St Matthew's Bloxam CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that those responsible for leadership and management at all levels:
  • have the skills needed to accurately monitor the quality of teaching and learning, including in the early years
  • provide precise feedback and support, where needed, to achieve a consistently good quality of teaching and improve pupils’ progress
  • evaluate the impact of the school’s new curriculum and assessment programmes on outcomes for pupils.
• Improve outcomes in mathematics by the end of key stage 2 by ensuring that:
  • pupils’ work matches their needs and is appropriately challenging, especially for the most able
  • when appropriate, pupils move on from practising basic skills to applying them to solve problems and reason mathematically.
• Strengthen teaching and learning, so that pupils make better progress, by ensuring that:
  • the most able pupils are challenged through tasks that extend their learning further in all subjects
  • teachers move pupils on when they show that they are ready.
• Improve provision in the early years, especially in Reception Year, by ensuring that:
  • adults use a consistent approach to assessment to enable them to plan the next steps for children’s learning effectively
  • all adults have consistently high expectations of children’s behaviour
  • teachers develop children’s mathematical knowledge and understanding in the right order.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• The headteacher provides direction and clarity of vision for the school. Staff morale is high. Those who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire are extremely positive, saying that leaders do all they can to ensure that the school has a motivated and respected teaching staff.
• The headteacher has identified where improvements are needed and has worked swiftly to recruit a new leadership team. The appointment of three senior leaders over the past 12 months has resulted in greater stability in leadership.
• The headteacher monitors the quality of teaching and learning. She knows the strengths and weaknesses in teaching. However, other leaders are inexperienced and unskilled in monitoring practice in the classrooms. This limits their ability to provide precise feedback and support to help improve teaching and pupils’ progress.
• The deputy headteacher and middle leaders have action plans for their areas of responsibility. They have not been able to show the impact of their plans on outcomes for pupils because their skills of monitoring are underdeveloped. The headteacher has arranged suitable training for leaders. Positive links exist with other schools for leaders to look at good practice.
• The headteacher and deputy headteacher have ensured that the pupils are taught all subjects of the national curriculum. Leaders have started to review the curriculum, initially ensuring that the national curriculum is covered appropriately.
• The mathematics and English leaders have introduced new systems to provide a richer, broader curriculum for pupils. Much of this is new to staff. Leaders have not fully evaluated the impact of the new curriculum and assessment systems. As a result, subject leaders, while keen to promote improvement, are not always clear where gaps in teaching and learning exist.
• The curriculum is enriched by visits and visitors. Pupils in Year 6 eagerly anticipate a residential outdoor adventure experience later in the year. Good use is made of the well-maintained school grounds in order to develop sporting and outdoor learning activities for all pupils. Pupils enjoy physical education. Older pupils understand the benefits of sports and how to keep themselves healthy. Many pupils participate in the wide range of lunchtime and after-school clubs. The sports premium is used well and has resulted in pupils’ participation in a wider range of sporting opportunities.
• The headteacher has introduced new assessment systems. Teachers’ assessment judgements in writing and reading are accurate. However, work in some pupils’ books in mathematics does not always match the teacher’s assessment. This is particularly the case for the most able pupils. The checking of pupils’ progress in subjects beyond English, mathematics and science is at an early stage of development.
• Robust systems of performance management provide teaching staff with clear targets. Staff at all levels who responded to Ofsted’s survey report that leaders use professional development to encourage and support them.
• There have been weaknesses in the use of pupil premium funding in the past. Evaluations of the impact of the funding received were imprecise. Leaders are now swiftly addressing this. This year, there is a clear rationale for the allocation of the funding. The leader responsible for this aspect has established rigorous processes for tracking each pupil. Regular meetings with staff ensure that interventions and support are adapted to meet the needs of the individual pupil. As a result, current pupils in most year groups are making stronger rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics than previously.
• The leadership of SEND has gone through a period of change. The deputy headteacher has introduced new systems for the tracking and monitoring of pupils with SEND. Good partnerships with external agencies are evident. Parents value the support given to pupils for their varying needs. Responses from parents who spoke to inspectors and those given in Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, indicate that parents appreciate that staff rapidly identify the needs of individual pupils. Parents value the good levels of care and support for their children.
• The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. British values are taught across the curriculum. Pupils have a strong sense of fairness and equality. During the inspection, the value of perseverance was a focus throughout the school. One child in early years described perseverance as, ‘You just keep trying.’ Pupils have a good knowledge of different religions, and they show respect when talking about different faiths. Good use is made of visitors to the school in order to promote respect and tolerance for people from different religious and cultural backgrounds.
• Leaders have welcomed external support from the local authority. This support has recently been introduced. The impact of this work is yet to be seen.

