St Edmund's CofE (C) Primary & Nursery School

Overview

The report describes a school where pupils feel “welcomed, cared for, safe and that they belong,” supported by “warm, compassionate relationships” with staff. Leaders have an “ambitious vision” and have driven considerable recent change, resulting in a “calm and focused learning environment” where pupils achieve close to national averages in core subjects.

Strengths

• Pupils talk “enthusiastically about their learning” and have developed “firm foundations in reading” and confidence with number facts.
• Staff create a “calm and focused learning environment” with “clear expectations and well-organised routines,” resulting in rare incidents of bullying.
• The curriculum is “ambitious and engaging,” with teachers who are “knowledgeable” and deliver lessons that pupils find “fun.”
• Leaders are “passionate” and “approachable,” prioritising staff wellbeing and providing opportunities for professional development and collaboration.
• Pupils benefit from a “thoughtful personal development programme” and “character-building experiences” that foster responsibility and citizenship.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must embed new systems for inclusion and pupil premium strategy to ensure pupils receive “the right support quickly to overcome their barriers to learning.”
• Leaders should ensure staff deliver the early years curriculum “consistently well” and use assessment information to adapt provision effectively.
• Leaders need to analyse attendance data more precisely and use assessment information to “deepen pupils’ learning” and address knowledge gaps.

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing an “open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility” and concerns are actively identified and managed.