Berwick St Mary's Church of England Primary School

Overview

Berwick St Mary’s Church of England First School continues to be a good school, described as a “very happy school” with a “caring and nurturing environment.” Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, ensuring that children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are “fully included” and well supported.

Strengths

• Adults know pupils well, fostering a culture where pupils treat each other kindly and feel confident reporting concerns.
• The curriculum is “precisely developed,” with teachers using well-designed resources to ensure all pupils can access work at an appropriate level.
• Reading is a priority; staff deliver phonics with “precision and consistency,” and books taken home are well matched to pupils’ known sounds.
• Pupils enjoy diverse cultural experiences, including trips to museums and galleries, and take pride in community work such as visiting elderly people.
• Staff are well trained to support pupils with speech and language delays, and parents of pupils with SEND report very positive experiences.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure staff use assessment consistently well to check what pupils know, as some curriculum areas do not use assessment effectively enough to inform development.
• In some subjects, pupils are not using precise subject knowledge when completing evaluative tasks; leaders need to ensure pupils regularly apply this knowledge to draw precise conclusions.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with staff who are vigilant, appropriately trained, and know how to report concerns to external agencies where appropriate.