All Saints CEVA Primary School and Nursery

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 13–14 September 2011 Inspection number 380381 All Saints VA Primary School and Nursery Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 121998 Local Authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 380381 Inspection dates 13–14 September 2011 Reporting inspector Christopher Parker

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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 aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 255 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Chris Haynes Headteacher Darren Smith Date of previous school inspection 14 November 2008 School address Castle Street Wellingborough NN8 1LS Telephone number 01933 225888 Fax number 01933 221708 Email address head@allsaints-pri.northants-ecl.gov.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the scho ol must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. Seventeen lessons, taught by eight teachers, were observed. Meetings were held with pupils, the headteacher, senior and subject leaders, and a member of the governing body. The inspectors looked at a range of documentation and a sample of the pupils’ work from last year. Questionnaire responses from pupils, staff and 95 parents and carers were analysed.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school’s work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.

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Introduction

 How effectively do the teaching, assessment, and curriculum meet the needs of less- and more-able pupils?

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Introduction

 Is the school improvement strategy sharply focused and are there strong mechanisms to monitor and evaluate its impact?

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Introduction

 How effectively is the children’s progress tracked in the Early Years Foundation Stage?

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Information about the school

This is an average-sized primary school. Most of the pupils are from White British backgrounds, with a quarter coming from a range of minority ethnic groups. A smaller proportion of pupils than usual is known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is similar to the national average.

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Information about the school

The school has undergone many changes over the last year. A new headteacher was appointed in September 2010 and five new teachers joined the school in September 2011. The school has also been extensively refurbished. At the time of the inspection some of the works were not finished.

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Information about the school

The inspection took place at the start of the new school year. The children in the Reception class had only started school the previous day and the youngest children had not started Nursery. 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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Main findings

The theme of an assembly visited during inspection was ’New beginnings’. With a relatively new headteacher, over half the teachers new to the school, the pupils in the first few days of a new academic year, and extensive refurbishment to the building, this was particularly apt. The headteacher and senior leaders share a clear vision for the school and have a well-developed improvement plan to take full advantage of this opportunity to build on the satisfactory education that the school currently provides for the pupils.

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Main findings

The refurbishment of the school’s facilities has created very good conditions for learning. This is particularly the case in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where the children make a good start to school life. In Years 1 to 6 pupils are achieving satisfactorily. While some groups of pupils make good progress, others do not make enough. The school is using sharply focused tracking of each pupil’s progress to make sure that as many pupils as possible make the progress expected of them. This resulted in improved attainment at the end Year 2 last year and illustrates well the school’s secure capacity to make further improvements.

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Main findings

Over the last year, the curriculum has been reorganised to allow the pupils to take a more active and investigative role in a range of interesting themes. Many of these themes contribute strongly to pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The pupils behave well and respond very positively to these opportunities, because many of the tasks the teachers set motivate and engage them. While the quality of teaching in some lessons is good, and occasionally outstanding, there are inconsistencies which make it satisfactory overall. The greatest inconsistency lies in the effectiveness with which the teachers assess the depth of the pupils’ understanding in lessons, and with which they mark the pupils’ work to help them to improve.

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Main findings

The headteacher is enthusiastic, and determined to bring further improvements. Senior leaders and subject leaders, while giving their full support, are not yet rigorously monitoring and evaluating the impact of developments. The governing body is increasingly questioning the headteacher through his informative reports, but it is not sufficiently involved in systematically evaluating the school’s performance.

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Main findings

Up to 40% of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. 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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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate all pupils’ progress, including that of those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, by ensuring that all teaching is consistently good or better, and in particular that:  assessment in lessons is effective in identifying what pupils understand, so that the teachers can modify or extend the support and challenge they provide  pupils are given detailed oral and written feedback, so that they know what they need to do make good progress and reach the next steps in their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Extend and develop the role of subject leaders so that they are systematically engaged in raising attainment, accelerating progress and improving the quality of teaching through rigorous monitoring and evaluation.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that governors are fully involved in systematically evaluating the school, by challenging and supporting developments and monitoring the impact of improvement activities.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

In many lessons, the pupils make good progress, but this is not consistently the case. In the new cohort that has just started Year 6, for example, strong teaching is helping the pupils to build on the good progress they made last year. Their attainment at the end of Year 5 exceeded expectations. This signals a clear upturn in attainment following a dip in results of national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2010 and 2011. In Year 6, pupils demonstrate mature attitudes to their work, respond very positively to their teachers’ questions and concentrate very well. Throughout the school, the pupils’ attitudes and application are generally good.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Analysis of the pupils’ progress over the last year reveals considerable inconsistency between year groups. Rigorous tracking and intervention reduced the variation during the course of the year, so that in all but one year group pupils made at least satisfactory progress. In a few lessons, tasks are not matched well enough to the needs of all groups; consequently, these pupils continue to make satisfactory rather than good progress.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

In some year groups, girls do better than boys. However, there are cohorts where boys do better than girls. The school has taken steps not only to analyse performance by gender, but also to plan tasks which engage and interest all pupils.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress in lessons. In the longer term they make secure and sometimes good 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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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

progress. However, new arrangements to accelerate the progress of a few pupils with focused support, are at a very early stage, and have yet to have an impact.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

The pupils’ personal development is rooted in the broad range of opportunities offered by the curriculum. For example, they have investigated how the Olympic Games will motivate them to keep fit. As a result, the pupils have a good understanding of the factors which affect their health. The pupils take a full part in school life, and recently contributed to a revision of the school’s code of conduct. The pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good, because they respond well to the many sporting and cultural opportunities that the school provides. The pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are warm, hospitable and upbeat in their attitude to school, and towards each other and their teachers. The school is a community which shares common values and where those from different ethnic groups work and play together harmoniously. The pupils say they feel safe at school, and their parents and carers agree. Attendance is average.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

These are the grades for pupils’ outcomes Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning Taking into account: Pupils’ attainment 1 The quality of pupils’ learning and their progress The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress The extent to which pupils feel safe 2 Pupils’ behaviour 2 The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community 2 The extent to which pupils develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being Taking into account: Pupils’ attendance 1 The extent of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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How effective is the provision?

There is a good level of consistency in the approach to planning lessons. New arrangements for grouping pupils in mathematics are ensuring that they have the right level of challenge in their work. In most lessons, the teachers are keen to get the pupils actively involved in interesting activities. However, there are occasions where the younger pupils have to listen to their teacher for too long.

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How effective is the provision?

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low 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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How effective is the provision?

A positive feature of some lessons is the good questioning by the teacher to keep abreast of the pupils’ understanding and progress during lessons. However, in other lessons, questioning to assess the pupils’ learning is not used well enough to determine whether further explanations or greater challenge are needed. The quality of marking also varies. Consequently, some pupils are not getting the guidance that they need to improve their work rapidly.

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How effective is the provision?

The teachers set high expectations of pupils’ presentation and handwriting, and have high aspirations for the vocabulary they will use. This was very well illustrated in an English lesson in Year 6, where the teacher used images, music and drama to inspire the pupils to compile a very comprehensive bank of words in preparation for a writing activity.

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How effective is the provision?

The curriculum has been redesigned to make it interesting and exciting, and to create opportunities to engage boys, particularly in writing activities. The themes which the teachers plan make effective links between subjects in order to create more coherent learning opportunities for pupils, through investigations such as ‘Is it right to fight?’, which included the pupils learning about the Second World War. The pupils have a good range of extra-curricular opportunities, trips and residential visits, which contribute strongly to their personal development.

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How effective is the provision?

The school has taken robust steps to improve overall attendance, and well-targeted support has much improved the attendance of a very few individuals with poor records. There is a caring and supportive ethos throughout the school.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision The quality of teaching Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils’ needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships The effectiveness of care, guidance and support 3

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher has a very good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. He has a very strong commitment to providing the pupils with a high- quality education. Over the last year, he has instigated a raft of developments to establish an effective cycle of self-evaluation. The headteacher monitors the quality of teaching to good effect, using his findings to improve the lessons for pupils. Rigorous and detailed tracking and analysis of every pupil’s progress have enabled the regular meetings which take place between the headteacher and each teacher to focus sharply on the progress of each pupil. Improvements in analysing the 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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How effective are leadership and management?

performance of different groups of pupils also illustrate the school’s commitment to equality of opportunity, but this remains satisfactory rather than good because some inconsistencies in pupils’ progress have yet to be ironed out. The school has set challenging targets for the coming year, particularly for what the more-able pupils can achieve, in order to bring a marked improvement in the school’s performance.

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How effective are leadership and management?

Subject leaders are supporting the school’s improvement strategy and implementing developments in assessment and tracking, but they are not sufficiently engaged in monitoring the impact of improvement activities and driving new developments in their own subjects. The governing body does not have a sufficiently high profile among staff, parents and carers. Over the last year, it has gained a clear picture of the school’s performance. The governing body receives a wide range of information, notably through the headteacher’s informative reports. Its members are beginning to raise questions about the school’s performance, but they are yet to robustly challenge the school to improve it. Plans are in place for the governing body to monitor the progress made towards achieving the priorities within the school improvement plan. However, it is not sufficiently involved in determining the strategic direction for improving the school.

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How effective are leadership and management?

There are good links with parents and carers, who are kept well informed of events and developments in school through a very detailed weekly newsletter. The introduction of ‘learning logs’ is proving to be a successful strategy for getting parents and carers involved in their children’s learning. The headteacher has taken steps to establish a parents’ forum for them to share their views about the school. The headteacher strongly encourages parents and carers to enter into a dialogue with the school, and has secured a range of other profitable partnerships. Procedures and arrangements for ensuring that the pupils are as safe as possible are satisfactory.

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How effective are leadership and management?

