St Helen's Primary School

Overview

The inspection team found that St Helen’s Primary School is “led very ably by the headteacher,” resulting in a “highly positive and nurturing climate for learning.” Children are described as “happy, included and supportive of each other,” demonstrating strong communication skills and good progress in listening and talking.

Strengths

• Staff create a “highly positive and nurturing climate” where children are “happy, included and supportive of each other.”
• The staff team are “reflective practitioners” who “work very effectively together” to improve the quality of learning and teaching.
• Children possess “well-developed communication skills” and apply these across the curriculum and in leadership roles.
• Pupils “achieve well through a wide range of well-planned activities” that help develop important skills for learning, life, and work.

Areas to improve

• Teachers should continue to develop approaches that support children to “apply their learning in new and unfamiliar contexts.”
• Staff should continue to raise attainment in literacy and numeracy, particularly for children at first level.

Safeguarding

The report states that inspectors “talked to parents/carers and children” and worked closely with staff, noting that children are “happy, included and supportive of each other” within a “nurturing climate,” though it does not provide a separate detailed evaluation of safeguarding procedures.