St Benedict's Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve the consistency of teaching and raise achievement by:
  • sharpening the accuracy of assessment so that teaching appropriately challenges the most able pupils so that they reach the highest standards they are capable of
  • enabling pupils to apply basic skills in mathematics to further develop fluency, problem solving and reasoning.
  • Improve leadership and management by:
    • developing all leaders’ monitoring so that they can more accurately check that teaching is having sufficient impact.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has taken concerted action to improve the school since the previous inspection. He leads by example, supporting staff to improve their practice. Leaders and managers, including governors, have a clear understanding of the main priorities of the school. With the support of Huish Primary School and a local education partner, they are continuing to steer improvements.
• Leaders and other adults who work in the school are dedicated to making sure that all pupils are well cared for. They know the families well and are devoted to putting the emotional well-being of pupils at the heart of everything they do.
• Leaders promote the school’s vision: ‘Dream, Believe, Achieve’, aspiring for all pupils to achieve their best. They set high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and learning and pupils demonstrate a willingness to learn. A culture of respect and tolerance underpins the work of the school.
• Leaders have high expectations when they set targets for pupils’ achievement. They frequently meet with teachers to check how well pupils are learning and, as a result, they are beginning to understand which pupils need extra help. While leaders are beginning to develop their monitoring roles, this aspect of their work does not yet consistently identify how teaching needs to improve so that pupils make better progress.
• Parents’ views are mainly positive and they appreciate the support given to their children. One parent stated that the school had helped her child’s confidence improve and almost all parents say their children are happy and safe at school. Their comments included: ‘the dedication of the teaching team cannot be faulted’, and ‘everyone is treated as an individual and no child goes unnoticed’.
• Pupil premium funding is used creatively to promote better attendance and support pupils who are falling behind in their learning. Examples include recruiting two learning mentors, providing a minibus to bring pupils to school, horse riding lessons and links with a local forest school farm. The school’s actions are breaking down barriers to learning and making a positive difference to pupils’ progress. Some of the school’s most vulnerable pupils benefit from outdoor learning and their confidence and self-esteem is improving.
• Additional sports funding is used effectively. Physical education leaders keenly support the work of the school and pupils take part in a variety of activities. The daily sports club, which runs before school, is popular and well attended. Pupils enthusiastically participate in half an hour of sport during each session and comment that ‘It gets us ready for the day.’ A range of exciting after-school clubs are offered by the school, such as athletics, cross-country, dance, yoga and tag rugby. Attendance at these is rising. Pupils enjoy the opportunity to take part in competitive sports, train to become sports leaders and try tai chi and fencing.
• The school offers an interesting and broad curriculum. Pupils enjoy the chance to learn the ukulele, take part in science events and learn French. Pupils enjoy going on a range of trips, such as the pilgrimage to Glastonbury Tor and a trip to London. Pupils undertake a range of homework, including projects, which extends their learning.
• The school’s promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils reflect on their learning and record their responses in journals. They understand the importance of being caring and friendly and are usually well supported to work cooperatively and sociably. A drama workshop about bullying allowed pupils to think how it feels to be in someone else’s shoes. They accept and value difference and diversity in their immediate society and further afield.
• Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. The school encourages them to take on positions of responsibility such as sports leadership, helping in the school office and fund-raising. A recent trip to the Houses of Parliament and preparing speeches have helped pupils to understand the voting system in a democratic society.
• Special educational needs funding is used effectively to develop tailored provision to meet pupils’ needs. The special educational needs coordinator has a clear understanding of the different needs of pupils in the school and is well supported by a governor experienced in working with pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The coordinator works closely with pupils, staff and outside agencies to make sure teaching appropriately supports pupils’ learning. Relevant training is provided for staff and helps pupils to make better progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders provide teachers and teaching assistants with a range of relevant training and development opportunities within and beyond school. Teachers embrace the opportunities to improve their professional practice. This is improving standards of teaching across the school.

Governance of the school

• Governors are a visible and supportive presence in the school. They are well trained and utilise their skills to play an active role in driving the school’s continuing improvement.
• Members of the governing body have a clear understanding of the school’s priorities. They ask searching questions to find out about leaders’ actions to improve teaching and make regular visits to the school to check this for themselves.
• Governors have a good grasp of the school’s financial position. They know how effectively pupil premium and sports funding is used to support pupils’ progress and well-being. Governors are involved in performance management and make sure that pay increases are linked to performance.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding procedures are rigorous and a culture of safeguarding is threaded through everything that the school does to support its pupils. The school is mindful that many pupils are vulnerable and its dedicated safeguarding team is committed to working closely with families to keep children safe.
• Leaders make referrals to external agencies in a timely manner and robustly pursue appropriate and timely support. This ensures that all children who may be at risk of harm are well supported.
• The single central record of checks on all staff and governors is fully in place. It is routinely updated to include new staff.
• The safeguarding and child protection policies are up to date and comply with the most recent requirements. Staff training ensures that staff are vigilant about the signs of abuse and know when to share concerns. Pupils say they feel safe at school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Leaders have been effective in raising standards of teaching and teachers are keen to improve. Teachers ensure that pupils regularly practise and apply a range of basic skills, which are improving their fluency in reading, writing and mathematics. Additional interventions for some pupils are helping them make better progress.
• High expectations of behaviour encourage pupils to focus on their learning with minimal distraction. Clear procedures and support from teachers and teaching assistants usually help pupils understand what to do. Pupils are generally quick to settle to work and become absorbed in their learning.
• A calm and methodical approach by teachers, and good relationships, support pupils to have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils reflect on their learning and think about what they need to do to improve. Teachers help and support pupils to extend their learning, but sometimes pupils do not understand exactly what they need to do to make their work better.
• Good modelling by teachers and teaching assistants helps pupils understand what to do. For example, when a teacher demonstrated how to break down three-digit numbers into hundreds, tens and ones, Year 3 pupils were able to explore how to do this for themselves. This gave them the chance to apply their skills and secure their understanding of place value.
• Occasionally, learning is not sufficiently challenging for the most able pupils and some comment that work is too easy. Consequently, work is completed quickly and pupils wait to be told what to do next.
• Some good questioning helps adults assess how well pupils are learning. For instance, in mathematics lessons, Year 4 pupils were able to explain how they calculated the perimeters of squares and hexagons. Encouraging pupils to check if they were correct helped adults pick up on mistakes and guide pupils further.
• Effective deployment of well-trained teaching assistants means that pupils are mostly well supported in class and during targeted interventions. The guidance pupils are given encourages them to consolidate their learning. The support is particularly helpful for pupils who are falling behind with their learning or have trouble concentrating.
• Adults help pupils to develop their spelling and punctuation in a range of contexts and pupils make good progress. Pupils use dictionaries to work out correct spellings and one pupil working on a play script for ‘Red Riding Hood’ explained, ‘I can use colons and put stage directions in now.’
• Learning is enhanced when pupils go to art exhibitions, make trips to the Natural History Museum and have the chance to go on a river cruise. These events inspire them to carry out further work when they return to school.
• Pupils thoroughly enjoy learning to play the ukulele. The music specialist skilfully captures pupils’ attention and they listen very carefully to instructions. Pictures of birds sitting in different positions on telegraph wires help pupils to understand the difference between single notes and chords. The sense of concentration in the room as the pupils play their own ukuleles is tangible!
• Pupils improve and extend their writing and presentation using a ‘gold book’ that showcases their best work. Writing is developed well across other subjects, such as science and history. During work on a First World War project, pupils considered the feelings of soldiers in the trenches. This provided a powerful stimulus for encouraging pupils to write letters home to their families.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are mostly confident and self-assured, take pride in their work and are keen to commit to their learning.
• Leaders and teachers have a good understanding of pupils’ emotional needs, which helps them to identify pupils in need of help. Experienced and skilled learning mentors are dedicated to helping pupils to find ways to manage their emotions and regulate their behaviour. The ‘Bee Hive’ is set apart from the rest of the school and provides pupils with a calm environment in which to talk and reflect. As a result of this nurturing support, pupils’ self-esteem, behaviour and confidence are improving.
• Pupils know they are responsible for their actions and understand about different forms of bullying. Lessons, assemblies and workshops help parents and pupils understand how to stay safe when they are using the internet.
• Adults work enthusiastically to help pupils understand how they learn, using the examples of animals such as a unicorn, leopard and chameleon. Leaders comment on how successfully this is improving pupils’ attitudes to learning and developing their skills of perseverance and resilience. Pupils also comment that they are gaining the confidence to ask questions, make connections and share ideas.
• The ‘Dash’ sports club and after-school provision provide motivating activities to inspire pupils to start and end the day in a secure and stimulating environment.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are happy at school and feel safe. They mostly respect the school’s expectations of good behaviour and are courteous and polite. One pupil commented, ‘We are a kind school.’
• Behaviour management is consistent and follows the school’s policy. While there are a few incidents of unwanted behaviour, pupils say these are addressed swiftly. Attitudes to learning are sometimes affected when work is not hard enough for pupils or they are unsure what to do.
• Lunchtimes are sociable and happy occasions and pupils enjoy talking with their friends. Pupils’ conduct around the school reflects the school’s rigorous efforts to set high expectations of behaviour.
• The school rigorously follows up absence for the few pupils with low attendance. The parent and family support adviser and other members of the attendance team work closely to support families, and pupils’ attendance is improving.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils currently in the school are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. A large majority of pupils in all subjects and most year groups are making expected progress. Several pupils are exceeding expectations.
• In 2016, key stage 2 attainment of expected and higher standards was above the national average in reading and writing. The number of pupils who met high standards in mathematics and English grammar, punctuation and spelling was close to the national average. The proportion of pupils who met expected standards in these subjects was lower and continues to be a focus for the school. Evidence gathered during the inspection confirms that at least three quarters of pupils in most classes and subjects are on track to meet expected standards.
• Some pupils who come to the school with low starting points initially make less than expected progress and interventions take longer to show impact. However, the school’s own information and evidence seen in books shows that differences diminish and they catch up over time.
• Pupils’ use of correct grammar, punctuation and spelling is improving and some good-quality written work is produced. Presentation and handwriting have improved over time and pupils are generally proud of their work. Pupils read widely and with enjoyment. Teaching supports them to develop fluency and comprehension. Less able readers identify sounds in words to help them read.
• In mathematics, there is good evidence that pupils are being supported to explain their thinking, use reasoning skills to solve problems and justify their responses.
• The school’s work with disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, is effective. A large majority of pupils are on track to meet expectations by the end of the year and progress for these pupils is good. In some cases, there is striking evidence of accelerated progress.
• Too few of the most able pupils exceed the progress leaders expect of them. This is because teaching fails to challenge them and move them on when they need it. Pupils confirm that sometimes work is too easy and inspection activities revealed this to be the case.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points in all subjects because teaching focuses specifically on their particular needs.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 123833 Somerset 10033139 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Junior School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary aided 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 216 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Local authority Melanie Leggett Steven Gumm 01458 831811

www.stbenedictsjuniorschoolglastonbury.org/

Email address

office@st-benedicts-jun.somerset.sch.uk

Date of previous inspection 15–16 June 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• St Benedict’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Junior is smaller than the average primary school with two classes in Years 3, 4 and 6. There is one Year 5 class and a mixed class of Year 4 and Year 5 pupils.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is above the national average.
• The majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or whose first language is not, or believed not to be, English is much lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receiving school support is almost double the national average.
• There are currently no pupils being supported by a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.
• For the last three years, the school has met the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Since the previous inspection, the school has received support from a national leader of education, who is headteacher at Huish Primary School in Yeovil. A Somerset education partner is also supporting the school.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors conducted lesson observations and learning walks to observe learning in all classes. Five lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.
• Inspectors carried out separate learning walks with the learning mentor, the special educational needs coordinator and pupils.
• Inspectors and the headteacher jointly analysed a range of pupils’ work.
• Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and subject leaders. A meeting was held with a group of governors and a joint discussion was held with the national leader of education and education partner, who are both supporting the school.
• An inspector met with a group of pupils to gain their views of learning and listened to readers from Year 3 and Year 6.
• Inspectors met with parents at the start of the school day to gather their views, reviewed the school’s questionnaire and took account of 23 responses to the online survey, Parent View.
• Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documents, including the school’s latest attainment and progress information, school improvement plans and evaluations, behaviour and attendance records and safeguarding information. Inspectors also considered governors’ minutes and school policies.
• There were no responses to the online pupil or staff questionnaires.

Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Dawn Breeze

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector