Sherrier Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Make teaching, and thereby outcomes for pupils, outstanding by ensuring that:
  • all teachers give pupils sufficient guidance on how to improve their writing, in line with the school’s marking and feedback policy
  • pupils’ progress in science is rapid by giving them regular opportunities to plan and undertake more open-ended investigations for themselves
  • provision in the outdoor area of the early years is enhanced so that it matches the high-quality education occurring in the classroom.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The extremely capable headteacher has worked effectively to ensure that the school has continued to improve since its last inspection. She makes clear to staff and visitors her exceptionally high expectations of all pupils. Despite very positive published outcomes for pupils in reading, writing and mathematics, she has no sense of complacency and is keen to improve the school still more.
• While, quite rightly, making the rapid academic progress of pupils a priority, the headteacher places great emphasis on ensuring that pupils become very thoughtful, reflective young people who behave very well and who care deeply towards each other. This approach is explained well in the school’s motto, ‘striving for excellence, learning for life’.
• A highly capable senior leadership team supports the headteacher closely. The deputy headteacher and the coordinator for assessment help model and promote very effectively the consistent message of continuous improvement. They also monitor well the quality of teaching, pupils’ academic outcomes and pupils’ well-being and welfare.
• Leaders ensure that the arrangements to manage the performance of teachers are highly effective. Senior leaders set ambitious and robust targets for continuous improvements in teaching. They give highly effective training to continue to develop the skills of staff, as well as ensuring support for any staff member whose effectiveness is not yet as high as it could be.
• Leaders receive very strong endorsement from staff. During the inspection, a large number of staff from all grades gave their views through Ofsted’s online survey. No areas showed any negative responses whatsoever. All the staff who were present at the last inspection believe that the school has continued its improvement, and that its aspirational culture means that pupils are challenged to make progress that is at least good. Staff have a clear idea of the school’s aims and their support for the approach and effectiveness of their senior leaders is very high. They are highly motivated to work and to ensure that pupils receive the best possible education.
• The school’s self-evaluation is highly comprehensive and based on a wide range of evidence that leaders have gathered from observation in lessons, work scrutiny, discussion with staff and governors, an assessment of documentation and analysis of pupils’ outcomes. The governing body, working with senior leaders, has used this evaluation to draw up an ambitious three-year strategy to sustain the many areas of outstanding practice and to improve the school still further, where this is needed. The plan is adapted if any new areas emerge that require prompt action. The effectiveness of these plans explains why leadership is outstanding while the quality of teaching, and consequently outcomes, are not yet so. Leaders have already taken swift and effective action to improve aspects, such as improving the progress of boys’ writing so that it equals that of girls, or have begun action to improve any teaching that is not yet outstanding.
• The curriculum greatly inspires pupils to learn. Pupils whom inspectors met during their visit explained to them how, because lessons are exciting, they pay very close attention and are keen to learn more. This begins in the early years, where inspectors saw an example of some children, who were highly motivated, learn to count, placing different numbers of seeds on pumpkins. Leaders ensure that the curriculum is enriched through many purposeful visits and trips, such as a trip to Warwick Castle made by Year 2 pupils during their ‘Towers, Tunnels and Turrets’ history topic. As a result of the breadth of experiences pupils have, they want to come to school each day to find out as much as possible. Teachers check their own planning to ensure that their curriculum coverage is appropriate. They take note to ensure that pupils’ questions about the things they are learning are continually addressed.
• Pupils inspectors met told them how they particularly enjoy attending the very wide range of after-school activities and clubs that staff provide. These include sewing, basketball, drama, dance, film, choir and multi-sports. Leaders quickly arranged for additional activities, such as a Lego club, when some parents asked for more clubs specifically for younger pupils. As a result of these activities, pupils’ talents are nurtured and their interests are developed very well.
• Leaders ensure that the pupil premium funding is very effectively spent to ensure that disadvantaged pupils make nothing less than above-average progress. The details of this are set out on the school website, along with a clear rationale for removing any barriers to learning and the impact of the spending. The governing body monitors precisely how leaders use the funding, and the progress of all disadvantaged pupils, very closely indeed.
