St George's CofE Controlled Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • school improvement planning is focused more sharply on the analysis of school assessment and performance information
  • performance management targets for all leaders and teachers are ambitious and focus on improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress
  • the governing body has the skills and information required to provide more robust challenge about the performance of different groups of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged
  • all policy documents are accurately maintained and updated in order to meet the specific needs of the school.
• Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better and accelerates pupils’ progress, particularly the most able and disadvantaged, by:
  • improving the accuracy, consistency and use of teachers’ assessments in order to identify accurately the next steps in pupils’ learning.
• Improve the welfare of pupils, and make sure that they are as safe as they can be, by:
  • ensuring that risk assessments are reviewed more rigorously, and updated more frequently. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management should be improved. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management should be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leadership and management require improvement because senior leaders’ and governors’ self-evaluation of the school’s performance is not accurate. Leaders’ plans for school improvement are not precise enough in identifying areas for improvement. Furthermore, leaders’ plans for improvement are not ambitious enough and do not include measurable outcomes. A lack of focus in planning has had a negative impact on improving the quality of teaching and learning, and the progress made by different groups of pupils.
• Leaders do not have an accurate overview of school performance information. Leaders do not use the detailed classroom-based information well enough to check the school’s performance as a whole. Systems to analyse pupils’ progress, and the progress of different groups of pupils, are not well developed.
• Leaders have not ensured that information about pupils’ progress is consistently reliable in evaluating pupils’ progress over time and for different year groups.
• Leaders have not set challenging targets for teachers, as part of the performance management process, to improve the quality of teaching and improve pupils’ attainment and progress.
• Subject leaders have written action plans to bring about improvements in provision in different subjects, but these plans are not specific enough in identifying measurable outcomes in relation to pupils’ progress. Nonetheless, the impact of leaders’ work to develop teachers’ questioning skills, promote pupils’ positive attitudes to reading and the use of practical equipment and visual imagery in the teaching of mathematics was evident in lessons.
• Leaders are responding to feedback from parents and implementing initiatives to improve communications. These include a parents’ forum, an online means for parents and teachers to communicate aspects of children’s learning, homework and behaviour, and the well-attended parent ‘workshops’. Many parents who spoke to inspectors said that these enable them to better support learning at home.
• Displays around the school, discussions with pupils and the good relationships between adults and pupils, indicate that the promotion of pupils’ social, moral and spiritual development is effective. The school’s curriculum equips pupils with the knowledge and understanding necessary to accept and respect others, regardless of their culture, religious beliefs or family background.
• Pupils’ work in books and school assessment information show that the use of the pupil premium funding is making some positive impact on pupils’ achievement. However, the progress made by disadvantaged pupils is not consistently good. Information about their progress is not analysed carefully enough by leaders to enable them to ensure that funding is having the maximum impact to improve the quality of teaching pupils receive.
• The headteacher ensures that subject leaders have opportunities to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning. They have attended training and led staff to develop new approaches to teaching and learning. Subject leaders are enthusiastic to bring about improvements in their areas of responsibility and play an increasingly effective role in improving provision and standards.
• The physical education and sport premium is used to support work with the Derbyshire Sports Partnership, fund a qualified teacher with sports specialism, purchase new resources and provide more opportunities for sporting activities. However, leaders’ analysis of the use of the premium is not sophisticated enough to enable them to have a clear understanding of the impact the funding makes on improving pupils’ rates of participation in sport and on other outcomes.
• Additional special educational needs funding is used to provide focused interventions to support the needs of pupils. The special educational needs coordinator and teachers monitor individual pupil’s progress carefully, and this helps to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make similar progress to other pupils.

