St Martin's Church of England 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:
  • leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching in subjects other than English and mathematics are consistently effective
  • pupils’ attendance improves so that it is at least in line with the national average
  • levels of persistent absence reduce further.
• Improve pupils’ outcomes and the quality of teaching by ensuring that:
  • pupils consistently gain a deeper knowledge and understanding in subjects across the curriculum
  • teachers provide better opportunities for pupils to develop their reasoning skills in mathematics
  • support for lower attaining pupils is consistently effective so that these pupils make even better progress.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and governors share an ambitious vision for the school. They work together effectively to identify priorities for improvement. School development plans are used well to continually improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes.
• As well as having a unique set of values, underpinned by the school’s Christian ethos, St Martin’s is part of a hub of schools that make up Frays Academy Trust. The collaboration between the schools has had a positive effect on the effectiveness of leadership at this school.
• Leaders make sure that staff training and development are used well to refine and develop leaders’ and teachers’ skills. Coaching, teaching in pairs and work with other schools within the trust help staff to strengthen their practice and maintain good outcomes for pupils.
• Leaders check the quality of teaching in reading, writing and mathematics. They look closely at the work in pupils’ books, evaluate assessment information and spend time in lessons supporting teachers. Leaders’ checks on other subjects, such as art and history, are not as robust. Plans are in place to improve the wider curriculum further, including checks on pupils’ learning.
• Leaders ensure that the additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is used effectively. Some of the funding is used to provide additional teaching, online competitions and programmes for reading and mathematics. These encourage and engage pupils in their learning. Disadvantaged pupils make strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders ensure that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are well supported. The Oasis is managed well. Partnerships with other professionals, such as occupational therapists and speech and language therapists, are used effectively to support pupils’ needs. Leaders make sure that staff are well trained to meet the needs of different groups of pupils.
• The curriculum is well thought out to enable pupils to acquire knowledge, skills and understanding in a range of subjects. Physical education is a strength and the use of specialist staff in this subject enhances pupils’ skills effectively. The school’s ethos is underpinned by a set of values that pupils know and understand.
• Leaders successfully weave memorable visits into the curriculum. Pupils enjoy trips to the beach, for example, to enrich their learning in geography and English. Plans are in place to extend the very strong practice that exists in the early years curriculum to other year groups.
• The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively. Regular assemblies, for example, contribute significantly to this aspect of the school’s work. Pupils are given strong opportunities to reflect, have ‘still time’ and learn key messages from different stories. ‘Martin’, the prayer bear, is used effectively to inspire pupils to think about the school’s values. For example, during the inspection, the prayer bear wore a green jumper to represent ‘growth’. Pupils were given good opportunities to consider how they can help themselves and their friends to grow in courage and kindness.

Governance of the school

• Governors hold leaders to account effectively. They bring skills and expertise to the school, including from financial and educational backgrounds. They work together well to make sure that the school provides a good standard of education.
• Governors are a visible presence in school, and visit regularly. Their visits to the school focus on different aspects of the school development plan. They have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement.
• Members of the trust ensure that governance is strong. Governors attend training and other events organised by the trust. They share ideas, learn from the expertise of others and use these partnerships to moderate their work. Consequently, governors keep up to date with current legislation and have a clear understanding of how to fulfil their role.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that staff understand how to report concerns about a pupil’s welfare. Training, including briefing meetings, takes place regularly to keep safeguarding arrangements fresh in the minds of all staff.
• Record keeping is well organised. The designated safeguarding lead, supported by the learning mentor and special educational needs coordinator, ensures that partnership working with other professionals, such as social workers, is effective.
• The school’s site is safe. The site manager makes sure that all health and safety checks take place and that visitors are briefed well on the school’s safeguarding arrangements. Around the building, helpful signs remind staff, pupils and visitors of the school’s safeguarding procedures and how to report any concerns.
• Pupils told inspectors they feel safe in school. Results from a recent survey support this feedback. Parents agree that their children are well cared for and that safeguarding is given high priority.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers and teaching assistants work together to make classrooms and corridors engaging spaces for pupils to learn. They plan activities that develop pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding in a range of subjects.
• The teaching of phonics and reading is effective. Leaders have worked closely with schools within the trust to develop the reading curriculum. Classrooms promote reading skills and pupils enjoy a range of fiction and non-fiction texts. Pupils who read to inspectors demonstrated accurate and fluent reading, and were able to answer questions thoughtfully about their stories.
• One of the school’s priorities is to further improve the teaching of writing. Leaders have extended planned opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills in literacy lessons, and across other subjects. Pupils write for a purpose, such as persuasive letters to the council in a bid to improve road safety, and also imaginatively, such as letters to the king following the Great Fire of London. Leaders are now focusing on improving pupils’ spelling so that it is taught with greater consistency across the school.
• Mathematics lessons often involve practical activities that enable pupils to apply their learning in different contexts. Teachers ensure that pupils develop good calculation strategies to solve a range of problems. However, pupils do not have sufficiently planned opportunities to explain their answers or develop their reasoning skills to tackle new challenges and test out their ideas.
• Teaching in The Oasis is effective. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with teaching assistants and external professionals, such as therapists, to ensure that pupils’ needs are met. These pupils are fully involved in the life of the school and opportunities for them to work alongside their peers are well planned.
• Although pupils are taught key concepts in a range of subjects across the curriculum, opportunities for them to deepen their knowledge and understanding are not consistently planned for in the curriculum. In subjects such as art, science and history, pupils do not have enough time to think deeply about what they are learning. Teachers do not make the most of opportunities to extend pupils’ learning.
• Teachers incorporate challenges for the most able pupils effectively. They use questioning well to extend pupils’ learning, particularly in mathematics and reading. Pupils respond well to challenge and tackle extension activities with enthusiasm.
• Mostly, activities are well matched to pupils’ learning needs. Teachers incorporate tasks into mathematics and writing lessons, for example, to challenge pupils, including the most able pupils. However, sometimes work for the lower attaining pupils is too difficult, and support provided to these pupils is not consistently effective.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils told inspectors that bullying rarely happens at their school. The school’s records confirm this to be true. Staff supervision during playtimes is effective. Pupils told inspectors that they can speak to any member of staff if they are feeling worried or anxious. They said that staff deal with incidents quickly and effectively.
• The school’s curriculum incorporates safety. Pupils demonstrate a good understanding of keeping themselves safe. For example, they told inspectors why it is important not to share personal details online and not to talk to strangers.
• The school’s work to support pupils’ personal development is carefully planned and reinforced, for example through high-quality and attractive displays around the school. Pupils enjoy making contributions and said that their ideas are listened to. The school council is actively involved in making decisions and offering ideas about how to improve the school and the local area.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, including members of The Oasis, are well supported to manage their feelings and behaviours. All staff are kind and caring, and promote pupils’ welfare consistently well. The school’s inclusive ethos ensures that all pupils are involved and feel valued.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils’ conduct around the school is very good. They are polite and friendly, and treat others with respect. They contribute to the school’s calm and positive atmosphere.
• During lessons, pupils are keen to work hard and learn new things. They work together well in pairs or groups, and demonstrate good listening skills. Adults support pupils’ social and teamwork skills effectively. For example, in a key stage 1 mathematics lesson, pupils thoroughly enjoyed taking on different roles and responsibilities when measuring the time taken to complete different group exercises.
• The playground is a safe haven where pupils enjoy each other’s company and feel safe. Pupils socialise well with each other and enjoy the climbing equipment and opportunities to play team games. Adults interact effectively with pupils, making playtimes fun and enjoyable.
• Very occasionally, pupils’ good behaviour slips. This is usually when the work they are given is too difficult or when teaching is not fully engaging.
• Leaders and governors know that pupils’ attendance needs to be better. Although it has improved over the last year, it is still below average. Leaders use a range of incentives to improve attendance and they have stepped up the rigour with which they hold parents to account for pupils’ absence. This is starting to have an impact, particularly with regard to the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent. Nevertheless, there is more to be done to improve this further.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Leaders and teachers use the school’s assessment procedures well to monitor pupils’ progress.
• Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. From their starting points at the end of early years, Year 1 pupils make strong progress in their learning. This is also the case for Year 2 pupils.
• Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is strong. The work in pupils’ books, discussions with teachers and the school’s assessment information show that most pupils attain the standards expected for their age.
• Pupils’ writing skills are improving, and the work in their books shows that by Year 2, pupils are confident in using punctuation correctly, and use an increasing range of interesting words in different contexts. Year 1 pupils use their knowledge of phonics to spell words independently. Last year, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check was broadly in line with the national expected standard.
• Leaders have worked effectively to increase the proportion of pupils attaining the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics. Their efforts are having an impact, particularly in reading. Nevertheless, pupils’ reasoning skills in mathematics now need to be even better to enable more pupils to attain the higher standard, particularly at the end of key stage 1.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, including members of The Oasis, make good progress. Teachers work closely with other staff, including external therapists, to monitor pupils’ progress. Pupils achieve well in their learning, as well as their personal development. Pupils’ language and communication skills are well promoted and they make good progress in this area of learning.
• Work in pupils’ books and inspectors’ visits to lessons identified that lower attaining pupils are not provided with consistently good support. This affects their learning and prevents them from making better progress.
• Pupils acquire a range of skills across the wider curriculum. They develop knowledge and understanding through different topics and themes. However, the opportunities for them to deepen their understanding or extend their skills fully are not consistently strong. This hinders pupils from making even better progress in subjects such as art, design and technology, and the humanities.

Early years provision Outstanding

• The early years provision offers children an excellent start to their education. Leaders have worked very effectively to create a setting where children thrive and make strong and sustained progress in their learning and development. The proportion of children that achieved a good level of development at the end of Reception has been above the national average for three years. Children are very well prepared for their learning in Year 1.
• Leaders’ assessments of children’s starting points are accurate. These are checked by leaders in other schools to make sure that children’s progress is measured effectively. Robust systems are in place to monitor children’s progress throughout the year. Staff use observations of children’s learning astutely to meet their individual needs.
• The early years is managed very effectively. The strong team of staff has an excellent understanding of how children learn and develop. The early years leader, supported very well by other senior staff, monitors the quality of teaching and learning effectively. Training and other development opportunities are planned very effectively so that teaching is consistently of the highest quality.
• The classrooms and outdoor areas are a hive of activity. Children enjoy plenty of opportunities to explore things for themselves and develop their skills in all areas of learning. High-quality resources are used skilfully by staff whose interactions support children’s learning very effectively.
• Staff follow children’s interests and use what they know about each child to extend their learning. For example, children showed a keen interest in buses and, so, together with staff, they created a large bus outside, making their own tickets and labels and using their imaginations to devise maps and timetables. Skilful interactions from staff used this as an excellent opportunity to reinforce the use of different coins.
• Children show high levels of motivation and perseverance. They are extremely independent for their age, and demonstrate confidence in choosing the resources they need for their tasks. This is because staff have created a purposeful atmosphere, which is focused on learning. Children’s behaviour is exemplary. They learn to share and take turns, and develop strong social skills.
• Children’s literacy skills are very well promoted. Boys in particular show a keen interest in writing. Without prompting, they wrote labels for the vehicles they made from cereal boxes and labels to warn adults not to touch their freshly painted pots. Inside, children read and write for a purpose. Well-thought-out areas develop children’s imagination very well. They had great fun working in the flower shop and café, where they wrote price lists and receipts. Children show a joy in reading. Teachers ensure that phonics is taught exceptionally well.
• Parents are highly supportive of the school’s work. They report that their children are happy, safe and settle quickly in early years. Leaders make sure that parents are fully involved in their children’s learning, and that information is shared regularly so that they know how to help their children at home.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140484 Hillingdon 10048318 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 Academy 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 162 Appropriate authority The board of trustees Chair Headteacher Becky Hughes Russell Learmont (Interim Head of School) Jaime Tighe (Head of School) Christopher Cole (Executive Headteacher) Telephone number 01895 462 350 Website Email address www.stmartinsprimary.com stmartins@fraysacademytrust.org Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school opened in September 2015. It has expanded each year since then. Currently, pupils are on roll in Nursery, Reception and key stage 1. In September 2018, the first cohort of pupils will move into Year 3.
• At the time of this inspection, the head of school was absent on planned leave. In her absence, governors have appointed an interim head of school who has worked at the school since November 2017.
• The school is part of Frays Academy Trust. The executive headteacher is also the chief executive officer of the trust. The board of trustees has delegated governance responsibilities to a local governing body.
• The school has a specially resourced provision called The Oasis. It caters for up to nine pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. All pupils in The Oasis have education, health and care plans. The Oasis specialises in autistic spectrum disorder.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited lessons in all classes and in a range of subjects. Many of these visits to lessons were undertaken jointly with the interim head of school.
• Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, middle leaders and other staff. They reviewed the school’s documentation related to safeguarding, school development priorities and pupils’ assessment information. Inspectors sampled other policies and procedures and reviewed the single central record of staff suitability checks.
• The lead inspector met with a representative from the trust and the chair of governors.
• Inspectors met with groups of pupils formally, and spoke with pupils informally during lessons and in the playground. An inspector heard pupils read.
• Inspectors looked at the work in pupils’ books, on displays and in their learning journals. They spoke to staff about the curriculum and pupils’ learning.
• Inspectors considered the 34 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, and the six responses to the staff survey. Pupils did not complete the Ofsted survey. Inspectors reviewed responses to a recent pupil survey set by leaders.

Inspection team

Gary Rawlings, lead inspector Rajeshree Mehta

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector