St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 22–23 March 2012 Inspection number 377682 Unique Reference Number 107995 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 377682 Inspection dates 22–23 March 2012 Lead inspector Andrew Clark

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 84 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Fiona Walker Headteacher Duncan Walsh Date of previous school inspection 30 June 2009 School address Hallfield Lane Wetherby LS22 6JS Telephone number 01937 583379 Fax number 01937 583379 Email address walshdj01@leedslearning.net Inspection report: St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 2 of 11

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Inspection report: St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 3 of 11

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days notice. The inspector took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. He observed teaching and learning in seven lessons taught by four teachers and in group and individual learning activities. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, members of the governing body and school staff, including senior and middle leaders. The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school development plan, safeguarding and behaviour policies, and minutes of the governing body meetings. The inspector analysed 25 parental and carers’ questionnaires, together with those completed by pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. The number on roll has decreased since the previous inspection due to changes in the area. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well above average. The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds. A small but increasing number of pupils are from Eastern European countries and speak English as an additional language. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is also well above average. The school meets government floor standards, which set minimum expectations for attainment and progress. The school has achieved several awards including the Activemark and Healthy Schools status. Inspection report: St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 4 of 11

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Information about the school

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

 This is a good school. Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The pupils achieve well through the rest of the school and their attainment is average in English and mathematics by the time they leave in Year 6. Attainment in reading is above average. Pupils are eager to learn and present their work with care. The overall effectiveness of the school is not yet outstanding because relative weaknesses in the quality of teaching do not always ensure pupils make the very best progress.

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Key Findings

 The quality of teaching is good throughout the school. Work is matched well to pupils’ needs and lessons are exciting and engaging. Very occasionally, pupils are not fully challenged throughout the lesson. Teachers and teaching assistants make good use of their knowledge of teaching basic skills systematically and thoroughly. As a result, all groups of learners, including disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress.

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Key Findings

 The whole school community works well together to provide a purposeful and caring ethos. As a result pupils’ behaviour and safety are good. Their behaviour in the classroom contributes well to the progress they make. There are very few instances of bullying and pupils are well informed about how to manage their own behaviour and to keep safe.

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Key Findings

 The headteacher provides a clear vision for future development and leads an effective staff team. Teaching is well led. The good curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well, although opportunities to deepen pupils’ learning further are not fully established. Procedures for managing performance and self-evaluation have led to good improvements since the school was previously inspected particularly to the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school has a strong capacity for further improvement. Inspection report: St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 5 of 11

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Hasten pupils’ progress further by improving the quality of teaching to outstanding by:  ensuring pupils are fully involved and contributing at all points of the lesson  ensuring the work set consistently provides the right level of challenge for all pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Deepen pupils’ learning by extending opportunities for pupils to use thinking, problem-solving and research skills further throughout the curriculum.

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Achievement of pupils

Children make good progress from their starting points in the Early Years Foundation Stage. In particular, early reading and writing skills are well established for all abilities. They generally start school with skills which are below those typically expected. The strong focus on the promotion of children's early language experiences and imaginative activities, indoors and out, prepare children well for their future learning by time they start Year 1.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils of all abilities make good progress through the rest of the school and are eager to learn. They listen attentively to their teachers and their peers, and speak pertinently in response to carefully framed questions. Pupils take pride in their work and aim to improve it. They often write meaningfully at length and make good use of their time in lessons. Spelling and punctuation are accurate and used well. The pupils largely collaborate well in group activities and enjoy opportunities for discussion in pairs. They make use of literacy and numeracy skills in several subjects including art and design, history and religious education, but sometimes chances for pupils to extend their thinking, problem-solving and research skills further are not fully developed. The more-able pupils make good progress. They apply a good knowledge of number facts and calculation skills to solve problems in mathematics. They make

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Achievement of pupils

good use of homework and different subjects to develop their writing and other skills. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make at least good progress. They develop a wide range of learning skills which, are securely and systematically built on and regularly applied. Pupils who speak English as an additional language quickly acquire the English skills they need to access and benefit from the school’s good curriculum.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ progress in reading is good. Pupils of all abilities reach average levels of attainment by Year 2, and by Year 6 their attainment in reading is above average. They make particularly good use of their well-established skills to recognise letters and their sounds, and effectively use them to identify new words. Pupils’ comprehension skills and their ability to make inferences from the text they are reading are good. Throughout the school pupils enjoy reading from a range of appropriately challenging books and regular use of high quality fiction in English Inspection report: St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 6 of 11

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Achievement of pupils

lessons. Parents and carers share in their children’s progress in reading through the home-school books. Parents and carers are of the view that their children’s achievement is good, which the inspection confirms.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers have high expectations, reflected in the pupils’ purposeful and positive attitudes in every lesson. Teachers’ good questioning skills ensure pupils understand and can articulate their learning. For example, in Key Stage 2, the teacher enabled the pupils to make good use of the mathematical vocabulary on area and perimeter to solve problems involving irregular shapes. Teachers make good use of time in the large majority of lessons and work is well presented because pupils are clear about what to do. However, very occasionally, the use of strategies to ensure everyone participates fully in responding to questions, such as talking partners, is not fully established. Teachers and teaching assistants ask probing questions, gently but persistently, to ensure disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs have a clear understanding of the tasks they undertake. The pupils’ main learning

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Quality of teaching

activities are accurately matched to their ability and are always interesting. However, occasionally, pupils undertake less demanding work at the start of the lesson before moving on to more challenging tasks. Teachers make good use of the planned curriculum to allow pupils to practise their literacy and numeracy skills. For example, pupils’ biographical writing is used to good effect in work on the Victorians and their mathematical skills are used well to create timelines and handle census and other data. The strong relationships teachers establish and the good levels of self- awareness and responsibility they expect have a positive impact on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In particular, teachers increasingly expect pupils to comment and reflect on the quality of their work, especially in writing.

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Quality of teaching

Reading, writing and numeracy skills are systematically taught, leading to pupils’ good progress. Senior leaders take a strong role in ensuring all abilities are reading well by the time they start Year 3. Good deployment of teaching assistants, including those who speak the pupils’ first language, contributes to the progress made by pupils who speak English as an additional language. Teachers make good use of technology both as a teaching and a learning tool. Pupils’ work is accurately and thoroughly assessed. Marking and feedback in English and mathematics effectively guides pupils to higher achievement and engages them in improving their own learning. Parents and carers are positive about the quality of teaching and pupils confirm that they enjoy their learning, reflecting the findings of the inspection.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ behaviour is good throughout school. They are punctual and keen to learn. Pupils are involved in creating and monitoring school rules. The strong family ethos that permeates through school is reinforced well by acts of collective worship and daily routines. Pupils have good levels of responsibility for their own conduct and are kind and considerate towards others. The small number of pupils with emotional and social difficulties is effectively helped to recognise and improve their own behaviour. The school council takes an active role in initiatives to maintain the good behaviour and raises pupils’ self-esteem. The school maintains detailed records of the rare behavioural incidents and takes strong and appropriate action to address them. Inspection report: St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 7 of 11

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils are well informed about different types of bullying and how to manage and avoid it. There is little indication of bullying of any kind and pupils are confident that if it should arise it would be appropriately managed. Parents and carers have positive views about pupils’ behaviour and feel they are well looked after. Pupils strongly agree that behaviour is good around school and in lessons. The inspection confirms these views.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils feel safe. The senior leadership team and governing body, led by the headteacher, are proactive in promoting pupils’ awareness of how to stay safe. Visits from the police and fire services, cycling and road-safety activities, alongside residential and other visits, all contribute to pupils’ readiness for greater independence.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide a sure and focused direction for school improvement. They provide good role models and team work is good. Teachers take advantage of well-planned opportunities for professional development through in-house and wider training. It is an open and inclusive school built upon strong principles and procedures. The governing body is ambitious and well informed, and makes a good contribution to development planning. Accurate self- evaluation ensures the quality of teaching is developing and enriching pupils’ experiences. The governing body and school leaders ensure good promotion of equality and strongly tackle potential issues of discrimination. This harmonious school is effectively narrowing the gap between the achievements of different groups of children. Assessment outcomes are analysed well to identify and eliminate any emerging differences in children’s progress so that all groups of learners achieve

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Leadership and management

well. The school has thorough procedures to promote safeguarding, address any concerns and ensure all staff are suitable to work with children.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is good in its breadth and balance. The school’s commitment to enrich the lives of all pupils through memorable learning experiences is a reason for its continued success. There has been significant improvement to the provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage since the previous inspection and it is led well. Regular visits and visitors and the wide range of extra-curricular activities contribute to pupils’ enjoyment of learning and desire to succeed, despite the school’s small size. However, some opportunities for pupils to research, solve problems and use such higher-order skills throughout the curriculum are less well established. The partnerships with many professional support services and the links with other schools contribute to pupils’ experiences. The impact of the curriculum on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. In particular, pupils’ understanding of

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Leadership and management

different cultures through their studies in religious education, history and geography is very strong. Inspection report: St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 8 of 11

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Inspection report: St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 9 of 11

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils' punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils' freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning. Inspection report: St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 10 of 11

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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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School, Wetherby, LS22 6JS

Thank you for making me feel very welcome when I inspected your school recently. I enjoyed visiting you in your lessons and joining you at playtimes. You go to a good school. These are some of the best things about it.

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School, Wetherby, LS22 6JS

 You make good progress through all classes and are well prepared for your next school.  You enjoy your lessons and teachers give you practical and fun things to learn about.  Your behaviour is good and you feel safe because everyone takes very good care of you.  You read and write well in many different subjects. Your reading is particularly good.  You take your responsibilities on the school council very seriously. You all make very good contributions to different charities and you obviously enjoyed your hard work on ‘Sport’s Relief Day’.

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School, Wetherby, LS22 6JS

To help your school to improve even more, I have asked your headteacher and the governing body to make the teaching even better by:

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School, Wetherby, LS22 6JS

 making sure you are fully involved through all your lessons and that all the work challenges you  giving you more chances to practise your research, problem-solving and thinking skills in different subjects.

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School, Wetherby, LS22 6JS

You can help by always trying your best, thinking hard and continuing to enjoy school.

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School, Wetherby, LS22 6JS

Andrew Clark Lead inspector Inspection report: St James' Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 22–23 March 2012 11 of 11

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School, Wetherby, LS22 6JS

procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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