St John's Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 September 2022

Pupils from a wide range of cultural heritages enjoy attending this friendly and welcoming school. Uniquely, the church is situated at the heart of this school. This reflects the central importance of the school's Christian ethos. It underpins a tangible culture of respect which is lived out by staff and pupils. Right from when pupils start in the early years, warm relationships with staff are nurtured. The youngest children are made to feel secure and confident in their new surroundings. Pupils feel safe and cared for and know that if they need to talk to someone about their worries, there is always a trusted adult to help. One pupil told inspectors, 'This feels like your second home, teachers take time to listen and to help us, however long this takes.' Leaders have high expectations for all pupils both socially and in their learning. They encourage all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to strive to be the best they can. Behaviour around the school is calm, and pupils know that unkindness towards each other is not tolerated. They are taught how to build positive, healthy relationships, meaning there are very few incidents of bullying.

What the school should improve

• Local governors do not consistently assure themselves that school leaders are setting the right priorities, and whether the actions taken consistently meet the statutory duties. Local governors need to ensure they implement rigorous systems and processes to continue to check on the work of school leaders.
• Leaders have not fully implemented a consistent assessment system across the school in all subjects. Leaders need to put in place an effective assessment process across foundation subjects so that teachers can identify and quickly remedy any gaps in pupils' knowledge and understanding.
• Sometimes the work provided does not help all pupils achieve leaders' ambitious aims. This means that some pupils have gaps in their understanding. Leaders need to ensure that teachers have the necessary expertise they need to match activities carefully to be able to check what pupils know and remember.

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