• The primary physical education and sports funding is also used very well to help improve both enjoyment and participation in this area. Pupils who met inspectors were very keen to explain how important it is to keep fit and healthy, and how much they liked taking part in opportunities.
• The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is exceptionally strong. Pupils are thoughtful and very reflective, and firmly believe that everyone is equal. Those whom inspectors met explained how it was very important to value and respect others, including those who hold different religious beliefs from their own or have no religious belief. Leaders and staff also ensure that they promote fundamental British values very well to pupils, with prominent displays by pupils around the school emphasising these, and regular opportunities for pupils to understand, for example, the importance of democracy. As a result, pupils are extremely well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Not surprisingly, both the leadership and all aspects of the school receive the strong support of parents. The very large majority of those who responded to Parent View during the inspection, along with those whom inspectors met during the inspection, expressed very positive views in all areas. One comment included, ‘Sherrier is a very good school. Staff are always accessible and any questions answered as soon as possible. There are clear reports at the end of the year and parents evenings give precise information on children’s progress.’ Another summed up the views of many others by explaining that ‘Sherrier is more than a school; it’s an extended family.’

Governance of the school

• The governing body is highly effective.
• The governors are a highly capable and intelligent team who want the very best for all pupils. They articulate how they work consistently well to ensure that all improvements are sustained. In order to improve their effectiveness still further, they complete regular audits of their own skills and ensure that they seek out new members with particular abilities who can help them to fulfil their strategic role even better.
• Governors’ monitoring procedures are very thorough. They make regular visits to the school to meet with both senior leaders and subject leaders, and compile with them very detailed reports of the provision and outcomes in different subjects. As a result of such precise monitoring, they have a very clear idea of the many strengths of the school. Records of governors’ meetings seen by inspectors show that they use their knowledge to continually challenge leaders and hold them to account very effectively for the impact of their work.
• Members of the governing body check the arrangements for the appraisal of staff rigorously. They only give salary increases to eligible teachers who have met challenging targets and whose classroom performance fully merits it.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff have been thoroughly trained in safeguarding. They understand fully their responsibility to report any concerns they have, however slight, to leaders and are clear about the procedure they need to follow. Staff explained to inspectors the many indicators that might suggest that a pupil is being harmed.
• Senior leaders ensure that they work closely with the families of pupils at risk, or whose circumstances make pupils vulnerable, while taking care not to increase the risk of harm to any pupil.
• Senior leaders keep quality and detailed records of any concerns from staff meticulously and check that they are stored safely. Leaders make brisk referrals to a wide variety of external agencies and are unafraid to escalate their action if they feel that the response of those agencies is not sufficient.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Overall teaching is good and improving, with many strengths, especially in reading and mathematics. Teachers are skilled at assessing pupils’ work accurately. They plan lessons in a highly effective way, ensuring that what they teach builds well on what pupils already know and can do. They make sure that the needs of different groups of pupils are met by adjusting well the tasks that they give to them.
• Those pupils who need to catch up are well supported. Teachers think carefully about how they can reduce any barriers to learning for these pupils, and give them appropriate support so that they can improve. For example, inspectors saw staff giving a group of pupils in Year 2 who needed extra help very effective support to identify features of rhyme and rhythm in a poem. They recited it together at the end of the lesson to the clear approval of their classmates, which gave them a sense of achievement.
• Teachers take care not to let the most able pupils mark time. They continually give them particularly challenging work across the curriculum. As a result, the most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged, make rapid progress.
• The impact of teachers is enhanced by the particularly effective skills of teaching assistants, who take care not to assist pupils excessively but to promote their independence wherever possible. Teachers and teaching assistants work closely together, sharing ideas and information to support pupils.
• Teachers ensure that classrooms are very purposeful learning environments, characterised by a ‘buzz’ of positive and productive activity from pupils and staff alike. This is due to senior leaders making their expectations of teachers clear, and assisted by a comprehensive booklet of ‘non-negotiable’ features that leaders insist classrooms must abide by. These features cover aspects such as, for instance, how pupils’ work is displayed and easy access to resources to help pupils learn. Leaders monitor teachers’ approach to ensure that consistency occurs throughout all year groups.
• Staff are very skilled at asking pupils questions which probe their understanding and in making them think deeply in almost all subjects. Staff regularly ask pupils to justify why they have given a particular answer, which helps them become reflective, articulate young people. For example, teachers give pupils regular lessons in philosophy, discussing moral issues such as whether stealing can ever be acceptable.
• Teachers are highly effective in teaching phonics. As a result of outstanding teaching, pupils quickly recognise letters that make different sounds and use this knowledge when reading.
• Teachers provide to pupils many high-quality mathematical resources to learn with and this, along with teachers’ deep knowledge of this subject, ensures that pupils make rapid progress in mathematics. For example, workbooks show that disadvantaged pupils in Year 2 who were, in September, counting in twos have learned column addition and are now able to construct bar charts and to interpret information from them.
• Although teaching is highly effective in almost all classes and subjects, this is not entirely the case. Data presented by leaders to inspectors during their visit shows that pupils have not made rapid progress over time in, for example, writing in all year groups in key stage 2. In particular, not all teachers have given their pupils sufficient guidance on how to improve their spelling, grammar and handwriting. Leaders have introduced a new marking and feedback policy to improve guidance offered to pupils. This has had considerable success in helping pupils improve, but there remains some variability in the implementation of the policy.
• Science teaching is good, but is not highly effective because teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to think through and complete investigations for themselves. As a result, pupils do not develop detailed knowledge, understanding and skills. Leaders have already noted that science teaching is not consistently strong and, as a result, have employed a specialist science teacher from the beginning of this academic year to improve this subject across the school. Although plans to address this aspect have begun to be implemented, these are in the early stages and improvement in science is not yet secure across the school.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• On entering school in the Reception Year, children quickly discover that staff are keen to listen carefully to their thoughts and show them how they can improve as young learners. As a result, children become self-confident and assured from an early age. Pupils say that they do not mind making occasional mistakes in their work and use them as valuable opportunities to learn more.
• Staff ensure that they promote pupils’ physical and emotional well-being very well, as well as being alert to any concerns that any pupils may have. Pupils inspectors met explained how they could approach any member of staff if they were worried about anything.
• Pupils also told inspectors how there is very little bullying and name-calling from their peers, because ‘everyone cares for each other’. On the rare occasions it does occur, they know that any member of staff will deal with the issues fairly and quickly.
• Leaders and teachers give pupils an extremely clear knowledge about how to stay safe, including from all forms of bullying. They tell pupils, in an age-appropriate way, about a wide range of potential risks to their safety, including from strangers, roads and when on the internet. Pupils inspectors met demonstrated, for instance, an excellent understanding as to why they should never agree to meet up with someone they met online, or give out their personal details when using technology.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. In classrooms, they are extremely well behaved. They listen attentively, follow all instructions quickly and begin their tasks earnestly. From the early years, pupils’ concentration is sustained and they are not distracted from their work. At the end of lessons, they tidy away their equipment promptly and are ready for what is coming next. Even when teaching is not of the highest quality, such as in science, pupils continue to work hard and say that they thoroughly enjoy the lessons.
• There is a very high level of respect between pupils themselves, and a mutual respect between pupils and staff. This is because they understand that staff care for them greatly and want to help them to succeed.
• Though pupils work very well independently, they cooperate with each other willingly, whether in pairs or in small or large groups. Pupils are very caring and considerate of the needs of others and will do whatever they can to help each other.
• Around school, pupils are very polite and courteous to visitors, as well as to each other and to staff. Incidents of misbehaviour are very low because pupils understand the importance of getting on well together and of managing their own behaviour.
• Pupils genuinely care for their school, keeping the school environment clean and tidy. They told inspectors how proud they were to wear their uniform each day.
• Pupils are very keen to come to school to learn. Attendance is rising and is above the national average. No groups of pupils have low attendance and the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent is small. The headteacher makes the need for high attendance clear and does not authorise term-time holidays. Leaders support very effectively the very small number of families who do not ensure that their children attend regularly enough.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Children make good overall progress during the early years. The large majority of children enter school with skills that are broadly similar to children of the same age, though with skills in communication and language that are a little lower than this. By the time they leave the Reception Year, the proportion of children who have achieved a good level of development is broadly in line with, though not above, the national average. Their skills in reading and their communication are particularly well developed.
• Pupils at Sherrier make rapid progress in phonics. For the past three years, and again this year, the proportions passing the phonics screening check have been above the national average. This includes the proportions of disadvantaged pupils who also pass the check. Progress and attainment in reading is a strength of the school. Pupils from Year 1 whom inspectors heard read showed secure skills in being able to pronounce words they were unfamiliar with, with the most able pupils reading with confidence and fluency. Pupils told inspectors how much they enjoyed reading, and how they did so both in school and at home.
• The attainment of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 1 has been consistently above the national average. This year, high attainment has continued, with greater proportions of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieving the expected standard, and the higher standard, in reading, writing and mathematics, with all pupils achieving the standard in science.
• The attainment in English and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 is also high. It was significantly higher than the national average in all subjects in 2014 and 2015. This year, provisional information suggests that a higher proportion of the Year 6 pupils than the national average achieved both the expected and the higher combined standard, and both standards in reading, writing and grammar, punctuation and spelling.
• The proportions of pupils in the 2016 Year 6 cohort who attained the expected and higher standards in mathematics were broadly in line with the national average. This was not a result of a decline in the teaching of mathematics but is a reflection of the changes in the national curriculum that were not fully embedded for these pupils. However, these changes are settling quickly as teachers are ensuring that pupils are being taught the mastery mathematics curriculum and, as a result, pupils are achieving high levels of skills and secure confidence and fluency in this subject.
• Pupils’ progress in key stage 2 in both 2014 and 2015 was significantly above the national average for three years in mathematics and reading. Unconfirmed information shows that, in 2016, their overall progress in reading and writing was significantly above the national average. While pupils’ progress in mathematics was in the top 40% of all schools nationally this year, it was not significantly above the national average. This was because this particular cohort of pupils had some remaining gaps in their mathematical knowledge.
• Published results show that the most able pupils make rapid progress in all subjects. This is confirmed in the school’s own information for pupils currently in the school. Inspectors identified high levels of challenge for these pupils, and high expectations of work for these pupils, in their exercise books.
• Disadvantaged pupils make at least above-average progress from their starting points. Published results show that differences diminished between these pupils and others nationally, with disadvantaged pupils attaining more highly. As a result, the school has received a national award in recognition of its work. Provisional results for 2016 show that disadvantaged pupils in the Year 6 cohort made broadly the same progress as others nationally. However, inspectors undertook a detailed scrutiny of the work of disadvantaged pupils currently in the school, which confirms that their progress is strong. For example, pupils in Year 4 who, at the start of this academic year, were writing using basic punctuation and paragraphing are now using these skills far more accurately, including features such as rhetorical questions, emotive language and conjunctions. Leaders spend the pupil premium funding very well to support disadvantaged pupils, giving them additional support that is closely matched to their needs. For example, last year some of the most able disadvantaged pupils chose particularly challenging reading books to purchase, along with revision guides to ensure that they could make particularly brisk progress.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make at least good and improving progress from their starting points. Work that inspectors looked at shows convincingly that they are supported well and, as a result, gain confidence quickly and develop their understanding, knowledge and skills.
• Lower-attaining pupils make good overall progress because teachers plan effectively to ensure that they address their needs. Though their progress is not as rapid as other groups of pupils, this is because many of these pupils have particular circumstances that make them vulnerable. Staff are doing all they can to support these pupils and ensure that they make good gains in their learning.
• Pupils’ progress in history is substantial. Pupils develop a chronologically secure understanding of British history, with a good knowledge of changes over time. Teachers do this by ensuring that pupils learn through first-hand experience wherever possible. For example, in order for pupils in Year 5 to study the Victorian period, they took part in a practical day where, dressed in period costume, they learned to write on slate boards and to wash and dry clothes using a tub and a mangle.
• Pupils do not yet make rapid progress in science. They do not develop excellent knowledge, understanding and skills from their starting points. Because of this, though pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education overall, they are not yet exceptionally so. This year, for example, attainment in science at the end of key stage 2 was in line with, but was not above, the national average.

Early years provision Good

• Teaching is of high quality in the early years. The early years leader is a skilled and competent practitioner who ensures that high expectations are in place for all children. She also sees that all staff in the early years work very well together and coaches teaching assistants to develop their skills further.
• The friendly nature of staff means that children quickly settle in and feel very safe. They become familiar with routines of the school day and want to show what they can do. Teachers plan well across all areas of learning and ensure that they help children to improve. Inspectors noted the many purposeful activities children were engaged in, along with how staff encourage children to improve what they can do. Inspectors noted an example of a child showing great effort to apply her skills to write ‘byootiful’, but was encouraged to think of other words that would improve her work further.
• Children are very well behaved and cooperate very well together, listening to staff carefully and maintaining their focus on what they do.
• Teachers make careful assessments of children’s progress, which are checked for their accuracy by staff in other schools.
• Parents are involved closely in the learning and progress of their children. Effective initial meetings between staff and parents mean that children get off to a good start in the Reception class. This is because staff have an extensive knowledge of each child and their ability from the start of the year. In return, parents receive very good information about how their child is being taught and, through the year, how he or she is progressing. Parents are warmly invited to useful information mornings on aspects such as phonics teaching. They are also given support to help their child learn at home and given opportunities to contribute to their child’s learning.
• As a result of good teaching, children make good overall progress from their starting points and, in the case of their phonics and communication skills, rapid progress. This progress has a good impact on the confidence of children and their ability to access the curriculum in key stage 1. Children are well prepared for the next stage of their education when they enter Year 1.
• All groups of children, including those who need to catch up, those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are most able, make good progress. For example, inspectors saw learning journeys where children who had lower skills on entry had learned to write simple sentences by the end of the year. Pupils who had higher skills when they began school were completing over an A4 page of well-structured writing by the time of the end of the summer term. They were calculating correctly sums such as 32-10=22. The pupil premium is spent well to ensure that any disadvantaged children get access to early support to help them improve.
• The early years is not yet outstanding overall because, as the leader of this key stage has identified, the outdoor area and resources are not as stimulating as those indoors and at times are not used effectively to promote and develop children’s skills. This means that pupils do not make as much progress when they are using this area.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 120188 Leicestershire 10019161 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 389 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address John Haggart Lyndsey Beckett 01455 552791 www.sherrier.leics.sch.uk office@sherrier.leics.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 22–23 November 2011

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This is a larger than average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium funding is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well below average. Most pupils are of a White British background.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum requirements for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school is part of the Thomas Estley Learning Alliance.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning in all key stages of the school and in all classes. Some of the observations took place accompanied by the headteacher. In total, 14 lessons, or parts of lessons, were observed. The inspectors also scrutinised many examples of pupils’ work.
• The inspection team held meetings with the senior leaders, subject leaders, representatives of the governing body and pupils. They analysed 80 responses on Parent View, looked at the free text comments submitted by those parents, spoke with parents at the beginning of the day and took account of the responses to the most recent survey carried out by the school. The inspectors also held a telephone conversation with one parent.
• The inspectors looked at a wide range of documentation, including the school’s development plan and self-evaluation, policies and records related to safeguarding, records of pupils’ behaviour, the school’s information about pupils’ outcomes and attendance, and records of meetings of the governing body.

Inspection team

Roary Pownall, lead inspector Michael Onyon Amarjit Cheema Sarah Ashley Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector