St Peters Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, West Hanningfield

St Peters C of E (VA) Primary School, West Hanningfield Church Road, West Hanningfield, Chelmsford, CM2 8UQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  The strong leadership of the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the governing body has helped the school to improve the teaching of English and mathematics.  Rates of progress have continued to rise and current Year 6 pupils are on track to do well in English and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2.  Teaching is good in all year groups, and inspectors saw some examples of outstanding teaching in all classes.  The way subjects are taught is exciting, well planned and enables all groups of pupils, especially disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, to make good progress.  Standards are improving rapidly in reading because of the effective way it is taught in Reception and Year 1.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. They are eager to learn and they are unreservedly polite and caring of one another. They enjoy the family feel of their school and consequently their attendance is above average.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils feel very safe and well cared for. They enjoy taking responsibility for particular areas of school life, such as keeping the playground safe.  The excellent way the school develops pupils’ personal skills (for example their attitudes, and their ability to reflect and feel for others) is at the heart of its success.  The governors know how well the school is doing and ask challenging questions about its performance and its management of finances, including additional funding for the few pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Less-able pupils are not making quite such fast progress as others.  Leaders and managers are not using targets for pupils well enough to help the teachers aim even higher.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed five lessons, all of which were seen with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector made short visits to other lessons, looked at pupils’ work and heard them read.  Meetings were held with staff, pupils and governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector took account of the 48 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) as well as one interview with a parent and 11 questionnaires completed by staff.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation including nationally published data and the school’s own data, the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, safeguarding policies and records and documents relating to performance management.

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Inspection team

Justina Ilochi, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  Almost all pupils are from White British heritage. No pupils speak English as an additional language.  Since the last inspection, and especially in the last two years, the school has experienced major changes. The headteacher and deputy headteacher were appointed in September 2011 and three out of the school’s four teachers are new in post. The Chair of the Governing Body was appointed in 2010.  Only five pupils are eligible for additional funding through the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority and children of service families).  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action, and those supported at school action plus, or who have a statement of special educational needs, are below average compared to national figures.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the current government’s 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?

 Increase the rates of progress of less able pupils by ensuring that:  teachers keep a close eye on how well pupils are doing when they are working without the help of adults  teachers ask questions of pupils of all abilities.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that leaders and managers use the information they have on the progress pupils are making to set demanding and realistic targets for pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children in Reception make good progress from starting points that are broadly as expected for their age. Progress is good in all key stages and as a result attainment by the end of Key Stage 2 is improving fast in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment is improving particularly well in reading. The results of the tests in phonics (the sounds that letters make) for six-year olds demonstrate pupils’ rapidly improving reading skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Almost all pupils in Year 6 are on track to make at least nationally expected rates of progress in English and mathematics. School records show that the progress of more-able pupils has accelerated, so they are rapidly approaching the highest levels especially in Year 6. The progress of less able pupils is not quite as rapid as that of other groups.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s data shows that pupils are now making good progress in writing, an area for improvement from the previous inspection. This improving picture directly reflects the school’s focus on one to one and small group teaching of writing in all year groups.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There is an improving picture of progress for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, many of whom have made good progress in reading in the last two years. This is because the school has identified these pupils’ needs more accurately and has provided additional help and guidance with reading that is at the right level for them.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of the very few pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is as rapid as that of other groups. This is because funding in the last year has been effective in promoting their equal opportunities. It has been rightly spent on additional one to one guidance and ensuring that they engage in all school activities such as school visits and trips. As there are so few pupils involved, no judgement is made about their attainment at the end of Year 6, and no judgement is made about the different groups of pupils who may be eligible.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All teaching throughout the school is good, and inspectors saw examples of outstanding practice in all classes. The school has worked hard to remove any inadequate teaching.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Adults who support pupils in need of additional help, including those who are identified as having special educational needs, make a strong contribution to rising standards in mathematics and English because they are briefed well on how to get the best out of pupils in their charge.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) are taught well in Reception and Key Stage 1; as a result reading is improving rapidly. In an outstanding religious education lesson in Year 2, the teacher referred frequently to phonics to ensure that all pupils in her class could pronounce unfamiliar words and use them for writing a prayer.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils benefit from a range of subjects that are taught well. They read widely and enjoy talking about books they have read.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan lessons that are exciting and engage pupils’ attention so they concentrate intensely, behave extremely well and work hard. In particular, they collaborate well with many opportunities to share ideas, which they fondly call ‘magpieing’. This has led to rapid progress in mathematics, reading and writing especially in Year 6.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking is of a high quality and all pupils are provided with individual guidance on how to improve their work on a regular basis in all subjects especially in English and mathematics. For example, the school keeps a writing portfolio for all its pupils on entry to the school that contains samples of marked writing pieces. This enables both parents and pupils to know how well they are doing and to identify next steps.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Expectations of what children in Reception can do are very high and as a result they achieve well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers expect pupils to make good choices and to work frequently on their own to reinforce previous learning and build on their knowledge and skills without the continuous attention of adults. However, sometimes adults do not check pupils’ learning frequently enough to ensure that less able pupils have not become confused or got stuck when they are working on their own.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the best lessons, teachers listen to and skilfully question pupils to check how well they are doing. Other adults provide well-judged support for pupils who are less confident to bring them up to the level of the others. However, in a few lessons teachers’ questions are focused more on the more-able pupils than on less-able pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Behaviour in lessons and around the school is exceptional. Pupils and staff are unreservedly caring and polite to one another and there is a strong community feeling to the school. At the same time, pupils are independent thinkers who enjoy debating important questions and having their voices heard and listened to.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary and play a significant part in their good achievement. They are keen to be involved in their own learning by answering questions and sharing their knowledge and understanding with others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Staff manage pupils’ behaviour exceptionally well. They use a common system that discourages inappropriate behaviour and rewards pupils who try hard to produce their best efforts. Consequently, all pupils, including the few pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding, feel safe. On the very few occasions any bullying incidents happen they are dealt with exceptionally well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have excellent social skills. They are confident speakers when conversing with adults and other pupils. They get on well together and work constructively in groups often without adult attention. Pupils are extremely respectful of each other and this contributes to their good learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say they are happy and feel safe at school. They take responsibility for caring for each other in the play areas where older pupils guide and look after younger pupils. Parents and carers as well as staff confirm this. Pupils take responsibility for their own and others’ safety. They know right from wrong and correct each other if needed. They are fully aware of all forms of bullying, including bullying through electronic communication.  Pupils enjoy school and as a result their attendance has been consistently above average for the last three years.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is ambitious for the school. She knows what she wants to achieve and with her deputy, she has developed a strong team of teachers and other staff. In the last two years, she has ensured that every teacher in the school is in charge of at least one curriculum area.

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The leadership and management are good

 The investment in the accurate tracking of pupils’ progress alongside relevant high quality training and professional development for staff has led to an increasing proportion of pupils making good or better progress in English and mathematics. However, leader and managers do not set demanding and realistic targets for pupils to help teachers aim even higher and move them on faster.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors have ensured that arrangements for managing the performance of staff are rigorous and appropriately tied to the monitoring of teaching quality and pupil progress. As a result, teaching is consistently good and the quality of teaching is sharply focused on how teachers can improve classroom practice.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has a strong policy for developing literacy and communication. This is demonstrated in the good progress that almost all pupils make in English. Pupils’ reading and writing is rapidly improving as a result of opportunities for pupils to read and write in subjects other than English.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new senior leadership team and governors have worked very hard in the last two years to engage with parents and carers and involve them in the learning and behaviour of their children. The headteacher maintains an ‘open door’ policy so parents and carers feel listened to and work well with the school. This has led to pupils’ exceptional behaviour in school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The way subjects and topics are taught is stimulating and interesting for all pupils. Topical issues such as ‘book week’ are included on the school calendar and used as themes for assemblies which contribute to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. There is a strong emphasis on spiritual, moral and social education, which is evident in all aspects of school life. Pupils are also encouraged to learn about a wide range of cultures and faiths through frequent trips and visits.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding meets current statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has worked closely with the school to provide additional help and guidance in the moderation of test results, checking of the quality of teaching and the training of governors and staff.  The governance of the school:  The governing body effectively holds the school to account for any underperformance. Governors receive regular comprehensive evaluations of how well the school is doing and understand how the school’s performance data compare with achievement nationally. Members of the governing body undertake relevant training so as to keep the school continuously under review. Governors keep a close eye on how well the additional pupil premium funding is being used and know where it is making a difference. The governing body has developed strong links with parents to find out their views about the school and fulfils all of its statutory duties, including those relating to safeguarding. It holds the school to account

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The leadership and management are good

for managing its finances and makes sure pay is closely aligned to teachers’ performance. Governors know how good teaching is and what is being done to improve it.

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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 115202 Local authority Essex Inspection number 403259

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 102 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane Vosper Headteacher Wendy Figueira Date of previous school inspection 28 April 2008 Telephone number 01245 400327 Fax number 01245 401304 Email address wendy.figueira@st-petershanningfield.essex.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

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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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