St Paul's CofE Primary School, Kingston Hill Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of the teaching of writing in key stages 1 and 2 by:
  • ensuring that pupils’ written work is always well presented to the highest quality
  • checking that writing tasks challenge pupils of different ability levels appropriately so that they produce the best work they can.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Senior leaders are determined and incisive. They have established a clear set of school values which inform the school’s ethos and are understood by pupils. The headteacher and deputy headteacher make an effective team, which is well supported by a capable governing body. Together, they have maintained a consistent focus on improving the quality of learning and pupils’ progress.
• Leaders have a good view of the school’s strengths and planning has focused on areas in need of development. Consequently, the school’s priorities are clear. Governors hold leaders to account for the school’s performance, including progress in writing at the end of key stage 2.
• The impact of leaders’ work is reflected in the improvements in the teaching of reading. Leaders recognised that not all pupils made good progress in reading. Changes were therefore introduced so that all groups of pupils now do well, including the school’s most able pupils. This has included a new approach to the teaching of comprehension skills in key stage 2. Children in the early years make an excellent start to their reading skills, which is built upon in key stage 1.
• Middle leaders are ambitious for the school. They are enthusiastic about their work and share senior leaders’ determination to create a highly successful school. Many are relatively new to their roles and have training in place to support them.
• The school’s assessment system enables leaders to hold teachers to account for the progress pupils make. This system provides useful information that is analysed to identify any underachievement of groups of pupils. As a result, pupils are swiftly identified for additional support.
• Leaders use the pupil premium funding well to support disadvantaged pupils. For example, leaders have been very quick to ensure that these pupils’ reading standards have remained high over the past three years. Support in lessons is boosted with more intensive intervention, where needed, and high-quality resources. Additionally, the funding is used for pupils’ personal development by providing access to extra-curricular activities. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make the same progress as that of other pupils nationally.
• The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium enables the school to provide specialist resources and access to local sports competitions. Pupils benefit from a good range of clubs and opportunities to take part in sporting events.
• The school makes very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This helps pupils gain a deep understanding of life in modern Britain. The school’s deeply held values place mutual respect at the core, which contributes to the caring ethos of school life.
• The curriculum at St Paul’s is broad and diverse. There is a focus on developing pupils’ key literacy and numeracy skills, but pupils also enjoy studying subjects such as PE and music. These are developed through an active approach, which pupils find stimulating, particularly when they can choose for themselves when to tackle the learning challenges given to them.
• The school has received very useful support from Kingston local authority. The authority has a good understanding of the school, and has provided advice and consultancy to support leaders’ actions. This has included providing regular visits to the school and detailed reviews of school performance. This information is shared with the school’s governing body, and has helped it to challenge school leaders to make improvements.

Governance of the school

• Governors are robust in carrying out their duties. They pay frequent visits to the school and, consequently, know the school well. They have acted conscientiously to enable the school to develop its vision of a caring school community with a strong Christian identity.
• Since the creation of the primary school, the governing body has been working effectively as a driving force in school improvement. They now focus directly on the main challenges facing the school, for instance the progress pupils make in their writing.
• Many governors have a long association with the school and, with the addition of new governors, they have ensured that they are well-trained to discharge their duties well.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• School leaders have ensured that all members of staff are trained in child protection procedures. The school’s policies and practice are thorough. A strong culture of safety exists in the school. Key staff engage with parents, carers and other stakeholders to ensure that all pupils are supported and safe.
• Pupils are very confident that the school is a safe place. Parents and staff at the school who responded to Ofsted’s surveys or spoke with an inspector agree with this view. Governors are thorough in their checking of safeguarding procedures, and place the safety of pupils uppermost in their work. School leaders work very effectively with external agencies, such as social services, to ensure that when concerns are raised, they are always followed up quickly. Leaders ensure that safer recruitment training and practice are up to date.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching is good, and ensures that all groups of pupils do well. It is characterised by effective use of time and high expectations of the quality of work that pupils produce.
• The school has successfully improved the way teachers assess pupils’ work. Teachers give useful feedback during lessons, which pupils act upon immediately and, so, improve their work. The assessment information is also used well to identify pupils who need additional support or further challenge.
• Teaching is effective in making lessons challenging and interesting for all pupils. For example, during work on celebrating diversity, teaching builds on pupils’ own experiences and existing knowledge. The school excels in its work on personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) and ensures that pupils receive important ‘life messages’ that prepare them well for their personal and academic lives ahead.
• Some teaching fails to challenge pupils, reflecting expectations that are too low, especially in writing. Overall, pupils do not make the progress in writing of which they are capable, in English lessons and in other subjects. This is partly because teachers do not challenge pupils about the work that they produce, and they accept work which could be better.
• Teachers have very strong relationships with pupils and work well with additional adults who support pupils with SEND. Pupils know that staff want them to do well. In turn, this enhances pupils’ positive attitudes to learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Leaders ensure that the welfare and care of pupils are at the heart of the school community. Pupils work and play together harmoniously because they are taught to show tolerance to others and awareness of how to be successful learners. Through a strong curriculum, the school develops pupils’ awareness of different faiths, ethnic backgrounds and cultures, and of people with protected characteristics. This helps pupils to have a better understanding of life in modern Britain.
• Positive messages about how to tackle and respond to bullying are helpful to pupils. They are particularly knowledgeable about how to keep safe while working on the internet. Pupils said that bullying does not take place. If it were to occur, pupils trust the systems that exist and their teachers. The school’s records of behaviour incidents demonstrated this to be the case over time.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Leaders have instilled a sense of community in the school. This is evident in how the pupils treat one another. They are taught how to show respect for each other, even if they hold very different beliefs or points of view.
• The school communicates well with parents and carers, who are positive about the school’s work. Parents appreciate the hard work of the teachers and value the good communication they receive from the school. Parents were clear that they appreciate the steps taken by senior staff to ensure that their children are very well cared for.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils make good progress in mathematics and reading. This is reflected in the school’s assessments of their progress over time, in their books and in their learning in lessons. Although there are indications of improving progress in writing, it remains slower than that in reading and mathematics. Pupils’ attainment in reading remains below average.
• In 2018, the proportion of Year 1 pupils achieving the expected standard in the phonics screening check was close to the national average. Pupils enjoy reading and senior leaders have ensured that a very wide variety of good-quality reading materials are available to them.
• Over the past three years, the proportion of Year 6 pupils reaching the expected standard in reading and mathematics was above average, but below average in writing. The proportion attaining the higher standard in reading and mathematics were above average, although not in writing. Senior leaders recognise that more should be expected of pupils in writing, and have actions in place to redress this.
• Disadvantaged pupils make increasingly good progress in all subjects. Leaders track their progress closely. As a result, differences in progress and attainment between these and other pupils have been reduced. Leaders are committed to maintaining this improvement by targeting additional support where it is most needed.
• Pupils with SEND make better progress than in the past. Their needs are now better identified, and they are given targeted support by teachers and support staff. However, this is not yet as well established in writing as it is in reading and mathematics.
• Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Pupils are confident and positive about their future because they have learned to be successful in their primary school.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Staff plan carefully to ensure that children learn well and make substantial progress from their starting points. As a result, children’s levels of development have considerably improved and are now above those seen nationally.
• Teachers create a welcoming learning environment that interests children in activities that they find enjoyable. Teaching assistants work very well to support children in developing excellent learning behaviours. Children are excited by the topics they learn. This is because they select them and tell adults they want to find out more. They settle swiftly to work and are extremely well behaved and very respectful towards one another.
• Classrooms are very well resourced and staffed, so that children learn independently or with adults, as they choose. Adults are frequently the focus of the main teaching activities taking place, although children are always encouraged to follow their own interests. As a result, they are enthusiastic and enjoy the activities which take place both indoors and outside.
• This strength of provision is consistent across both classes, where the learning environments are rich, varied and reflect high-quality teaching and learning. Children engage purposefully with the activities and cooperate extremely well with each other. Very skilful teaching challenges children’s ability to read and write, and they become very proficient in their early literacy.
• Across all classes, children are very well cared for and their well-being is of paramount importance.
• The early years leader keeps a close eye on the children’s progress, and identifies any gaps in their understanding. She acts promptly to address them. As such, leadership and management of the early years are highly effective, and leaders are ambitious to improve provision further.
• Since the establishment of the early years, the school has worked successfully to raise disadvantaged children’s achievement. They now achieve as well as their peers, even though their numbers are fewer than in other key stages at the school.
• Leaders develop effective partnerships with parents, who give the school valuable information about their children. This is mirrored through the assessment information given to parents at the end of Reception Year. The ‘Learning Journey’ contains photographs, narratives and examples of the work children have undertaken over the year, which becomes a valuable keepsake.
• Children develop very positive attitudes to school life in the early years and are extremely well prepared for moving into Year 1.

School details

Unique reference number 102591 Local authority Kingston upon Thames Inspection number 10058955 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 Maintained 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 374 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Sarah Urry Kevin Edmonds 020 8549 4555 www.stpaulskh.kingston.sch.uk/ admin@stpaulskh.kingston.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 18 June 2014

Information about this school

• The school is larger than most primary schools. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above average. The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is about average.
• The school was previously a junior school for pupils aged seven to 11. In 2016, the school became a primary school and opened an early years foundation stage for children in the Reception Year. There are now pupils in all years from Reception to Year 6, including in key stage 1. The previous inspection was of the junior school. This was the first inspection of the primary school.
• Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds. The largest group of children is from a White British background, with children from other White backgrounds forming the next sizeable ethnic group.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited classrooms in all year groups. Several of these visits were carried out jointly with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and the school’s lead teacher for special educational needs.
• The inspection team listened to pupils in Year 2 reading. They talked to pupils in lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school’s improvement plan and records of pupils’ behaviour, safeguarding and attendance. They also scrutinised assessment information and records of meetings of the governing body.
• Inspectors met with teachers and spoke with pupils. A meeting was held with members of the governing body. A meeting was also held with a representative from the local authority. Several meetings were held with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.
• The views of parents were obtained through informal discussions and the 150 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, as well as those parents who contacted Ofsted directly.

Inspection team

Tim McLoughlin, lead inspector Milan Stevanovic Anna Sutton

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector