St John the Evangelist CofE VA Primary School

St John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School Bluebell Way, Shilton Park, Carteton, OX18 1JF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Inadequate 4

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.  Pupils are not making enough progress between Years 3 and 6 because teaching is inadequate. Progress is particularly poor in mathematics where the work that pupils are given is not planned well enough.  The school receives extra government funding for some disadvantaged pupils, but it is not using this well enough to improve their progress.  Some teachers do not mark work accurately or tell pupils how to improve.  Work is sometimes too hard or too easy for pupils of different abilities.  Pupils are at times confused about what they should be learning in lessons.  Some pupils in Years 5 and 6 do not always do what they have been asked to do by their teachers.  Leaders and managers have not made the necessary improvements, especially to teaching. This means that the current leadership is not showing that it can improve the school.  Leaders and managers do not know enough

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

about how different groups of pupils are doing. This makes it hard to implement strategies to improve pupils’ progress.  Governors do not know enough about pupils’ performance to make sure leaders and managers improve the school.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school provides a supportive and attractive environment in which pupils feel safe.  Pupils are friendly and polite. Most have positive attitudes to learning.  In the Nursery and Reception, strong provision helps children to make rapid progress.  Pupils get some useful opportunities to think about different faiths and cultures. Inspection report: St John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School, 14–15 November 2012 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons, of which two were joint observations with the headteacher.  Inspectors listened to pupils from Years 1 and 2 reading, watched an assembly and observed pupils at break and lunchtimes.  Inspectors took account of the 52 on-line parent questionnaire responses (Parent View) and had brief discussions with parents and carers at the end of the first day.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders and managers, the current and previous Chair of the Governing Body, a representative of the local authority and a group of pupils.  Inspectors looked at various aspects of the school’s work, including documentation about safeguarding, pupils’ progress, behaviour and attendance. They also looked at pupils’ books, planning and evaluation records, minutes of meetings of the governing body and external reports.

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Inspection team

Helen Howard , Lead inspector Additional Inspector Justina Ilochi Additional Inspector Anthony Green Additional Inspector Inspection report: St John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School, 14–15 November 2012 3 of 10

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this school

 St John the Evangelist is larger than the average primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding (additional government funding to support improved achievement for those who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those in local authority care) is lower than average.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and who are supported by school action is higher than average. The proportion who are supported by school action plus, or who have a statement of special education needs, is average.  The school meets the government’s floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  Since April 2012, the school has been supported by a primary school in Swindon whose overall effectiveness was judged by Ofsted to be outstanding.  In July 2012, many staff left the school, including senior leaders and managers. One leadership

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching, especially in Years 3 to 6, so none is inadequate and much more is good by:  giving teachers support so that they can accurately mark pupils’ work and tell pupils precisely how they can improve  making sure that teachers use what they already know about pupils to match activities to pupils’ abilities  ensuring that teachers tell pupils clearly what they will be learning in each lesson  providing more opportunities for pupils to learn actively in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve rates of progress in mathematics, by ensuring that teachers consistently:  plan how pupils will make progress in lessons, throughout the year and from year to year  give more difficult work to the more able pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve behaviour by ensuring that teachers in Years 5 and 6 consistently apply what is written in the behaviour policy.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management at all levels by providing appropriate training so that leaders and managers:  understand and analyse information about pupils’ achievement, especially for different groups, and use this to identify areas for improvement  regularly review the impact of actions taken  check on the quality of teaching, and hold teachers to account for the progress that pupils Inspection report: St John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School, 14–15 November 2012 4 of 10

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

make  make sure the management of teachers’ performance is used so that salary increases are closely linked to good, and improving teaching.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that governors hold senior leaders and managers more robustly to account by:  having accurate information about pupils’ achievement  asking demanding questions about the impact of actions taken by leaders and managers. Inspection report: St John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School, 14–15 November 2012 5 of 10

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Year 6 pupils in 2011 and 2012 did not make sufficient progress in Key Stage 2 and pupils currently in Years 5 and 6 continue to underachieve.  Although pupils in Years 5 and 6 reached average levels of attainment at the end of Key Stage 1, their work and school data show that pupils have made very little progress in English and mathematics so far this year. The pupils currently in Year 6 made poor progress last year and as a result their attainment is now below average.  Progress in mathematics last year was too slow and remains inadequate in Years 5 and 6.  Recent improvements in provision have been made for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs but, like their peers, their progress is still not fast enough in Key Stage 2.  The school has used its pupil premium funding to support eligible pupils with one-to-one tuition and support provided by additional adults. Despite this, these pupils make poor progress,

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

especially in Key Stage 2. The school is not promoting equality of opportunities well enough.  In Year 1, none of the pupils known to be eligible for free school meals reached expected levels in the early reading skills check. In Key Stage 2, pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium are attaining well below average standards. Recent initiatives, such as the appointment of an extra teacher to help pupils catch up quickly, have not yet show improvement.  In contrast, good provision in the Nursery and in Reception means that by the time they start Year 1, children’s skills and knowledge are broadly average even though they entered the school with levels lower than those expected for their age. They make good progress because adults take every opportunity to make learning fun and meaningful. Most children make good progress in reading and writing because adults teach early reading skills well and plan interesting

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

activities and resources. For example, writing equipment is laid out in ‘tool boxes’ to encourage boys to write more.  Pupils in Key Stage 1 are not underachieving, but their progress in reading, writing and mathematics is not yet good because teaching still requires improvement. As a result, attainment as a whole remains no better than average by the end of Year 2. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to other pupils in Key Stage 1 and in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 As a result of weak teaching over time, pupils do not make enough progress through Key Stage 2.  Teaching in mathematics is not planned well enough to help pupils to learn and develop new skills and knowledge from one lesson to the next, as well as throughout the year. Some pupils miss out on key learning steps while others repeat work they have already covered. More able pupils are frequently given work that is too easy so they do not build on what they know.  In many mathematics lessons, the changes of topic are too frequent and pupils become confused. Teachers plan what pupils will do, rather than what they will learn, which significantly impedes progress over time.  Teachers in Years 3 to 6 do not always mark pupils’ work accurately enough and work seen in some books is below the level that teachers have graded it. Current teachers do not think that marking was accurate in the previous year for some classes. In lessons and in books, teachers

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

do not always let pupils know how well they have done and precisely what they need to do to improve to a higher level.  Teaching, often in Years 5 and 6 but sometimes elsewhere, can be uninspiring and not give enough opportunities for pupils to be active. Pupils spend too long listening or completing Inspection report: St John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School, 14–15 November 2012 6 of 10

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

worksheets and when this happens they do not make the progress they should.  In the majority of lessons in Key Stage 2, teachers do not offer a range of activities to match different abilities so groups of pupils do not make enough progress, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.  Recent improvements in teaching, led by the partnership school last year, are fragile because of the high turnover of staff. Teachers who did not receive the support are confused about how to plan lessons, especially in mathematics.  Teaching is strongest in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where there is consistently effective teaching and where children make rapid progress and good connections between learning in different activities linked to a common theme. Adults plan very effectively. For example, a topic on Diwali included a puppet story, jewellery and candle making, food tasting and displays about

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

different beliefs.  Some successful teaching was seen in Years 1 and 2 during the inspection. However, teaching requires improvement in these year groups because it has not led to sustained good progress over time.  Pupils enjoy lessons when teachers give them practical and creative tasks to do and they then make the fastest progress. A wide range of stimulating tasks is evident in the excellent displays of pupils’ art work around the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The majority of pupils behave well in lessons and around the school, and show positive attitudes to learning. However, behaviour is not good because a small number of pupils in Years 5 and 6 do not always follow the school’s expectations and sometimes this slows learning. Not all teachers follow the agreed behaviour policy.  Pupils, parents, carers and staff are also not all convinced behaviour is good. Records show that behaviour has been weaker in the past. The school tackled this with a new behaviour policy and by excluding a number of pupils. As a result, behaviour is improving.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Years 1 to 4, behaviour is now of a high standard because adults manage behaviour well and follow the behaviour policy consistently. Pupils make good use of opportunities to sort out minor problems for themselves, with the help of adults.  Pupils say they feel safe in school. They know about different types of bullying and say that it is

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

rare but dealt with effectively. The school promotes tolerance and awareness of others. Adults have good relationships with pupils and help them to get on well with others.  Attendance is average.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Leaders and managers have not tackled areas that needed to improve since the last inspection. They have not demonstrated the capacity to improve the school. In Key Stage 2, leaders have not raised achievement in mathematics and have not improved the quality of teaching in all classes. More able pupils still do not have sufficiently challenging tasks and pupils do not have enough opportunities for active, independent learning.  Senior leaders and managers have relied on the partnership with another primary school, but their work has had limited impact on the quality of teaching from Years 3 to 6. Improvements are not sustained because many teachers and leaders have left the school. An important leadership post is still unfilled and the headteacher is covering the role. This reduces her capacity to manage school improvement.  The local authority has had limited impact on improving the school, having stepped back when

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The leadership and management are inadequate

the partnership with another school was agreed.  Leaders and managers do not evaluate the school’s performance carefully. They do not know enough about pupils’ performance and have not evaluated progress accurately for groups of Inspection report: St John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School, 14–15 November 2012 7 of 10

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The leadership and management are inadequate

pupils. Some leaders and managers do not understand the data in enough detail to be able to identify strengths and weaknesses. Consequently, they are not able to address shortcomings.  Leaders and managers do not check what impact their actions have on pupils’ progress. They do not all routinely monitor the quality of teaching. Staff are not held sufficiently to account for pupils’ progress. Teachers’ pay is not used to reward good teaching and management because it is not linked closely enough with identified good work.  The curriculum is inadequate because of weaknesses in the planning of mathematics. However, it provides good opportunities for pupils to develop social, moral, spiritual and cultural awareness. For example, pupils study a range of different faiths and topic work explores different cultures. Leaders know they need to provide more opportunities for pupils to develop skills in information and communication technology and are working on this.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 The governance of the school  Governance is weak because it has been ineffective in challenging senior leaders and managers to bring about the improvements needed. Governors have not had sufficient training.  The new Chair of the Governing Body is acutely aware of what is required and governors recently consulted with staff to address weaknesses. However, governors have relied too heavily on information provided by the school, so they cannot properly hold leaders and managers to account for the progress pupils make. They do not ask enough about the achievement of pupils and how well the school is doing compared to other schools. They are not sufficiently knowledgeable about the quality of teaching.  The governing body does not make sure that rises in pay are linked to good teaching and management. The governors know how the school uses the pupil premium funding but do not have sufficient knowledge about the difference it makes.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Some statutory requirements regarding the school’s website are not met. It does not provide information about pupils’ performance or about the pupil premium funding. Governors take safeguarding very seriously and good procedures ensure that pupils are safe. Inspection report: St John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School, 14–15 November 2012 8 of 10

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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. Inspection report: St John the Evangelist Church of England Primary School, 14–15 November 2012 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 133532 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 406527

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 365 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bill Blakey Headteacher Penny Price Date of previous school inspection 28–29 June 2011 Telephone number 01993843124 Fax number 01993845645 Email address office.2613@st-john.oxon.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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