St Lukes CofE Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 15–16 September 2011 Inspection number 381676 St Lukes CofE Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 134353 Local Authority Staffordshire Inspection number 381676 Inspection dates 15–16 September 2011 Reporting inspector Sarah Bentley

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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 466 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Hart Headteacher Jane Roberts Date of previous school inspection 2 July 2009 School address New Penkridge Road Cannock WS11 1HN Telephone number 01543 510230 Fax number 01543 510231 Email address headteacher@st-lukes-cannock.staffs.sch.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 school 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 four additional inspectors. Inspectors observed 22 lessons taught by 15 teachers. They held meetings with groups of pupils, staff, parents and carers and members of the governing body. They observed the school's work, and looked at records of pupils' progress and attendance, the school's development plan, records of checks on teaching and documents relating to the safeguarding of pupils. They considered 144 responses to the parental questionnaire and those completed by pupils.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school’s work. It looked in detail at the following.

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Introduction

 How well do teachers use assessment to plan learning activities and experiences, and are these well matched to pupils’ abilities and needs to enable them to make good progress?  Are monitoring and evaluation procedures rigorous and is there clear evidence of the impact these have had on improving attendance and in raising attainment?  Do all leaders, including the governing body, contribute effectively to the quality of the school’s self-evaluation and to the drive for improvement?

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Information about the school

St Luke’s is a larger than average-sized school. Nearly all pupils are from White British backgrounds with the remainder from a mixture of other ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. No pupils are at the early stages of acquiring English. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average. The school has a number of externally accredited awards such as National Healthy Schools status, Sports Active Gold Mark and is an accredited Dyslexia Friendly School. The Farlea Kids Club (St Luke’s) which provides childcare on the school site is privately managed and, therefore, inspected separately.

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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

St Luke’s is a good school. It enables pupils’ to make good progress and reach above average standards in national and school-based tests by the time they leave. The school has been successful in boosting pupils’ attainment in writing and provides them with many exciting opportunities to write across the curriculum. The number of pupils who are reaching the higher levels in English by the time they leave has increased, and is on target to improve again by the end of the current academic year.

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Main findings

The school has many strengths and some aspects of its work are outstanding. Senior leaders engage parents and carers exceptionally well and they, in turn, value the school highly. They greatly appreciate its systems for open communication and the many initiatives that involve them in their children’s learning. As one commented, ‘This school is a large school yet it has the ability to make it feel like a small one’, and another said, ‘The school does a fantastic job all round and it gives the children amazing opportunities to pursue their interests.’

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Main findings

The school cares for all its pupils exceptionally well, ensuring that they are safe, and provides for those whose circumstances make them vulnerable in a sensitive and responsive way. Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding and they have excellent and very mature attitudes to their learning. As one said, ‘If you don’t try, then you don’t get your goals’. The high uptake and wide range of sporting opportunities, and pupils’ excellent understanding of healthy eating, underpin their appreciation of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. Partnerships in the local community and with other schools are outstanding and the school takes the lead in various community initiatives. The strengths of the school’s excellent promotion of community cohesion are evident in its impact on pupils’ personal development, especially in their outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Main findings

Teaching is good and teachers have high expectations of their pupils and what they are capable of doing. They accurately assess pupils' learning needs and use this information to adapt work for all groups based on their prior attainment. During the inspection, lessons observed were consistently good and some were outstanding. Nevertheless, on occasions, work is not always challenging enough for individuals and at times, teachers talk for too long which limits the amount of time available for pupils to work independently.

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Main findings

Pupils recognise that a distinct strength of the school is the leadership and

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

management of the headteacher, who is well supported by a highly professional and committed leadership team. Senior leaders’ close teamwork has enabled the school to continue to make good improvement in several aspects of its work, and their strong drive for improvement ensures that the school has a good capacity to improve further. Progress across the school is accelerating because leaders quickly identify any pupils who are not doing as well as they could, act on the information and track their progress carefully. They also monitor and evaluate other aspects of the school’s work in great detail, although in observing lessons and scrutinising pupils’ work, they do not always focus carefully enough on the impact of teaching on learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Move the overall quality of teaching from good to outstanding by:  ensuring that all lessons are consistently well-tailored to pupils’ needs  ensuring that teachers’ explanations and instructions are clear but brief, allowing sufficient time for pupils to work independently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Sharpen monitoring and evaluation procedures by:  ensuring lesson observations and book scrutinies focus carefully on the impact on pupils’ learning  providing feedback to teachers that clearly evaluates the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Children's knowledge and skills are close to the level expected for their age when they join the Nursery. The consistently good education they receive ensures that they make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and the attainment of children who recently moved up to Year 1 is above average. Pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2, including those of minority ethnic heritage, continue to make good progress and by the end of Year 6, their attainment is above that of their peers nationally. This is because they receive consistently good teaching. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities also make good progress because their needs are diagnosed early and specific plans are put in place to support them. In lessons, teaching assistants continually question pupils to test their understanding and support their learning. Furthermore, the ‘key skills’ sessions support their progress well because they are taught by staff who are well trained in the specific techniques

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

needed to help pupils overcome their difficulties.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupil’s attendance has improved since the last inspection and is now above average. They thoroughly enjoy coming to school, because they achieve well and feel safe. These views are endorsed by parents and carers. Pupils arrive at lessons ready to learn and keen to get on with their work. They pay close attention to their teachers and demonstrate highly positive attitudes to learning. Good social skills are evident when pupils are discussing and cooperating together. This was evident, for example, in Year 2 when the pupils were building a Shabbat and in Year 6 when they were

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

developing their skills in information and communication technology. Above average literacy and numeracy skills, together with pupils’ outstanding personal skills and good attendance, mean that they are well prepared for the future.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Pupils have very many opportunities to take responsibility, including as active members of the school council, where they keenly discuss important issues and contribute ideas to improving their school. A very strong moral code underpins pupils’ outstanding behaviour and they value the school’s behaviour awards. The pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding as is their understanding of the diversity of British culture. For example, one Year 3 pupil talked about opportunities to work alongside pupils in other schools with different faith backgrounds, and how they had enabled pupils to ‘connect’ and made her realise how ‘we are all the same’.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils’ outcomes

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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

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contribute to their future economic well-being

Taking into account: Pupils’ attendance 1

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How effective is the provision?

Since the previous inspection, the school has improved how teachers use information gained from assessment to plan pupils’ work and to set increasingly challenging targets. This increases pupils' motivation and engages their interest. Inspectors spoke to a range of pupils and found they are clear about their targets and what they need to do to achieve them. On some occasions, notes in teachers' planning show that they have adjusted teaching in response pupils’ learning within particular lessons. In the best teaching, learning is tailored precisely to meet pupils’ needs and also adjusted during lessons, meaning that all pupils, from the least to

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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

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

the most able, are challenged. Occasionally in some lessons, pupils lose concentration when the pace of the learning is too slow or opportunities for them to engage in the process is restricted by the teacher leading the learning too much and not giving enough time for them to reflect and think independently.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The curriculum supports pupils' health, safety and well-being effectively. A wide range of school trips and visitors enhances their learning and personal development, and gives them positive experiences which they say that they value greatly. Different subjects are brought together in topic-based work that provides pupils with good opportunities to develop their literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills further.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The school cares greatly for its pupils and they are confident approaching staff. Transition from one phase or year group to another is made as easy as possible for pupils, ensuring that their learning is continuous. The excellent links with outside agencies support those pupils whose circumstances make them most vulnerable and all pupils are supervised well to ensure they always feel very secure about their ‘next steps’. Relationships are excellent throughout the school: pupils are known as individuals, and the school works hard to meet their particular needs. Pupils and their parents and carers recognise and very much appreciate this. Pupils' work is celebrated well, including in a wide range of high quality displays throughout the school.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

Consistently high expectations are at the heart of the school’s work. Driven by the headteacher and the leadership team, staff want nothing but the very best for the pupils. Staff share a clear understanding of what else is needed to secure future improvements and how this can be brought about. Inspection findings closely match the priorities identified in school improvement planning because self-evaluation is accurate and identities the right points for development. All leaders are involved in checks on the quality of teaching, which are accurate and clearly identify areas for improvement. The school conducts a cycle of monitoring activities to check on pupils’ learning and progress. However, this does not focus sufficiently on the impact teaching has on the full range of learners over time or give teachers enough information about how to improve. Nevertheless, targets are challenging, everyone is

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How effective are leadership and management?

