St Paul's Church of England Primary School Brinnington

Inspection of St Paul’s Church of England Primary School Brinnington Brinnington Rise, Stockport, Cheshire SK5 8AA

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 14 and 15 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have lots of friends and are happy at school. They know that the adults in school care about them and their families.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils follow the school rules well. They share the fitness equipment and join in playtime activities cooperatively. Pupils with more complex needs benefit from extra support to manage their emotions. This helps pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to learn without distraction.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school expects pupils, including those with SEND, to achieve highly. However, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. This is because the school has not made clear its expectations for what pupils should learn in several subjects, including reading.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the many opportunities on offer beyond the academic curriculum. For example, they enjoy singing and playing instruments at a local concert hall. This builds their confidence and self-esteem. Older pupils spoke enthusiastically about attending residential trips. Pupils enjoy the annual Inter Faith Week, where representatives of a variety of faiths visit school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who represent their classmates on the school council, or have other responsibilities in school, take their roles seriously. They are proud to make a positive difference to their school and the local community. For example, pupils raise funds for national charities and bake cakes for the elderly.

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better?

The school has taken action to improve the curriculum in some subjects. It has broken down what pupils need to know into small, logical steps that build pupils’ learning over time. This helps teachers to deliver curriculum content in a more effective manner. Pupils are beginning to form a more secure body of knowledge in these subjects.

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better?

In several subjects, the school is at an early stage of identifying the specific knowledge that pupils need to know. Consequently, teachers do not have enough guidance on what they should teach and when they should teach it. In these subjects, including reading, some lessons do not build well on what has come before. This leads to pupils developing gaps in their knowledge. It means that they do not achieve as well as they should.

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better?

In those subjects where the curriculum has been improved, teachers use assessment strategies well to check on pupils’ understanding and to address any gaps in their learning. However, this approach is not as evident in other subjects. This means that, in these subjects, the school is not sure what pupils know and remember. In turn, teachers are not well placed to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. 14 and 15 May 2024

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The school has prioritised supporting pupils to develop a love of reading. Children in the Nursery Year are introduced to stories and rhymes. Staff use drama to help bring stories to life and to make reading enjoyable.

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The school’s approach to teaching children in the Reception Year to read is well structured. Staff are well trained. They deliver the phonics programme effectively. Teachers ensure that children practise reading using books that are well matched to the sounds that they are learning. Staff provide additional support for children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 who are not keeping up with the phonics programme. However, this support is not effective enough in closing the gaps in pupils’ reading knowledge. This means that some pupils do not learn to read fluently as quickly as they should.

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Pupils with SEND are identified at the earliest opportunity. As a result of considerable training, staff are confident and effective in adapting how they deliver the curriculum to meet the needs of these pupils. This enables pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Children in the early years make a positive start to school life. They form secure relationships with adults and with their friends. Older pupils build on these strong foundations. They are polite, friendly and caring towards each other. Pupils behave well in classrooms and around the school. They engage in their learning and are attentive in lessons.

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Pupils’ attendance rates are below the national average. The school has identified the reasons for the high absence rates of many pupils. It is taking effective action to provide support for these pupils and their families. As a result, pupils who had previously had low attendance rates are starting to attend school more regularly.

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The school provides well for pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn to value and respect the differences that exist between themselves and others in society. They are taught how to develop and maintain healthy relationships. The school provides pupils with opportunities to engage with their local police force. This helps pupils to develop their understanding of what it means to be a positive member of the local community and how to stay safe.

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Governors understand their responsibilities. They carry out their statutory duties appropriately. Staff spoke positively about how the school considers their well-being. For example, they value the time that is allocated to them to come together and to support each other.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 In some subjects, including reading, the school has not clearly identified the most important knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should be taught. This means that, in these subjects, pupils have an uneven learning journey. The school should refine its curriculum thinking in these subjects so that pupils develop a strong body of knowledge over time.  The school’s approaches to assessment in several subjects are in their infancy. This hinders how well teachers identify and address pupils’ knowledge gaps. The school should ensure that staff are well equipped to establish what pupils know and remember in these subjects.  Pupils who find learning to read difficult do not receive the support that they need to catch up. Consequently, these pupils do not build their phonics knowledge as quickly as they should. The school should make sure that pupils who struggle to learn to read benefit from regular and effective support.

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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). 14 and 15 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 27 and 28 February 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Chester. Its last section 48 inspection, for schools with a religious character, took place in May 2023. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place before the end of 2028.  Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  The school provides a before-school club for pupils.

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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 first routine 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. 14 and 15 May 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, computing and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke with subject leaders and looked at samples of pupils’ work in some other subjects.  The lead inspector observed pupils from key stages 1 and 2 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other school leaders. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She also met with a representative of the local authority and spoke with a diocesan officer.  Inspectors talked with staff and leaders about their workload and well-being.  Inspectors met with leaders responsible for attendance, behaviour, early years, the provision for pupils with SEND and pupils’ personal development.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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 spoke with pupils about their wider experiences of school. They looked at a range of documents related to pupils’ welfare and education. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils. Inspectors met with parents and carers at the start of the school day. Inspectors also took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.  Inspectors considered a range of documents provided by school leaders and staff. This included the school development plan, records of governing body meetings

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Inspection team

Lisa Littler, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kelly Butler Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 May 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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