Wolston St Margaret's CofE Primary School

Overview

Pupils are “proud to attend this welcoming and inclusive school” where they “love to learn” and follow a broad curriculum. Leaders have an “ambitious vision” that drives development, resulting in a strong sense of community and positive behaviour. The school is rated as Good across all inspection categories.

Strengths

• Teachers deliver “enriching lessons” and use expert knowledge to ensure pupils become “confident and fluent readers” in the early years.
• There is a “real sense of community” between pupils, staff, and parents, with pupils demonstrating school values such as being “ready, safe and respectful”.
• The early years provision is “integral to all parts of school life,” offering a rich learning environment that prepares children well for key stage 1.
• Leaders have successfully redeveloped the curriculum to match their ambitions, ensuring it “builds on what children learn in the early years.”
• Safeguarding arrangements are “effective,” with staff having an “appropriate understanding of safeguarding risks” and clear processes for reporting concerns.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should continue to look at ways to improve attendance, as “persistent absence remains high for some pupils” who consequently miss learning opportunities.
• A “love of reading is not fully embedded across the school,” with some older pupils being “reluctant to read more widely outside of their lessons.”
• Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) requires refinement, as staff do not always “identify accurately enough the most important knowledge that pupils need to know.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that leaders have developed a clear process for raising concerns which staff follow well.