St Lawrence School praised for “nurturing quality of education”

Saturday 28 October 2023

St Lawrence Primary School provides “an effective and nurturing quality of education”, with pupils doing well and making good progress, especially in reading and writing, according to an independent review published last week.

The review, conducted by an external expert to the Island working with two other reviewers as part of the Jersey Schools Review Framework, said that the school was a happy one where pupils supported each other and adhered completely to “the school’s values of independence, responsibility and success”.

It praised the efforts of head teacher Amory Charlesworth and his team to raise standards and improve the curriculum at the school, which has just over 200 pupils, 15% of whom are eligible for the Jersey Premium.

Attention is drawn to success in teaching early reading, using phonics and to the fact that pupils enjoy choosing and reading books from the school’s well-resourced library.

But it notes that curriculum planning for subjects other than English and mathematics is at a relatively early stage.

As a result, the report says, teaching does not always build upon what pupils already know, understand and can do.

The report makes a number of recommendations, including improvements to the consistency of teaching in all phases, year groups and subjects so that pupils achieve well across the curriculum.

It also advocates improvement in the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics to raise achievement by developing teachers’ subject knowledge and confidence, supporting teachers with modelling mathematics activities, and ensuring pupils have time to practise and repeat key concepts.

Finally, it recommends improvement in the impact of leadership and management by supporting all subject leaders to disseminate good practice in their subject and ensuring that they are confident when giving focused and precise feedback to colleagues.

The review, completed following visits to the school between 19 and 21 September, was compiled with the benefit of the lead reviewer listening to pupils from Years 2, 4 and 5 reading; a group of pupils accompanying the reviewer on a tour of the school; and conversations by the reviewers with pupils about their experience of school life.

The team also scrutinised a sample of pupils’ work with subject leaders and looked at pupils’ work in lessons, and spoke to pupils in class, and during play and lunchtime.

Parents’ views were also taken into account through conversations as they collected their children, and using an online survey. Staff survey responses were also reviewed.

A copy of the full report is available online.

Pictured top: St Lawrence pupils with teacher Mr Fancourt last year.