St Mary's Bluecoat CofE (VA) Primary School

St Mary’s Bluecoat CofE (VA) Primary School Lodge Lane, The Grove, Bridgnorth, WV15 5EQ

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This inspection: Requires improvement 3

Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 There is not enough good teaching to ensure that pupils achieve consistently well.  The work set in lessons is not always demanding enough to promote good progress.  Leadership and management have not been good enough to bring about marked improvements in teaching and learning.  The way leaders check the quality of lessons is not robust enough, or focused enough on the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning.  Although pupils are engaging more fully in their learning, in too many lessons they are simply compliant.  Governors have not focused sharply enough on how well learning is improving.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to use computers to enhance their learning.

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The school has the following strengths

 Some teaching is good.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance is above average.  Parents and governors are very supportive of the school, with many governors involved in training for their role.  The changes to the senior leadership team mean more people are making an effective contribution.  The senior leadership team are aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and plan accordingly. They all make a positive input to the development plan.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors formally observed 13 lessons, along with visits to many more, and held meetings with staff, pupils and governors.  They analysed data on pupils’ performance and current progress, along with the school’s own monitoring of its performance.  They considered the returns made by parents to Parent View, the online questionnaire, along with staff questionnaire returns.

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Inspection team

Keith Shannon, Lead inspector Additional inspector Andrew Morrish Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an averaged-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average, and very few speak English as an additional language.  The proportions of pupils supported at school action is broadly average, as is the proportion who are supported at school action plus or have a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (extra money given to schools by the government) is below average.  There is a playgroup on the school site, but it is not managed by the school’s governing body.  There have been seen significant changes in staffing, especially at leadership level, since the previous inspection.  The school meets current government floor standards, which set the expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so much more is good or better by ensuring that:  teachers make effective use of ongoing assessments to plan activities that meet pupils’ needs more precisely and challenge them better  teachers actively engage and interest pupils in learning, in every lesson  letter sounds are always taught accurately and every opportunity is taken to enable pupils to talk with adults about their reading.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management, including governance, by ensuring that:  school leaders implement a systematic and effective programme of performance management  lesson monitoring has a sharper focus on the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning, and improvements to teaching are consistently supported by detailed feedback and robust follow-up visits  plans for improvement give useful detail and the effectiveness of strategies in assisting pupils to achieve well is regularly monitored, reviewed and reported to governors.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the richness and depth of the curriculum by ensuring that:  pupils have access to an appropriate range of innovative resources found on the internet.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards are not improving fast enough. Attainment in English and mathematics remains broadly average because too few pupils make good progress and reach the higher levels of attainment. Attainment in science is below average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Progress is inconsistent in lessons. It is good in some, but not fast enough to ensure higher standards in others. In these lessons the work provided is not demanding enough to ensure that pupils attain at the levels they are capable of.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 A passive approach by pupils in some lessons has been seen by staff as good behaviour and thoughtfulness. Not enough teachers and other staff ensure that pupils routinely become engrossed in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are usually supported well through a range of interventions, including small group work with specialist staff. On occasions low expectations of what they may achieve are limiting progress and attainment. These pupils and those who are known to be entitled to the pupil premium are making similar progress to their peers.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 More-able pupils are not always sufficiently stretched. Sometimes they complete relatively straightforward tasks and are not then asked to use or apply their skills in more demanding or broader contexts. Where clearly targeted work is in place pupils made good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The youngest children are performing in line with national expectations. The teaching of phonics is not always carried out effectively, with some staff mispronouncing sounds.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Changes in staffing have particularly affected provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school has an intervention programme to ensure that staff skills are regularly updated.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The pace at which the youngest children develop into confident speakers requires improvement. Staff are working with the parents of pre-school children to develop strategies to improve language use.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils show a good knowledge of world faiths. They engage particularly well in music lessons, when they enjoy their learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because not enough is of sufficiently good quality to promote good progress. Nevertheless, there are examples of good practice on which to build.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers do not always use their knowledge of the pupils’ needs to plan lessons, or change direction during lessons, in order to set work at the right level. Where they do, lessons enable pupils to engage successfully, and good progress is made.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 While pupils are challenged effectively in some lessons, many of the weaker areas in lessons originate in planning that does not take sufficient account of what pupils need to learn next. The work the teachers set for pupils is sometimes not based accurately on what they already know and are able to do, so the steps that pupils have to take to succeed are not always sufficiently clear.  Some lessons do not maintain pupils’ interest. Lesson plans sometimes show imagination, but not all are translated into practice and then pupils make less progress than they should.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There are many opportunities for pupils to read, and many enjoy doing so. Guided reading sessions are more effective when taken in small groups away from the main lesson. The sounds that letters make are not consistently taught correctly to younger pupils. Opportunities for pupils to talk with adults about their reading are sometimes missed.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage requires improvement. There are good facilities for children to learn through play and experimentation, but sometimes adults use an approach that is too formal and this constrains learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers generally provide useful written feedback to pupils. This includes explaining what has been done well, and how it may be improved. The best examples also include written dialogue between teacher and pupil in order to check understanding.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Classrooms are attractive. The teachers create lively and well-resourced rooms for the pupils. In many cases there are useful prompts and reminders interestingly displayed on the classroom walls. Pupils enjoy tracking their ongoing improvement, behaviour and attendance on the wall charts, making these valuable tools for learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ generally compliant attitudes mean that there is very little disruption in lessons. However, pupils are sometimes too passive and do not engage fully with their learning, and this limits their progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils generally behave well on the playground but some say that a small group of boys do occasionally bully others. This was also a concern for a number of parents, although all parents reported in the questionnaire that their children were happy in the school. Any rare instances of bullying, are carefully recorded and pupils are confident that they will be dealt with.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The school promotes a good understanding of cultural differences through the curriculum, visitors to the school and trips out.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Attendance is above average. The school’s annual surveys show that most pupils enjoy school and feel safe both in school and on the playground. Most pupils feel their teachers respond quickly to prevent any poor behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Parents generally feel behaviour is well managed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils whose circumstances have made them more vulnerable are ably supported by teaching assistants, and helped by individual intervention plans. Many pupils spoke of this support and how it helps them at school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils have a good knowledge of internet safety and the different forms bullying can take, including cyber-bullying, although the lack of available computers and limited wireless connection often make access to the internet difficult within school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s leaders have the capacity to improve it. The many changes in staffing have slowed significantly the progress of initiatives. However, a period of sustained stability is now providing a secure base for rapidly improving leadership and management.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s self-evaluation is accurate, so the school improvement plan identifies the right areas for improvement. Some improvement activities are planned in limited detail. They do not list exactly what must improve and by when, to bring about rapid change, so their success in ensuring better progress and equal opportunity for all groups of pupils is harder to monitor.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Formal performance management has had limited impact on teaching, partly because staff changes have interrupted the system. Nevertheless, monitoring of teaching through lesson observations takes place, with some feedback and teachers agreeing targets for improvement. Detailed feedback and robust follow-up of targets are not yet consistently established.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Some of the observations have focused too much on teaching rather than weighing its impact on learning, but this is starting to improve. Leaders are being trained to further sharpen and improve the effectiveness of their lesson observations. The headteacher currently has two acting deputy headteachers, and is aware that leadership expertise and responsibilities are not yet shared widely among the staff.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Systems for ensuring that all staff are held accountable for how their work has an impact upon pupils’ attainment are now proving more effective. Opportunities for sharing good practice are now helping to raise expectations in the classroom. Lesson observations are showing clear evidence of improvements in teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum covers basic skills and pupils learn to use computers, but the limited access means that the valuable resources now available on the internet cannot be sufficiently exploited to give the curriculum more richness and depth.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  requires improvement because governors are not always fully informed by an accurate and first-hand view of how the school is performing  effectively carries out performance management of the headteacher  has direct and appropriate links to the parents’ association, and governors listen carefully to parental concerns, although in their questionnaires about 20% of parents feel that school leaders are not as approachable as they should be.  is very supportive  ensures that safeguarding procedures and practices meet current statutory requirements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 123536 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 402172

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School details

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

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School details

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 169 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kay Blackford (vice-chair) Headteacher Sue Farrell Date of previous school inspection 15 September 2009 Telephone number 01746 763455 Fax number 01746 767435 Email address admin.stmarysbluecoat@shropshirelg.net guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and 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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School details

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 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,

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School details

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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School details

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

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