St Chad's CofE (VC) First School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve achievement in writing by:
  • ensuring pupils apply their knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation across the curriculum
  • ensuring teachers have high expectations of pupils’ handwriting and presentation skills.
• Improve leadership and management so that all subject leaders have an impact on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to bring all teaching to the highest standard.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Since the previous inspection the quality and effectiveness of the school’s leadership and management has very much improved. The areas for improvement identified at that time have been addressed.
• The impact of the headteacher is clearly evident. Her determination and relentless ambition over the last two years has been instrumental in the rapid improvement in all aspects of the school’s work. She, together with staff and governors, has ensured that the school has gone from strength to strength.
• Teaching has improved so that it is now good and most pupils in all key stages achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. Due to improved monitoring and support, the teaching of mathematics is now a real strength. There are pockets of outstanding practice; however, subject leaders have not yet taken the necessary steps to ensure that all teaching is at the highest standard. Leaders have correctly identified that pupils do not consistently apply their knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation. Teachers do not always have the highest expectations of pupils’ handwriting and presentation.
• The headteacher has commissioned work from external providers, and leaders work well with their counterparts from a group of local schools. This support has had a positive impact in bringing about school improvement.
• The headteacher has improved arrangements for the management of staff performance and has established challenging targets based on accelerating pupil performance. Staff are supported to achieve the targets with a programme of professional development.
• The headteacher has communicated strong ambition for the school. She has clarified expectations for staff, in order to achieve high standards. Staff have responded positively and are proud to be members of the school team. They are very supportive of the work of the headteacher. This is fostered through positive relationships and the promotion of staff well-being.
• Leaders have produced a sharply focused development plan, informed by thorough and accurate analysis of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Staff in the school are aware of the part they need to play in the school’s continuing upward journey.
• The lively curriculum is full of enrichment opportunities that provide first-hand learning experiences. Inspiring topics capture pupils’ imagination. The school makes use of the school grounds, the church and the local community to bring learning alive, as well as global partnership links with a school in Kenya. As a result, the curriculum enhances pupils’ personal development.
• Visits and visitors to school enhance the pupils’ learning, such as visits to the local farm and a residential experience that develops pupils’ independence, self-assurance and other life skills. The curriculum covers the important topics needed to teach pupils how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn about the need for caution when dealing with strangers, road safety, substance abuse and how to keep safe when using computers.
• Provision to promote pupils’ spiritual, social and moral well-being is consistently underpinned by the strong Christian ethos that runs through all the school’s activities. Approaches to promoting the understanding of fundamental British values are also a well-developed part of school life. Links with the community support the pupils’ understanding of their role and responsibilities. An example of this is Year 4 pupils singing for the ‘over 65s’ in the church hall.
• Extra funding to support disadvantaged pupils is spent effectively. Leaders have ensured a clear focus on how this funding is targeted to ensure maximum effect. This has resulted in disadvantaged pupils achieving similarly to other pupils nationally.
• The headteacher is the leader for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. She quickly identifies the needs of these pupils and effectively organises support so that they do well across a range of subjects.
• Additional government funding to support physical education and sport is used effectively to provide opportunities for the pupils within and outside the school day. It is spent on training, resourcing and facilitating increased participation in local sports events and clubs in school. It is making a significant improvement in the pupils’ physical education and sports skills and in their attitudes to the subject. Teachers are more confident in teaching physical education and sport.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school well and are very clear about its many strengths. Their good knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses is gathered from regular visits to school and comprehensive reports provided by school leaders. They are fully involved in a wide range of school improvement activities. Governors provide effective support and challenge and hold leaders to account.
• Governors understand their role and have a good grasp of the areas they are responsible for, such as safeguarding, pupil premium and sports funding. As a result, they make sure these funds are used effectively.
• Recruitment of governors is carefully managed to ensure that there is a good range of skills and expertise. Governors make sure they attend regular training, sometimes alongside school staff, so their knowledge is up to date.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders and governors have ensured that systems and procedures for safeguarding pupils are robust. Training is up to date and regular reviews are carried out to check that this remains the case. This means that all staff and governors understand and follow the school’s procedures.
• Safeguarding is given high priority. There is a strong culture and ethos of keeping children safe in school and staff go to great lengths to ensure pupils are safe. Safety is taught through the curriculum. This in turn has a positive impact on the welfare, well-being and social and emotional development of the pupils.
• Leaders engage well with parents, carers and other stakeholders to make sure all pupils are supported and safe. Parents’ views reflect that they are extremely positive about all aspects of the school and that their children are happy and safe in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching has improved since the last inspection so that it is now good.
• Teachers give great attention to providing pupils with the correct level of challenge and support to rise to this challenge. As a result, most pupils make at least good progress, because tasks are pitched at the right level. This includes tasks set for the most able pupils, who enjoy the extra layers of challenge teachers make available.
• Teachers regularly check pupils’ understanding when they are working on their own and they adapt tasks to move the learning on quicker. Teachers have good subject knowledge and they take careful account of what pupils already know and can do. This ensures that learning builds on previous understanding.
• Pupils have good attitudes to learning, want to do well and work hard. Relationships between adults and pupils are good and, as a result, pupils are confident to learn from their mistakes. Pupils say they ‘keep on getting better’ because they are well guided and supported.
• Teaching assistants provide effective support for pupils who find work difficult. They successfully deliver a range of programmes that help pupils catch up with their peers.
• The learning environment is well organised and stimulating. Pupils make good use of a range of resources to add interest to learning.
• Reading is taught effectively and promoted well across the school. Teachers provide many opportunities for reading and encourage a love of reading. Phonics teaching is very strong across the school, enabling pupils to consistently attain above average. An informed knowledge of pupils’ reading ability ensures that the most able and least able readers make good progress.
• Pupils work collaboratively together and share and discuss their learning. This helps them to develop their understanding further.
• The teaching of mathematics is good and has strengthened since the previous inspection due to intensive support from the subject leader for mathematics, an external consultant, and increased focus on monitoring provision. Pupils are given opportunities to apply their skills in practical situations and to develop their knowledge of mathematical vocabulary. Pupils explain their strategies for carrying out their calculations. Carefully structured tasks enable pupils to develop their reasoning and problem-solving skills well.
• The teaching of writing is effective. The work in pupils’ books and in displays around school reflects pupils’ enthusiasm to write. Pupils are very engaged in the topics they write about. However, teachers do not consistently check that pupils apply their knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation in other subjects. Also, teachers do not consistently have high enough expectations of handwriting and presentation of work.
• Other subjects in the curriculum are also taught well. Teachers’ subject knowledge is secure and tasks are provided to develop pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding. For example, a class were very engaged in categorising statements in a lesson on religious education.
• Homework is based on the skills, knowledge and understanding the pupils are currently developing. It provides an opportunity for the pupils to enhance their learning and to challenge them further. Pupils say the homework is beneficial to them to help them improve.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to school and learning. They feel they learn well because teachers explain ‘clearly how to do things and help you’. However, pupils’ presentation is not always their best. This is the reason why personal development and welfare are not yet outstanding.
• Pupils enjoy all that school has to offer and they feel there are lots of opportunities for them to take part in.
• Pupils’ positive attitudes contribute towards the good progress they make. They want to succeed and they enjoy the work that makes them think hard. With the feedback they get from teachers they are constantly aware they are getting better at all subjects.
• Pupils say they ‘love the atmosphere’ in school because there is a culture of looking after each other and keeping everybody safe. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They show respect for each other and value others’ ideas.
• Pupils are aware of the different forms bullying can take. They say bullying is extremely rare but if it does happen then it gets sorted.
• Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, including staying safe online. They share key messages with each other about safety. For example, Year 2 pupils made posters for Year 1 about the importance of not talking to strangers online.
• The school offers a range of after-school clubs including sports and music and an after-school club for pupils across the school. Pupils attending these clubs are well looked after and attention is given to their care and safety.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• There is a calm atmosphere in school and pupils conduct themselves well around the building and in class. Staff, parents and pupils all agree that behaviour is good in school. Pupils know the school’s behaviour system well and have a strong sense of self-discipline. Pupils are engaged and enthusiastic in their learning tasks. Pupils are happy at school. In class they listen carefully and cooperate well with each other. On a few occasions pupils are not always picked up quickly enough if they are off-task. This is the reason why behaviour is not judged to be outstanding.
• Pupils play well together at lunchtime and playtime. They are supervised efficiently by adults and they also look after each other. There is a range of equipment and pupils share and use it sensibly. For example, at lunchtime the children in key stage 1 were enjoying themselves in an activity using the play parachute led by the sports coach.
• Pupils have many opportunities to take on responsibilities such as being a playground leader, house captain or a member of the school council. The school council is proactive in organising events such as fund-raising, currently for a track on the sports field.
• Attendance is well above the national average. School procedures to check absence are stringent. Persistent absence rates are below the national average. The vast majority of pupils attend school punctually.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The large majority of pupils make good progress in reading, writing, mathematics and other subjects across the school, resulting in high proportions of pupils meeting age-related expectations.
• Trends reflect that the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check is well above that achieved nationally. This is due to the good-quality phonics teaching that children in the early years and key stage 1 receive.
• At the end of key stage 1 standards are high. The proportions of pupils reaching expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics were above national averages for most ability groups. Proportions of pupils who were working at greater depth across all three subjects were well above those seen nationally. By the time they leave, at the end of Year 4, most pupils meet age-related expectations. A higher proportion reach age-related standards in reading and mathematics than they do in writing.
• While pupils make good progress from their starting points in reading and mathematics, for some their progress in writing is not as strong. Many pupils write imaginatively showing a good choice of vocabulary but for some their work is marred by errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation. Leaders have, rightly, identified this as an area for improvement.
• The school is proactive in its support for disadvantaged pupils and carefully identifies any potential barriers to learning. Expectations are also high for these pupils. The work in pupils’ books and the school’s assessment information show that disadvantaged pupils make similar rates of progress to other pupils nationally. Additional support is helping disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, to catch up with their learning. While the number of disadvantaged pupils in the school is generally low in every year group, the proportions of these pupils meeting the expected standard and above are similar to others nationally. Extra funding for disadvantaged pupils is spent well.
• Leaders successfully identify less able individuals and provide appropriate support. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress and do well in a range of subjects as a result of well-targeted teaching, support and intervention. Pupils who are falling behind their classmates are quickly identified and supported. As a result, this group of pupils are doing well.
• The most able pupils, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, make good progress across the school. They are provided with extra challenge in lessons and as a result make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics, and other subjects in the curriculum.
• Pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education in all subjects.

Early years provision Good

• Children get off to a good start in early years because the teachers know the children well and plan to meet their needs. Relationships between staff and children are excellent. Aspirations are high from the outset and, as a result, the proportion of children attaining a good level of development is above the national average.
• The children make good progress in the early years because teaching is good and activities are matched accurately to the children’s needs. Staff continuously assess the progress children make. They use their knowledge of individuals to plan learning that challenges the children to achieve success. Disadvantaged children are provided with extra support where needed. This means that those in danger of falling behind, or those who already need to catch up, can receive the extra targeted support required.
• Leadership and management of the early years is good. Teaching and the curriculum are closely monitored and leaders have an accurate grasp of the strengths and weaknesses. This is ensuring that the quality of provision is continuously improving. Teachers ensure there is regular communication with parents to share children’s learning both at home and at school. The partnership the school has with parents, other providers and external services contributes well to the children’s progress.
• Phonics is taught well and children enjoy practising their letter sounds. They use their phonic skills to write words and simple sentences. For example, during the inspection a group of boys were very engaged in using their phonic skills to write Christmas cards to their friends.
• There is a happy atmosphere in lessons and behaviour is good. Staff have high expectations of manners and courtesy which they model well for the children. As a result children learn and play together well.
• Both the indoor and outdoor classrooms are resourced well to provide plenty of opportunities for children to develop their reading, writing and mathematical skills. The outdoor area has ample equipment to extend learning in the outdoors.
• Staff keep the children safe and leaders fulfil the welfare, health and safety guidance. Staff have the relevant training and safeguarding in the early years is effective.
• At the end of Reception children are well prepared for Year 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 124269 Staffordshire 10020025 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school First School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary controlled 3 to 9 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 144 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address John Morgan Sarah Yeomans 01902 700 372 www.st-chads-pattingham.staffs.sch.uk/ headteacher@st-chads-pattingham.staffs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 26–27 November 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is smaller than most primary schools. Most pupils come from Pattingham and the surrounding villages.
• The school has strong links with St Chad’s Church, the village and wider community.
• Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.
• The school has a Nursery with places available in the morning or afternoon or a mixture of both. Children in Reception class attend on a full-time basis.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is low compared with the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is low compared to the national average.
• The school runs a before- and after-school club, which is managed by the governing body.
• The school is part of a local area schools’ partnership.

Information about this inspection

• All classes were visited during the inspection and a total of 12 lessons were observed. Two visits were conducted jointly, involving the headteacher.
• Discussions took place with the headteacher, middle leaders, nine members of the governing body, a group of teachers and teaching assistants, and the county commissioning manager for school improvement.
• Pupils’ work was reviewed during lessons and a more detailed scrutiny was made of pupils’ books with the subject leader for English and mathematics. Pupils read to the inspector and the inspector spoke with pupils during the inspection in order to gain their views.
• A range of documents was reviewed. These included the school’s self-evaluation summary, action plans for school improvement, records of the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning, performance management documents, minutes of the meetings of the governing body, the school’s own assessment information and records relating to behaviour, attendance and the safeguarding of children.
• The behaviour of pupils was observed in lessons and at lunchtime as well as when moving around the building.
• The inspector took account of the views of parents through the online survey and spoke to parents at the start of the school day. The inspector also took account of the staff survey and pupil survey.

Inspection team

Lynda Townsend, lead inspector

Ofsted Inspector