Staff have high expectations and want every pupil to achieve well, and they do. Pupils find the activities available to them exciting. These include well-chosen trips and interesting visitors. These additional opportunities deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding further. Pupils are motivated, behave well and are attentive in lessons. They are keen to express their thoughts and feelings in different situations. Pupils feel valued in this happy and safe school. They told us that bullying is rare. If it does happen, staff deal with it quickly. The school is calm and orderly. There are opportunities for all pupils to find some extra peace and quiet. For example, pupils appreciate the lunchtime ‘nurture’ club which helps them to feel calm and relaxed. Parents value this aspect of the school’s work. One parent was typical of many when they said, ‘My children are very happy at this school and staff have a genuine care for the welfare, well-being and educational development of my children.’ What does the school do well and what does it need to do better? Reading is at the heart of everything the school does. Leaders have brought about impressive improvements in reading. They have raised expectations of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged. Pupils read regularly and understand the importance of reading. Pupils say that reading lessons are fun. Inspirational talks from visiting authors promote further the love of reading. As a result, pupils are keen to read. One pupil was typical of many in telling us, ‘When you read you get smarter and smarter and your mind gets filled with adventures!’ Leaders have put a clear phonics programme in place. This begins in Nursery and continues up to Year 2. Teachers frequently check the letters and sounds that pupils know. Teachers know the different sounds that each pupil knows. This helps teachers to match pupils’ work and the books they are reading closely to pupils’ needs. However, some pupils who have fallen behind are not catching up as quickly as they should. This is because the programme for those who need to catch up does not set clear enough expectations, particularly time scales, to support pupils well enough. Leaders think hard about what they want pupils to know and how the curriculum is organised for them to learn effectively. This means that pupils develop deep knowledge in a range of subjects. For example, pupils have a strong understanding of physical geography. They can explain what causes earthquakes, linking this to their work in science. Teachers have high expectations of pupils. In music, for example, pupils in Year 3 can read musical notation. Pupils know how to adjust tone, tempo and pitch to make musical phrases. However, leaders are aware that history and design and technology (DT) are not yet as well developed. New leaders have been assigned to get these up to the same high quality seen in other subjects. Furthermore, despite Inspection report: Christ The King Catholic Primary School 4–5 December 2019 2 pupils doing well in mathematics, there are times when teachers do not take enough account of the smaller units of knowledge that pupils need to learn. This holds some pupils back from achieving their very best. The school’s values of forgiveness and integrity are central to building pupils’ character and attitudes. These help pupils to be kind and reflective. For example, older pupils have great awareness of the problems caused around the world by deforestation. Their concerns are expressed through thought-provoking posters and prayers. Pupils show respect for others and the school’s rules. They understand how rules make the school a better place. They say that these are fair. By the time they leave, pupils are confident and well equipped for the next stage of their education, and to be positive citizens. Children get off to strong start in the early years. Leaders have a clear understanding of what they want children to learn. They focus well on children’s language development. This is to help children learn to communicate well. For example, adults read stories such as ‘Owl Babies’ and sing nursery rhymes with the children. This is built on further in Reception, as children quickly gain a firm understanding of phonics for reading and writing. Staff work busily alongside happy and motivated children. As a result, children are fully prepared for the challenges that await them in Year 1.