St John's CofE Primary School

Inspection of St John’s CofE Primary School 80 Nottingham Road, Stapleford, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG9 8AQ

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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 Good 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?

Pupils at this school are happy. They are proud to be a part of the St John’s community. Pupils demonstrate the school’s values of ‘believe, endeavour, succeed, together’ in the classrooms and on the playground. Pupils are kind and thoughtful. They know how to, and do, show respect to everyone. Staff know pupils very well, and pupils feel safe. Pupils know that if they have any worries, they are listened to by a trusted adult.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils’ behaviour and learning. Pupils have positive attitudes to studying and enjoy their lessons. Pupils have opportunities to think deeply about their learning, problem solve and reason. Pupils are proud of their work. The school provides plenty of opportunities for pupils to share their achievements with others. The kindness cup, the annual careers fair and learning how to be healthy in body and mind all form part of a strong offer for pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the recent opportunities to develop their leadership skills at school. They take these roles very seriously and enjoy being librarians and lunchtime leaders. Pupils are considerate of others’ views and are polite and welcoming to visitors.

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

The school curriculum is well established. The school’s clear rationale for its curriculum choices is understood by everyone. The knowledge pupils should know is set out precisely. The curriculum is ordered in a logical sequence so that staff know what to teach and when to teach it. As a result, there are clear expectations for what all pupils should achieve.

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

The recent refinements to the wider curriculum have made the key connections between concepts clearer. The sequences of lessons are well constructed and help pupils to remember detailed facts. Pupils connect their learning together. For example, pupils were able to describe different mountain formations in geography and why mountains have varied shapes.

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

Early reading is prioritised. The phonics programme is highly ambitious. Pupils have daily lessons to help them learn new sounds. However, sometimes, pupils do not get enough practice to blend the sounds they know when reading new words. This means that some pupils struggle to read as fluently as they could. Pupils who need additional help to learn to read are identified quickly. They receive effective support that helps them to catch up.

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

Children in the early years have a positive start to their schooling. The curriculum considers the children’s starting points and interests. This helps children to sustain their interest and engage purposefully in their learning. They especially enjoy experimenting in the investigation station, where they have fun in the ‘gunk’. Here, they learn how materials work in readiness for what comes next in Year 1.

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

The school has a clear pathway to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It works closely with a range of professionals to provide effective support to 11 and 12 February 2025

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meet the needs of all pupils. Careful adaptations to lessons and resources help pupils with SEND achieve well.

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The school’s recent work on developing positive attitudes to learning has helped pupils understand the school’s raised expectations in lessons. As a result, low-level disruption is rare. Most pupils demonstrate high levels of concentration in their lessons. They work collaboratively with each other and listen carefully to other views. Pupils enjoy receiving ‘monster points’ when they demonstrate the school’s expectations. The school prioritises pupils’ attendance. It knows the families well and provides a holistic approach that helps improve attendance where it is a concern.

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The school has a well-structured personal development programme. Pupils know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. Pupils know about a range of faiths and can explain how they demonstrate respect, tolerance and democracy in school. They have detailed knowledge about world events and what is happening in the news. Pupils enjoy their trips and extra-curricular activities. Pupils like to help others in the school such as being lunch monitors in the school hall. They are proud when they are chosen as the class captain.

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The school uses research to support it to evaluate its work. It makes effective decisions about how it can continue to improve. The school works closely with the local community and is responsive in ensuring the needs of all pupils are met. Staff are proud to be part of the school and know their workload is considered. Governors work closely with the school to understand its priorities and fulfil its statutory responsibilities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The school knows its families well and takes effective action to keep pupils safe. However, sometimes, these actions are recorded in different systems. This can make it difficult to understand the chronological order of actions taken. This makes it harder for the school to monitor incidents and report as effectively as it could to the governing body.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Although safeguarding is effective, there is some variation in how well the school documents the actions taken in response to safeguarding incidents and how they analyse patterns that arise from such incidents. This makes it harder for the school to assess the impact of the actions it takes and decide on its next steps to help pupils receive appropriate support. The school should improve how well safeguarding incidents and actions are recorded and use consistent analysis of safeguarding incidents to enhance the culture of safeguarding.  The early reading and phonics programme is not delivered precisely enough. As a 11 and 12 February 2025

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result, some pupils do not receive enough practice to automatically blend the sounds they have learned to read fluently. The school should ensure all teachers have the knowledge and skills to teach early reading effectively so pupils become fluent readers as quickly as they can.

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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

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school uses one registered alternative provision.  The school runs a before-school breakfast club on the school site.  The school has a religious character and is a Church of England school. The most recent Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist School was in February 2024.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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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 11 and 12 February 2025

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began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and with other leaders. The lead inspector met with those responsible for governance, including the chair of the governing body. The lead inspector also held a discussion with a local authority representative and a representative from the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector observed some pupils read to a familiar member of staff.  Inspectors observed behaviour in lessons and at other times around school. Inspectors met with those responsible for behaviour, attendance and personal development.

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Inspectors met with a range of pupils to discuss their personal development.  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 reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan and information about governance. Inspectors also considered information about pupils’ attendance and behaviour.  The lead inspector spoke to the manager of the alternative provision to discuss the arrangements for pupils who use it.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the results of Ofsted’s online survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Sarah Sadler, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Caroline Oliver 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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