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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