St Matthew's CofE Primary School

Overview

The report describes a school where pupils are “welcoming and polite” and feel safe, with staff who are “quick to spot when any pupil becomes distracted.” Leaders have “high expectations that pupils will achieve well,” fostering a culture where children are encouraged to persevere and “stick at it” when work is challenging. The inspection notes that since the previous rating, senior leaders have successfully developed subject leadership and refined curriculum design across the school.

Strengths

• Pupils develop knowledge across a wide range of subjects, with the revised curriculum “strongly embedded” in mathematics, early reading, and history.
• Staff effectively support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring they have “equal access to the many opportunities available in school.”
• Teachers routinely help pupils recap prior learning, enabling them to use this knowledge in “more ambitious ways,” such as in art and science.
• The personal, health and social education programme helps pupils recognise risks, including online safety, and the introduction of a consent curriculum starts in the early years.
• Leaders have implemented initiatives to support staff well-being and reduce workload, with staff generally feeling “well supported with their professional development opportunities.”

Areas to improve

• In a few subjects, assessment strategies do not link closely to the subject-specific curriculum content, preventing teachers from accurately identifying gaps in pupils’ learning. Subject leaders should continue to develop these systems so pupils who do not understand key content receive necessary support.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” with a well-qualified team providing regular training and staff who know how to refer concerns and respond to local risks.