St George's CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Maintain improvements to teaching, learning and assessment by making sure that:
  • teachers offer the right level of challenge in lessons, especially for the most able pupils
  • in all classes, teachers and support staff provide enough instruction so that pupils fully understand what they are learning and ask questions that deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding
  • assessment information is used to build on what pupils already know so that teachers and support staff are better able to adapt tasks that meet the needs and abilities of pupils
  • pupils complete all the work set for them, as well as expecting more work from pupils when they work independently.
• Sustain the improvements to pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics by:
  • adopting more effective ways to teach phonics, handwriting, spelling and punctuation in key stage 1
  • using assessment information to determine the most effective interventions to improve the progress of disadvantaged pupils
  • making sure that pupils in key stage 2 read often and widely to experience different genres and authors and to improve their range of vocabulary when writing independently
  • further developing pupils’ mathematics skills across the school.
• Improve leadership, management and governance by:
  • focusing on those priorities and actions in the improvement plans that will have most impact on improving teaching and learning
  • sustaining the current improvements to governance so that governors are better able to challenge school leaders and hold them to account
  • evaluating teaching, pupils’ work and progress more sharply to provide teachers with precise areas for improvement
  • ensuring that teachers and support staff see and share best practice within and beyond the local cluster of schools. External reviews of governance and the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how these aspects of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Unstable staffing, weak teaching and inconsistent leadership and governance since the previous inspection resulted in a decline in the school’s effectiveness. National assessment results from 2016 to 2018 show that attainment and pupils’ progress declined.
• Following this decline, the local authority intervened and together with the Worcester diocese are providing the school with the effective support and challenge needed to help school leaders, staff and governors to make necessary improvements. Pupils currently across the school are making better progress than previously and the quality of teaching is improving.
• The headteacher has managed to deal effectively with some weak or inadequate teaching. Both the headteacher and recently appointed deputy headteacher now have the capacity to secure more improvements. Leaders, staff and governors are increasingly sharing best practice with other partner schools in the local cluster. However, there is much more to do to improve some of the weakest aspects of teaching in some classes.
• The review board, comprising senior leaders, local authority and diocesan advisers, as well as governors, is providing a sharp and critical approach to monitoring and evaluation. This is helping to secure the current improvements to pupils’ progress and teaching in all classes.
• Staff morale is high, as reflected in the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and through discussions with teachers and support staff. The staff are now provided with good-quality guidance from leaders and advisers. However, leaders’ reviews of teaching and learning could be sharper. There is a wide range of monitoring carried out by the headteacher and deputy headteacher, but reviews of lessons and pupils’ work in books do not always pinpoint specific weaknesses. This makes it difficult for teachers and support staff to see what needs to improve most in their classroom practice.
• Leaders have developed effective assessment systems to help them track pupils’ progress and performance. Accurate assessments are helping to identify those groups of pupils most in need of support. For example, improved teaching and focused intervention work are starting to help disadvantaged pupils. However, in some classes the gaps between the achievements of disadvantaged pupils and those of other pupils nationally who are not disadvantaged remain.
• All the parents who spoke with inspectors and the majority who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and with free-text responses are very pleased with their children’s welfare and education. ‘St George’s is a friendly, cohesive school where pupils mix well and have good relationships across all years. The staff are always approachable and make themselves available when they are needed,’ stated one. This comment reflects the large number of similarly positive views from parents.
• Senior leaders identify the right priorities in their strategic action plans but there are too many actions listed in the plans to focus sufficiently on the most important ones. Senior and middle leaders monitor lessons, pupils’ work and assessment information regularly. This systematic approach is helping to improve pupils’ progress and teachers’ performance. However, the commentaries and evaluations of teaching following monitoring are not always specific enough to address the more pressing weaknesses.
• Inconsistencies in teachers’ expectations over recent years are reflected in the significant differences between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and that of others who are not disadvantaged nationally. The headteacher has reorganised some of the teaching, for example in English and mathematics lessons for pupils in key stage 2, so that the most effective teachers narrow these differences. The pupil premium is being used quite well in this respect, but more is still needed to improve disadvantaged pupils’ achievement in all classes.
• Funding for pupils with SEND is being used well to plan interventions and deploy resources to good effect for pupils who have additional learning needs, disabilities or specific learning difficulties, such as autism and dyslexia.
• Staff training and professional development, including that provided by the diocese and local authority, are well coordinated to improve teaching and governance. Nearly all the staff reported in Ofsted’s staff survey that they feel well supported by senior and middle leaders. The headteacher and deputy headteacher are good role models and share their experiences with staff to help improvement.
• The well-planned curriculum is improving and includes a range of enrichment activities, such as outdoor learning, educational visits, sport and the creative and performing arts. These make a significant contribution to pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning and school. Leaders are now focusing on improving pupils’ reading and writing when studying the many different topics and themes planned across the curriculum.
• Sport, physical education (PE) and music are good features of the school’s curriculum. Many pupils benefit from the range of sports, team games and activities provided by the school. Effective use is made of the PE and sport premium. The creative and performing arts and sport are taught well. Leaders accommodate those families whose children are unable to attend clubs after school by planning lunchtime enrichment activities.
• Leaders and staff teach pupils values that are integral to the British way of life so that they learn to respect and understand all major faiths, beliefs and cultures. There are close links with the local church and pupils have opportunities to visit places of worship represented by other faiths and religions. The staff plan activities, including educational visits and the use of visitors or special themes, to support pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

Governance of the school

• Governors are committed to ensuring that the school continues its current recovery. Following the decline in the school’s performance, governors are increasingly diligent in exercising their duties to oversee and steer the school’s work.
• The governing body carried out a timely skills audit of its members to address any gaps or shortcomings in their capacity to challenge and support school leaders. Newly appointed governors and reorganised roles and responsibilities of its committees have strengthened the governing body.
• However, in the recent past governors did not challenge the school’s leaders enough and were too complacent. The diocese is providing additional support and scrutiny of the governing body and it is willing and able to act on such advice and guidance.
• The review board, which oversees the school’s improvements, includes representation from the governing body. This too is adding further scrutiny and enabling governors to review the school’s work more critically.
• Governors are now gathering more first-hand evidence from direct observations of the school’s work carried out with senior leaders. As a result, they are in a stronger position to evaluate and challenge leaders.
• The school’s current improvement plans, which contain too many actions and priorities, make it difficult for governors to gauge the impact of leaders’ actions on standards in the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a strong culture of safeguarding to ensure that pupils are safe, protected, healthy and happy in school.
• Many parents commented in the free-text responses and Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, that their children receive the right support and guidance. For example, a parent reflecting the views of most stated, ‘We like the emphasis placed on emotional learning.’ Nearly all parents agree that their children are well cared for, safe and secure in school.
• The staff are trained to keep children safe and are aware of the school’s arrangements for reporting concerns. Staff undertake first-aid training, including paediatric first aid for early years children. Leaders, staff and governors are vigilant in protecting children from radicalisation, extremism and child exploitation.
• Pupils are taught about online safety and how to manage risks. This is good practice, particularly for older pupils before they transfer to secondary education.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching requires improvement because it has not yet led to good achievement for all pupils. The work in pupils’ books, assessments of their progress and observations of parts of lessons show that many pupils are capable of achieving more.
• In some classes, teachers do not use assessments of pupils’ progress to plan and adapt tasks to meet all pupils’ needs and abilities. The most able pupils are not being provided with enough challenging work in some lessons.
• The questions teachers pose when pupils read or write independently, do not extend pupils’ thinking or vocabulary. However, there are some exceptions to this in some classes. For example, in a Year 5 English lesson, the teacher provided ample opportunities for pupils to broaden their vocabulary when writing. Pupils were encouraged to read aloud what they had written, which improved their confidence and demonstrated how well they structured their writing. However, effective practice such as this is not yet evident in all classes and teachers do not routinely improve pupils’ reading and writing skills.
• In some lessons, teachers do not expect pupils to go over mistakes or errors while these are fresh in pupils’ minds. In the most effective lessons, teachers probe and question pupils to make sure that they understand the next steps in their learning. Where such effective questioning does not take place, some pupils make less progress.
• Pupils with SEND receive well-devised and effective support from teachers and support staff. There is a good combination of support provided in every class as well as additional intervention work with an adult individually and in groups.
• Pupils are eager to learn and often try hard and persevere, even when they find a task difficult. However, teachers do not always provide enough information or instructions for pupils to be fully equipped for new learning. For example, when pupils discussed periods of history in key stage 2 they did not have enough information to hand to produce meaningful or accurate answers. Similarly, when pupils in key stage 1 tried to match words that have similar spelling patterns, they were not provided with the necessary knowledge about spelling features, such as digraphs and root words. This slowed pupils’ progress and prevented them from learning in greater depth.
• Despite the weaknesses described above, inspection findings also confirm that teachers are increasingly adopting more effective practice. There are also pockets of strong practice in all three key stages. This is having a positive impact on raising standards and improving the achievement and progress of pupils currently in the school. Most of the responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire and nearly all the parents spoken with during the inspection are pleased with the improvements to teaching.
• Pupils are well behaved and attentive in lessons. They are eager to contribute to class and group discussions. These positive attributes reflect the high expectations for behaviour shared by staff. However, when pupils work independently there are occasions when teachers and support staff do not extend learning enough or insist that pupils do sufficient work. This is particularly evident in some books, where pupils have not completed all the work set for them.
• Assessments show that pupils are making better progress now because of improvements to teachers’ expectations. Discussions with pupils about their work and progress show that they are keen to read and write independently and some of them can reach higher standards in mathematics. The most effective teaching, for example in a mathematics lesson observed in Year 4, sets good pace and challenge for all pupils. Little time is wasted, and the teacher makes sure that pupils complete their work on time as well as expecting more from them when working independently. This strong practice is not yet in place in all lessons in key stages 1 and 2.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to support pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• ‘Teachers help me, and they really care’ and ‘I like coming to school, we do lots of different things,’ were typical of the many positive comments made by pupils during the inspection. There are positive and supportive relationships between pupils and staff.
• Pupils have many opportunities to participate and contribute to their school community. This is having a positive impact on their personal, social and moral development. Pupils learn to adopt and apply British values, such as democracy, when influencing the work of the school through the school council. Playground leaders help to look after other pupils, including helping children in the Reception class at breaktimes.
• Pupils develop good social skills and were observed on many occasions playing cooperatively at breaktimes and caring for others, including looking after vulnerable pupils or those with a disability.
• The staff make an effective contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Parents are very pleased with the pastoral care and welfare provided for their children.
• Pupils are taught how best to deal with bullying, internet safety and the risks of radicalisation or exploitation. Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in school and know how to share any concerns they may have with leaders and staff. Many parents commented to inspectors that their children settle into school well because the headteacher, staff and other pupils are caring and respectful of everyone.
• Pupils who join the school at different times speaking English as an additional language integrate very well and soon settle into school. Other pupils make them feel welcome and part of this inclusive school community. Pupils and staff embrace religious, ethnic and cultural diversity very well. In addition to the school’s Christian ethos and close links with the church, pupils have opportunities to study and respect other faiths, customs and beliefs.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are proud of their school and those with additional responsibilities, such as play leaders, school councillors or librarians, wear their school badge with honour. Pupils are keen to show visitors around the school and feel that their work and efforts are valued by leaders, governors and staff.
• Pupils enjoy coming to school and this is reflected in much-improved attendance in most classes. Attendance rates compare well with national figures and pupils are usually punctual and ready for school and learning. Persistent absenteeism is reducing. Any pupils who arrive slightly late are checked in by administrative or support staff with sensitivity and encouragement.
• Pupils cooperate well in lessons and at other times. They are kind and helpful to each other and willingly offer praise to other pupils, including those with SEND. These positive characteristics make a good contribution to pupils’ moral and social development.
• Pupils support and encourage each other when sharing ideas during class discussions and they listen to each other with respect and courtesy. As a result, even the most reluctant pupils contribute to class discussions.
• There are occasions in lessons when pupils are not being challenged enough. As a result, some lose concentration or must wait too long before going on to a more challenging task. Although not always fully engaged or productive during lessons, pupils are patient and do not usually disturb others while they wait for harder work.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• The standards pupils reached in recent years in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stages 1 and 2 represent poor progress. Although progress is now improving, pupils should be doing better.
• Increasingly more pupils are making good progress but many have a good deal of catching up to do if they are to reach even higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stages 1 and 2.
• National assessments at key stage 1 from 2016 to 2018 show inconsistencies that reflect a historical legacy of weak practice and staff turbulence. Standards were too low in 2017 and recovered in 2018. Too few pupils in Year 1 reached the required standard in the phonics screening check in 2018 and standards were too low in writing.
• However, current pupils in Years 1 and 2 are making better progress. More pupils than previously are already on track to reach the required phonics scores in Year 1. Reading, writing and mathematics standards are already higher than the previous year. Nevertheless, pupils in key stage 1 should be doing better given that they start the key stage with solid foundations from good early years provision in the Reception class. Pupils’ writing still needs improvement, especially handwriting and spelling. In mathematics pupils should also be doing better at calculating number problems mentally.
• It is a similar picture at key stage 2. National assessment results show that there has been a steady and sustained decline in the progress that pupils make by the end of Year 6 from 2016 to 2018.
• Current assessments in key stage 2 show that standards are improving but the progress that pupils make depends on the quality of teaching and learning they receive. Pupils in Year 5 are making good progress in English and mathematics and a significant number of pupils in Year 4 are catching up quickly in mathematics because of some strong and effective teaching. Typically, across the school, pupils do better in mathematics compared with reading and writing, but the most able pupils should be doing better in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils in key stage 2 are not reading widely or often enough to maintain good progress in reading. The form and structure of pupils’ writing in Years 1 to 6 is improving but there is more to do to improve spelling and punctuation. In mathematics pupils make good progress in some classes but in others are not taught how to solve more complex number problems and calculations well enough. Pupils’ handwriting is usually well formed and structured but there are some pupils who are not making enough improvement to their handwriting. The school’s new handwriting policy is having a positive effect but has yet to become established in all classes.
• Pupils with SEND make good progress. They receive carefully tailored and timely support. The effective management of SEND provision enables teachers and support staff to plan the right interventions. Pupils receive effective one-to-one or group support in lessons and when withdrawn for more specialised interventions in shared areas outside the classroom.
• Many disadvantaged pupils do not make sufficient progress across classes and year groups in key stages 1 and 2. The difference between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally who are not disadvantaged is beginning to narrow but the pace of improvement varies according to the quality of teaching they receive.
• The small number of pupils who are in the early stages of speaking English as an additional language generally make good progress. They settle into school quickly and are helped to improve their confidence and fluency in spoken and written English.
• As standards improve, pupils in key stage 2 are catching up in preparation for moving on to secondary education. This was not always the case in the recent past, when standards by the end of key stage 2 were too low. Currently, pupils in Years 5 and 6 are increasingly acquiring secure core literacy and mathematics skills that will help them cope with the key stage 3 curriculum. However, there is a need for improvement in most key stage 1 and key stage 2 classes. The most able pupils should still be doing better so that more of them learn in greater depth and reach the highest standards.

Early years provision Good

• Most children join the Reception class with skills and abilities that are typically below those expected for their age, particularly in communication, language and literacy. Some children join the school with low language skills and abilities. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year is increasing well.
• Children’s work and progress show that they make a good progress in their all-round development. There is good teaching and leadership in the early years. Staff are vigilant, caring and effective in making sure that the children play and learn together safely and productively.
• Good teaching, combined with strong pastoral welfare for both children and families, is getting the youngest children off to a good start. Staff have built good working relationships with children and their families. School leaders and early years staff have a well-developed knowledge of the early years assessment requirements.
• Both the Reception teacher and support assistant know and look after the children very well and set them tasks that are usually interesting, varied and stimulating. Children were often observed in lessons fully engaged and interested in their learning. They use resources very well, for example when making dinosaur shelters using construction blocks or handling ice packs to ‘free the dinosaurs’ from the ‘ice age’. These stimulating and varied experiences also involve the children in activities such as the recent ‘wellie walk’ with their parents and staff.
• Activities inside and outside the classroom are linked to children’s own experiences, such as role-play shopping, cooking or going to the outdoor garden to plant seeds and bulbs. Children also engage in calm and effective reading sessions, involving adults sharing books and reading aloud with small groups. These are well planned to provide children with good-quality stories and interesting books to share with their friends
• Reception staff use effective assessment and observation systems to check on the progress made by children. Accurate assessments inform the teacher’s planning for children’s learning. The children’s learning journeys are catalogued individually for each child and are exceptionally well presented.
• All children make good progress in early reading and writing. Teachers and support staff are good at linking the teaching of early reading with that of early writing during effective phonics sessions. The staff insist that children form letters correctly when they teach the sounds that letters make. This good practice is now being built on when the children move from Reception into Year 1.
• The children enjoy choosing activities for themselves. Increasingly these activities are set out with appropriately challenging and stimulating resources. However, there are occasions when children engage in a particular activity but do not know what they are trying to achieve. Leaders and staff are aware of this and have started to provide visual prompts and instructions in each work area for the children to focus on.
• All welfare requirements, including assessments and safeguarding procedures, meet requirements. Reception staff are well qualified and have the necessary teaching experience and expertise to ensure that the children are well prepared for their education in key stage 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 116923 Worcestershire 10085504 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 200 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Barbara Rolison Louise Norris 01905 619454 www.stgeorgesprimary.co.uk admin@stgeorgesce.worcs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 10–11 December 2014

Information about this school

• This school is smaller than most primary schools. Pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds and heritages. One in three pupils speak English as an additional language. A small number of pupils join the school who are in the early stages of learning English. A significant number of pupils join the school at different times of the school year.
• Early years provision comprises one Reception class for four- and five-year-olds.
• The percentage of pupils with SEND is in line with that of most schools.
• Since the previous inspection in December 2014, there have been considerable staff changes. The deputy headteacher joined the school in September 2018. An assistant headteacher left the school last year and this post has not been replaced.
• Since the start of this school year, the local authority and the Worcester Church of England Diocese commissioned additional support for leaders, staff and governors. This includes support from improvement advisers and consultants as well as the partnerships established with a local cluster of schools. The local authority has also put in place a project board comprising senior officers, advisers, governors and school leaders, to review and monitor school improvement.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited parts of lessons in every class. Many visits were made jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work in books, assessment information and records of previous work, including work displayed on walls in classrooms and corridors.
• Inspectors considered a range of documentation, including leaders’ evaluations of the school’s effectiveness, the school’s improvement and raising attainment plans, assessment information and tracking data about pupils’ achievement, progress and performance and some school documents and data relating to governance, teaching, attendance and safeguarding.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils during lessons. They met with three groups of pupils to hear them read and to discuss their work, behaviour and safety. Inspectors spoke to pupils during break and lunchtimes to ask them for their views about the school. The lead inspector reviewed and analysed the 20 responses from pupils to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.
• Inspectors spoke to several parents to seek their views about the school and analysed 41 parental responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as 33 free-text comments from parents. The lead inspector considered seven responses from staff to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire. Inspectors also talked to the leaders and staff to gauge their views about the support they receive.
• Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and teachers responsible for managing the early years, SEND education, literacy and mathematics. The lead inspector held a meeting with three governors, including the chair of the governing body. The lead inspector also held telephone conversations with the school’s improvement adviser from Babcock Prime, the organisation commissioned by Worcester local authority to support and advise schools, and with the deputy director of education for Worcester Church of England Diocese. The lead inspector also spoke with the school’s finance manager to check safeguarding and staff vetting records.

Inspection team

Charalambos Loizou, lead inspector Karen O’Keefe Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector