St Mary's Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders and teachers need to further improve the quality of teaching, including for the lower-attaining and the most able pupils, particularly in key stage 1, so that it can become highly effective throughout the school.
• Make more effective use of assessment and teaching to ensure that a greater proportion of pupils in the early years are assessed as ‘exceeding’ the expected level of development.
• Improve the transition from the early years to key stage 1 so that pupils can build on their learning more effectively.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and governors quickly recognised what had to be done to improve the quality of education following the last inspection. Their actions have significantly improved the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils. Leaders have been effectively supported by the multi-academy trust (MAT), which closely monitors the school’s progress.
• The headteacher and her leadership team have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They take appropriate action to bring about improvement, drawing on support and expertise from the MAT.
• Parents speak highly of the headteacher and staff. They particularly value the way in which they and their children are made to feel part of a community. The school plays a significant role in the local community, which helps pupils to understand themselves as citizens.
• Parents comment very positively about the school and greatly value its part in their children’s lives. One parent said: ‘This is a fantastic, well run and community-spirited school. Pupils are happy and confident, and the school works to bring out the best in them. The teaching team this year is very strong. There is plenty on offer for the children in terms of extra-curricular activities, and subjects are taught in an engaging and interesting way.’ A few parents have commented that some teaching is less effective. They would also welcome more information about their children’s progress at school.
• Leaders carefully monitor the quality of teaching and provide high-quality developmental feedback. Where teaching is sometimes less effective, they provide support and challenge to bring about rapid improvement.
• Teachers value the openness and honesty of leaders in supporting the development of teaching. Leaders have created a professional and trusting atmosphere that empowers teachers to improve their skills. They learn from each other and value the professional training opportunities they have. Leaders have created a culture of self-evaluation and aspiration.
• Leaders regularly and carefully check on pupils’ progress, working with staff to adjust teaching where necessary. This ensures that all pupils make good progress and receive additional support when they need it.
• Middle leaders make a valuable contribution to leadership and management across the school. They have accurately identified priorities for improvement within their subjects and introduced initiatives to address them. Their actions have contributed to improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress, particularly in English, mathematics and science. Middle leaders evaluate the impact of new initiatives carefully and regularly present their findings to governors.
• The curriculum offers a wide range of memorable learning experiences. Pupils take a strong interest in subjects and develop deep knowledge. For example, Year 4 pupils were able to name and describe in detail the function of different types of teeth. The school provides a rich variety of extra-curricular and enrichment opportunities. For example, pupils recently experienced being evacuated to a house in the village, as part of a Second World War topic. While there, they undertook chores like those experienced by children during the evacuation. These experiences have helped bring topics alive, and pupils say that their learning is fun.
• Pupil premium funding and primary physical education (PE) and sport premium are effectively used. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress as a result of the school’s pupil premium spending. The PE and sport premium has been used to provide specialist teaching and enhance staff expertise. Leaders carefully track pupils’ engagement in physical activity, which has increased. A greater range of sporting opportunities are on offer, and participation in competitions has increased. Pupils and their parents greatly value the range of extra-curricular sports.
• Leaders articulate a clear set of values for the school, and these are intelligently woven into the curriculum. Pupils develop skills of resilience and independence as learners and become responsible citizens. The curriculum helps them to develop personally, socially, spiritually and culturally. They understand, articulate and demonstrate values such as respect and equality in the everyday life of the school.

Governance of the school

• A review of governance was undertaken following the last inspection. Changes have also been made to the composition of the local governing body. Governors are now more effective in providing challenge and support to leaders.
• Governors are more rigorous in holding the school to account for pupils’ progress. They receive regular reports on progress and ask pertinent questions. They have challenged leaders about the impact of pupil premium spending, for example. However, their questions need to become even more sharply focused and followed up in subsequent meetings.
• The MAT also monitors pupils’ progress and the work of the governing body closely. This contributes to the school’s identification of priorities for improvement and focuses the support that the MAT provides. The MAT has made a significant contribution towards improving the impact of leadership and governance.
• Members of the governing body have considerable expertise. They clearly understand the school’s strengths and areas for development. They know the school well and use their visits to interpret information they receive about the effectiveness of new initiatives. They work closely with the headteacher and other leaders, often accompanying them during monitoring activities and evaluations of pupils’ work. This deepens their understanding of the school’s effectiveness and the standards pupils achieve.
• Governors are reflective and have identified areas in which they wish to enhance their effectiveness. For example, they wish to improve the quality of their minutes, so they can more accurately evaluate the progress and impact of their work. They are aware that they can make even more focused use of the school’s assessment information and headteacher’s reports.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All staff are well trained in all aspects of safeguarding. They understand their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe. They know how to spot the signs if a pupil is at risk of harm. The school has clear procedures for referring concerns to the designated safeguarding leaders.
• The school has two designated leaders with responsibility for safeguarding. They are well trained, knowledgeable and have ensured regular training and updates for staff. They take appropriately prompt action in response to concerns raised by colleagues. They maintain high-quality records, enabling them to monitor the support offered to vulnerable pupils and their families. Where necessary, they make prompt referrals to local children’s services. These are followed up to ensure that the right support is provided.
• Leaders have created a culture of safeguarding in which all staff are vigilant. Pupils are well supervised throughout the school day by appropriately trained staff. The school site is safe and secure. Pupils feel safe and parents say that their children are safe at school.
• The school maintains a robust record of all recruitment checks carried out before the appointment of new staff. Leaders and governors have been trained in all aspects of safe recruitment and vetting.
• Pupils’ well-being and safety is at the forefront of the school’s work. Pupils feel able to trust adults at school and are confident to share a worry if they have one.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Highly effective teaching, particularly in key stage 2, has led to pupils becoming resilient, motivated and independent learners. The headteacher encourages pupils to become scholarly in their approach to learning. This characterises attitudes to learning, particularly of the older pupils. They are keen to be challenged, acquire knowledge and skills.
• Some teaching in key stage 1 is less effective. Sometimes it does not engage pupils well enough, and some pupils become restless as a result.
• Pupils have the skills to independently research and retrieve information from books and the internet. Year 6 pupils have a developed understanding of the classification and adaptation of animals. They use technical biological vocabulary accurately and are skilfully challenged by their teacher. Year 4 pupils have detailed knowledge of the functions of different teeth and the organs of the digestive system. Teachers have secure subject knowledge to support this learning.
• Pupils’ deep knowledge in subjects stems from well-developed, knowledgeable teaching. Teachers make successful use of a variety of resources to support their teaching. They present learning in engaging ways and use probing questions to assess, challenge and develop pupils’ understanding.
• Teachers skilfully plan sequences of learning that build up understanding, skills and knowledge over time. They appropriately challenge and support pupils of different abilities, so all can make progress from their starting points.
• In most lessons, tasks are well matched to the abilities of pupils. However, in a minority, they are not so well matched. For example, the most able pupils sometimes have to wait too long before their learning moves on appropriately.
• Sometimes pupils are not challenged enough, particularly in key stage 1. In some lessons, tasks are too difficult for the lower-attaining pupils. For example, some pupils have reading books that are beyond their level of phonics knowledge and comprehension skills.
• Pupils with SEND are well supported. Their progress is regularly monitored, and adjustments are made to teaching to meet their needs. As appropriate, they are also provided with additional support and interventions to ensure their progress. The school’s strategies for supporting these pupils are effective.
• Teaching assistants are well deployed and have the necessary skills to support learning successfully.
• Phonics teaching in Reception and key stage 1 is strong. Teaching is well structured and systematic, enabling pupils to develop their skills in blending and segmenting sounds, in order to read and spell.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils leave St Mary’s as self-assured, confident and articulate individuals. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education and to play a role in the wider community.
• The school’s values are interwoven throughout the curriculum. Pupils absorb and demonstrate them as they become members of the school community. For example, there is a strong mutual respect among pupils. They listen well to each other, and they respect different views. They are also respectful of people from different cultures and faiths, including those represented within the school. They value honesty and recognise its role in resolving difficult situations. This value was well illustrated in an assembly about the prodigal son.
• Staff take great care of pupils and thoughtfully nurture them. At the beginning of each term, pupils are reminded about the school’s values, expectations of behaviour and how to become outstanding learners. Where pupils fall out, they know they can get support from peer mediators or adults. Pupils feel well supported.
• One or two parents expressed concerns about how effectively bullying is dealt with. Pupils say that they are safe from bullying and it does not happen. If it were to happen, they are confident that staff would sort it out. Pupils feel safe and are very happy at school.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, for example on the internet and on the roads. They are also aware of what to do if approached by a stranger. The school provides frequent reminders about these issues.
• Pupils are proud to take a variety of responsibilities in the life of the school. Older pupils take on roles such as peer mediators and prefects and are elected to the school council. They play a role in planning the school’s collective worship. Pupils also make their views known by writing to the headteacher or asking to attend a school council meeting. Recently this resulted in a request to have a non-uniform day in order to raise funds for the local doctors’ surgery, which had burnt down. Pupils decided to dress as doctors, nurses and patients for a day and raised £272 towards this cause.
• Pupils greatly enjoy PE and sport opportunities and are committed to being fit and healthy. They participate in a variety of sporting events and competitions and value the range of extra-curricular clubs.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Where teaching is highly effective, behaviour is excellent. In the few lessons where teaching is sometimes less effective, this can lead to low levels of disruption.
• In general pupils behave very well and are highly motivated learners. They have well developed behaviours for learning, including resilience and perseverance. As a result of the school’s emphasis on these qualities, pupils can respond positively to challenge.
• Pupils also behave well during breaktimes and lunchtimes, playing actively and sociably together. They enjoy good friendships and are very happy at such times. They are well supervised throughout the school day.
• Pupils value the school’s behaviour policy. Pupils respond positively to teachers’ signals when behaviour falls below the expected standard. They also respond well to the system of rewards and sanctions used by the school.
• Attendance is above the national average and rates of persistent absence are reducing. Very few pupils are currently affected by persistent absence, mainly as a result of medical issues.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Outcomes have improved significantly since the last inspection. Pupils make good progress throughout the school, and attainment at the end of both key stages 1 and 2 was above national averages in 2018. Current pupils are on track to achieve similar outcomes in 2019.
• In most year groups, across a range of subjects, pupils are making strong progress. In all year groups, pupils are making at least good rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils are making similar progress to the other pupils. Many are catching up, so they will attain as well as other pupils nationally by the end of key stage 2.
• Pupils with SEND are well supported. They make good progress from their starting points. Many are catching up to meet the expectations for their age, particularly in their writing. Teachers have high expectations for these pupils and aim to ensure that they meet expected standards by the end of key stage 2 across all subjects.
• The most able pupils are challenged and make good progress towards higher standards of attainment. However, in a minority of lessons, these pupils are not sufficiently challenged to move their learning forward as well as they could.
• Reading outcomes are a strength of the school. In 2018, at both key stages 1 and 2, reading attainment was above the national average, and high proportions of pupils attained the higher standards. Pupils’ progress and skills in reading are particularly well developed. Pupils make a sound start in the early years and key stage 1. By year 6 pupils are reading widely at a sophisticated level.
• Although attainment in writing can vary between year groups, generally pupils make good progress. However, progress in writing is relatively weaker than in reading and mathematics. Leaders are aware of this and are taking action to further improve writing outcomes. In some year groups, punctuation skills are not developing well enough.
• Pupils develop knowledge and skills across subjects in the wider curriculum well. They develop a deep knowledge in science. For example, Year 6 pupils are learning how animals are adapted to their environments. They know how they are classified and can correctly use the vocabulary of kingdom, phylum and genus. Pupils in Year 3 have developed design technology skills to construct puppets and puppet light theatres. Pupils in Year 4 have a detailed knowledge of mummification. They have used this knowledge to set up an experiment to preserve tomatoes, including the use of a control as part of their test.

Early years provision Good

• Children are well taught in the early years. The quality of the provision has improved significantly in recent years. Children make good progress.
• The proportion of children achieving a good level of development (GLD) has risen significantly since the last inspection. In 2018, the proportion of children who achieved GLD was above the national average. However, not enough are assessed as exceeding the expected standard.
• Children are enthusiastic and enjoy learning in the early years. They behave and learn well together in small groups, which helps develop their social and communication skills.
• Children respond well to adult-led activities, though some tend to flit between activities rather than becoming engrossed. Adults support children’s play well, asking questions and modelling activities that extend their learning and use of vocabulary. For example, children explored several ways to make floating toys travel along a gutter as a result of the teacher’s skilful questioning.
• The early years provision is well led and managed by a knowledgeable teacher. She has reorganised the environment so that it more effectively helps children to learn. She has a detailed understanding of each child’s progress and development. She matches this accurately to the expectations of the early years’ curriculum. Her use of assessment enables her to spot gaps in learning and adjust teaching as necessary. This needs to be developed so that the most able pupils can progress to higher attainment.
• Phonics is well taught in the early years, and pupils are quickly developing early reading and writing skills. Mathematics also has a high profile in the environment. Children learn to recognise and describe the properties of 3-dimensional shapes, for example.
• The early years environment is attractively presented to engage pupils and encourage independence. It is well organised, clean and safe.
• Most children attend pre-school nurseries before joining St Mary’s. The early years leader visits these to ensure a good transition. However, transition from the early years into key stage 1 needs to be improved so that pupils can more successfully build on their learning.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140026 Surrey 10058143 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 sponsor-led 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 213 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Board of trustees Caroline Doherty Janis Radcliffe 01428 683 115 www.stmaryschidd.org jradcliffe@stmarys-godalming.surrey.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 19 to 20 October 2016

Information about this school

• St Mary’s is an academy school in the Good Shepherd Trust, within the Diocese of Guildford. It was last inspected, under section 48 of the Education Act 2005, in March 2016.
• St Mary’s is part of the Good Shepherd Trust, a MAT within the Guildford Diocese. Its local governing body reports to the trust board, and the headteacher reports to the chief executive officer. The MAT oversees and supports all aspects of the school’s work.
• The headteachers in the MAT work closely together to draw on each other’s expertise and experience. The MAT schools also support each other in providing staff training and development.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors met with parents at the beginning of the inspection.
• Inspectors considered 77 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and 77 free-text comments.
• The single central record of recruitment checks and the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures were scrutinised.
• Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding lead and reviewed her records and several case files.
• Inspectors observed teaching and learning jointly with school leaders in all classes.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at their work across all subjects.
• Inspectors held meetings with senior and middle leaders, representatives of the local governing body, the special educational needs coordinator, and representatives from the MAT.
• Inspectors held discussions with staff about their work. They also considered 15 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.
• Inspectors met with groups of pupils, and gathered their views through many informal conversations.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read.
• Documents relating to the work of the governing body were reviewed, including minutes of their meetings. Monitoring reports by the MAT were also reviewed.
• Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including leaders’ evaluations of the school’s effectiveness, development plans, the school’s own information about pupils’ progress and attainment, and behaviour and attendance logs.

Inspection team

Peter Wibroe, lead inspector Graham Marshall

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector