St Paul's CofE (C) Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 1–2 May 2012 Inspection number 380853 St Paul’s CofE (C) Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 124299 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 380853 Inspection dates 1–2 May 2012 Lead inspector Doris Bell

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 106 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Polly Paine Headteacher Nicholas Bickley Date of previous school inspection 27 April 2009 School address Garden Street Stafford ST17 4BT Telephone number 01785 356634 Fax number 01785 356634 Email address office@st-pauls-stafford.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 You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents a nd carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspector observed four members of staff over eight sessions, covering three hours of teaching. As well as observing full or part lessons, the inspector spent time observing guided reading sessions, and those where pupils were learning letters and sounds. She also observed the school’s work, listened to pupils read, analysed their work, and discussed their learning and school life with them. Meetings were held with senior and middle managers, and representatives of the governing body. A range of documentation was analysed, including information relating to the attainment and achievement of all groups of pupils, the school improvement plan, governing body minutes, and evidence of monitoring and evaluation. The inspector spoke to parents and carers, and analysed 68 parental questionnaire responses, together with the responses to the questionnaires returned by pupils.

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Information about the school

In this smaller-than-average school, the proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is currently below average, as is the proportion known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is also below average, although it has increased since the previous inspection. Because of the size of the school, all of these proportions vary from year to year. The proportion of pupils who join or leave partway through their primary school education is above average. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

The school has full Dyslexia Friendly Status and it has achieved National Healthy Schools Status. A privately-run ‘Kids Club’ operates on the school premises for a short time each morning. This was not included in the 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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Key findings

 This is a satisfactory school. It is not yet good because too few pupils reach the higher National Curriculum levels in mathematics, pupils’ writing is not yet of a consistently high quality, and assessments systems, although comprehensive, do not give a clear and easily accessible overview of pupils’ progress over time. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Key findings

 Achievement is satisfactory for all groups of pupils. Children usually start school with the skills expected for their age, but with weaknesses in writing, and attainment is average when they leave Year 6. In 2011, the Year 6 test results showed that pupils who had been in the school from Reception had achieved well in reading, writing and mathematics, reflecting a strong trend of improvement since the previous inspection.

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Key findings

 The quality of teaching is satisfactory, but improving. Staff plan work at the right level for pupils’ different ages and stages of learning. Good quality marking ensures that pupils know how to improve their learning in English and mathematics. This good practice does not extend to writing in topic work, and pupils are not always shown clearly how to reach higher levels in writing and mathematics through topic work.

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Key findings

 Pupils behave well. They feel safe and are kept safe. They say behaviour is typically good and appreciate belonging to a school where, they say, ‘everyone is kind’ and ‘you learn a lot’. Their parents and carers also reflect these views.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management are satisfactory. Senior and middle leaders lead teaching and manage performance satisfactorily. Their monitoring and evaluation is becoming increasingly rigorous, and well-targeted professional development, underpinned by the staff’s willingness to help and support each other, is leading to improvement. The curriculum provides many opportunities for writing but is less effective in promoting mathematical skills. 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 pupils’ achievement in mathematics and English and help more pupils to reach higher levels in Years 2 and 6, by:  taking every opportunity to consolidate and extend mathematical learning in different subjects  encouraging pupils to refer to their writing targets whenever they do a piece of writing  ensuring that all staff mark writing equally well at all times, wherever it occurs  refining assessment systems to give a clearer, more easily accessible overview of pupils’ progress over time, and using the resulting information to add further challenge to pupils’ learning.

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Achievement of pupils

Parents and carers say their children make good progress. This is increasingly true, but their achievement over time is satisfactory because variable progress in Years 3 to 6, caused by disruptions in teaching, has not yet been fully overcome. The progress seen in lessons was often good, and attainment in Key Stage 2 is rising as staff build on the good outcomes in Year 2.

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Achievement of pupils

Reception children have made excellent progress this year. Most write legibly, form letters correctly, and use their developing knowledge of letters and sounds to read and spell simple words. They are beginning to write in sentences, creating or re- telling stories, and to write simple number sentences that show, for example, the outcomes of sharing objects equally. They are well prepared for Year 1.

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Achievement of pupils

Attainment in reading is above average in Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils enjoy reading. They read widely, and benefit from well-taught guided reading sessions. Writing is improving as pupils respond to the stimuli presented in topic work. For example, pupils in Year 3 and 4 created an evocative atmosphere as they wrote about a ‘ghostly mist getting slowly higher’ over a pond where ‘bright green lily pads float on dark water’ beneath a velvet sky’. Pupils do not always make best use of their writing targets to ensure that their writing is of the same quality at all times, for example, in topic work, and staff do not remind them enough to do so.

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Achievement of pupils

A recent focus on practical work and problem solving is improving progress in mathematics as pupils decide which skills to use, and explain their choices and the methods they use. This was evident as pupils in Years 3 and 4 learned about symmetry, and pupils in Years 5 and 6 revised decimals and mathematical symbols. Nevertheless, apart from in data handling, pupils are not always given enough 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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Achievement of pupils

opportunities to consolidate and extend their mathematical skills in different subjects. Teaching does not focus them on doing this, and the curriculum is not explicit enough about how it can be done.

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Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress in reading and satisfactory progress in writing and mathematics. Well-briefed support staff help because they too understand how to teach letters and sounds, and how to help pupils solve mathematical problems.

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Quality of teaching

Parents and carers say their children are taught well, and pupils say learning is fun because they are taught in many different ways. Inspection findings are that teaching is satisfactory over time but much good teaching now is improving pupils’ progress. Teachers always explain to pupils what they are expected to learn and constantly check with them that their learning is on track. Pupils know their targets and how to achieve them, and they readily assess their own and each other’s work. In Year 6, for example, they confidently read opening paragraphs for a newspaper story and suggested improvements to make sure their journalistic writing grabbed the reader’s attention. Learning is made exciting for them by the use of many practical activities, such as staging a classroom burglary to stimulate their understanding of how witness statements can differ.

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Quality of teaching

Pupils’ work is usually marked well. Comments help pupils see how to improve their work, and pupils respond well with corrections and sometimes notes to their teacher to indicate, for example, if they ‘do not get’ something, or to acknowledge that they have perhaps made ‘a silly mistake’ in calculation and will avoid doing so in the future. Pupils say teachers always respond with additional support if needed. Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well, encouraging them to reflect on their actions, and to respect and help others. Teaching and the curriculum successfully foster pupils’ curiosity about the world around them, encouraging them to become more confident in themselves, and in their ability to reach out to others.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers use their good subject knowledge, and their knowledge of each pupil, to adapt teaching to suit pupils’ different learning needs. They evaluate each lesson and use assessment information well in planning. This ensures that all pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, make mostly good progress in lessons. Pupils know what to do if they get ‘stuck’ because independent skills are fostered well, and pupils help and support each other. In mathematics lessons, however, staff do not always intervene quickly enough when pupils are working independently to ensure that they are following instructions or understand what they have to do. Nor do they always move pupils onto independent work quickly enough, therefore limiting their learning and their ability to reach higher levels more quickly.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire all said that 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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Behaviour and safety of pupils

behaviour is typically good and the school keeps their children safe. Pupils echo these sentiments, reporting that they feel very safe in school. They are keen to do well and enjoy learning. Attendance is above average, and they say the school is like a ‘happy family’ where everyone gets on well together. Pupils especially commented on the warm-ups at the start of each lesson, saying that they ‘put them in the mood to learn’ and ‘get lessons off to a good start’. They also recognise how well the guided reading sessions are helping them to read well and to understand what they read.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils like and respect others’ differences. They talk about the importance of treating everyone equally, and say the school ensures that everyone can join in everything, including the many well-attended clubs that promote learning and personal development through, for example, sports and the arts. Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school. Pupils admit to the occasional falling out, but say they know of no bullying of any sort, and know it would not be tolerated. The anti-bullying week has raised their awareness of different types of bullying, including e-bullying, and they know what to do should they hear of or experience any. They are confident that any adult in school would help them if they should have any concerns.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils speak confidently, listen carefully, and readily engage adults and each other in conversation. They know their views are valued and speak proudly of their contribution to safety and to the environment. They show good ability to assess and manage risks. For example, the school council was influential in having rubber balls put on top of wooden spikes so that pupils would not get injured. Pupils have also been successful in having the playground ‘zoned’ to ensure all feel safe at playtimes, although straying balls still occasionally cause issues, especially for younger pupils. Pupils successfully learn to care for others and for the environment, and have also been influential in acquiring a recycling bin to raise awareness of the need to reduce waste.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher sets a clear direction for the school, based on accurate self- evaluation and a drive for continued improvement. His views are shared by the governing body and conveyed to all staff through senior and middle managers and their increasingly effective involvement in improving teaching and learning. The school has tackled the issues from the previous inspection well. It has made good use of external expertise to improve teachers’ skills and pupils’ ability in mathematics, and to ensure that pupils’ progress is assessed and tracked accurately. This, and the continued willingness of the staff to work together and support each other, puts the school in a good position to improve further. The school keeps comprehensive records of pupils’ progress. These are analysed and used to set challenging targets, but are not collated well enough to give a clear and immediate view of progress over time. Work is under way to address this.

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Leadership and management

The governing body supports the school well but does not yet hold it to account fully for pupils’ outcomes. It has made a good start by requiring all information presented 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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Leadership and management

to it to be free from jargon and easy to understand, and its members are working hard to re-establish links with subjects and classes following changes in its make-up.

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Leadership and management

Current safeguarding requirements are met. All training, including for child protection, is up to date. The school ensures that pupils work and play in a safe, secure and attractive learning environment. High-quality displays promote pupils’ academic and personal development, and foster good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. As a result, pupils are secure and confident, know right from wrong, and support and help each other. They make a good contribution to the school and wider community, and have a good understanding of different faiths and cultures. Their work on comparing different versions of the creation story in different faiths illustrates this well.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum promotes equality of opportunity by ensuring that pupils’ different learning needs are met appropriately and that all pupils can participate fully in everything the school has to offer. It does not yet ensure that all pupils who are capable of doing so reach the higher levels in mathematics, or that mathematical skills are promoted as effectively as writing skills in topic work. The curriculum is enhanced by a good range of well-attended extra-curricular activities that include, for example, music tuition, visits and visitors.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 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 ). 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. 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.

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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

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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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

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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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.

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

Inspection of St Paul’s CofE (C) Primary School , Stafford , ST17 4BT

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

Thank you for the very warm welcome you gave me when I came to inspect your school, and for telling me all about what you do there. Thank you also to those of you who completed the inspection questionnaires. The information you gave me, and your good attendance, showed me how much you enjoy school. I was also very impressed by your good behaviour, despite the occasional falling out you told me about, your good manners and the pride you take in your school and in your work. I noted how willing you are to help others, including in lessons, and was pleased to hear that you feel safe at school and know exactly what to do should you have any concerns. All of you, including those of you who are disabled or have special educational needs, make satisfactory progress, but I could see from your work this year that your progress is getting better all the time.

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

Overall, I found that your school is satisfactory, and I have highlighted a number of things it could do to help more of you reach higher standards in English and mathematics. They are to:

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

 give you more opportunities to use your mathematical skills in different subjects  encourage you to remember your writing targets whenever you do any writing  improve the way in which all the bits of information about how well you are doing are brought together, to make it easier to see your progress over time.

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

You can help by continuing to work hard, remembering your writing targets every time you write, and taking every opportunity to practise using your writing and mathematical skills. I hope you will continue to enjoy learning in the future as much as you do now, and I wish you well.

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

Doris Bell 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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