St John the Divine Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 November 2023

Staff take the time to get to know their pupils from the start of the early years at this small school. Relationships are positive, respectful and professional between adults and pupils. This contributes to pupils feeling safe. Leaders regularly remind pupils of the school's values and pupils aim to show these values in their own behaviour, which contributes to making the school a pleasant place for everyone. One pupil, reflecting the views of many, said: 'If you show the values, then it can start a chain of happiness across the school.' Leaders have high expectations of pupils. Since the last inspection, this has been reflected in widespread changes that they have made to the curriculum to make it more ambitious. These changes have had a positive early impact on pupils' knowledge. A range of opportunities develop pupils' talents and interests here, including clubs such as needlecraft, netball and keyboard. Music features strongly, including choir and workshops at renowned venues. Visits extend pupils' learning, such as an outing to a museum for pupils in Year 1 to examine toys from the past. Pupils take up responsibility as school councillors, well-being leaders and in looking after the school's garden.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, teaching does not focus on helping pupils to recall important prior knowledge, so that pupils can use what they know already to help them to understand more complex concepts. As a result, pupils remember knowledge in these subjects in isolation, and are unsure how one thing they have learned relates to another. This makes it hard for them to get better at the subject over time. The school should ensure that pupils are helped to connect together the key content that they have learned within a subject over time.
• In some curriculum subjects, information is not presented routinely clearly and pupils' understanding is not checked as carefully as in other subjects. Where this is the case, pupils sometimes recall incorrect knowledge. The school should ensure that staff receive the support they need to deliver the full breadth of the curriculum confidently.
• Occasionally, pupils who are weaker readers are not provided with the help that they need to close any gaps in their phonic knowledge. This prevents them from catching up as quickly as they might. The school should ensure that pupils who struggle with early reading are given the systematic support that they need to catch up quickly and become fluent, confident readers.

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