Arrangements to promote community cohesion are satisfactory. While there are many interesting developments which involve the pupils both finding out about and engaging in projects with the local and more distant communities, the school has not carried out an evaluation of the impact of these activities.

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How effective are leadership and management?

These are the grades for leadership and management The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities met The effectiveness of the school’s engagement with parents and carers 2 The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being 2 The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and 3 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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How effective are leadership and management?

tackles discrimination The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures 3 The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion 3 The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Some of the children enter the school with skills and abilities that are not as well developed as those expected for their age, particularly in communication, language and literacy. The focus, last year, on teaching letters and sounds had a marked impact in improving children’s progress in this area of learning. An analysis of the performance of the children in the Reception class shows that they made good progress, with most of the children reaching a secure level of development by the time they moved into Year 1.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The adults work together well as a team and show great care for the children. The children who have started school in the last few days are settling well into the daily routines. This is because of the induction arrangements, which parents and carers say they are very pleased with, and the smooth transition between Nursery and Reception. Productive partnerships with parents and carers are established through home visits, good communication and regular contact, notably at the start and end of the session. Planning and evaluation of the impact of activities take full account of the views of parents, carers and staff.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Lively teaching ensures that activities captivate the children. The adults provide well- resourced opportunities for the children to begin to explore the world around them, to develop their language – particularly their knowledge of letters and sounds – and to extend their personal development. The children are expected and encouraged to play and work together well, and they respond positively. As a result, even at a very early stage in the school year it is clear that children enjoy learning, and that their curiosity, independence and concentration are already developing well. The new covered area, which leads to the outdoor area, provides excellent opportunities for children to develop their skills and understanding in all areas of learning and in a range of contexts.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage is well managed. Welfare requirements are robust. The Early Years Foundation Stage leader has developed good systems to track and monitor progress, and is effective in identifying any weaknesses in provision and taking remedial action. This is well illustrated by the improvement in attainment and the progress in communication, language and literacy.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

The proportion of parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire was higher than is typical. A number of parents and carers added comments to their replies. Most of these were positive and remarked favourably on the improvements made by the headteacher, the care and support provided by the staff, and the opportunities provided for the pupils. While a few responses expressed concerns about aspects of the school’s provision, there were no common themes. A very few parents commented on ‘limited communication’, and several responded negatively within the questionnaire about the extent to which the school takes account of parents’ and carers’ suggestions and concerns. Inspectors found that the school encourages parents and carers to engage in dialogue, and parents are warmly welcomed into the school. To enhance communication further there are plans in place to set up a forum for parents and carers to express their views.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at All Saints VA Primary School and Nursery to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 95 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 251 pupils registered at the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Statements Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total % Total % Total % Total % My child enjoys school 52 55 42 44 1 1 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 53 56 39 41 0 0 2 2 The school informs me about my child’s progress 32 34 58 61 5 5 0 0 My child is making enough progress at this school 34 36 56 59 3 3 0 0 The teaching is good at this school 41 43 50 53 0 0 0 0 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 39 41 48 51 5 5 0 0 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 35 37 56 59 3 3 0 0 The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 37 39 55 58 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school meets my child’s particular needs 31 33 54 57 7 7 0 0 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 33 35 55 58 4 4 1 1 The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 27 28 54 57 11 12 2 2

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school is led and managed effectively 34 36 52 55 1 1 5 5 Overall, I am happy with my child’s experience at this school 46 49 43 46 1 1 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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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 43 47 10 0 Primary schools 6 46 42 6 Secondary schools 14 36 41 9

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 15 42 41 3 Special schools 30 48 19 3 Pupil referral units 14 50 31 5

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional 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 08 April 2011 and are consis tent 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

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness o f the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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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

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on 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 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. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.  The school’s capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils’ needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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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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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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NN8 1LS

Thank you for making me and my colleagues welcome when we inspected your school recently. You told us that you like the recent improvements to some of your classrooms. The adults care for you well and, as a result, you feel safe in school. You have a good understanding of how to stay healthy and keep fit, and make a good contribution to the school community. You behave well in lessons and on the playground.

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NN8 1LS

Your school gives you a satisfactory education. The headteacher and teachers are working hard to help you to make faster progress and reach higher standards in English and mathematics. Over the last year, they have been successful in helping you to make better progress. One way they have done this is by making the curriculum interesting and enjoyable. I have asked the teachers to be more consistent in the way they assess your progress in lessons, and I have also asked them to make sure that, when teachers mark your work, they tell you exactly how you can improve your next piece of work. You can help by always thinking about your teacher’s comments when you are doing your work.

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NN8 1LS

The headteacher is very keen to make your school better and better. He has set out a clear plan to improve things. I have asked some of the teachers and the adults who have responsibility for running your school to be much more involved in making improvements and checking how successful they have been.

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NN8 1LS

I enjoyed being in your school, and hope that in the future it is successful in helping you to achieve as well as you possibly can.

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NN8 1LS

Christopher Parker Lead inspector 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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