Christ Church CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 22 November 2022

Christ Church CofE Primary School is a happy and welcoming school. Pupils and children in the early years settle in well and quickly make new friends. Pupils know that there are trusted adults to talk to. Leaders and staff swiftly deal with any concerns, including bullying, effectively. Through the curriculum, pupils learn about the importance of looking after their emotional health and well-being. They are happy and safe. Leaders have high expectations of pupils, both for their learning and behaviour. Pupils live up to these expectations. They achieve well. Pupils' conduct embodies the school rules. They strive to be ready, safe, polite and kind. Pupils behave well and concentrate in lessons. Children in the early years are keen to share with each other and to take turns. Pupils are proud to attend this school. They enjoy taking part in the wide variety of extra-curricular opportunities that leaders and staff provide. They value being members of the school choir. Pupils also enjoy representing the school in various sports teams. Leaders and staff know their pupils and families well. There is a strong ethos of mutual respect and support. Parents and carers, who shared their views with inspectors, spoke very positively about the school. They appreciate the varied and engaging activities that leaders and staff provide.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, leaders are in the process of providing staff with more regular subject-specific training to develop their knowledge and confidence further. Leaders should check the impact of this training, so that they are assured these changes are making a positive difference to pupils' learning in the longer term.
• In a small number of subjects, leaders are enhancing their systems for checking how well pupils are remembering key concepts in the longer term. This means that leaders and teachers cannot be certain that pupils have understood and retained important knowledge over time. Leaders should make sure that these refinements to assessment methods are used consistently well so that teachers can check that pupils' learning is secure.
• Some younger pupils who find reading difficult lack confidence and fluency when reading. This hampers their progress. Leaders should ensure that these pupils are secure with previously taught sounds. They should also make sure that pupils read regularly from books which are well matched to the sounds they are learning, so that they become fluent and confident readers by the end of key stage 1.

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