Governance of the school

• The majority of the governing body were appointed in the last year and many new governors are relatively inexperienced. While governors have a broad overview of some of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement, they are still gaining an accurate understanding of the school’s performance.
• Governors have a limited understanding of the performance management processes, and do not effectively hold the school to account to ensure the targeted use and impact of the pupil premium and sport funding.
• Governors are involved in the monitoring of safeguarding arrangements but their monitoring is not sufficiently robust to ensure that the school fulfils all of its responsibilities in respect of the school website and policy documents.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school’s single central record of employment checks meets statutory requirements. Staff recruitment and vetting procedures are rigorous and effective.
• The designated safeguarding lead and her deputy are appropriately trained to carry out the role and have made sure that staff have regular training in a range of aspects relating to safeguarding, including, for example, the government’s ‘Prevent’ duty and cyberbullying.
• An ethos of safeguarding is evident. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations, such as when using the internet.
• Pupils trust adults in the school to deal with any concerns quickly and effectively. The school’s records show a small number incidents relating to bullying; however, some parents are less positive about the school’s response.
• The designated safeguarding lead records incidents and actions taken in relation to bullying or the use of racist or homophobic language. However, records of concerns are not always maintained with sufficient rigour to enable leaders to analyse and monitor trends and patterns. Leaders’ risk assessments to keep pupils safe, in the past, lacked some rigour. Following support, there is evidence that risk assessments are now improved and of sufficient quality.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching is not yet consistently good. Teachers do not always ensure that pupils move on to more challenging work quickly enough to enable them to make consistently good progress. Sometimes, particularly in mathematics, pupils are asked to complete many examples of work they understand, rather than moving on to more challenging work.
• Assessment is not always used effectively in lessons. Errors and misconceptions are not always picked up and addressed, which means that some pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• Teachers know pupils well and are committed to ensuring that they enjoy their lessons and make progress in their learning. Many parents commented favourably on the quality of teaching.
• Teaching staff have good subject knowledge which they often use to explain ideas clearly and confidently. Skilful questioning is often used effectively to promote pupils’ engagement in learning. Inspectors saw lessons where this was put to good effect, for example in the teaching of the technical aspects of writing, mathematical concepts and reading comprehension skills.
• Teachers throughout the school plan activities which are usually well matched to the age group and range of abilities of pupils, are interesting and engage pupils, though this is not consistent. Many pupils said that they enjoyed their lessons. One pupil in key stage 2, for example, said ‘I like maths. Teachers make the subject fun.’
• Teachers promote a culture of reading and encourage pupils to read widely and often. Pupils’ enjoyment of reading was evident when they responded enthusiastically to a teacher introducing a new class novel, and also when children in key stage 1 were sharing their reading books with inspectors. Pupils are able to explain why they enjoy books.
• Teachers promote pupils’ spelling, grammar and punctuation skills well. Expectations for the quality of writing are usually high across the curriculum. For example, inspectors saw in one class how pupils had effectively applied their writing skills to produce sustained, quality writing-up of scientific investigations.
• Teaching assistants often provide good support and use questioning to promote pupils’ learning well, including those pupils who are disadvantaged or have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• Leaders’ work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement because the school has not, in the past, been thorough enough in putting into place rigorous risk assessments. This includes, for example, pupils’ access and exit arrangements at the beginning and end of the school day. Leaders and governors are working with the local authority to help to ensure pupils’ improved safety. Consequently, the quality of risk assessments are improving and sufficient account of the risks to pupils’ safety are considered.
• Pupils enjoy coming to school and take pride in their work, which is neatly presented in all subjects. Pupils in key stage 2 understand the value of their education.
• Attendance is above average. Figures for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are above the national average and improving.
• Pupils say they feel safe in school. Pupils are knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe and have a strong awareness of the importance of being safe online. They were able to tell inspectors, in some detail, the arrangements for fire drills. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of a healthy diet.
• Pupils say they are confident that any issues or concerns they raise will be dealt with promptly and effectively by their teachers. While most parents were happy, with several saying how their children had grown in confidence, some parents told inspectors they were concerned about bullying. Most pupils say that bullying is rare and scrutiny of the school’s records show a small number of reported incidents.
• Pupils in all year groups are taught to value and celebrate the similarities and differences they have with others. Pupils in Year 6, for example, spoke very articulately about the importance of respecting different family arrangements. Pupils’ understanding of British values, reflected in some of the school displays, is stronger in upper key stage 2 than in other parts of the school.
• Teachers and staff promote pupils’ personal development very well. Pupils spoke about how they particularly enjoy their lunchtime activities. Lunchtime supervisors spoke of how they believed that the ‘play leader’ roles had developed the leadership skills and confidence of many pupils.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils are well behaved in classrooms and throughout the school. They are articulate, polite and conduct themselves well.
