St Andrew's CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Enhance the curriculum so that pupils are inspired to achieve highly across the full range of subjects.
• Strengthen the quality of teaching by ensuring that learning is consistently well matched to pupils’ needs.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders have worked diligently to deliver swift and effective school improvement. Their determined efforts to rapidly improve pupils’ outcomes have been tenacious. The work of the newly appointed headteacher and deputy headteacher has been particularly effective. As a result, teaching and learning and pupils’ progress have improved significantly.
• New senior leaders have a robust knowledge of the strengths and areas for improvement in the school. They have used assessment information accurately to devise a clear plan of action to improve pupils’ learning. Leaders secured the support of staff to deliver much-needed changes. As one staff member said: ‘This last year I have learned what good leadership is. I have been challenged, led, and supported to make huge improvements in my teaching.’
• Leaders have maintained the school’s strong Christian ethos. The values of family, respect and care radiate palpably throughout the school and provide comfort and support to the wider school community. The high regard leaders place on ensuring the well-being of staff and pupils is a strength of the school.
• Subject leaders have good knowledge of their areas of responsibility. They monitor pupils’ progress well and have implemented successful plans which are enhancing teaching and learning. They are having a positive impact on improving pupils’ learning and outcomes.
• Leaders scrutinise the quality of teaching and learning rigorously. They have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Leaders manage effectively the performance of staff and provide regular, good training which helps to raise standards. Leaders tackle underperformance swiftly and decisively.
• Pupils model the school’s values with pride. Leaders ensure that the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is prioritised. For example, by providing engaging assemblies and wider learning opportunities. Pupils demonstrate considerable tolerance and respect and a growing appreciation of British values. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders use the pupil premium funding effectively. Assessment information is used well to identify disadvantaged pupils’ individual needs. Appropriate additional support is put in place to ensure that these pupils catch up quickly with their peers.
• Additional funding is used to good effect to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The inclusion leader works closely with parents and health professionals to provide early help which supports individual pupils well. Particular care is given to adapt learning opportunities to better suit the needs of this group of pupils. Effective classroom support ensures that those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points.
• The sports premium funding is spent well so that more pupils are participating in physical activities. For example, almost all pupils in key stage 2 have taken part in inter-school games competitions. Leaders ensure that funding provides additional training for staff to teach sports more effectively. A wide range of extra-curricular clubs and additional resources provide good opportunities for pupils to be active at lunchtimes.
• The curriculum is suitably broad and balanced. Pupils find some subjects particularly motivating. For example, in science pupils are given good opportunities to extend their knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts through the engaging lessons and activities. One pupil stated: ‘Science is my favourite subject. I love that we get to do lots of really fun and exciting experiments every week.’ However, leaders recognise rightly the need to develop the curriculum further, so that learning fully motivates pupils to achieve their very best across the range of subjects.
• Parents are supportive of the school. Many of them mentioned the significant improvements that have taken place in the last 18 months. One comment, typical of many, stated: ‘The new headteacher is a breath of fresh air. The school is making visible progress and I believe the turbulence of the past is well and truly over.’
• The diocese provides effective strategic support. It has proved particularly effective in supporting the governing body to better evaluate leaders’ work and support further improvements to the school. As a result, governance has strengthened and leadership has improved.
• The local authority provides high-quality assistance to leaders. It has assisted the headteacher and deputy headteacher to evaluate accurately the quality of teaching and learning. As a result, leaders’ action plans have been prioritised well, and training and development for staff has been appropriately targeted.

Governance of the school

• The governing body knows the school well. Governors know what is working successfully and what could be even better. They bring effective challenge and support to school leaders. Their incisive actions, particularly in recruiting strong leaders, have contributed positively to the school’s rapid improvement.
• Governors oversee the financial management of the school appropriately. For example, they guarantee that the pupil premium grant and additional sports funding are spent well. They ensure that teachers’ pay reviews are related rightly to pupils’ progress. Consequently, governors meet their financial obligations well.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that all appropriate employment checks are made on staff. All records are detailed and regularly reviewed by governors. Systems to keep pupils safe are thorough and comply with the latest government guidelines.
• All staff are trained well in a wide range of safeguarding issues. For example, recent effective training regarding child sexual exploitation and female genital mutilation has taken place. Staff are suitably knowledgeable about how to protect children from harm.
• Leaders work appropriately with external agencies to safeguard pupils. They have high expectations of other professionals and hold them to account well, so that vulnerable pupils receive high-quality support. There is a clear culture of care at St Andrew’s to keep pupils safe.
• Leaders manage safety well within school and take appropriate steps to reduce the risk of accidents. For example, thorough risk assessments are completed before any educational visits take place. Staff are adept at minimising the risk of accidents.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers and teaching assistants typically have good subject knowledge. They use this well to develop pupils’ skills and understanding. Learning activities are planned carefully to take into account pupils’ different starting points. As a result, the majority of teaching is effective and ensures that pupils are able to make good progress.
• Teaching staff have high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils usually respond well, and produce work that is of a high standard. For example, in Year 6 pupils show confidence when skilfully developing and refining their high-quality writing. Pupils learn well because they strive to achieve the standards set for them by staff.
• Teachers use a range of strategies to assess pupils’ knowledge and understanding. For example, teachers’ good questioning skills enable them to tackle successfully pupils’ misunderstandings. Teachers record assessment information accurately and use it appropriately to plan future learning.
• Teaching provides effective challenge for most-able pupils. For example, in a Year 5 mathematics lesson pupils were grappling with a range of strategies to work out if various three-digit numbers were divisible by seven. Pupils worked well, both independently and collaboratively, to test the effectiveness of different hypotheses. The challenging work enabled pupils to extend and deepen their mathematical skills and understanding.
• Disadvantaged pupils, and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, typically learn well. This is because staff have identified accurately these pupils’ individual needs. They use this information to plan high-quality tailored support and additional teaching. As a result, these groups of pupils make good progress from their individual starting points.
• The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) is good. Teachers and other staff use the school’s agreed approach systematically. Group work is tailored to individual pupils’ needs and extra sessions are provided for those pupils who need to catch up. When reading, most pupils are able to apply their phonic knowledge to sound out words accurately.
• Pupils have a range of opportunities to work artistically. For example, in studying stone-age man, Year 4 pupils created dramatic cave paintings on textured roof-tiles. This excellent artwork demonstrated pupils’ growing artistic development.
• Teaching is typically good. However, occasionally, pupils’ needs are not met precisely enough. For example, some activities do not challenge pupils well enough, and sometimes adults’ explanations lack clarity.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are self-confident. They are supportive of each other and typically work and play together well. For example, the play leaders actively encourage their peers to look after each other on the playground. It was delightful to see the certificates play leaders award to fellow pupils who display exemplary caring attitudes at lunch and breaktimes.
• Pupils and parents are confident that the school acts proactively to help keep pupils safe. For example, pupils learn about internet safety so that they know how to keep themselves safe online. Pupils also develop a strong understanding of ‘stranger danger’ and know the potential risks that strangers present.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They understand what bullying is, and say it occurs very rarely. Pupils trust staff to manage any issues that arise quickly and effectively. Pupils state keenly that the school is very friendly, ‘and that everyone supports each other to do their very best’.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils typically behave well, and they respect each other’s right to learn. Poor behaviour rarely disrupts lessons because leaders have recently introduced an effective new strategy that shows pupils how they must behave. Consequently, pupils know and respect the high expectations staff hold.
• Overall rates of pupils’ attendance have improved significantly. Leaders’ recent efforts ensure that pupils understand the importance of good and timely attendance. Pupils who have special educational needs and or/disabilities attend well, and disadvantaged pupils’ attendance is improving.
• Classrooms are typically productive places to learn, where pupils focus on their work and behave appropriately. Pupils enjoy effective interactions with teachers and adults and usually work with enthusiasm. On occasion, when learning is not well matched to their needs, a minority of pupils sometimes lose concentration. Leaders are rightly addressing this as a priority for improvement.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ outcomes across the school and in a range of subjects have improved rapidly. The good teaching now in place is enabling pupils to achieve well.
• Current key stage 1 pupils are making good progress over time in a range of subjects, including phonics, reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils’ work in exercise books and the school’s own assessment information demonstrate that, following the improvements to teaching and learning, pupils’ progress has been rapid and sustained.
• In 2016, not enough pupils made the progress expected for their age by the end of key stage 2. However, pupils currently in key stage 2 are now making good progress, particularly in English and mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Effective use of pupil premium funding provides additional support and teaching which is ensuring that the achievement of these pupils is improving towards that of other pupils nationally.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language are making good progress from their starting points. Leaders identify their individual needs effectively and provide the additional support that they need so that they achieve well in a range of subjects.
• Pupils typically read well. They are supported in choosing books that are well suited to their ability, and enjoy reading across a range of texts and styles. Most-able pupils read with appropriate expression and fluency. Pupils shared their interesting opinions of different children’s authors with inspectors and expressed confidently what they look for when choosing a book to read for pleasure.

Early years provision Good

• The early years leader shows strong determination for all children to achieve well. She ensures that learning opportunities are broad, varied and meet children’s needs across all areas of learning. Last year, the proportion of children who achieved a good level of development was below the national average. However, current children are making much better progress and the proportion achieving well is similar to that seen nationally. Children currently in the Reception Year are well prepared for Year 1.
• The early years curriculum is broad and balanced. Learning activities are stimulating and tailored to spark children’s imagination and natural curiosity. For example, a recent trip to a local farm has been used to inspire learning in writing and mathematics. Children enjoyed writing fact sheets about the farm, and using money to buy and sell produce in the role play farm shop.
• Teachers make accurate judgements about children’s knowledge and skills. They use this information effectively to plan children’s next steps in learning. Leaders ensure that all staff know children’s individual needs comprehensively. Consequently, members of the early years team work well to ensure that children, including those who are disadvantaged, make good progress from their starting points.
• Children’s well-being is supported effectively. For example, staff work appropriately with external agencies to provide a range of high-quality additional care and support for vulnerable children.
• Parents have good opportunities to visit the classroom to participate with their children’s learning. Some parents accompany the children on educational visits. Others come to talk to children about the jobs they do. Relationships between adults, the early years setting and children’s families support learning well.
• Children are encouraged to learn about keeping themselves safe. For example, one child explained how to ride a scooter safely so as not to fall off. Another showed how to use scissors carefully and carry them safely.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 126047 West Sussex 10032878 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 aided 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 198 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Mr Hywel Thomas Mrs Deborah Packham Telephone number 01293 529006 Website Email address www.st-andrews-crawley.w-sussex.sch.uk office@st-andrews-crawley.w-sussex.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 11 June 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is smaller than that found nationally.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above that found nationally.
• The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is above that found nationally.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning throughout the school, including some lessons with the headteacher. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in their exercise books and spoke to pupils about their learning.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and representatives from the local authority. He also spoke with the diocesan school improvement partner on the telephone.
• A range of documents were reviewed including governors’ minutes, leaders’ evaluation of the school’s effectiveness, including the quality of teaching and learning, information about the school’s performance management arrangements, pupils’ progress information, and minutes from local authority and diocesan school improvement visits. Inspectors also reviewed safeguarding records and the central record of recruitment checks on staff.
• Pupils’ views were heard through discussions in lessons, and during lunch and breaktimes. Inspectors reviewed 39 responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.
• Parents’ views were considered through the 43 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and in conversations with parents at the beginning of the school day.
• The views of staff were considered through the 22 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and through meetings.

Inspection team

Dom Cook, lead inspector Peter Wibroe

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector