Peterchurch Primary School

Inspection of Peterchurch Primary School Peterchurch, Hereford, Herefordshire HR2 0RP

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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 Previous inspection grade Good 5 and 6 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school has improved a lot. It is well led and provides pupils with many positive experiences. Lessons are well organised and expectations are high. Consequently, pupils make good progress in their learning and enjoy their time at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Beyond the classroom, there are plenty of other things to do. From after-school gardening and dance clubs to coastal trips, book festivals and more, the school does much to broaden pupils’ interests. On top of this, the school has strengthened links with the local community. Pupils get a good grounding in what it means to make a positive contribution to society. A supportive, positive and ambitious culture flavours learning and school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is typically very good and lessons run smoothly. Pupils are well mannered and quick to show initiative. They know what the school’s values, including respect, empathy and responsibility, mean in practice. They also value the praise and rewards that they get from staff when they do something well. Bullying hardly ever happens and any upsets or disagreements are sorted out calmly and fairly. The school is a safe and happy place to be.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, new leadership has brought fresh energy and direction to the school. The significant impact of this is evident in many ways.

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better?

The curriculum has been redesigned and class organisation has been reviewed to provide greater consistency. Staff have clear guidance to follow so they know what to teach and when. This means that the right things get taught and lessons build logically on earlier learning. These changes have been supported by appropriate staff training. In addition, subject leaders have dedicated time to checking how well the curriculum is working. Staff, pupils and parents express positive views about the school’s warm culture and ethos. Indeed, there is united agreement from staff that leaders support them to do their jobs well and are equally mindful of their workload and welfare.

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better?

The school has a structured and systematic approach to teaching early reading. In Reception and key stage 1, phonics lessons happen every day. The books that pupils read and take home are well matched to the sounds they need to practise. If anyone needs extra help, then the school provides additional reading sessions. In addition, good communication with families enables parents to support the school’s approach at home. This helps all pupils to make good progress. Spelling and handwriting are taught alongside reading, although there is still scope to strengthen aspects of the school’s work in these areas.

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better?

The curriculum in other subjects is mapped out in line with the content and ambitions of the national curriculum. Work and activities in Reception get children into good learning habits and routines. Beyond this, leaders have thought carefully 5 and 6 March 2024

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about how to manage learning in different subjects in mixed-age classes. By and large, they have done this well. However, the implementation of the curriculum is further ahead in some subjects than others. The school has also considered how to use assessment to inform everyday teaching. In science, for example, teaching involves careful questioning to check on any misconceptions pupils might have. This helps to check on what pupils know and informs what teachers do next. This use of assessment as an integral part of lessons is now developing in others subjects too.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive informed support. Their needs are identified accurately and teaching and resources are adapted appropriately. In their comments to inspectors, several parents praised the school’s inclusive approach and attention to their children’s particular needs. Inspection evidence supports these views.

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The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development is a distinctive strength. Some aspects, such as attention to pupils’ moral development, are exceptional. Pupils take on leadership roles in school. They help with decision-making and show thoughtful consideration towards others. Extra activities such as clubs, outdoor learning and trips are planned with deliberate thought about the purpose and benefits to all. The school’s involvement with the local community is also worthy of note. An annual parade and performances, for example, are joyous celebrations that unite young and old. These, and many other activities, prompt pupils to try new things, take responsibility and build self-esteem.

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Governors have made informed decisions that support school improvement. They also have reliable systems in place to check on the school’s work, and to ensure compliance with the law.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The implementation of the curriculum, and staff training, are further ahead in some foundation subjects than in others. This means there is still some unevenness in the quality of learning across different subjects. The school should continue to support staff with well-targeted guidance and training so that the quality of learning in all subjects continues to improve.  The school’s approach to teaching handwriting is not as consistent as other aspects of English. This means that pupils do not always get into good habits that endure, so their handwriting is not as good as it could be. The school should review and improve the approach to teaching handwriting so that pupils’ handwriting improves across the school. 5 and 6 March 2024

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 5 and 6 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 March 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides before and after-school childcare on the school site.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  There is a privately run nursery located in a separate building in the school’s grounds. This is subject to a separate inspection at a different time.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors considered published performance data about the school. Inspectors also looked at a range of school documents. These included 5 and 6 March 2024

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information about pupils’ behaviour, attendance, the curriculum, extra-curricular activities, governance, school improvement planning and documents published on the school’s website.  During the inspection, the inspectors had formal meetings with the headteacher, other leaders, school staff, pupils and governors. The lead inspector spoke on the telephone with the school’s improvement partner.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, science and computing. In these subjects, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and considered pupils’ work. They also considered the curriculum in other subjects to check how they were organised, taught and assessed. An inspector observed some pupils reading to staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single

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central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors talked informally with pupils, parents and staff to gather general information about school life. They took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys of staff, pupils’ and parents’ views.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in class, in assembly, at clubs, at lunchtime, on the playground and at other times during the day.

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Inspection team

Martin Pye, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Liz Vautier-Thomas Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 March 2024

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