Kintbury St Mary's C.E. Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that teaching consistently challenges all pupils, so that weaknesses from their progress in the past are overcome more rapidly, and more of them reach the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Ensure that all teachers expect pupils to present their work to a consistently high standard.
• As a matter of urgency, governors must ensure that the school’s website is updated and meets all statutory requirements.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The school is very well led by the interim headteacher. Her relentless focus on improving teaching and learning across the school is securing significantly better outcomes for pupils. She has earned the respect of the school community, and staff morale is high.
• The headteacher is working closely with senior leaders, providing them with very high-quality training and support. They know exactly what needs to be done next to improve the school, and staff share their motivation and ambition to achieve this. Where weaknesses are identified, swift action is taken to address issues, and improvement is expected. This places the school in a strong position for when a permanent headteacher takes up the post in September 2018.
• In light of past underachievement of pupils and many staff changes, leaders have taken deliberate action to improve outcomes for pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. These steps are already resulting in consistently better teaching, particularly in mathematics.
• The mathematics leader is taking determined and effective action to improve outcomes in mathematics across the school. Her enthusiasm for her subject is infectious and she is absolutely committed to ensuring that mathematics is taught well, so that all pupils achieve well.
• The headteacher knows that the teaching of some areas of the curriculum, such science, need to have a greater focus in the near future. This is reflected in the school’s development plan.
• The curriculum supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively. Links with the local church and community organisations help pupils to develop their understanding of Christianity and the school’s values. However, opportunities to learn about other beliefs and cultures are limited.
• Pupils enjoy participating in extra-curricular activities including choir, chess and sporting events. These opportunities help pupils to develop their physical, mental and personal well-being. The chess club was established, and is run, by two very enterprising Year 5 pupils. It is very successful and pupils enjoy challenging one another to a game, while others are ably instructed to learn how to play.
• The school supports inexperienced teachers well, so their practice develops effectively.
• Leaders are receiving good support from the local authority to improve the school. They have received targeted professional development to help them to develop their knowledge and skills to improve teaching.

Governance of the school

• Governors know their school well and share the school’s vision and ethos. They are supporting the school through a period of considerable change and are providing wise guidance and challenge.
• The chair of the governing body takes a very professional and measured approach to her role. She is absolutely committed to making the school the very best that it can be.
• Governors ask the right questions at committee meetings. However, in the past, they did not always challenge the impact that leaders’ actions were having on pupils’ progress and outcomes. Under the guidance of the interim headteacher, they now have a clearer understanding of what pupils should be achieving and challenge appropriately.
• Governors monitor closely the impact of any additional funds to ensure that funding makes the greatest difference to pupils. 

• The school’s website does not contain all current and statutory information. Governors know this needs addressing urgently and have the correct information in school to upload onto the website.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The headteacher has ensured that correct procedures are in place when appointing staff. The school’s register of the checks made when appointing staff meets requirements and is maintained effectively by the school’s business manager.
• Staff demonstrate a clear understanding of statutory guidance and know what to do if concerns about pupils arise. Regular staff meetings ensure that all staff are kept up to date with current and pertinent information.
• The safeguarding governor regularly checks that the safeguarding policy is being followed, and occasionally makes unannounced checks to the school to ensure that the policy is being used on a daily basis.
• The school works effectively with external agencies to support vulnerable pupils. The interim headteacher is tenacious in ensuring that pupils are kept safe. When needed, she challenges external agencies so that pupils receive the support they need.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching, learning and assessment are good. The high expectations of leaders, and a more consistent approach to teaching and assessment, have led to improvements in learning across the school.
• Teachers plan well-thought-out learning experiences for pupils of different abilities and, usually, ensure that pupils engage very positively in the lessons. Children in Year 2 talk excitedly about their topic, ‘go with the flow’, which has led to studies of canals, the life of frogs and Monet’s artwork, among other things.
• Mathematics is a focus for development, and the positive impact of training was seen in pupils’ books and in lessons. Good teaching in mathematics ensures that pupils are making at least good progress.
• Pupils have a variety of reading skills to help them improve their reading, and they read with fluency and accuracy. There is a well-stocked and comfortable library with a wide range of books.
• Pupils have very good attitudes to learning. They are focused and quiet during independent work, and excited and purposeful in discussions. Pupils in Years 4 and 5 were keen to share their very creative sentences when they were learning about homonyms, for example, and followed this up with a very productive debate.
• Pupils achieve particularly well when teachers set challenging tasks for them. For example, in a mathematics lesson in key stage 2, pupils were challenged to investigate perimeters and areas of shapes. There were a number of additional ‘Can you…?’ challenges, which pupils really relished. They worked actively in their groups, developing their mathematical language and knowledge, carefully considering one another’s points of view before coming to a conclusion. However, this high level of challenge is inconsistent. Consequently, pupils are not all making up the ground lost in previous years as rapidly as they might. As a result, there are still not enough pupils working at the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Where pupils’ misconceptions in learning are quickly addressed, pupils make better progress. For example, in key stage 1, a teacher arranged for a group of pupils to meet with her immediately after a mathematics session to help them to fill in the gaps in their learning. This ensures that pupils do not fall behind and that they understand what they are doing and for what purpose.
• Sometimes, teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils. They do not always expect pupils to achieve well or to present their work well. These low expectations result in some pupils expecting too little of themselves, and some aspects of their work suffer. In particular, the presentation of their work is sometimes unacceptable.
• Additional adults in classrooms offer good support to disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. However, they are not consistently used well to support all pupils’ learning, and this can slow the progress that some pupils make.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils enjoy coming to school and the majority feel safe. They talked about ways in which they can stay safe, including when they are online.
• The vast majority of parents who completed Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, responded that their children are safe and happy at school.
• Pupils are courteous and polite and are keen to talk to visitors about their school and what they are learning. Pupils are confident and self-assured learners. They are encouraged to be independent and resilient thinkers and are not afraid to ask if they do not understand something.
• Pupils understand the need to care for one another, and they respect one another’s differences, and listen to each other’s views.
• Most pupils and parents feel that there are few incidents of bullying but that, if there are concerns, they are addressed quickly.
• The school tracks attendance rigorously and the large majority of pupils attend school regularly and punctually.
• The lunchtime nurture group provides a very calm and positive space where vulnerable pupils can come to eat their lunch with a friend of their choice. Pupils enjoy the experience and are extremely well supported by a teaching assistant, who helps them to develop a wide range of social and conversational skills.
• Although pupils democratically elect their school council and vote on their choice of charity for the year, there are not enough good opportunities to develop their understanding of British values alongside the school’s own values.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• When teachers expect the best from all their pupils and engage them in exciting and challenging learning, behaviour in lessons is of an exceptionally high standard. Occasionally, when expectations are lowered, this results in some low-level disruption, and progress can slow for some pupils.
• A scrutiny of behaviour logs found incidents of poor behaviour to be rare and dealt with effectively.
• Lunchtimes and playtimes run very smoothly and the pupils enjoy the outdoor space together. The zoned areas ensure that everyone is safe and that all pupils can take turns on different activities. During the inspection, the pupils had great fun playing in the snow in the safety of the field. They were very well supervised.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Results in both key stages over the last three years have been below average and pupils had not made fast enough progress. Outcomes are now improving on previous years due to effective teaching and careful assessment of pupils’ progress. The majority of pupils are currently working at least in line with national expectations, regardless of their starting points. However, a legacy of underachievement, from previously weak progress, means that too few pupils reach the higher standards.
• In 2017, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard at the end of key stage 1 was below national figures for reading and mathematics. However, current outcomes for pupils in key stage 1 show significant improvements, with more pupils achieving the higher standards across the curriculum. This is because teaching is effective and, in most cases, challenging.
• Over the last three years, the majority of pupils in Year 1 have reached the expected standard in the phonics test and most of the rest catch up by the end of Year 2. Outcomes are above the national figures.
• Information on past performance shows that, since 2014 in key stage 2, pupils had made below-average progress, particularly in reading and mathematics. Only around half of the pupils who sat the tests in 2016 and 2017 met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. However, progress has recently improved considerably. Current information shows that pupils are now making at least good progress, especially in mathematics, and more pupils are on track to achieve the higher standards in all subjects.
• The school is successfully supporting disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. They are catching up with other pupils nationally and, overall, reaching the expected standards across the curriculum. The most able disadvantaged pupils receive highly focused support and are on track to achieve well.
• Current work in pupils’ books, in a range of subjects, shows pupils making good progress since the start of the academic year even though, in some cases, the presentation of work is not as good as it could be. For some pupils, standards still lag behind what they might be, because of weak achievement in previous years.

Early years provision Good

• A well-established and comprehensive programme for transition into early years enables pupils to have a positive start to their school life.
• Children are safe and well looked after. All welfare requirements are met. One parent said that her daughter in Reception ‘is extremely happy and loves coming to school every day’.
• Children in Reception have rich learning experiences across all areas of the curriculum, inside and outside. Staff are skilled at giving extra help to extend children’s learning and so progress is good.
• Most children are confident in the setting, eager to share and to learn. They engage with adults and each other well.
• Phonics is taught well and is a priority in this setting. Children quickly learn to identify the sounds that letters represent, and blend sounds to form words, which some are then putting into sentences.
• By the end of the Reception Year, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development has been above the national average since the last inspection. This is because teachers understand the impact of good-quality provision and are fully committed to ensuring that this is the case.
• The early years leader is not complacent and monitors the setting rigorously. Her close observations of children’s progress form part of detailed learning journeys and snapshots, which are shared with most families. She works hard to reach all families and is currently embedding a new system to give all parents easier access to this information.
• The environment is well planned. However, children do not always have enough help with key outdoor activities to help them to develop their reading, speaking and listening skills, when they are investigating a particular area of learning. This means that children lack additional challenge to articulate what they are doing and how it helps them to learn.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority 109967 West Berkshire Inspection number 10046831 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 Voluntary controlled 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 163 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Alison Mitchell Fiona Henderson 01488 658336 www.kintbury.w-berks.sch.uk office@kintbury.w-berks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 8–9 July 2014

Information about this school

• The school website does not meet requirements on the publication of information about child protection and safeguarding, the accessibility plan, the current curriculum, recent exam and assessment results and current impact reports for pupil premium and the sports grant.
• The interim headteacher was appointed in September 2017. She works for four days a week, and the acting deputy headteacher takes charge on the fifth day. Governors are shortlisting for a new headteacher and hope to appoint for September 2018.
• Since the previous inspection, there have been many changes to the teaching staff, and most of them are new to the school.
• The school employs a special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) for one morning a week.
• The English coordinator joined the school in January 2018, and the mathematics coordinator took up the subject lead in January 2017.
• A teacher has recently taken on the role of pupil premium champion.
• The school is an average-sized primary school with a Reception class and five other classes, two of mixed year groups.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is above the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all classes and in a range of subjects.
• Inspectors checked the school’s recruitment checks made on the suitability of staff to work with children. Behaviour and attendance records and information relating to safeguarding were also checked.
• Inspectors worked in partnership with the school’s senior leaders to analyse the school’s own assessment information for current pupils. The inspectors reviewed pupils’ outcomes, the school’s evaluation of its own performance, the development plan, and leaders’ monitoring and evaluation records of the quality of teaching. Inspectors also gathered information about the curriculum and pupils’ learning from work on display, and by reviewing pupils’ work in their books.
• Inspectors spent time on the playground before school, gathering the views of parents.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, the SENCo and the early years leader. An inspector met the headteacher to consider safeguarding, attendance and welfare. An inspector met with four members of the governing body, including the chair and the vice-chair.
• An inspector had a phone call with the principal adviser for West Berkshire and the local authority’s representative who works with the school.
• One inspector joined the lunchtime nurture group while the other ate his lunch with pupils in the hall.
• An inspector met with the school council, and inspectors spoke informally with pupils around the school.
• An inspector visited the lunchtime chess club, run by Year 5 pupils.
• Inspectors took account of 17 staff questionnaires and considered the 34 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil questionnaire. Parents’ views were taken into account through the 39 responses to Ofsted’s online parent survey, Parent View. Inspectors also considered 40 free-text comments from parents.

Inspection team

Sarah Varnom, lead inspector Christopher Crouch

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector