St Augustine's School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve attainment, especially in writing and mathematics, by:
  • improving pupils’ spelling in older classes
  • improving pupils’ knowledge of number facts, especially their multiplication tables
  • ensuring greater modification of the curriculum and teaching to meet the needs of the most able pupils fully.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Senior leaders have worked effectively to address the issues raised at the previous inspection. They and governors work closely to the same ends. They are ambitious to ensure that the school continually improves and have made sure that all staff share this aim and are motivated to improve the school.
• The school has improved substantially over the last two years. Leaders, including governors, know the school inside out and the school is well placed to continue to improve in the future.
• Many aspects of support and guidance for staff are excellent, especially for the large proportion of staff who are inexperienced or new to teaching. Staff are expertly mentored by senior leaders and quickly learn to adopt the school’s approaches and to teach well so that pupils make good progress. Staff appreciate the high-quality guidance and coaching they receive.
• Senior leaders meet with each individual teacher at least once a term to identify pupils who need extra help and to ensure that any pupil at risk of falling behind gets all the help he or she needs. Leaders also check that teachers’ assessments of pupils’ learning are accurate and reliable. This means that the school’s evaluations of pupils’ learning can be reliably used as a basis for allocating any additional support to pupils that is required.
• Senior leaders, with good-quality support and challenge from the local authority, rigorously monitor the quality of teaching by both teachers and teaching assistants and tackle any weaknesses that occur.
• Senior leaders not only provide good leadership themselves, but are also effectively developing the leadership skills of other staff. High staff turnover since the previous inspection means that many middle leaders such as subject leaders are new to their roles. However, high-quality guidance means that they are quickly becoming effective in supporting teaching and learning in their subjects.
• Leaders’ reports to teachers on their teaching and on the work in their pupils’ books are helpful. These reports provide good guidance, but insufficient emphasis is placed in them on evaluating the progress of different groups of pupils in the class.
• Well-planned topics and themes result in pupils achieving well in a range of subjects. An extensive programme of visits helps pupils think beyond school boundaries and experience other ways of life and events. For example, Year 6 pupils found their recent visit to the Holocaust Centre very moving and this day visit did much to enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• Pupils enjoy their regular Spanish lessons and this helps prepare them for the next stage of their education at the local secondary schools, which offer Spanish as their preferred modern foreign language. Pupils are taught to draw and paint to a high standard.
• The curriculum is effectively modified to meet the needs of groups of pupils and the school is fully committed to providing equal opportunities for all. Not only those at risk of falling behind or those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive additional support for their learning. Others, who are at the early stages of learning English, are also enabled to quickly gain confidence in spoken and written English because of the good-quality support they receive.
• Although the curriculum in classes is varied to meet the needs of the most able, on occasions, the most able pupils are not provided with sufficient challenge in order to extend them fully.
• The school uses pupil premium funding successfully to reduce the difference between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and that of other pupils nationally. This funding is used mainly to provide additional teaching assistant support. Additional support is provided both in class and in special group or one-to-one sessions. This good-quality additional support helps accelerate the progress of the pupils who receive it.
• The primary physical education and sport premium funding is also well used. There has been an increase in pupils’ participation in physical activities and sport, including inter-school competitions. Pupils enjoy the regular teaching provided by external sports coaches. Teachers work alongside coaches to improve their own teaching skills in sports and physical education.
• Additional funds to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are used well and these pupils make good progress as they move through the school.
• The school’s curriculum provides good support for pupils’ personal development and welfare. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effectively nurtured through lessons and assemblies alongside the school’s overall ethos and values. British values are promoted well through special events or in lessons when pupils learn about, for example, democracy. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• The curriculum for reading is good and reading is given an appropriate place in the school’s curriculum. Regular phonics lessons in younger classes are improving standards of spelling and reading and pupils are doing better year on year in the national phonics screening. Special programmes are provided for younger readers who struggle with reading and they soon begin to develop their skills and confidence in reading. Teachers and teaching assistants often hear readers, and pupils receive regular, good-quality guided reading sessions. Many parents of younger children make an important contribution to their good progress in reading. Standards of reading are rising. The reading programme provides well for the most able who make very good progress in their reading.

Governance of the school

• An external review of governance has been undertaken since the last inspection and senior leaders have provided good-quality support to improve the quality of governance. The range of skills on the governing body has been audited and extended. Governors are well trained and regularly review and audit their own performance. The governing body is now much better placed to carry out its role well.
• Consequently, governance is now considerably more effective and members of the governing body have worked hard to ensure that they play their full role in leading the school and helping it improve. Governors not only support leaders well, but have developed good ways of holding leaders to account.
• They have built their capacity to ask searching questions. They have an accurate and honest understanding of the performance of the school in comparison with that of other schools and are ambitious to ensure that the school serves its community and pupils as well as possible.
• Governors also have a clear and accurate view of the quality of teaching and learning throughout the school. They are successful in overseeing the school’s effective arrangements for managing teachers’ performance so that weaknesses are addressed and good teaching is recognised.
• Governors check that pupils’ personal development is also good, that pupils are kept safe, that child protection and safeguarding meets requirements and that procedures, policies and practices are kept up to date. For example, there are termly reports to governors on safeguarding and the specialist safeguarding governor holds regular discussions with senior leaders.
• The governing body checks that special funds such as pupil premium funding, funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and the primary sport premium funding are being spent wisely and to good effect through detailed termly reports.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school works closely with parents and outside agencies to establish a safe and caring culture for pupils. As a consequence, pupils told inspectors that they felt safe in school and a number of parents commented on the quality of care provided by staff.
• Safeguarding, child protection and safe recruitment training are up to date and safeguarding arrangements fully meet requirements. Adults know how to respond to any concerns that may arise and appropriate procedures are used to address any problems.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching and the use of assessment have improved throughout the school, including in the early years.
• Staff in all classrooms develop a strong ethos for learning. Behaviour is effectively managed and relationships are good. Enjoyment of school and positive attitudes to learning are encouraged. Pupils are expected to work hard and to do their best. They respond well to these higher expectations and take real pride in their work.
• Throughout the school, teaching assistants are well trained and effectively deployed. They provide particularly good additional support for disadvantaged pupils, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, those at the early stages of learning English, and those identified as being at risk of falling behind. All these groups of pupils make good progress throughout the school and the standards attained by all groups of disadvantaged pupils are gradually rising.
• The school has an effective programme for teaching phonics in younger classes and standards of reading and spelling are improving well in the early years and key stage 1.
• The teaching of reading, writing and mathematics has improved well and accounts for the better progress pupils are making throughout the school. The teaching of spelling in older classes is weaker, as is the teaching of number facts and multiplication tables.
• Lessons are interesting and motivate pupils well so that they want to learn. Teachers question pupils carefully, give pupils time to discuss their answers and use their responses to deepen their understanding.
• Last year, in Year 6, there was a high staff turnover and teachers’ expectations did not fully match the higher expectations of the new curriculum in reading and mathematics. Consequently, some Year 6 pupils, especially most-able pupils, underperformed in the Year 6 national assessments in these subjects. Current teaching and pupils’ work this academic year show that in all classes, including Year 6, teachers’ expectations are consistently high and in line with the latest requirements. These higher expectations are accelerating pupils’ progress and Year 6 pupils are making good progress and are on track to attain expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics this year.
• Teachers and teaching assistants provide good support for learning, and support and guidance are often varied to meet the needs of all learners, including the most able. The school has recognised that, on occasions, even more should be expected of the most able and further guidance and challenge should be provided for these pupils.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils get on with one another well. Good relationships and manners are a feature of the school. Pupils are given good experiences through visits and visitors that help them appreciate that other adults and children have ideas and ways of life that are different from their own and they learn how to respect and tolerate the views and lifestyles of others.
• Through assemblies, in class and on visits, pupils learn about key ideas such as ‘friendship’ or ‘fairness’. They develop a good sense of right and wrong and are encouraged to reflect on issues such as cruelty or racism.
• Pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities for either looking after younger or vulnerable pupils or for helping the school run smoothly. This is apparent not only in the normal school day, but also in the breakfast club.
• The school’s popular breakfast club is appreciated by many parents. A number of parents were also keen to tell inspectors how much they appreciated the good quality of family liaison and guidance offered by the school.
• The curriculum provides good opportunities to learn about safety and how to recognise risks and potential dangers. Pupils show good understanding of how to keep themselves safe on the internet. They act safely around school and act with respect for the safety of others.
• Pupils mostly show a good awareness of where to focus their efforts to improve because teachers’ marking provides consistently good guidance to pupils. In a small minority of classes, however, teachers do not analyse pupils’ work closely during lessons and this slows pupils’ progress a little.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils say that behaviour is always good at their school and they know that a lot is expected of the way they conduct themselves.
• Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school and the school is a happy, calm and safe environment. Disruptions in lessons are rare and when these occur, incidents are dealt with effectively.
• The school’s policies and procedures for assuring good behaviour are comprehensive and well known to all staff and pupils. Good support is given to staff so that the effects of any disruptive behaviour that occurs are soon dealt with, so that the learning of others in the class is not interrupted.
• Supervision of pupils and care for them around school are of good quality and adults are proactive in resolving any issues that arise. Pupils have confidence that staff will ‘sort out’ any difficulties that arise.
• The school has effective procedures to ensure that pupils arrive at school on time and attend regularly, and rates of attendance have steadily improved. Attendance overall is now in line with national averages but the school is working appropriately to reduce persistent absence which is a little above national averages.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Work in pupils’ books and the school’s accurate records show that the progress of current pupils is good throughout the school. Pupils are being prepared well for the next stage of their education and for the world of work beyond school.
• Since the previous inspection, results in most national assessments have improved year on year. Attainment at the end of Reception has steadily increased in all areas of learning. Results in the national phonics screening in Year 1 have also improved to a little above the average standard. Results in national assessments for Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics have improved.
• In Year 6, standards in national assessments improved to average levels up to 2015, but in 2016, attainment in reading and mathematics declined considerably. This was due to a number of factors: that this particular cohort included a significant proportion of pupils who find learning difficult; that staffing disruptions in Year 6 reduced the quality of teaching and learning last year; and that expectations did not fully match the higher expectations of the new national curriculum and assessment arrangements. These difficulties do not exist this year and pupils currently in Year 6 are making good progress and are on track to attain in line with expected standards.
• The school’s accurate records and work in pupils’ books indicate that progress is also good in other subjects, including physical education, modern languages, science, history and geography.
• In Spanish lessons, pupils enjoy learning how to speak Spanish and about ways of life in another country. In games and physical education lessons and in science, they learn how to keep themselves fit and healthy. Pupils said that they enjoy participating in exercise and sport. Attainment in drawing and painting is particularly strong.
• The growing proportion of pupils who join the school with little or no spoken or written English soon settle into the school and become confident learners. Their good progress in spoken and written English soon enables them to access and benefit from the full curriculum.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress throughout the school. Their needs are accurately identified. Staff understand and meet the needs of these pupils well so that pupils are effectively challenged and supported.
• Disadvantaged pupils are making much better progress than previously due to generally better teaching and also due to the effective spending of pupil premium funding. However, the school is aware that there is still a difference between the attainment of these pupils and that of other pupils nationally. The school is working effectively to continue to reduce this difference.
• Although more pupils are now attaining above standards expected of their ages and although lessons often meet the needs of the most able, it is these pupils who have the potential to do even better by being fully extended and sometimes challenged more. The most able disadvantaged pupils progress well, but are sometimes not given the additional support and challenge they need from both teachers and teaching assistants.

Early years provision Good

• Many children start the Nursery class with skills that are below those typical for their age, particularly in their communication and language development. Effective arrangements, including home visits and good links with parents and the Sure Start nursery, help them settle in quickly and they soon begin to make good progress. Attainment has steadily risen since the previous inspection and children now leave Reception well prepared for Year 1 and with attainment only a little short of national averages.
• The quality of teaching is good and prepares children well for Year 1. Early reading skills are well taught and the effective teaching of phonics helps children make good progress in their early reading and spelling. The curriculum places appropriately strong emphasis on language acquisition and good speaking and listening.
• The use of assessment is also effective. Staff continually undertake accurate assessments of each child’s development. These assessments are then used well to match learning to individual needs. This means that all children, including the most able and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress. Good use of pupil premium funding and good-quality teaching help disadvantaged children make good progress in all areas of learning.
• Children develop positive attitudes to learning and enjoy school. They are keen to show their work to others and are proud of what they have done. They are expected to behave well and listen carefully when working independently.
• In Reception, when the class is working together, staff on occasions do not expect enough of children’s concentration and behaviour and a few children become unsettled and do not behave as well as they can.
• The curriculum is often interesting and exciting and provides children with many opportunities to develop their speaking skills, both in the indoor areas and also outside. The early years classrooms and outdoors areas provide a very stimulating environment that makes a substantial contribution to children’s learning.
• The early years is well led and managed and the deputy headteacher continually works with staff to improve the quality of provision. Inexperienced staff are given frequent training and guidance to help them develop their expertise. Senior leaders have a clear understanding of the progress of each individual child and work closely with early years staff to ensure that all children’s needs are met. Staff in the early years are an effective team and work consistently to the same ends.
• Children are kept safe and secure at school and the quality of personal guidance and care is good. They feel safe and are happy and confident in their learning. Parents speak highly of provision in the early years and they are effectively involved in their children’s learning. Communication with parents is regular.

School details

Unique reference number 138238 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 10011754 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 Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 435 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Christine Dooley Jacqueline Ryan 01909 473955 www.sasblogs.net head@augustines.notts.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 10–11 June 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• This school is larger than most schools. An average proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language. Some of these pupils arrive at the school with very little English. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is also average.
• An above-average proportion of pupils are supported by the pupil premium.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or an education, health and care plan is above average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• Almost all class teachers have joined the school since the previous inspection. The majority of teachers are either newly or recently qualified.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes. Around a half of the observations were carried out jointly with members of the senior leadership team. In addition, a number of shorter visits were made to see particular aspects of the school’s work, such as the teaching of reading. A range of other school activities, including playtimes, lunchtimes and an assembly, was observed.
• Inspectors scrutinised past and current work of pupils of different abilities in all year groups and heard some pupils reading.
• The lead inspector met three governors, including the chair of the governing body. Inspectors analysed documents, including plans for school improvement and reports showing the school’s view of its own performance and safeguarding documents, as well as policies and records relating to personal development, behaviour, welfare, safety and attendance. Inspectors analysed information on the performance of the school in comparison with that of other schools nationally and the school’s records of pupils’ progress.
• Short discussions were held with 47 parents of 63 children at the beginning of the second day of the inspection. The views of the 21 parents (parents of around 5% of pupils) who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered. Also, the 134 returns from a school survey conducted in October 2015 were analysed.
• Inspectors received the views of staff through discussions. They also received the views of pupils through both informal and pre-arranged discussions.
• The lead inspector met with a representative of the local authority.

Inspection team

Roger Sadler, lead inspector Dorothy Stenson Karen Slack

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector