St Peter's Church of England Aided Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and management, by:
  • setting school development targets that are precisely focused on those aspects of the school that need to be improved
  • ensuring that subject and other leaders have the time and the skills to support their colleagues
  • developing the curriculum so that pupils across the school have opportunities to study other subjects, especially science, as well as English and mathematics
  • working more closely with staff and parents to develop a shared understanding of what the school is aiming to achieve
  • providing all required information on the school’s website.
• Raise pupils’ standards in English, mathematics and science, by:
  • raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do by using assessment information to plan work that is at the right level for all pupils
  • improving teachers’ subject knowledge so they ask pupils questions that probe their understanding and deepen their thinking
  • ensuring that, when planning lessons, all teachers are clear about what they want pupils to learn
  • making sure that work provided for pupils builds on what they already know and understand
  • ensuring that all pupils have fluent basic skills in spelling, grammar and punctuation and a secure knowledge of number bonds and multiplication facts
  • providing feedback to pupils so that they know what they need to do to improve their work
  • identifying the specific barriers to learning of some pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, and acting quickly to help pupils overcome their difficulties.
• Improve pupils’ behaviour, by:
  • analysing the behaviour incidents to identify specifically where and when problems occur and take action to reduce the opportunity for these to recur
  • ensuring that all staff implement the school’s behaviour policy rigorously and consistently. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• There have been considerable changes to the leadership and teaching team since the previous inspection and this has led to a deterioration in the quality of education. Teaching is not sufficiently strong to enable all pupils to make good progress in English, mathematics and science across the school.
• Although senior leaders have established a vision for the school, this has not been communicated as well as it could have been to all staff and parents. Consequently, not all parents and staff fully understand what leaders are aiming to achieve. Information on the school’s website regarding the pupil premium and the curriculum has not been updated and is not compliant with current requirements.
• School leaders have a broadly accurate view of what the school does well and where further improvements are needed. However, their planned actions to improve the quality of teaching lack precision and so teachers are not clear about how their work can be improved.
• Several leaders, including those for science and English, are new to their roles and lack the skills to support other staff. They have not yet monitored the quality of teaching or the standards in their subjects. Consequently, they do not have a good enough understanding of what needs to be improved.
• The curriculum is too narrow and offers little opportunity to study subjects other than English and mathematics. There is very little science in most classes and coverage of subjects including history, geography and art is limited.
• A significant minority of parents do not agree that the school is well led and managed. In their written responses to the online survey, they reported that they did not always know what was going on and that school leaders did not always respond to their concerns.
• Leaders use additional funding to provide extra adult support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. In some classes, the help these pupils receive is effective and enables them to join in with the lesson and make good progress. In other classes, additional adults focus on managing pupils’ behaviour rather than supporting their learning. Consequently, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities do not consistently make the progress that they should.
• Senior leaders check the quality of teaching by visiting classrooms formally as well as informally. They provide feedback to teachers so that they know what they do well and what they could do better. Teachers have been provided with training from local authority advisers who provide good support to the school. Teachers welcome this support and guidance.
• Current leaders hold teachers closely to account for pupils’ progress. They challenge underperformance and this has led to some emerging improvements. For example, the quality of teaching in Year 5 and Year 6 is stronger than in Year 3 and Year 4. Pupils’ handwriting and the presentation of work in their books are showing marked improvement.
• School leaders and governors check the progress made by disadvantaged pupils and how this compares to other pupils. They know that the gap is too great and they have revised the way in which the funding is used to improve provision for these pupils. Where this support is not effective, leaders adapt the provision to meet the particular needs of these pupils.
• Pupils are appropriately prepared for life in modern Britain. Displays around the school provide reminders to pupils about the need to respect others and to uphold the rule of law. Consequently, most pupils show respect towards each other and adults. Work in pupils’ religious education books shows that, in some year groups, they learn about other faiths in detail. Pupils reflect on the ways in which they celebrate their own beliefs in comparison with others. This makes a good contribution to the way in which the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• The school places strong emphasis on developing pupils’ personal and social skills. There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities that are valued by parents and pupils. During the inspection, Year 5 pupils were taking part in a residential visit to Calshot Activities Centre where they participated in a variety of experiences that would not normally be available to them.
• Leaders have used the additional sports funding to contribute towards the cost of a specialist teacher who has helped to train the staff and so improve the quality of physical education (PE) lessons. This has helped to develop teachers’ skills and competence to teach particular aspects of PE, including gymnastics.
• The local authority provides effective support to the school. Some of the improvement efforts have been hampered by the high turnover of staff. Nevertheless, the local authority reports that current staff are responsive to the support provided.

Governance of the school

• Governors are experienced and they know the school well. They have been concerned about the impact of staff changes on pupils’ education. They are aware of some parental dissatisfaction. Governors are preparing to implement a communication strategy to give parents a better understanding what the school is aiming to achieve. However, they feel that under current leadership, the school is well placed to improve.
• Governors hold school leaders to account. They provide an effective balance of challenge and support because they receive regular information from the headteacher. They visit school regularly so they see for themselves how well the school runs on a day-to-day basis. Governors have a good balance of professional skills that help them to take decisions. They are fully aware of their role in shaping the strategic direction of the school rather than becoming involved in operational matters.
• Governors have been rigorous in monitoring the school’s finances. They benchmark financial information against other similar schools to ensure that the school provides good value for money. They say that meetings are well run and organised and that all policies are reviewed in a timely way.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff have received recent training on child protection and they know what to do should a concern be raised. All staff understand that they have a responsibility to keep pupils safe.
• Policies and procedures are regularly updated. All adults who visit school are carefully checked and vetted. Governors have undergone the statutory checks.
• Pupils are taught about personal safety, including e-safety. They know about the dangers associated with external risks such as roads and railways. They know that tobacco and some drugs can be harmful.
• Although pupils say they feel safe in school, there are a small number of pupils who have specific behavioural difficulties and do not always behave in an acceptable way. Consequently, there are times when a few younger or less confident pupils feel intimidated by the behaviour of others.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching requires improvement because it is not consistently good enough to secure good progress for all pupils. It is stronger in the upper years than in Years 3 and 4. Not all teachers have a secure understanding of the level at which pupils are working.
• Some teachers have low expectations and they do not use assessment information to plan work that is at the right level for pupils. This means that for some pupils the work is too easy and for others it is too hard. Often the pitch of the lesson is too low and pupils are working below the level expected for their age.
• Some teachers do not have good enough subject knowledge and so they are unable to extend and deepen pupils’ understanding by asking challenging questions. Often, the level of questioning is at too low a level and does not engage the most able pupils. For example, in a Year 4 mathematics lesson the teacher failed to show pupils the link between multiplication and repeated addition. This prevented pupils from making the connections that would have deepened their understanding of the relationship between the two operations.
• Work provided for pupils does not always build on previous learning and so pupils do not develop their skills systematically and this slows their progress. Work in pupils’ books shows that they do not have a sound grasp of spelling, punctuation and grammar. This often goes unchecked when teachers provide feedback to pupils about their work.
• In some classes, particularly in the lower part of the school, teachers are not sure about what they want the pupils to learn. They provide activities, some of which lack purpose and do little to extend what pupils know and understand. There are times when teachers do not use appropriate resources to help pupils to learn. For example, in a Year 3 reading lesson, pupils had to recall the story from the previous day without any books to refer to. This slowed pupils’ progress in reading.
• In some classes, teaching assistants offer good support to pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They break tasks into manageable steps and probe pupils’ understanding sensitively. This provides these pupils with the confidence to try to complete their work. However, in other classes teaching assistants offer little support to pupils because they spend too much time supervising their behaviour.
• Although pupils in Year 5 were away from school during the inspection, inspectors spent time looking at work in pupils’ books and checking assessment information. They spoke to school leaders to gain a view of what teaching is typically like for those pupils. Work in their books is of a good quality, indicating that teachers have high expectations and provide challenging work for pupils.
• In most classes, teachers allow pupils to share their ideas and talk about their learning. This helps pupils, particularly those who are less confident, to express their ideas and to make progress. Where pupils are interested in their work, they listen carefully to teachers and to each other, demonstrating positive attitudes to their work.
• Where teachers have good subject knowledge, they demonstrate clearly to pupils what they want them to learn. Their explanations are clear and they encourage pupils to ask their own questions. Consequently, the dialogue between teachers and pupils is of good quality.
• Where teaching is stronger, teachers reinforce their expectations of pupils’ behaviour and this promotes good behaviour for learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Personal development and welfare Requires improvement

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement. Although pupils say they feel safe in school, there are a small number of pupils who have complicated needs and do not find it easy to manage their behaviour. This can be unsettling for other pupils in school, particularly those who are less confident.
• Pupils have mixed attitudes to learning. In several lessons where teaching was weaker, a proportion of pupils were not on task or engaged in learning. Pupils spoke above the teacher and there was a lot of fidgeting. Some teachers do not apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently and others lack confidence when dealing with some of the more lively pupils.
• In some classes, pupils are given too few opportunities to work independently. This prevents them from developing learning skills such as perseverance and resilience. Pupils have few strategies to cope when they are stuck or when they do not know what they are expected to do.
• There is good support for those pupils who have emotional needs and those who are more vulnerable. School leaders have reorganised timetables for these pupils to help them cope with classroom life. Occasionally, they are provided with alternative activities until they are ready to return to their class.
• Pupils get on well together regardless of background. They are polite and friendly and kind to each other. They show respect towards the views of others while taking part in class discussions. They learn to show consideration towards the views and opinions of others.
• The school grounds provide a stimulating environment for learning and playing. The grounds are extensive and there is a good variety of equipment for pupils to use during breaks. Lunchtimes are calm and orderly. However, there are too few tables and some pupils, who have packed lunches, have to sit on benches and balance their meals on their knees.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. During the inspection, pupils behaved well in class and when moving around the school. They were engaged in activities during playtime that helped them to stay fit and healthy. Pupils said that one of the reasons they enjoyed school was ‘to be with friends’.
• The vast majority of pupils have a good understanding of right and wrong and they understand the school’s rules and sanctions. The playground is adequately supervised and pupils play well together.
• Pupils’ attendance is broadly average and the number of fixed-term exclusions is below average.
• Pupils know about different forms of bullying but say it does not happen very often in school. They trust adults and know there is someone they can go to if they have a concern. Some pupils reported that not all adults listen to them and so some problems are not always addressed.
• A small minority of parents who responded to the online questionnaire reported concerns about the way in which leaders deal with inappropriate behaviour. They point to examples of poor behaviour in school. However, leaders are working closely with external services to support the small number of pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour. This is leading to a reduction in the severity and frequency of incidents.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ outcomes require improvement because pupils do not make consistently good progress across the school. Although their standards in reading, writing and mathematics were broadly average at the end of Year 6 in 2016, pupils made insufficient progress compared with the progress made by pupils nationally. However, they are adequately prepared for the next stage of their education.
• There is too little challenge for the most able pupils and they fail to achieve the high standards that they should in writing and mathematics. This is because the work provided for them is too easy. Too few pupils reached the higher levels in comparison with the most able pupils nationally.
• Pupils in Year 3 and Year 4 do not progress as well as they should. Many of them are not working at the expected level in mathematics. Too few have a rapid recall of number bonds and multiplication facts and this prevents them from working quickly and efficiently. Work in pupils’ books shows that they make rapid progress in mathematics in Year 5 and Year 6. This is because teachers in these classes have higher expectations of what pupils should achieve.
• Pupils have a weak grasp of basic skills in spelling, punctuation and grammar and this prevents them from writing fluently and confidently. In some classes, there are few opportunities for them to write when learning other subjects and so they do not practise the craft of writing. In other classes, where pupils do write more frequently, their weaknesses in basic skills are not addressed and they continue to repeat the same errors.
• Reading is taught well in some classes but not in others. Where it is successful, pupils learn to read a variety of books and they speak enthusiastically about their favourite books and stories. However, not all teachers check on what pupils are reading and, consequently, not all pupils read books that are suitable for their age. In some reading lessons, pupils listen to the teacher reading but they do not have access to the book themselves. Consequently, pupils’ progress in reading is slow and they do not always demonstrate positive attitudes to the subject.
• Pupils make slow progress in science because too little time is spent on the subject. Work in pupils’ science books shows that there are long gaps between lessons and so pupils do not build their skills and develop their understanding of scientific concepts. In one Year 6 class, pupils make good progress in science because it is taught frequently.
• Where they receive effective support, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make similar progress to other pupils. Some teaching assistants are skilled at picking up their particular difficulties and help them to understand their work.
• The support provided for disadvantaged pupils is inconsistent. Where disadvantaged pupils have additional learning needs, they are provided with effective support and this helps them to progress well. However, other disadvantaged pupils, including those who are most able, do not progress well because staff do not provide them with enough challenge in class.
• Pupils’ handwriting and the quality of their presentation have improved. Most pupils form their letters correctly and their writing is neat and legible.
• Work in pupils’ religious education books shows a depth in the quality of their work. In Year 5, pupils have explored the similarities and differences between Christianity and the Islamic faiths. This has led to some deep reflection and enhanced pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• School assemblies are well planned and provide pupils with opportunities to reflect on values, including fairness and generosity. The quality of pupils’ singing is good. Pupils across the school sing well and this contributes to the community ethos of the school.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 116388 Hampshire 10024613 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 Junior School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 252 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address David Willey Alison Good 01252 543320

www.stpeterscofejuniorschool.co.uk adminoffice@st-peters-jun.hants.sch.uk

Date of previous inspection 20 June 2013

Information about this school

• The school has undergone a period of considerable change since the previous inspection. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have been in post since September 2015 and there have been several changes to the teaching and non-teaching staff since then.
• The school is larger than the average-sized junior school and pupils are taught in single-age classes. Currently there is one extra class in Year 4 owing to an increase in pupil numbers.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These set the minimum expectations for pupils’ learning and progress.
• Most pupils are White British and few speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is lower than usual.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is lower than average.
• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information on its website. There is no information regarding the curriculum for each year group and there is no prospectus. The information regarding the use of the pupil premium funding does not provide parents with enough information about the impact this funding has made to the academic outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.
• The school has a breakfast club for pupils.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils working in all classes except Year 5, who were away from school on a residential visit. Most observations were conducted with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. Visits were made to 14 lessons or parts of lessons. Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and they listened to pupils reading in Year 3 and Year 6. Inspectors attended a singing assembly and an assembly led by the rector of the adjacent church.
• Among the documents scrutinised were the school improvement plan, pupil assessment information and documents relating to the quality of teaching. Inspectors also scrutinised information relating to pupils’ behaviour, safety and attendance.
• Meetings were held with school leaders, teachers and four governors, including the chair of the governing body. Inspectors met formally with a group of pupils and they spoke to pupils informally in the playground throughout the two days.
• Inspectors took account of the views of parents by analysing the 69 responses to the online survey, Parent View. They also considered the written comments made by parents as well as speaking to parents informally. The responses of 11 staff members to the staff questionnaire were also taken into account.

Inspection team

Joy Considine, lead inspector Barbara Carr Liz McIntosh Margaret Wolf

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector