St Alban's Church of England Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 January 2023

Leaders' vision for pupils to be enthusiastic, independent and inquisitive explorers who fulfil their potential is vibrant, alive and visible across the school. Whether talking to leaders, staff or pupils, the same strong sense of working 'as one' shines through. Many parents and carers agree. Pupils speak with pride and knowledge about their learning. The same is true of the many and varied jobs they do to help everyone be safe and work and play well together. They are right to be proud. Pupils are happy and safe. They behave well. Leaders deal well with bullying if it should happen. Younger pupils achieve exceptionally well. Moving up through the school, leaders have put actions in place to ensure that older pupils achieve equally well. These actions are having a positive impact on pupils' outcomes. Pupils' maturity, politeness and knowledge are evident during conversations. The youngest pupils chat away about their learning. Their excitement and enthusiasm are infectious. Older pupils sensitively discuss discrimination, equality, career choices and their aspirations for secondary school and beyond. They are well equipped to face the modern world they are growing up in.

What the school should improve

• Occasionally, teachers do not use assessment well enough to move pupils' learning on. This means that some pupils have limited chances to apply what they know in different contexts. Leaders need to ensure that teachers use assessment information well to design learning experiences that enable pupils to apply what they know.
• Some older pupils have limited strategies to read unknown words. This impacts on their fluency in reading. Teachers should ensure that older pupils have a greater range of strategies to use when coming across an unknown word.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)