St James' Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St James’ Church of England Primary School Romney Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire OL6 9HU

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 2024

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Outcome

St James’ Church of England Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is James Rolt. This school is part of the Forward as One CE Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Karen Bramwell , and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Peter Bond.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St James’ embody their school’s mission, ‘to be the best that we can be’. They are well cared for by kind and nurturing staff who make them feel valued and successful. As a result, they flourish academically and personally. Pupils feel happy and safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ academic success across each area of the curriculum. Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. Children in the early years are well prepared for key stage 1, and pupils in Year 6 are ready for their secondary education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. During lessons, they are engrossed in their learning. From the early years to Year 6, there is a calm and purposeful atmosphere across school. Pupils treat others with thought and consideration.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The diverse range of languages, backgrounds and religions that the pupils and their families bring is celebrated in this school. Pupils have a deep understanding of differences, and they embrace each other’s cultures. They benefit from the strong relationships between the school, the local mosque and the church. Pupils enjoy regular school events, such as sports days and drama performances, in these venues. 12 and 13 November 2024

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has overhauled the quality of education that pupils receive. The school has high aspirations for pupils’ achievement, including pupils with SEND and those in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision). The school’s ambitious curriculum clearly sets out the knowledge and vocabulary that it wants pupils to learn from the Nursery Year to Year 6.

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

The school and trust provide staff with regular, high-quality training. This helps to ensure that staff support pupils to learn the intended curriculum well. In the main, pupils develop a secure body of knowledge over time. However, in a small number of subjects, staff do not revisit previously taught content regularly. Consequently, some pupils develop gaps in their learning.

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

Staff are adept at swiftly identifying pupils’ misconceptions. Staff use assessment information to skilfully shape pupils’ future learning. Typically, pupils produce work of a high standard. Conversely, some pupils in key stage 2 experience very few opportunities to learn some essential transcription skills in mathematics and science. This hinders their ability to become independent, self-organisers and to present their work in a range of meaningful ways.

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

The school has ensured that a love of reading is fostered as soon as children start in the early years. Older pupils enjoy reading and understand the importance of it. Staff deliver the phonics curriculum effectively. They routinely check pupils’ phonics knowledge and ensure that the less confident readers receive the support that they need to catch up quickly. As a result, most pupils learn to read with fluency and accuracy.

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

The school fosters an ambitious yet supportive environment that is aspirational for the achievement of all. Staff are trained to quickly identify the additional needs that pupils may have and provide effective support. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well from their individual starting points. Furthermore, they are fully involved in all aspects of school life.

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

Pupils who are new to the school, including those who speak English as an additional language, settle in quickly. From the start of the Nursery Year, skilled staff teach children to play cooperatively, follow routines and listen to well-chosen stories. Staff create a language-rich environment. As a result, pupils develop confidence and are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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

Pupils are polite, friendly and eager to converse with adults. They have highly positive attitudes to school life. The school’s work to prioritise pupils’ rates of attendance has resulted in vast improvements. The school works in partnership with external professionals and families to sustain this.

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

Pupils make a positive contribution to school and community life. They are entrusted with meaningful positions of responsibility in their pupil parliament, and as library, sports and 12 and 13 November 2024

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well-being leaders. Pupils collaborate with other schools in the trust to fulfil these roles diligently. They talked with pride about what they have achieved.

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Pupils benefit from the many enrichment opportunities on offer. The school carefully designs and schedules trips, visits and outdoor learning activities to enhance the curriculum and give pupils experiences that broaden their horizons beyond it. For example, pupils talked excitedly about taking part in orienteering, going on trips to local caverns and attending a music performance in the city.

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Trust leaders and governors are extremely knowledgeable and committed to the school. They understand and fulfil their statutory duties well. They hold the school to account for the quality of education that it provides. Staff said that ongoing opportunities for development make them feel valued and confident. They are proud to work in the school and greatly appreciate how well their workload and well-being are considered.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In less-developed subjects, staff do not revisit previously taught learning regularly. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. The school should ensure that all staff use effective strategies to support pupils’ recall of prior learning so that pupils build a secure body of knowledge over time.  The opportunities provided by the school for pupils in key stage 2 to set their work out independently are limited. The work set hinders pupils’ ability to practise some essential transcription skills, such as drawing tables or graphs independently in mathematics and science. The school should ensure that pupils have the opportunity to practise these skills in order to gain greater independence and confidence when asked to present work in different ways.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give 12 and 13 November 2024

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graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, St James’ Church of England Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2015.

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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’ 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). 12 and 13 November 2024

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School details

Website www.st-james-ash.tameside.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St James’ Church of England Primary School joined the Forward as One CE Academy Trust in April 2020. St James’ Church of England Primary School converted to become an academy school in April 2020. When its predecessor school, St James’ Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.  This Church of England school is in the Diocese of Manchester. The school’s last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, was in November 2018. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place in the 2026 to 2027 academic year.  A new headteacher was appointed in September 2021.  The school has a 15-place, local authority commissioned, specially resourced provision for pupils with communication and language learning difficulties. There are currently 14 pupils in the provision, 13 of whom have an education, health and care plan.

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Information about this school

 The school manages a breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision. 12 and 13 November 2024

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other senior leaders and staff. She also met with members of the trust, including the chair of trustees and the local governing board. She also spoke with a representative of the diocese.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed some pupils from Year1 to Year 3 reading to a trusted adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered

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Information about this inspection

the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and breaktimes. She also spoke with pupils about their experiences of school.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Ruth Moran, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 November 2024

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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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