St Peter's CofE Academy Alton

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 September 2022

Pupils, parents and staff are happy with their school, which is at the heart of the local community. This school is effectively led. This is a vibrant school, where children are nurtured, thrive and flourish. The Christian ethos of the school and values of love, friendship and respect are celebrated. Reading and mathematics are taught particularly well. The curriculum in other subjects is exciting. Pupils enjoy learning. Pupils learn to play musical instruments, sing and perform. Pupils make good use of the local area to learn about geography and science. They enjoyed a treasure hunt on a local farm. The school is ambitious for all pupils. Pupils are extremely polite and well mannered. There is a warmth in the relationships adults have with the children. Pupils know their teachers expect them to behave well. Pupils show respect and care for each other and members of staff. Pupils say they feel safe in school. Parents overwhelmingly agree with this. Pupils know what bullying is. They say that when bullying happens, staff quickly get to the bottom of it. Staff, the trust and governors on the local academy committee are rightly proud of the contribution the school makes to the local community.

What the school should improve

• The recently introduced approach to the teaching of phonics is new to staff. Training has introduced staff to the resources and teaching approaches. Leaders need to evaluate this very new phonics programme to ensure that it has the planned impact.
• Leaders do not use assessment to identify if pupils have understood everything they need to in some subjects. This means that gaps in pupils' knowledge are not always identified. Leaders should ensure that teachers, across all subjects, use assessment to identify effectively when pupils are falling behind, while being mindful of the workload of teachers.

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