St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe

Overview: St Matthew's Catholic Primary School, Prudhoe is a welcoming school where pupils are nurtured and supported to be confident learners. The school has made changes to the curriculum, which are paying off, and pupils achieve well. Pupils' behaviour is exceptional, and they value their school and the local community.

Strengths:

• Pupils' behaviour is exceptional, with staff modelling positive relationships and pupils knowing who to talk to when they need help.
• The school encourages pupils to describe their feelings and talk about their worries, helping them to feel safe.
• Pupils value their school and the local community, working with local charities to support fundraising and provide food for families.
• The school ensures that pupils with SEND take part in all aspects of school life, with leaders making careful checks to identify their needs and staff providing precise support.

Areas to improve:

• The school has not implemented systems to assess pupils' knowledge in a small number of recently revised foundation subjects, leading to gaps in pupils' knowledge not being identified and addressed.
• The school does not address younger pupils' misconceptions in writing well, meaning that these pupils are not prepared well enough to write as they progress through the school.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.