working purposefully towards them, and any weaknesses are identified and

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

successfully tackled. Governance is good. The governing body is strategic and ensures that staff and other resources are deployed well, that statutory requirements are met and the school is held accountable for its outcomes.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The school adopts good practice across all areas of its work in safeguarding pupils; procedures for review are rigorous and robust and closely follow best practice guidelines. Older pupils for example, contribute to the risk assessments for school trips . It ensures that all pupils have equal opportunity to access all the school has to offer, and the progress of different groups is carefully tracked. Links with parents and carers are excellent. For example, they greatly valued the school’s consultative approach to making changes about the start of the school day which included use of the text messaging system. Outstanding partnerships with other schools, the church and external agencies contribute greatly to pupils’ learning and personal development.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The school has an excellent understanding of its own religious, ethnic and socio- economic context, and that of the community it serves. Its well-developed links with schools abroad have been successful in raising pupils’ awareness of the global community. The school has also been successful in improving pupils’ understanding of the range and diversity of culture in the United Kingdom. Highly effective provision is provided through well-chosen resources and special events, such as ‘diversity week’, where pupils compare their own lives with those of others from different backgrounds. There are strong links with a partner school in Wolverhampton and Year 3 children reported their enjoyment to inspectors about the opportunity to go on a visit there to celebrate ‘Diwali’ with their new friends and their families.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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driving improvement

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The majority of children start school in the Nursery with the skills and knowledge that is expected for their age. A welcoming environment is evident with clear routines in place: as a result of this, the youngest children who have only been in school a short time, are happy, settled and confident. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress in most areas of their learning but especially in their personal, social and emotional development and in linking letters and sounds. Teaching is consistently good and staff support children’s care and welfare extremely well in a nurturing way. This helps children to develop highly positive attitudes to learning and to make a good start at school. The majority of children exceed the levels expected for their age by the time they go into Year 1.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. There are effective systems in place for monitoring progress and evaluating provision. Staff work closely together as an effective team and contribute fully to learning journals. The school has identified, rightly, that there is further work to do to ensure that opportunities for problem solving and independent learning are maximised, and to develop the skills of staff in balancing the dual needs of adult-directed and child- initiated learning.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Staff work very closely with parents and carers and the relationships between them are excellent. They do a great deal to encourage them to help their children’s learning at home. During the inspection, parents and carers commented on how much they enjoyed the workshop on how to support their children in learning their letters and sounds.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the 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

There was a high response to the parental questionnaire. Those parents and carers who responded are very happy with the school and are pleased that their children enjoy school so much. A few parents and carers expressed concern that their views were not taken into account and some felt that behaviour was not handled well enough. Inspectors looked closely at these areas and found the school has comprehensive systems for managing pupils’ behaviour and that the school is highly committed to continually working on communicating with parents and carers and responding to their views.They hold views that are similar to those of inspectors. All parents and carers feel that the school is well led and managed and inspectors

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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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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at St Lukes CofE Primary School 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 144 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 466 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 101 70 40 28 2 1 1 1 The school keeps my child safe 116 81 26 18 0 0 2 1 The school informs me about my child’s progress 71 49 67 47 1 1 5 3 My child is making enough progress at this school 82 57 55 38 2 1 5 3 The teaching is good at this school 95 66 42 29 0 0 7 5 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 84 58 54 38 0 0 6 4 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 88 61 52 36 1 1 3 2 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) 85 59 50 35 0 0 9 6

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child’s particular needs 84 58 53 37 1 1 6 4 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 71 49 64 44 1 1 8 6 The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 70 49 58 40 4 3 12 8

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 101 70 38 26 0 0 5 3 Overall, I am happy with my child’s experience at this school 105 73 36 25 0 0 3 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

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. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 08 April 2011 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). 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. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of 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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Inspection of St Lukes CofE Primary School, Cannock, WS11 1HN

Thank you so much for the help you gave us when we visited your school. It really was a delight to talk to you, and to find out how much you enjoy school and are proud of what you do there. You and your parents and carers are right in thinking that you go to a good school, where you are kept safe and well cared for, and you achieve well. Your outstanding behaviour is a credit to the school, you are polite and friendly and you showed us that you really care for each other too. You told us how much you enjoy the extra challenges you are given and we agree that these help everyone to learn more quickly. We have asked your teachers to try to make sure that your learning is always active and that you do not have to listen for too long. We have also asked the leaders in your school to check your lessons and books more to see how you are progressing.

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Inspection of St Lukes CofE Primary School, Cannock, WS11 1HN

We found that you are getting a good education. You told us that you really enjoy what the school offers you; you enjoy learning about lots of different things in the curriculum and linking up with other schools in other places. You have an excellent understanding of why it is important to eat healthily and take regular exercise. Your healthy eating choices demonstrate this well, as do the impressive range of sporting activities you participate in with good success.

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Inspection of St Lukes CofE Primary School, Cannock, WS11 1HN

You can help by continuing to work hard and always doing your best to correct and improve your work. We hope you continue to do well and to enjoy learning and school as much as you do now, for the rest of your lives.

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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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