St George's CofE Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that the attendance of all groups of pupils improves so that it is at least in line with the national average.
• Ensure that teaching and learning consistently challenge pupils’ thinking particularly for the most able.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has decisively eliminated areas of poor performance. Staff are fully supportive of her and her leadership.
• The headteacher, inclusion manager and senior leaders are relentless and focused in their drive to improve the opportunities, experiences and outcomes for the pupils and community they serve.
• The headteacher is acutely aware of the need to plan lessons which engage and challenge all learners. However, this practice is not yet consistently applied across the school by all teachers.
• Senior and subject leaders have implemented a curriculum that motivates pupils to learn well. The curriculum is wide-ranging, varied and enriched by arts, sports, drama and activities, including extensive use of the local physical and historical environment. Specialist teachers are effectively employed to work with pupils in all year groups in art, sport and outdoor education.
• Parents feel that the school’s leadership is effective, as shown in response to Ofsted’s parent questionnaire, Parent View, and conversations with the inspector.
• School leaders are rigorous in their approach to improving teaching, learning and assessment. They do not shy away from making difficult decisions when improving the quality of teaching. For example, in recent years some teaching was identified as inadequate and this left some gaps in learning. However, this has now been fully addressed by school leaders.
• Leaders provide good support for newly qualified staff. This includes a mentor programme, team teaching with more experienced colleagues and a range of good professional development opportunities working with colleagues from other schools.
• Leaders have introduced effective interventions that have had a positive impact on improving pupils’ progress. For example, the school has worked hard to improve the levels of reading. The introduction of a reading scheme which has been closely monitored and evaluated has resulted in nearly all pupils achieving at least the expected standard in 2016 key stage 2 tests.
• Leaders carefully track the progress of all pupils, including the most able disadvantaged, and they take appropriate actions when pupils fall behind expectations. As a result, progress for pupils across the school is at least in line with expected standards.
• Sport premium funding has improved the physical education curriculum for pupils. The school has used this funding well to employ specialist teachers. This has resulted in high-quality professional development for staff, an increase in competition levels for pupils and the provision of additional sports opportunities. For example, pupils engage in competitive supervised sports at lunchtimes twice a week in addition to their sport lessons. The school also runs after-school clubs. As a result, more pupils are taking part in sporting activities and their sporting and social skills have improved.
• Leaders carefully plan and evaluate the use of pupil premium funding. This funding is used effectively to support learning in classrooms as well as enrichment activities. As a result, most disadvantaged pupils across the school make progress at least in line with the national average.
• Pupils are effectively prepared for life in modern Britain and able to talk about what this means for them. For example, pupils understand the voting system and the importance of democracy in choosing their school representatives.
• The leaders make good use of teachers from the other primary school in the multi academy trust and other expert subject teachers in physical education, art, outdoor education and French. The school also works to provide additional opportunities, for example, with the science, technology, English and mathematics centre at Plymouth City College and the university.
• School leaders use resources effectively to improve the progress of pupils. For example, children join the school with weaker knowledge and skills than those expected for their age. A single classroom has been provided for Reception children to provide the best possible start to their learning. As a result, children, including the most able disadvantaged, the disadvantaged and children from minority ethnic backgrounds, make good progress in Reception and are well prepared to enter Year 1.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school well and have high aspirations for pupils, staff and the community. They provide good support and challenge to senior leaders in equal measure.
• Governors receive detailed reports from senior leaders and scrutinise data and assessment information on pupils’ performance rigorously. As a result, they are well informed about the quality of teaching and have an excellent understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development.
• Governors bring a wealth of experience from their own professional backgrounds. They are knowledgeable about teaching and learning and engage in regular training, making sure that they are kept informed about developments in education. They attend various training events and have received training on the government’s ‘Prevent’ duty for preventing extremism and radicalisation.
• The governing body provides strong support and ensures that pupil premium funding is used effectively to raise pupils’ standards and diminish differences between disadvantaged pupils in the school and other pupils nationally.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Systems for ensuring that pupils are safe are highly organised and understood by all staff. All members of staff know what to do in the event that a pupil presents a concern regarding their safety or welfare. Recruitment practice and record-keeping are exemplary.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers work hard to improve pupils’ outcomes.
• Teachers, and other adults working at the school, have high expectations of pupils and make sure that learning is interesting and engaging.
• Good relationships are a strength of the school. Relationships between teachers and pupils are respectful and focused on learning. Teachers are supportive of the pupils and care for their welfare and progress. As a result, pupils feel valued and respected and work hard to please the teachers. Consequently, they make better progress.
• Teaching assistants are effectively deployed and make a noted impact on learning. For example, in one lesson a teaching assistant continued to challenge a pupil to do better on completion of a set writing task. Consequently, the final piece was above the expected standard for that age.
• All teachers give helpful feedback to pupils in line with the school’s assessment policy, and pupils respond to this positively and make progress in their learning.
• Teachers set homework in line with the school policy. Thoughtful homework suggestions enthuse pupils who consolidate their learning at home with effective support from parents.
• The school teaches French to its pupils effectively and there are plans to provide more specialist subject teachers from across the multi academy trust in order to improve further provision for pupils.
• Observations during the inspection of teaching and learning, and scrutiny of work and internal assessment, confirm that the most able disadvantaged pupils are making good progress at key stages 1 and 2.
• Pupils have good opportunities to extend their learning and experiences outside the classroom. For example, pupils visit workplaces in order to raise their aspirations, such as when older pupils visited an airline company to learn about the range of job opportunities in this industry.
• Teachers enable the most able pupils to make better progress through challenging them to expand nouns and adjectives into detailed phrases, for example, and exploring the various uses of words for pirates to write a gripping poem. However, teachers do not use such techniques and practices consistently or regularly enough.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. As a result, pupils at the school are enthusiastic, understand the importance of education and are motivated to make progress.
• The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding and permeates the school’s work. Diversity is celebrated well and pupils are given many opportunities to reflect on their beliefs and those of others.
• Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe, including when online, and can voice concerns in confidence on the school’s website. The school’s website provides excellent advice for parents and pupils.
• Pupils have excellent opportunities to take on responsibilities and engage in democratic processes. A good example is where pupils in key stage 1 vote to decide who will represent them on the pupil-voice panel.
• Pupils have numerous opportunities to be leaders in school. For example, house captains are responsible for the administration of the rewards system.
• Pupils are confident and self-assured learners. They support one another in their learning in lessons and challenge one another to improve. For example, in a mathematics lesson, pupils in groups competed to complete a problem-solving activity first while working collaboratively to do so.
• Pupils communicate well with each other and with adults. For example, at lunchtimes, pupils interact positively with one another and with adults in a respectful manner.
• Pupils are welcoming to visitors and interested in them. Pupils are happy to talk about their learning and keen to share their work.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Behaviour is good in all respects: in class, around the school, and during play and lunchtimes. Parents, pupils, governors and staff are positive about how the pupils behave.
• The school works highly effectively with other agencies and, as a result, attendance of pupils has improved since 2015 and current attendance is in line with national averages. However, disadvantaged pupils still attend school less frequently than their peers.
• Pupils are very clear about what bullying is and the different forms it can take, including physical, racist and cyber-bullying. They are also clear about the difference between bullying and ‘falling out’. Pupils told inspectors that there is very little, if any, bullying in the school. Any incidents that happen are quickly dealt with by adults.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The results of tests at key stage 2 in 2016 show that the school is performing generally in line with national expectations in reading, writing, mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling.
• All groups of pupils, including the most able pupils, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are making good progress.
• Almost all pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are disadvantaged, the most able and the most able disadvantaged, reached at least the expected standard or better in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they left school at the end of key stage 2 in 2015.
• The school’s internal assessment for the end of 2016 shows that most pupils in all year groups are making progress in line with or above expected standards. All groups of pupils also make progress in line with or above expected standards. Evidence from lesson observations and pupils’ workbooks confirms that the school’s assessments are accurate.
• Progress in mathematics has risen in 2016 with clear evidence in pupils’ books showing deepening understanding of mathematics and improving application of this knowledge to solving problems.
• The school’s internal assessment of attainment of mathematics in 2016 shows a significantly higher proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard than did so in end of key stage tests. Scrutiny by the inspector confirms this finding.
• In 2016, disadvantaged pupils from all years made good progress in line with other pupils across all year groups.
• There is clear evidence in pupils’ workbooks for 2016 of good progress being made by the most able pupils in reading, writing and mathematics, with the strongest examples in the early years, Year 2 and Year 6.
• Attainment at the end of key stage 1 has remained good in reading, writing and mathematics
• In reading, pupils are tracked for their reading and interventions are put in place where the most able are not making expected and above expected progress. The school provides book clubs for reluctant readers at lunchtime, placing specific emphasis on guiding book choices for boys. After finishing the book, the pupils are taken to the cinema to watch the film version and make written comparisons between the two genres. The school arranges visits by authors, as well as storytellers and illustrators. As a result, pupils improve their reading performance and are enthusiastic about reading.
• Pupils have a love of reading and were keen to share their thoughts on their reading with inspectors. Those who read for inspectors did so with enthusiasm and expression showing good understanding. A number of pupils spent their lunchtime on the playground reading and another was observed walking into school reading. The reading records of pupils, which they were keen to share, indicate that pupils read regularly and are familiar with the work of a wide range of authors. The proportion of pupils reaching expected standards has improved rapidly over the last two years.

Early years provision Good

• Good provision in the early years enables children to make good progress from low starting points.
• As a result of decisions taken by the leadership, the provision in the early years is good and, as a result, children are making good or better progress from low starting points.
• Over the last two years, a high proportion of children have reached a good level of development from low starting points.
• Children, including the most able disadvantaged, the disadvantaged and children from minority ethnic backgrounds, make good progress in Reception and are well prepared to enter Year 1.
• Current observations show that adults are getting to know children in the early years. However, planning does not yet sufficiently take into account the needs of individual children.
• While children are starting to follow routines, they are not yet responding quickly to the instructions of adults.
• Children are integrated well into the setting and transition arrangements are good. Parents are encouraged to engage with the school from the beginning of their child’s time at St. George’s.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 139954 Plymouth 10011720 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 4–11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 68 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Peter Hume Andrea Smith 01752 224 863 www.st-georges.plymouth.sch.uk admin@st-georges.plymouth.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• St. George’s Church of England Primary Academy is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The headteacher has been in post since April 2015.
• The school became part of the St. Christopher’s Multi Academy Trust in September 2013.
• Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and most pupils speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils receiving support for special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average. The proportion with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is above the national average.
• Pupils in the early years are taught in one Reception class and attend full time.
• The school has a breakfast and an after-school club.
• The school met the current government’s floor standards in 2016, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed all classes, many of which were joint observations with senior leaders.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, staff, a newly qualified teacher and a group of governors. A telephone conversation took place with a representative from the multi academy trust.
• A wide range of documentation was scrutinised during the inspection, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, the school development plan and data relating to pupils’ achievement and progress.
• The inspector talked with groups of pupils in lessons and at lunchtimes to seek their views about the school. The views of other pupils were gathered during lessons, playtimes and lunchtimes. The inspector listened to pupils read.
• The inspector considered the 58 responses by parents to Parent View, and spoke to parents informally at the start and end of the school day.

Inspection team

Matthew Shanks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector