Stanley St Peters Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Stanley St Peters Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Lake Lock Road, Stanley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF3 4HS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Almost all pupils are making rapidly improving progress in reading and writing and progress in mathematics, although not as fast, is also improving. Improvements for progress in mathematics are particularly strong for the most able pupils.  Standards in English and mathematics have improved significantly over the past two years.  Teaching and learning are mostly good throughout the school and are outstanding in some classes.  Teachers’ marking gives pupils good guidance on what they have achieved well and what things they need to practise more.  The headteacher has a clear view of how successful the school can be and expects the best from pupils and adults. He has developed an effective team of leaders and managers, including the governing body, who work well together. This is leading to significant improvements in all of the areas identified at the last inspection.  The quality of teaching and pupils’ work are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

rigorously checked. Teachers are held to account, but are also given good guidance as to how their teaching can be improved. As a result, both the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement are improving rapidly.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In Key Stage 2, standards and rates of progress in mathematics are not as high as those in English.  More teaching needs to be good or better.  A minority of teaching assistants do not have the necessary skills to help pupils learn effectively.  Not all Key Stage 2 pupils have medium- and long-term challenging targets. As a result, not all pupils are totally clear as to what they have to do to reach the higher levels. 21–22 November 2012 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors.  Inspectors observed 16 lessons taught by 13 teachers, including two joint observations with senior and middle leaders. Inspectors also made a number of short visits to classrooms, listened to pupils read and looked at pupils’ work.  Discussions were held with one group of pupils, parents, three members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and members of staff including senior and subject leaders.  Inspectors took account of 15 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and outcomes from the school's consultations with parents and staff.  Inspectors observed the school's work, and looked at a range of documents including data on pupils' progress, school development plans, records of lesson observations carried out by school leaders, performance management documentation and records relating to pupils' behaviour and

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Inspection team

John Dunne, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Johnathan Woodyatt Additional Inspector Dominic Brown Additional Inspector 21–22 November 2012 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 Stanley St Peters is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The school currently has no disabled pupils on roll.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding for children in the care of the local authority and for those known to be eligible for free school meals) is below average.  The large majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which are the minimum expected for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ attainment in mathematics in Key Stage 2 by: - giving pupils more opportunities to apply their mathematics skills to real life problems - making sure the work for average ability pupils pushes them harder, so they can all make expected levels of progress and many can do better than this - making sure that pupils get more frequent chances to practise mental arithmetic.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of good and outstanding teaching by: - ensuring that all teachers give pupils targets which they understand, and tell them how to improve their work to a higher level - provide additional training for some teaching assistants so that all have the subject knowledge and skills of how to teach reading, writing and mathematics more effectively. 21–22 November 2012 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Following the school’s last inspection, standards were declining in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stages 1 and 2. In 2011, standards at Key Stage 2 in English and mathematics, as shown by test results, fell to levels well below those nationally.  As a result of swift action to improve teaching and learning, standards at the end of both key stages rose sharply in 2012, to broadly average levels. Given that these pupils joined Year 1 with standards much lower than seen nationally, this represents good progress and a strongly improving picture.  Lessons and work seen during the inspection and secure school data, which accurately keeps track of pupils’ progress, confirm that this upward trend is continuing. For pupils currently on roll, the proportion making greater than expected progress in reading and writing is higher than seen nationally in all year groups.  The progress in mathematics is not as strong as in English. The most able pupils are making

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The achievement of pupils is good

exceptionally good progress, but those of average ability are not always stretched enough to reach the levels of which they are capable.  Children currently join the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills broadly in line with those expected for their age. Excellent relationships and communications with parents and a secure and friendly environment help children settle in very quickly in Nursery. From these starting points, good teaching enables children to do well throughout Nursery and Reception. The skill levels of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage have risen significantly over the past three years and many children are currently leaving Reception with skills above average for their age.  In the past, the standards and progress of pupils with special educational needs and those known to be eligible for the pupil premium have lagged behind others. The school is now very effective in identifying pupils in need of extra help and putting in place good support to enable

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The achievement of pupils is good

them to improve. As a result, these groups are now doing better than similar pupils nationally.  As a result of the good teaching of letters and sounds, alongside a keen fostering of the enjoyment of books, the proportions of pupils reaching or exceeding the expected level in reading by the end of Years 2 and 6 are similar to most other schools nationally, showing that pupils are making strong gains in reading skills, given their lower starting points.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching, as shown by pupils’ good achievement and lessons observed during the inspection, is mostly good overall and some is outstanding. This represents a considerably stronger teaching profile than seen at the last inspection.  In one mathematics lesson, outstanding teaching enabled pupils to make rapid gains in their understanding of how to solve money problems because:  the enthusiasm of the teacher, coupled with very strong subject knowledge, inspired pupils  the pace of the lesson was brisk and it built strongly upon what pupils had already learnt  the pupils were really interested because they were solving problems about a real life experience; going to a ‘One Direction’ concert  the teaching assistant was highly skilled and the pupils who needed extra help made fantastic progress  the work was skilfully adapted as the lesson progressed and so pupils of all abilities were

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The quality of teaching is good

being fully stretched.  In most lessons, teacher’s planning is thorough and well adapted, taking account of what pupils have securely learnt and any misunderstandings or gaps in their learning. This is not always the case in mathematics for average ability pupils, because not all teachers are setting work which is November 2012 5 of 9

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The quality of teaching is good

going to fully stretch them.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage teaching is good. There is a strong focus on enjoyment and learning through practical tasks.  All work is effectively marked and some marking is exemplary, clearly indicating where pupils have demonstrated successful learning and what they have to do to improve. However, in most Key Stage 2 classes, teachers do not provide pupils with targets to look back on, so they do not always know what they need to do to reach a higher level.  Teachers have correctly identified that pupils need to be given more opportunities to apply their mathematical skills to real life problems and to practise mental arithmetic more often to enable them to do better.  A small minority of teaching assistants do not have the skills to enable the pupils they are working with to fully understand their work. They also allow mistakes to go unnoticed and so pupils carry on getting things wrong without understanding why.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 From the youngest children in Nursery, to the older pupils in Year 6, learners are enthusiastic about their lessons and show good ability to work by themselves.  Pupils also work well together. For example, if they struggle with a problem in class, their first approach is often to talk to other pupils because they are encouraged to support one another in learning.  Most learning activities are interesting and most teachers and other adults have high expectations of behaviour and good classroom management skills. Consequently, unsettled behaviour in lessons almost never interferes with learning.  Pupils and almost all of the parents who responded to the Parent View and all of those spoken to during the inspection, expressed the view that this is a very caring school which provides a very safe environment.  Pupils are well informed about different types of bullying that they may come across. They say

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

that bullying almost never occurs. They have a good understanding of how to stay safe, including how to keep safe when using new technologies.  The school has worked hard to improve attendance and these measures have been effective as attendance has improved and is now broadly average.  The way in which pupils from many social backgrounds interact harmoniously is a strength of the school and provides a secure climate for learning.  Pupils show great consideration and respect for others and greet visitors in a very polite and friendly manner.

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The leadership and management are good

 Upon taking up post, close to the time of the school’s last inspection in the autumn term 2010, the headteacher identified that standards were declining. A series of successful measures were put in place to bring about improvements. These were:  poor behaviour was tackled by introducing new methods and high expectations  the governing body was restructured  extremely effective systems for regularly checking up on pupils’ progress were introduced  regular checks on teaching were undertaken and any teacher whose performance was not up to scratch was given effective training  subject and other middle leaders were given clearly understood responsibilities and this created a team which works well together with a shared vision of driving up standards. November 2012 6 of 9

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The leadership and management are good

 These measures have been highly effective and standards overall, which were in decline, particularly in Key Stage 2, are now on a securely rising trend.  Performance management of staff is linked to improvements in standards for the pupils they teach. All adults have clearly understood targets for improvement supported by relevant plans for their professional development which they appreciate. The views of one teacher sums up those of many, ‘I joined as a newly qualified teacher and have received a wealth of support, particularly from the headteacher. It was inspiring and I am very proud now to be a part of this team.’  Pupils falling behind, those needing extra help and those with special educational needs are quickly identified and highly effective plans are in place to give extra support where needed.  Although the school has mostly good teaching and has reversed the decline in standards, senior

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The leadership and management are good

leaders and governors are completely clear that there is much still to do. They have clear plans for how they are going to deal with most of the areas for improvement mentioned in this report.  The effectiveness of the school’s systems for promoting equality and tackling discrimination is evident in the excellent relationships between pupils and the way all groups of pupils achieve well.  The curriculum rightly focuses on improving pupils’ basic skills, while providing pupils with interesting and engaging activities across a range of subjects. It also includes a wide range of activities to effectively promote pupils' spiritual and cultural development.  All statutory responsibilities for safeguarding are met.  The local authority has provided ‘light-touch’ support for this school. This has been appropriate because the local authority has judged correctly that the school is making good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body includes members with the necessary skills needed to check data about pupils’ progress. Key members have an excellent understanding of the school and ask probing questions about areas of the school’s work where they believe improvements need to be made. They have supported the headteacher to use pupil premium funding wisely, for example by:  employing a learning mentor to support behaviour, attendance and children’s social and emotional development  employing a manager for families and inclusion who coordinates support for vulnerable children and families. 21–22 November 2012 7 of 9

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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 is

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Grade Judgement Description

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. 21–22 November 2012 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 108247 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 405160

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 326 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Karen Sykes Headteacher Lee Wilson Date of previous school inspection 30 September 2010 Telephone number 01924 303175 Fax number 01924 303177 Email address headteacher@st-peterscofe.wakefield.sch.uk 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, please

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School details

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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