All Saints' Church of England Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management, by:
  • further developing the role of middle leaders to increase their effect on improving teaching, learning and assessment
  • ensuring that the use of funding for disadvantaged pupils is effective in improving their outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics
  • further developing the curriculum to improve pupils’ understanding of the cultures and beliefs of different people.
• Improve teaching, learning and assessment, and hence pupils’ outcomes, by:
  • ensuring that pupils receive work which is appropriately challenging in mathematics
  • providing more opportunities for pupils to apply their writing skills across a range of subjects
  • making sure that pupils’ presentation and handwriting are always of the highest standard
  • improving the ability of pupils to spell correctly, especially basic common words.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Over time, leaders, including governors, have not addressed quickly enough the weaknesses in teaching and have not ensured that pupils make consistently good progress. Consequently, too many pupils have left the school below the standard expected for their age.
• Since his appointment, the interim executive headteacher has substantially accelerated the rate of improvement. Leaders and staff are revitalised and share a vision to rapidly improve the performance of the school. Teaching and pupils’ progress are improving.
• Leaders responsible for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have systems in place to support these pupils. However, these systems are recent and their effect has yet to be seen.
• Subject leaders have an overview of teaching, learning and assessment in their areas. However, their knowledge of pupils’ progress across the school is not secure.
• Leaders recognise that the use of funding for disadvantaged pupils has previously not had a positive enough effect on pupils’ attainment and progress. Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils are low and the differences between these pupils and other pupils nationally remain. Senior leaders have amended their plans on how the funding could be used more effectively. Inspection evidence is showing that disadvantaged pupils currently in the school are making stronger progress.
• Aspects of pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development are promoted well and underpinned by the school’s values of thankfulness, forgiveness, courage and community. However, opportunities to learn about the diverse cultures of people and communities are missing.
• The wider curriculum is enhanced through topic launches to engage pupils and encourage curiosity. These ‘Wow’ days effectively set the context for learning and raise the profile of different subjects. Pupils regularly go on school visits to enhance their learning, such as a visit to a history centre where pupils learned about Romans.
• The executive headteacher receives strong support from the school’s deputy headteachers. As a team they work very hard and in a short period of time have made substantial improvements to the quality of teaching and the progress pupils make. Senior leadership in the school has the capacity to make further improvement.
• Leaders have identified relevant priorities for improvement and plans to address them are precise and challenging. They regularly monitor the quality of teaching and learning and provide timely support for teachers where appropriate.
• Leaders use the primary school physical education and sport funding to good effect. The additional funding is used to provide, for example, good opportunities for pupils to engage in a range of after-school sports clubs and sporting opportunities.
• The school is currently receiving formal support from a multi-academy trust. This is contributing to the noticeable improvements in leadership, teaching and pupils’ progress.
• The local authority and the multi-academy trust provide good-quality professional development opportunities for teachers and governors that relate closely to the school’s priorities.

Governance of the school

• In the past, governors have not held previous leaders to account for the school’s performance. They have not worked swiftly enough to address the weaknesses identified in the previous inspection.
• Following a period of disruption and resignations, the structure of the governing body was in disarray. Rapid intervention by the executive headteacher, and the trust supporting the school, has stabilised the board and improved their effectiveness through the appointment of experienced governors. Better systems are now in place to ensure that governors know more accurately where improvements have taken place or are needed, and can hold leaders to account for pupil outcomes. However, it is too soon to judge the effectiveness of these systems.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a strong safeguarding culture in the school. Leaders ensure that staff receive effective safeguarding training and check regularly that members of staff understand their responsibilities in keeping children safe. Staff are vigilant to pupils’ vulnerabilities and are aware of what to do should they have any concerns. Leaders record all safeguarding information in detail and contact relevant agencies in a timely manner.
• Leaders work closely with outside agencies and parents and carers to support vulnerable pupils and their families. Leaders carry out appropriate checks on the suitability of staff working with pupils and their records are well maintained.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Since the last inspection, the quality of teaching has been inconsistent and not good. Teaching remains variable and is much stronger in some year groups than others. As a result, pupils make better progress in some classes than in others.
• Teachers do not consistently plan learning activities in mathematics that match the needs of pupils. Teachers’ assessments of what pupils can achieve are sometimes inaccurate. Often the work that pupils complete is too easy and does not challenge them sufficiently, particularly for those pupils who are of average ability and pupils who are most able.
• Teachers’ expectations are variable. This leads to pupils’ presentation and handwriting being inconsistent across classes. Occasionally, some teachers are not routinely helping pupils improve their spelling of common everyday words.
• Standards in writing are improving and in some classes, especially in Year 6, the quality of writing is good. However, in other classes these high standards are not so evident. Too often, pupils are not having enough opportunities to practise and apply their writing skills across a range of subjects.
• The determined effort by leaders to improve the quality of teaching of reading is paying dividends. Learning activities are well planned and pupils are developing a deeper understanding of what they are reading as a result.
• Teaching assistants work well with individual pupils and with small groups of pupils. They contribute effectively to the stronger progress pupils are currently making.
• Classrooms are calm working environments where relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Pupils enjoy their learning and are motivated to do well most of the time.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school’s curriculum is supported by a range of extra-curricular activities. For example, the enterprise club enables older pupils to raise funds for the school through the organising of a healthy tuck shop each morning. This involves pupils deciding which products to sell and calculating costs to ensure that a profit is made.
• Pupils’ physical needs are well developed through the good use of the outdoor space for activity breaktimes. Pupils also take advantage of a wide range of sporting activities on offer during and outside the school day, such as tag rugby and orienteering.
• The main school value, community, is promoted well. A large group of pupils recently attended a local event where they performed songs for the local community. Pupils also raise money for a range of charitable causes.
• Pupils learn to take responsibility through their roles as school council members. They are proud of these roles and understand how they contribute to the school. Pupils develop an understanding of democracy through election to this role.
• The school’s ethos is based on strong Christian values. However, pupils’ understanding of the cultures and beliefs of different people is not well developed.
• Pupils have good opportunities to debate issues and voice their opinions. For example, pupils wrote persuasive letters to a marine theme park to express their concerns around the captivity of orca whales.
• Pupils who made their views known say that they feel safe in school. They are confident that they can talk to an adult should they have any concerns. Pupils know how to stay safe while using the internet.
• The majority of pupils take a pride in their work, which is neat and well-presented most of the time. However, occasionally inspectors saw work which was untidy and lacking in care.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are very positive about the behaviour system that has been introduced this term. They like the incentives that are in place, and they aspire to achieve the highest level awarded for behaviour and attitudes. Pupils say that behaviour has improved considerably as a result.
• The school’s attendance rates are broadly in line with the national average. Leaders have developed effective systems to foster pupils’ good attendance and to tackle any attendance which falls below their expectations. A parent support adviser works closely with families and has been successful in improving the attendance of targeted individuals.
• Pupils show a good understanding of what is meant by bullying, and the different types of bullying. They report that bullying is rare in school. They are confident that staff would deal with any issues that arise.
• The school is a calm and orderly place where pupils are polite to adults and each other, and welcoming to visitors. Their conduct in class and around school is good. Occasionally, in lessons, a minority of pupils can lose interest in what they are doing when learning is not engaging them fully.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics have been below average since the last inspection. Evidence collected during the inspection indicates that current pupils are making stronger progress.
• Disadvantaged pupils are not catching up quickly enough or reaching the level of attainment of which they are capable. Published assessment information shows that the differences in attainment between these pupils and other pupils are not diminishing. The progress that disadvantaged pupils are making currently is much improved.
• Over time, pupils with SEND have made weak progress from their starting points. Currently, these pupils are making stronger progress because of the targeted teaching they receive. However, there is a lack of clarity as to how strong this progress is.
• The most able pupils are often not challenged sufficiently in mathematics, because teachers do not swiftly identify when they are ready to move on in their learning. Too often, most-able pupils are completing work that is too easy.
• Pupils’ progress in subjects other than English and mathematics is variable and is mirrored by the variations in the quality of teaching. Where teaching is most effective in the school, teachers plan learning activities that develop skills and knowledge in a range of subjects.
• Current pupils in the school are making stronger progress than previously and there are clear signs of improvement. However, progress remains variable in writing and mathematics, in line with the quality of teaching pupils are receiving. In some classes, progress is strong, which is evident in the quality of work in pupils’ books.
• Reading attainment has remained below average over time. However, there is a noticeable improvement since the last inspection. The proportion of pupils attaining the expected and higher standards in reading is now closer to national averages.

Inspection report: All Saints’ Church of England Junior School, 27–28 November 2018

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School details

Unique reference number 117978 Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire Inspection number 10048195 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 controlled 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 387 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Lisa Cowen David Barber (interim executive headteacher) Telephone number 01482 648 082 Website Email address www.allsaintscefederationhessle.co.uk allsaintsce.federation@eastriding.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 25–26 May 2016

Information about this school

• The school is larger than an average-sized primary school.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is below average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium funding is average.
• A leader from a multi-academy trust is acting as an interim executive headteacher.
• Leaders and the school are receiving formal support from a multi-academy trust.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all classes. Several lessons were observed jointly with the deputy headteachers.
• A sample of pupils’ work from all classes was scrutinised.
• Inspectors listened to a selection of pupils read from all year groups.
• Meetings were held with pupils, senior leaders, other staff, four members of the governing body, a local authority representative and a representative of the diocese.
• Inspectors observed pupils moving around the school, including on the playgrounds, during assembly and in the dining hall.
• Inspectors scrutinised a number of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, school improvement plans, attendance records and safeguarding information.
• Inspectors took account of the 146 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey, the 14 responses to the staff survey, the 48 responses to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire, Parent View, and 40 free-text responses to Parent View.
• Inspectors spoke informally with parents at the start of the school day.

Inspection team

Alan Chaffey, lead inspector Melissa Milner Tracy Fulthorpe

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector