St Augustine's CofE Primary School

Overview

St Augustine’s CofE Primary School provides a “calm and purposeful learning environment” where pupils feel safe and show respect. While the early years provision is rated at a “strong standard” and safeguarding is effective, the school’s overall performance in curriculum delivery, achievement, and attendance is currently at the “expected standard” or “needs attention.” Leaders are actively working to address inconsistencies in teaching and gaps in pupil knowledge.

Strengths

• Early years staff create a “nurturing setting” where children “thrive” and are “well prepared for their learning in Year 1.”
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an “open culture” ensuring pupils are “made safer and feel safe.”
• Behaviour management has improved significantly, with a “considerable” reduction in suspensions and pupils responding well to high expectations.
• Staff provide “highly effective pastoral provision,” including weekly check-ins that help identify emerging needs swiftly.
• The curriculum is described as “broad, balanced and ambitious,” with recent decisions strengthening subject knowledge.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure staff have sufficient expertise to deliver the curriculum “consistently well,” particularly in mathematics where concept explanations are sometimes unclear.
• Strategies to identify and address “gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge” need embedding so pupils can build new learning securely.
• Leaders must sustain actions to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence, as current rates remain above national expectations.

Safeguarding

The report confirms that safeguarding standards are met, noting that leaders have established an “open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility” and concerns are actively managed.