St Martin's CofE Primary School

P R O T E C T – I N S P E C T I O N School report

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St Martin's CofE Primary School Lower Church Lane, Tipton, West Midlands, DY4 7PG

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well because teaching is consistently good. Some teaching is outstanding.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of this school. Their excellent behaviour and positive attitudes towards one another and to learning help pupils to make good progress.  Teachers’ marking gives outstanding support to pupils. When they respond, pupils are very clear about how well they are doing and how they can improve next time.  The headteacher’s drive and ambition for the school have built a very positive and committed whole-school team that focuses on continually improving the quality of teaching and raising achievement.  The governing body is extremely knowledgeable about the school and challenges it to improve standards.  Staff and pupils share a sense of pride in the school and are keen to share this passion with visitors.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are missed opportunities for pupils to use and apply their skills and knowledge in their learning.  Work is not always challenging enough for the more-able pupils.  Progress across key stages and in subjects through the school is not consistent.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 13 lessons. In addition, they visited some classes to look at how pupils who need extra help are supported, and also to listen to pupils read.  The inspection team looked at a range of school documents, including those relating to how they keep children safe, development plans and policies.  Inspectors spoke to groups of children during breaktimes, lunchtimes and during lessons.  The inspectors met with the teachers, headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special needs coordinator and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body. The lead inspector also met with a representative from the local authority.  The views of 21 parents were analysed through the Parent View website. The inspectors also took account of additional comments made by parents to whom they spoke to at the start of the school day.  The inspectors also looked at the views expressed in questionnaires completed by members of

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Inspection team

Kathryn Brunt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Faheem Chishti Additional Inspector Nina Matharu Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is double the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs at school action (pupils who need extra support with their learning) are in line with national average. The proportion of pupils at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is half the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium, the additional government funding for those known to be eligible for free meals and others, is in line with the national average.  There is no alternative provision made for pupils to learn away from the school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching and learning to outstanding by making sure that: - the more-able pupils are consistently challenged.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the consistency of pupils’ progress across key stages and in subjects by ensuring that: - all pupils have real life and linked experiences that enable them to apply their skills and knowledge in different subjects - pupils have regular opportunities to practise and develop their writing in different subjects to improve standards.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils start school with skills and knowledge well below those expected for their age. However, by the time pupils leave the school, this gap is closed and the pupils’ attainment is average. This represents good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in Nursery and Reception is good. However, due to their low starting points they still enter Year 1 below where they should be. Progress in Key Stage 1 is improving due to changes in staff and clear expectations of where the children need to be before the end of Year 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who receive additional funding through pupil premium make good progress. This funding is used effectively to provide a range of support such as additional staff, attendance at breakfast club and extra information and communication technology resources. As a result, pupils receiving free school meals are doing as well as those who do not in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and pupils needing extra support benefit from having additional adults in the class. As a result of this effective support they make at least good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment in reading by the end of Year 6 is above average. A strong focus is the teaching of letter and sounds (phonics), making sense of new words and using reading to discover and learn. This is speeding up pupils’ progress and boosting enjoyment.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Mathematics is taught well, leading to good progress across the school. This was demonstrated in a lesson in Year 5 where pupils were applying their skills to new situations in a confident manner.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Outstanding marking and feedback from teachers and responses made by children result in the pupils having a clear understanding of how they can improve their work. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The pace and inspirational teaching methods in many lessons result in high levels of pupil engagement, leading to them achieving well over time. Where teachers talk for too long in the introductory part of the lesson, pupils do not have enough time to complete the work set for them and this slows their progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ and teaching assistants’ skilled questioning enables pupils to become independent thinkers and take responsibility for their own learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils speak with enthusiasm about their learning and are often given the opportunity by the class teacher to take the lead in their lessons and ask questions that deepen their knowledge.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Adults support pupils, especially those with additional needs, extremely well during lessons and in small-group activities, maximising learning opportunities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge. They often use the pupils’ ideas to encourage and enthuse pupils. This was observed in a number of lessons but it is not consistent across the school.  The good start children receive in Nursery and Reception leads to them feeling confident as learners, ready for Year 1.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of reading across school is a strength. The teaching of early reading is systematic and, as a result, pupils make accelerated progress and, by the end of Year 6 pupils, are above the national average in reading.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Further links between subjects need to be developed in order to provide pupils with purposeful writing opportunities.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning in lessons are outstanding. They take full responsibility for improving their work, checking against what they were supposed to learn and making improvements to previous work in response to their teachers’ comments.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Behaviour is consistently well managed. Pupils are proud of being part of this school and want to take on roles of responsibility. All pupils make the school’s positive and supportive environment the strength it is today.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say that they feel safe. They learn how to keep themselves safe in the local community and at home, including when using the internet to research for information. They have a clear understanding of different forms of bullying and are confident that, if they are worried about anything, they would know who to go and talk to.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance has significantly improved and it is now above average. Children enjoy displaying their attendance certificates outside their classrooms. All children enjoy coming to school to learn.

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The leadership and management are good

 The senior leadership team has worked extremely hard to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ attainment by making sure that all staff receive good-quality professional development. Plans to make the school even better are clear and understood by staff, governors and pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The senior and middle leadership teams have played a big part in leading improvements and checking the quality of teaching, learning and planning across the school. Regular meetings with teachers to discuss pupils’ progress ensure that everyone working in school is clear about what is expected.

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The leadership and management are good

 Middle leaders and those responsible for curriculum areas ensure that pupils acquire good subject skills and knowledge. They recognise the need to look for further opportunities to strengthen these skills in a creative manner in different subjects and across key stages.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school ensures that all pupils are given the opportunity to succeed. The pupil premium has been spent on extra staffing and resources to make sure that eligible pupils make at least good progress. This has a positive impact across school and has been closely monitored by the governing body.

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The leadership and management are good

 Links with parents are good. School has run various after-school clubs to engage parents so that they are able to better support their child’s learning at home. One parent commented, ‘How proud I am that my child comes to this school.’

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes spiritual, cultural, moral and social development extremely well. Partnerships with other schools and the local community enable pupils to expand their horizons and, as a consequence, they are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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The leadership and management are good

 The support offered from the local authority is now only minimal. This is appropriate due to the improvements in pupils’ attainment and the development of the school’s leadership and management team.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school: - Governors have a good knowledge of the school, based on their regular visits into school and their regular meetings with leaders. They are aware of the strengths of the school and also what the school needs to do to improve further. They regularly hold the school to account for its performance and ensure staff receive appropriate training where it is needed. The governing body has received training in interpreting data and uses this effectively to check that pupils are making the expected and better progress. The use of the pupil premium funding is evaluated regularly to ensure that spending has a positive impact on improving standards. Governors are fully aware of how the performance management of staff and salary progression are linked to improved outcomes in pupils’ achievement. They contribute effectively to the overall strength of the school by playing an active and supportive role.

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The leadership and management are good

They also make sure that the school is a safe place for the pupils and that it meets government requirements to safeguard them.

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 103987 Local authority Sandwell Inspection number 404917

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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 222 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mike Griffin Headteacher Sarah H Bott Date of previous school inspection 17 May 2011 Telephone number 0121 557 1543 Fax number 0121 520 9071 Email address headteacher@st-martins.sandwell.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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