St Paul's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of St Paul's Church of England Primary School New Street, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL1 5BD

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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 25–26 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at this inclusive school. The school’s mission is to ‘make a difference to everyone’. Pupils embrace this goal, constantly looking out for how they can help each other. They develop a strong understanding of the school’s values, such as respect and compassion. They live them out in the way they treat others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils conduct themselves well around the school and most have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils listen carefully to each other and cooperate well when asked to reflect together. They discuss and debate ideas thoughtfully.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish contributing to school life. Many have responsibilities in the classroom or represent their peers and the school. Some pupils are ‘eco-warriors’, ‘CREW members’, or school councillors, for example. Pupils are proud to hold these positions which develop their confidence and independence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities. They speak enthusiastically about clubs and activities, such as martial arts, singing and sports. Pupils value trips and visits, such as to the local theatre and to London. The school ensures that there are no barriers to pupils participating in these opportunities.

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better?

The school has a clear and determined vision for pupils to gain the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life. Governors, leaders and staff share this unanimously. Their strong, shared values drive their work to provide a good quality of education, particularly to the high number of disadvantaged pupils who attend the school.

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better?

Pupils join the school at different times in their school career, many of whom have English as an additional language. The number of older pupils who join the school is high, including some who are refugees. These important factors, alongside recent improvements that have been made to the curriculum, mean that the school’s quality of education is not reflected in the most recent published outcomes.

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better?

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum to realise its aims. The curriculum builds purposefully from when children join the Nursery or in the Reception Year. In the early years, there is a strong focus on developing children’s language and communication. This is particularly effective in the Reception Year, where children develop the vocabulary that they need in preparation for learning in key stage 1.

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better?

Pupils build their knowledge and skills cumulatively in almost all the subjects they learn. This is a result of the well-planned and implemented curriculum. In history, for example, older pupils can explain the order of events in the past, building on their understanding of time from the Reception Year. 25–26 June 2024

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In a few subjects, the school is still to define exactly what pupils should know and be able to do. Where this is the case, pupils do not deepen their knowledge and skills sufficiently. This is reflected in the quality of work they produce in these subjects, which occasionally lacks depth and precision.

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Pupils, of all ages, are enthusiastic and committed readers. They start learning to read as soon as they join the Reception Year. An effective early reading programme helps them to improve their reading accuracy and fluency over time. Teachers read often to pupils, including in the Nursery. This builds pupils’ knowledge of different authors and fosters their love of literature.

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The school uses assessment effectively. It checks pupils’ starting points well and modifies the curriculum to ensure that any gaps are remedied. In the early years, for example, the way teaching is adapted ensures that children have the social and emotional skills they need to succeed in key stage 1. For older pupils, teaching checks their accurate use of subject-specific language.

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A significant proportion of pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school identifies and assesses the needs of pupils with SEND accurately. It plans support for pupils closely with parents. Teachers use the information they are provided with to make suitable changes to the curriculum. Consequently, pupils with SEND develop their knowledge and skills successfully.

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The school provides high-quality pastoral support. This is recognised by parents, who speak very positively about the care their children receive. The school ensures that pupils learn how to keep themselves mentally and physically healthy. Pupils who need support to attend school more regularly get the help they need to do so. The school tracks pupils’ attendance precisely and takes swift action to reduce absence. Its determined work has resulted in recent improvements. The school’s work to improve attendance, particularly for pupils who are frequently absent, is ongoing.

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Pupils develop a strong understanding of citizenship. They talk knowledgeably about accepting and celebrating their similarities and differences, for example. The school teaches pupils about different faiths and religions and makes links between important moral issues in different subjects.

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Governors understand their role and perform it effectively. They hold leaders strongly to account, providing the right level of support and challenge. The school uses professional development well to enhance the quality of teaching, including for those newest to teaching. Leaders are highly reflective, and successfully make improvements to the school when required.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the school is still identifying the essential knowledge and skills that pupils need to know. This means that pupils do not develop the same depth of understanding as they do in most other subjects. The school should ensure that it identifies and teaches the important knowledge that pupils need in all subjects.

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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). 25–26 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The number of disadvantaged pupils who attend the school is well above average.  The school is a Church of England School in the Diocese of Gloucester. It received its last section 48 inspection in October 2022.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.  Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject 25–26 June 2024

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leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ written work.  Inspectors met with a range of leaders, and with members of the school’s governing body. Inspectors visited lessons to evaluate the school’s personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education programme.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single 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 considered the responses to the questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to the online surveys for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

James Oldham, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Hansen Ofsted Inspector 25–26 June 2024

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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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