• Pupils behave well during lessons and low-level disruption is rare. They have positive and often mature attitudes to their learning and apply themselves well to their work. Inspectors observed the safe classroom ethos created by teachers in which children confidently offer contributions. In a key stage 2 English lesson, for example, pupils were happy to present their work to the rest of the class to try to improve it; this was done positively and respectfully.
• Pupils work and play well together and collaborate with each other respectfully.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ outcomes require improvement. The school’s new systems for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress are still being developed in order to ensure accuracy and reliability. Work in pupils’ books shows that progress is not sustained or consistently good in different classes and subject areas. Some pupils, particularly the most able in mathematics, are not making consistently good progress.
• The attainment and progress of children last year were inconsistent. While attainment was above that seen nationally in key stage 2 for writing, mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling, some groups of pupils, including boys and the most able, did not make good progress in key stage 2. Standards were below the national average for reading. In key stage 1, standards were below those seen nationally for reading, writing and mathematics.
• In 2016, disadvantaged pupils did less well than other pupils in the early years, and at the end of key stages 1 and key stage 2. Work in pupils’ books shows some signs of improvement in the progress made by disadvantaged pupils this year, though this is not consistent in all classes. In some classes and subjects, disadvantaged pupils do less well than other pupils and pupils nationally.
• The school has identified improving pupils’ standards and attitudes to reading as priorities and, in some classes, standards are rising. Pupils are enthusiastic about reading as a result of projects, including homework projects, to celebrate and raise their awareness of different books at home and in school.
• Pupils in key stage 1 can apply their phonics knowledge and use a range of strategies to read unfamiliar words. Pupils in key stage 2 show good comprehension skills, which are often evident in their contributions during lessons, and the quality of their writing.
• Teachers have high expectations for standards of writing across the curriculum. Pupils’ work is neatly presented and handwriting follows the school’s policy.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities in most year groups make similar progress to most other pupils as a result of carefully targeted support.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Early years provision requires improvement because leaders’ assessment systems to track and analyse children’s progress are not yet sufficiently refined to ensure that teaching promotes good progress. Leaders are not precise in their understanding of the rates of progress of individuals or of different groups of children.
• The school’s on-entry assessment information shows that children enter the school with skills generally lower than those typically seen for their age, particularly in relation to communication, language and reading. In 2016, and in the previous two years, the number of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the early years phase was below the national average. This shows that for many children, progress from their starting points requires improvement, because they are not catching up with their peers nationally quickly enough.
• The early years teacher, who is new to the role, has quickly established a positive learning environment to promote the children’s learning; however, it is too early to evaluate the impact of this work on teaching and learning. The early years teacher has undertaken moderation work within the school, with the support of the headteacher and with other local schools, to support the improvement of assessment practices to better inform teaching and learning.
• Adults have established effective routines and there is a good balance between adult-led tasks and activities chosen by children. In the vet role play area, for example, children were immersed in their learning and developed writing skills well by recording the names of the animals they were trying to ‘save from the big bad wolf’.
• In a phonics lesson, children showed good application of their phonics skills, shared their ideas and cooperated with each other. Children work well together and independently access activities with confidence. The learning environment, including the well-resourced outdoor area, provides opportunities for all areas of learning.
• The early years teacher is developing good liaison between home and school, including parent workshops, to ensure that children settle in quickly and enjoy coming to school.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 112860 Derbyshire 10023225 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary controlled 5 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 204 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Nicky Felthouse Sue Brindley 01283 217199 www.st-georges.derbyshire.sch.uk headteacher@st-georges.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 4–5 July 2012

Information about this school

• St George’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a smaller than the average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in single-age classes.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language are well below the national averages. The proportion of girls compared to boys is higher than the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• In 2016, the school met the government floor standards, which set minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The chair of the governing body took up the role in autumn 2016.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching in all year groups. Some lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher. Inspectors observed the teaching of early reading skills and listened to pupils reading. Inspectors talked to pupils about their school and looked at examples of their work.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior teacher, special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. Discussions explored a wide range of subjects, including safeguarding arrangements.
• Inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including: the school’s own self-evaluation of current performance and plans for improvement; information relating to the safeguarding of pupils; the school’s most recent information on the achievement and progress of pupils; minutes of meetings of the governing body; local authority review documents; performance management records; the school’s most recent information relating to the attendance of pupils.
• Inspectors spoke to parents informally at the start of the school day. They also took account of the 84 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).

Inspection team

John Lawson, lead inspector Karen Slack Phil Unsworth Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector