St Peter's Church of England Primary School Whetstone Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • leaders’ plans for school improvement contain concise actions, timescales and monitoring opportunities so that the governing body can hold leaders to account for their actions
  • leaders receive relevant training and opportunities for professional development so that all leaders are equally effective in their roles
  • leaders use performance management effectively to improve the quality of teaching and its consistency, so the pupils make faster progress.
• Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that teachers:
  • assess pupils’ work accurately and consistently
  • use learning support assistants effectively
  • move pupils onto more-challenging work more quickly
  • give pupils more opportunities to develop their spelling, punctuation and grammar skills by writing at length in subjects across the curriculum.
• Improve the quality of personal development, behaviour and welfare by ensuring that:
  • staff use the school’s behaviour policy consistently
  • teachers insist that pupils present work to the best of their ability, in all subjects
  • teachers provide pupils with frequent opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding of faiths and cultures different from their own. An external review of the pupil premium funding should be undertaken to establish how this area of leadership and management could be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Leaders have improved standards over the last two years. The rates of improvement, however, have been too slow. Too many pupils leaving key stage 2 have not made good progress from their various starting points in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders’ plans to improve the school are not clear enough. The plans do not contain concise enough actions, timescales or opportunities to check how well the plan is going. A number of leaders do not have action plans for their areas of responsibility. The governing body cannot, therefore, check progress with the plans effectively or hold leaders to account for the actions they take.
• Some leaders have not received relevant training or professional development opportunities. They are, therefore, not as effective as they should be in their areas of responsibility.
• Performance management is not used effectively. The actions teachers need to take in order to improve pupils’ attainment and progress are not clear enough.
• The leader responsible for special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities ensures that funding and support is allocated to those pupils who require extra help. The impact that this extra support has on pupils’ progress, however, is unclear.
• The pupil premium funding is allocated to support disadvantaged pupils educationally, emotionally and socially. The impact of this funding is measured using the school’s assessment and tracking system. Some disadvantaged pupils, including the most able of them, are not catching up with their peers swiftly enough.
• The headteacher uses the national teachers’ standards when making judgements about the quality of teaching and learning. These ensure that teachers know which aspects of their practice are strengths and which are areas for development.
• The headteacher is committed to ensuring that pupils are well cared for during their time at St Peter’s. His inclusive ethos means that pupils from other schools, further afield, have joined and settled well over recent years.
• Subject leaders in English and mathematics are passionate, committed and have brought about improvements. In mathematics, for example, pupils are now undertaking problem-solving and reasoning activities more frequently.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils have many opportunities to develop knowledge and skills in a wide range of subjects. They experience educational visits, visitors to school and variety of sports after-school clubs. There are opportunities for pupils to learn musical instruments.
• The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium has been spent very effectively. The leader has ensured that pupils take part in a wide variety of competitions and events. St Peter’s won a recent participation award for Leicestershire. The sports worker delivers specialised PE lessons and helps to train staff and develop their confidence.
• Through the local authority, the Thomas Estley Learning Alliance (TELA) has offered support and training to the headteacher, other leaders and the governing body. This support has been appropriate but leaders and governors have not acted quickly enough to bring about the required rapid improvements.

Governance of the school

• The governing body has not been able to hold leaders to account fully. This is because leaders’ plans to improve the school are not clear enough. Some leaders do not currently have action plans for the governing body to monitor.
• The governing body has a good mix of skills and experience to allow it to carry out its duties. Governors have undertaken relevant training in, for example, finance, human resources and understanding information about pupils’ progress.
• Some governors have made visits to gain an understanding of the school. Some, for example, have checked how teachers have provided pupils with more frequent opportunities to develop problem-solving and reasoning skills. After such a visit, reports are distributed to other governors, who can therefore keep up to date with developments.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have ensured that staff and governors have received the right training in, for example, safer recruitment, first aid, the ‘Prevent’ duty and female genital mutilation. Staff receive regular updates about the school’s procedures for recording any concerns about a child’s welfare.
• The designated safeguarding leads are qualified and ensure that any child or family that requires extra support from an outside agency receives it promptly.
• Leaders have ensured that stringent checks are made on adults before they are allowed to work or volunteer at the school. These records are kept securely.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teachers do not consistently use the school’s assessment system accurately. In some year groups, for example, teachers assess pupils’ work too generously. Consequently, teachers do not plan work at the appropriate level of challenge for all pupils.
• Learning support assistants are not used consistently well. It is not always clear what their role is. In some lessons, the assistants spent time listening to the teacher when they could have been deployed more efficiently to work with pupils.
• Teachers do not consistently move pupils onto harder work quickly enough. Pupils sometimes spend too long practising a skill they have already grasped. As a result, pupils, including the most able pupils, do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• Teachers do not give pupils frequent enough opportunities to develop their spelling, punctuation and grammar skills. The do not construct extended pieces of writing across the curriculum.
• In the more productive lessons, teachers had sound subject knowledge. They asked pupils challenging questions to deepen their knowledge and understanding. For example, in a mathematics lesson the teacher challenged pupils in Year 5 to explain their answers to questions about line graphs.
• Phonics is taught well. Staff have received relevant training and are using it effectively. For example, a group of pupils in Year 2 enjoyed the challenge of learning the ‘ur’ sound using whiteboards and a series of interactive activities.
• Teachers are now providing pupils with more frequent opportunities to develop problem-solving and reasoning skills in mathematics. Consequently, pupils are able to use their mathematical knowledge in a wider range of contexts. Pupils can also explain accurately how they have arrived at a particular answer.
• Teachers give helpful feedback to pupils when they have marked their work. As a result, pupils know what targets they have achieved and what they need to do next in order to improve their work. Most pupils work with commitment to improve their work when they are given the time to do so.
• Teachers set homework activities that help to deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding of, for example, multiplication tables and spellings. The vast majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, agreed that the homework received was appropriate for their child’s age.
• Parents are well informed about their child’s progress. End of year reports inform parents how their child has performed in relation to national standards over the year. They contain grades for effort and attainment in all key subjects.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop knowledge and understanding of faiths and cultures different to their own. Limited opportunities are available for pupils to visit different places of worship and discover first-hand how people in other countries live their lives. Pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they should be.
• Teachers do not consistently ensure that pupils present work to the best of their ability. This applies in a variety of subjects. Work in English books was presented to a higher standard than work seen in, for example, topic books.
• Pupils told inspectors they are happy and safe at St Peter’s. They know how to keep themselves safe when crossing roads, riding bikes, when they are online and using mobile phone applications.
• Pupils have a good understanding of bullying and the different forms it can take. Records provided by the school show that instances of bullying and of racist or derogatory language are extremely rare.
• Pupils are knowledgeable about British values. They spoke enthusiastically about a recent visit to the Houses of Parliament that helped to deepen their knowledge and understanding of democracy.
• Pupils relish the opportunity to take part in a wide variety of after-school clubs. These include basketball, hockey, tag rugby and table tennis. Pupils also enjoy the awards assembly on a Friday. Here, proud parents watch as pupils are rewarded for particularly good pieces of work or behaviour.
• The school provides a breakfast club. A good range of activities is on offer, along with a healthy breakfast. Pupils who attend the club are therefore well prepared to start the day.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Pupils’ conduct in classrooms, corridors and when playing on the playground is not consistently good. Records provided by the school show that that the number of incidents of poor behaviour has increased over time.
• Pupils told inspectors that they sometimes found it difficult to concentrate in lessons. They said that ‘it depends who you tell’ when indicating whether incidents of poor behaviour are dealt with properly. Adults do not follow the school’s behaviour policy consistently.
• Pupils’ behaviour is better where work is interesting and closely matches their ability. In these lessons, pupils collaborate well and make faster progress.
• Pupils’ attendance is a strength. There are strong systems in place to check attendance and support those pupils and families where the pupil’s attendance becomes a concern. The attendance officer works successfully with the school to ensure that rates of absence and persistent absence are better than national averages.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils in Year 6 who left at the end of key stage 2 in 2016 or 2017 did not make good progress, especially in writing. This includes the most able pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the expected standard was below the national averages in both years. Their attainment at the higher standard or greater depth was also below average. Pupils who left the school in 2017 made faster progress and reached standards closer to the national averages than their 2016 counterparts.
• In 2016 and 2017, the proportions of pupils leaving key stage 1 who attained at the expected standard and at a greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics were below national averages. The 2017 cohort achieved significantly better results than their 2016 counterparts.
• Pupils’ attainment in the spelling, punctuation and grammar test has been below the national average for the last two years. The proportions of pupils who achieved at the expected and higher standard in 2017 were greater than in 2016.
• The proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard in the phonics screening check in Year 1 has improved over recent years. Even so, the proportion of pupils achieving at the expected standard was below the national average in 2017.
• The quality of pupils’ work is inconsistent. Pupils make too many simple spelling mistakes and do not take enough care over the presentation of their work. Teachers do not always move pupils onto more-challenging work quickly enough, especially in mathematics.
• The progress of disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, and those disadvantaged pupils with SEN and/or disabilities is inconsistent. Some pupils are not making the progress that they could. This is because leaders do not rigorously check that the additional funding provided is making a difference to pupils’ progress.
• Pupils use the knowledge of phonics well to decode unfamiliar words. They read frequently and said that they can choose from a wide variety of books in the school library.
• Pupils are making good progress in science. Their books show that pupils are developing scientific knowledge and understanding by undertaking a range of experiments and writing about the findings. For example, pupils in Year 6 had successfully explored separating mixtures of materials.
• Information provided by the school and work seen in pupils’ workbooks indicates that the majority of current pupils, including the most able pupils, are making better progress. They are working closer to age-related expectations. This is particularly the case in upper key stage 2.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter the early years with knowledge and skills that are often below those typical among children nationally. The proportion of pupils achieving a good level of development has risen significantly over recent years, and is now just below the national average. Children, including those who have SEN and/or disabilities, make good progress from their various starting points. The vast majority of children are prepared well for Year 1.
• Children make particularly strong progress in reading. For example, in September children’s knowledge of letter sounds was poor. Through effective phonics teaching, however, all children now have an appropriate reading book, with some children reading complex sentences.
• Transition into Year 1 is good. Staff visit children in their nursery setting and parents have opportunities to visit the Reception class with their child in the summer term. Consequently, staff know children well when they join the school and the children settle into school life quickly.
• There are strong links with outside agencies, including a school nurse and a speech and language therapist. Any child who requires extra support is identified quickly and swiftly given the help they need.
• Frequent and accurate assessments ensure that activities are pitched at the right level. Adults know children well and can therefore plan carefully for the next steps in a child’s learning. Parents have the opportunity to examine and contribute to their child’s assessment. Parents can also check their progress through an online tool.
• The quality of teaching is good. Children are engaged in the planned activities because they interest and stimulate them. For example, during the inspection, children were engrossed in writing about the nativity, making snowflakes, making Christmas cards, recognising two-dimensional shapes and practising counting to 10.
• Relationships between adults and children are positive. Routines for children to follow are well established and the children therefore behave well. The atmosphere in the Reception class is calm and purposeful.
• Learning support assistants are effective. They ask careful questions that help to deepen children’s thinking and develop speaking skills. For example, one child was asked, ‘Can you explain to me how you made that snowflake?’
• Safeguarding is effective. Adults are well trained in, for example, paediatric first aid and are clear on the procedures to follow should they be concerned about a child’s welfare.
• Parents are positive about the early years. One parent said, ‘I can’t believe the progress my son is making. The staff in there are wonderful!’

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 120202 Leicestershire 10037622 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary aided 5 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 225 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Sarah Catherall Michael Bailey 0116 277 5750 www.st-peters-whetstone.leics.sch.uk office@st-peters-whetstone.leics.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 15–16 January 2013

Information about this school

• The headteacher is due to retire at the end of the autumn term. A new headteacher has been appointed in readiness for January 2018.
• The school is currently receiving support from TELA.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is an average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is also lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is slightly higher than average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed lessons in all year groups and examined a wide variety of pupils’ work in a range of subjects. Senior leaders sometimes accompanied inspectors on inspection activities.
• Inspectors held a range of meetings with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, subject leaders, and a group of governors, including the chair. They held telephone calls with representatives of the local authority and TELA. Inspectors spoke with pupils in groups, in lessons and around the school. They listened to pupils read.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including minutes of meetings of the governing body, assessment information provided by the school, the school’s development plan and records relating to safeguarding.
• Inspectors talked with parents before school and took into account 55 responses to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire, Parent View. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil or staff questionnaires.

Inspection team

Peter Stonier, lead inspector Andy Lakatos

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector