St Andrew's CofE Primary School

Inspection of St Andrew’s CofE Primary School Hopton Lane, Nesscliffe, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 1DB

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 February 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 11 and 12 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Andrew’s CofE Primary School is at the heart of its local village community. The school is warm, friendly and inclusive. Pupils are highly valued and well cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ character is well developed through the ‘St Andrew’s Can Dos’, such as respect and kindness. Pupils are highly motivated to demonstrate these values. For example, the local village benefits from the school’s community involvement. This includes litter picking, raising money for charities and designing the village play park. As a result, the school’s motto of ‘let my light shine’, permeates in all aspects of the school’s work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour across school is highly positive. Relationships between staff and pupils are nurturing and caring. Pupils are polite and courteous. At breaktimes, pupils have a wide range of activities they enjoy. Pupils love changing into their boots to play on the muddy fields. Other activities include netball and learning in the outdoor wooded area.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the experiences of their children here. They say the school works closely with families. Together they meet the needs of pupils well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has high aspirations for pupils. As a result, pupils are highly ambitious about their own achievements.

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

There have been many positive changes to the curriulum. This has improved the overall educational provision for pupils here. The school has clearly identified the important knowledge and skills pupils will learn across all curriculum subjects. The school continues to refine and improve these subject areas further. In English, this is beginning to have a particularly positive impact on pupils’ writing. The school accurately knows how well pupils are achieving in most of the curriculum. It has developed effective checks on pupils’ learning to identify gaps in their knowledge. However, in some subject areas, the school does not yet know the impact of these changes on pupils’ learning over time. As a result, some pupils may not be building their knowledge as securely as they could over time. The school is aware of this and has clear plans in place to improve this area further.

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

In lessons, pupils build on their prior learning in a very clear way. Learning activities are well matched to the needs of pupils. Teachers adapt learning to support mixed-age learners very well. Pupils’ misconceptions are quickly addressed most of the time. Pupils attitude to learning is mostly positive. However, there is some variability in the quality of handwriting in different subject areas. Pupils do not always form their letters consistently and accurately well enough. As a result, work in pupils’ books is not always well presented in some subject areas. This slows down some pupils’ learning.

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

Reading is highly prioritised across school. Children in nursery engage with books, environmental sounds and rhymes. Staff teach phonics clearly and with expertise. Pupils who are falling behind are supported effectively. Pupils catch up quickly as a result. Pupils 11 and 12 February 2025

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enjoy a wide range of high-quality texts. As a result, pupils become accurate and fluent readers.

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Starting from the provision for two-year-olds, children’s learning starts with the strong foundations set in the early years. The learning environment is very well resourced. Children respond positively to the clear routines set from the start. Children achieve well and are well prepared for their next stages of learning.

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The needs of pupils with SEND are well understood and identified early on. This ensures that pupils who need help with their learning are highly supported and achieve well. Pupils who access additional specialist provision are closely supported so that they can learn alongside their peers. At times, some pupils may need additional support with their behaviour. Staff have effective skills and knowledge to help pupils. Subsequently, pupils behave very well in lessons.

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The curriculum for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. Pupils are active citizens within their school and local village community. They help through fundraising and providing to food banks. Pupils have a strong understanding of differences, including protected characteristics. The school promotes a diverse range of cultures and different types of families. This means that pupils are very accepting of others different from themselves.

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Pupils access a wide range of after-school clubs, such as crafts and science, technology, engineering and mathematics club. Additional activities include an evening of planet gazing, where pupils viewed the stars aligning across the Shropshire night skies. Pupils’ talents and interests are carefully considered. For example, visitors to a recent careers fair were carefully selected to meet the interests of pupils, including doctors, zoologists, entertainers and computer engineers.

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Governors are caring and know their statutory duties very well. They understand the needs of their pupils and families living in this local area. They have a positive impact on pupils’ experiences here.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some curriculum areas have been implemented more recently than others. This means that the school does not yet know the impact of the new curriculum areas on pupils’ learning over time. The school should continue their plans to embed the new curriculum and ensure that it has the desired impact on pupils’ knowledge. 11 and 12 February 2025

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 There is some variability in the quality of handwriting and presentation of pupils’ work in some subject areas. Pupils do not always form their letters accurately and consistently well enough. As a result, pupils’ work is not always well presented in some subject areas. This slows down some pupils’ learning. The school should ensure that pupils are taught a consistent approach to letter formation and that there are consistently high expectations in the presentation of pupils’ work across all subject areas.

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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). 11 and 12 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.standrews.westcliffefederation.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 February 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is one of four schools in the Westcliffe Federation.  The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Pupils are organised into three mixed-age classes. In the early years, children are organised into Nursery- and Reception-age classes. This includes provision for two-year-olds, which commenced in September 2024.  The local authority commissions specialist provision places for eight pupils with a broad range of SEND needs.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision.  The school runs a before- and after-school provision on site.  The school is part of the Diocese of Lichfield.  A Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools inspection to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of St Andrew’s C of E Primary School as a Church of England school took place on 01 October 2024. 11 and 12 February 2025

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, subject leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector met with the chair of governors and other members of the governing board. Inspectors also talked with parents.  The lead inspector met with a representative of the local authority.  The lead inspector met a school improvement partner and a representative of the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, English and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at the work of the school in some additional subjects, including

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Information about this inspection

geography and design and technology.  Inspectors looked at a sample of pupils’ education, health and care plans.  The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils, formally and informally, about their learning and experiences at school.  Inspectors observed pupils at informal times, including to evaluate pupils’ behaviour.  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 considered responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included free-text comments. Inspectors also looked at responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation provided by the school. This included

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Information about this inspection

the school’s self-evaluation, school policies, curriculum documents and SEND records.

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Inspection team

Anna Vrahimi, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Orgill Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 February 2025

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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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