Governance of the school

• Governors provide a good level of challenge and support to the headteacher and senior leaders. Governors bring a wide range of professional skills to the governing body. They know and understand the strengths and weaknesses in the school. Governors recognise the positive progress made since the appointment of a stable leadership team.
• Governors check that all safeguarding duties are met. They are knowledgeable and regularly access training to keep themselves updated.
• Governing body minutes show that their skills in challenging and holding leaders to account have developed over the past two years. Governors are now challenging underperformance and asking deeper questions about the quality of teaching and learning.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff know and understand their responsibilities. Training is up to date, and all staff receive regular updates. The school has a number of leaders who are trained as designated safeguarding leaders to ensure that there is always a trained member of staff on-site. Staff spoken to during the inspection know and understand what to do if they have a safeguarding concern.
• Pupils’ files are securely maintained. Safeguarding policies are up to date. The school works well with external professionals to support pupils and their families in times of need.
• Leaders promote a strong culture of safeguarding. Relationships with adults are positive. Staff and parents who responded to Ofsted’s online surveys were overwhelmingly positive about how the school keeps the pupils safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching does not stretch and challenge the most able pupils well enough. In some classes, the work set for the most able pupils does not take account of what they already know and can do. As a result, the most able pupils repeat work they have done already or practise skills they are already adept at.
• The teaching of mathematics is not consistently good. In some classes, pupils frequently use and apply their learning in more challenging problems. However, in other classes pupils spend too long practising basic mathematical calculations and do not use these skills enough to solve problems or reason mathematically. In some lessons, pupils select the work they will do. Too often in these lessons, they choose work that is too easy for them. This is hampering their progress in mathematics.
• Teachers expect pupils to write in different areas of the curriculum. For example, pupils have written letters to the headteacher on the use of footballs on the playground, made posters on global warming and compiled fact files about different religions. Pupils’ spelling, punctuation and grammar skills are improving. Pupils take pride in their work. The teaching of handwriting is effective. Work in most pupils’ books is well presented.
• Pupils’ books show that the teaching of grammar is having a positive impact on the quality of their writing. In some classes, pupils use drafting and editing skills effectively in their writing. However, expectations of the most able pupils are not consistently high in all classes. As a result, these pupils are not developing the skills of planning, drafting and editing, or using the more sophisticated vocabulary and grammar required to reach the higher standards of which they are capable.
• While pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive overall, some lose focus when tasks do not interest them, where work is too easy, or when they do not understand what they have to do. At times, teaching holds pupils back, for example when pupils are ready to move on but must wait for the teacher to explain something that they already know.
• Phonics is taught well and most pupils reach the expected standard in the phonics screening check by the end of Year 1. Teachers plan learning activities which interest pupils. Teachers’ subject knowledge of phonics is good. As a result of good teaching, pupils use and apply their phonics knowledge when reading unfamiliar words. Pupils are enthusiastic and successful in phonics lessons.
• Pupils with SEND are taught well. Additional adults provide a good balance of care and support. As a result, pupils develop skills of independence and confidence.
• Relationships with adults are positive. Where teachers set high expectations, pupils rise to them. For example, Year 5 pupils explored the language associated with suspense writing. Through the teacher’s skilful questioning, pupils improved on their answers and built on the responses of others. Pupils showed great respect for each other, listening carefully to others’ ideas. The pupils were highly motivated to use their knowledge of grammar to develop their spoken and written English.
• Teachers set regular homework. Both pupils and parents agree that the right amount of homework is set. The older pupils appreciate the time they have to complete their homework, saying it helps them to plan their work.

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 proud of their school. They are happy and feel safe in school. Pupils are welcoming and confident when talking to adults. Pupils are charming, polite and well mannered. They greet visitors and open doors for them.
• Pupils’ achievements are celebrated through assemblies and displays around school. For example, the display entitled ‘Together we can grow and learn to achieve our best’ in the entrance hall celebrates the goals and aspirations of every pupil in the school.
• Pupils have a very strong sense of belonging to the community of the school. The house point system promotes a sense of teamwork. Pupils spoke confidently about their goals to achieve house points and the rewards that this would bring for the team.
• The school magazine ‘SMB Newszine’, ably edited by two pupils in Years 5 and 6, not only celebrates the achievements of pupils, but also shares news and exciting information. For example, the choir’s visit to the Genting Arena in Birmingham, a pupil’s experience of visiting 10 Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister, together with sporting successes in football, gymnastics and swimming, are all proudly reported.
• Pupils who joined the school in different year groups spoke about how welcomed they felt. They described how kind and supportive other pupils were when they first started. Pupils report that bullying incidents are rare. Pupils understand about the different types of bullying and know who to talk to if they are concerned. While most parents said that they feel the school deals effectively with bullying, a small number did not know or felt that the school could communicate more clearly on bullying.
• Pupils have a strong sense of caring for others. The school council regularly organises fundraising events for local and national charities. Pupils show strong empathy for others in their local community. They enjoy organising and participating in cake sales, discos and national charity events.
• Provision for pupils with social and emotional needs is a strength of the school. Good links with outside partners ensure that pupils have access to specialist provision. In school, all staff are trained in understanding attachment issues and trauma in the lives of pupils and how to support them in school. A member of staff is a trained councillor who provides small-group nurturing and support for pupils. Parents positively commented that the pupils are well looked after in the school.
• Pupils who attend the before- and after-school club, ‘Building Blox’, explore a wide range of creative learning opportunities. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about gardening and their recent food tasting for Chinese New Year. Pupils of all ages play well together in this nurturing environment.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Staff have high expectations of pupils. Systems to promote good behaviour have been reviewed since the appointment of the headteacher. As a result, most pupils behave very well in lessons and when they move around school.
• Pupils proudly wear school uniform, and there is a strong sense of belonging to the school community. Pupils also take pride in their work and have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils are keen to learn.
• The school’s records on pupils’ behaviour are detailed and well maintained.
• Attendance is improving and is in line with the national average overall. Staff follow up absences with rigour. As a result, attendance is improving for pupils with SEND.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Attainment at the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics dipped in 2018. Pupils’ progress by the end of key stage 2 in 2018 was well below the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. This decline was a result of inconsistent teaching in key stage 2. Historical weaknesses in teaching and changes in staffing have had an adverse impact on the attainment and progress of these pupils.
• Attainment at the end of key stage 1 in 2018 improved. It was in line with the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The school’s own information on the progress of current pupils and work in their books indicate that the most able pupils are still not making enough progress across key stage 2, particularly in mathematics. This is because the work set is not challenging enough.
• The quality of pupils’ writing is improving because it is taught well. Pupils practise their writing skills across the curriculum. However, tasks often lack challenge for the most able pupils, and teacher expectations are not high enough.
• Over time, outcomes for disadvantaged pupils have been low in both key stage 1 and key stage 2. The numbers of disadvantaged pupils vary substantially in different year groups, and some of the cohorts are very small. Work in books and assessment information show that disadvantaged pupils in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2 are currently making stronger progress from their starting points. However, a historic lack of focus on the use of the pupil premium has had a negative impact on some pupils in Years 5 and 6.
• Personalised plans for pupils with SEND are in place. Books show that this group of pupils is now making stronger progress from their starting points.

Early years provision

Requires improvement

• The early years leader is aware, to some degree, of the strengths and weaknesses in the phase from the headteacher’s monitoring of teaching. However, the leader has not personally checked the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the setting. As a result, improvement plans are not sufficiently focused on current weaknesses.
• Inconsistencies remain in teaching from Nursery to Reception. There are variations in how adults use their observations of what children can and cannot do in order to plan the next steps in children’s learning.
• Information in children’s learning journals and books shows that the majority of children join school with skills and knowledge below those typical for their age.
• Children make good progress in the Nursery. They get off to a great start. New children join the Nursery each term. They settle swiftly into well-established routines. Adults have high expectations of them. Information in learning journals is accurate and helps to inform the baseline assessment of children’s starting points.
• Children’s progress in mathematics is limited because teaching does not take account of their individual abilities and what they need next. Their learning journals show that some children are moved on to formal methods of recording basic calculations before they can count to 10. This hampers the progress of some children in their confidence and mathematical understanding.
• Children in the Reception Year make good progress in reading because the teaching of phonics is effective. Children use their knowledge of sounds to attempt unfamiliar words. They show enjoyment and pleasure when reading books.
• Adults in all classes in the early years create a caring, safe place for children. Relationships are positive. Children are encouraged to persevere. For example, a group of Nursery and Reception children enjoyed pancake races outside during the inspection. Their learning and enjoyment were enhanced by the encouragement from the adults. They showed great delight in flipping their pancakes during the race.
• Children in the Nursery behave very well. In the Reception class, expectations of behaviour are not always high enough. For example, when going into assembly, children show that they can move with care and respect for others, walking calmly down corridors. However, routines for going to play outside are not followed by all staff. As a result, children run to get coats and rush to go outside.
• Adults are always attentive to children when learning and playing inside and outside. All welfare requirements are met.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 130883 Warwickshire 10086922 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 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 243 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Donna Halliman Anita Timson 01788 542 610 www.st-matthewsbloxam.co.uk admin3213@welearn365.com Date of previous inspection 4–5 March 2015

Information about this school

• St Matthew’s Bloxam C of E Primary is an average-sized primary school.
• Around two thirds of the pupils are White British and a fifth are from other white backgrounds. One in five pupils speaks English as an additional language.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average, with one tenth of pupils on the SEND register. The number of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is above the national average.
• The headteacher joined the school in September 2017. A new leadership team has been in place since September 2018, with the internal promotion of the deputy headteacher and two new phase leaders in early years foundation stage and key stage 1.
• Since September 2017, six new teachers have joined the school. There is one newly qualified teacher.
• A breakfast and after-school club called ‘Building Blox’ is provided for pupils.
• The school is receiving support from a local authority school improvement partner, a national leader of education and a local authority task group.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching in all classes. All lesson observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.
• Inspectors met with groups of pupils, listened to pupils read and observed pupils at breaktime and lunchtime.
• Inspectors looked at pupils’ books from different year groups and different subjects.
• Inspectors took account of 33 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 17 free-text responses. Inspectors spoke to parents on the playground.
• Inspectors reviewed the 23 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and 11 responses to Ofsted’s pupils’ questionnaire.
• Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, minutes of governors’ meetings, the use of additional funding, behaviour records, attendance and safeguarding documents. Inspectors considered leaders information about pupils’ progress and teaching and learning.
• Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, phase leaders, subject leaders and staff with responsibility for the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, the local authority’s school improvement officer and a representative from the Diocese of Coventry.

Inspection team

Pamela Matty, lead inspector Benjamin Taylor Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector