St Peter's Church of England Controlled Primary School and Nursery

St Peter's Church of England Controlled Primary School Stackyard Lane, Edgmond, Newport, TF10 8JQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Achievement across the school is outstanding, which means pupils are very well prepared for secondary school.  Children make exceptional progress in the Reception class where they benefit from a wide mix of exciting work.  Pupils continue to make rapid progress as they move up the school. They reach above- average standards when they leave school in Year 6. Pupils do not reach the same high standards in writing that they do in reading and mathematics.  Outstanding teaching enables pupils to build on their skills year by year. Teachers provide work that is very challenging and engaging.  Pupils feel very safe in school. Their behaviour in class and around the school is exemplary. Pupils are very keen to learn and take a high level of responsibility for the quality of their work.  The headteacher and other leaders aim high, which is ensuring that high standards have been sustained over recent years. The checks

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

on the quality of teaching are frequent and robust and ensure it is outstanding. Plans and staff training to improve the school have been highly successful. The school has an excellent capacity to improve even further.  The governing body provides outstanding challenge and support. It makes sure that that the school meets all legal requirements.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed the teaching in all classes. They visited 19 lessons taught by eight teachers. A school leader joined an inspector for one of these visits and was observed reporting back to the teacher on the quality of learning seen.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils, the headteacher, teachers, the Chair of the Governing Body and one other governor. The lead inspector talked with a representative of the local authority on the telephone.  The inspectors looked at a range of evidence, including: records of pupils’ progress, safeguarding documentation, behaviour logs and the results of the school’s checks on the quality of teaching. They also examined the work in pupils’ books.  Inspectors met over 30 parents informally at the school gate and noted their feelings about the school. The views of 53 parents were analysed through the Parent View website.

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Inspection team

Gerald Griffin, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Michael Thomas Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage. The remainder come from a wide variety of backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils eligible for free school meals, those in care and those with a parent in the armed services) is below the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The school met the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Close the small gap in attainment between reading and writing by making sure pupils get more practice at writing longer pieces of work in subjects other than English.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils’ achievement is outstanding. Most children start school with skills above those that are typical for their age. They make excellent progress in all areas of learning and, by the time they start Year 1, most children’s skills are considerably above the levels expected for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 In Years 1 to 6, pupils make excellent progress in reading, writing and mathematics to reach above-average standards by the time they leave school.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils are very keen to read in school and at home and do so very regularly. Younger ones use phonics (linking letters to the sound they make) very competently to read unfamiliar words. Standards in reading in Year 2 are above average.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 In written work, pupils’ spelling, punctuation and use of vocabulary to express their ideas clearly are above average. However, some pupils do not use these skills well enough when they write longer pieces of work to reach the highest standards in writing that they do in reading and mathematics. This is because there are too few opportunities to practise writing longer pieces of work in subjects such as history and science.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils are very adept at solving complex mathematical problems, which means that many of them attain the highest standards.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils use their basic skills very well. For example, they use their mathematical skills to measure accurately and draw graphs in science.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs concentrate very well in lessons and make excellent progress. This is the result of expert help from well-qualified adults who plan extra help and support sessions that are skilfully shaped according to pupils’ different abilities, to promote high achievement.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 There were no pupils subject to the pupil premium in Year 6 last year. The very small number of current pupils who are subject to the pupil premium also make excellent progress. Their attainment in English and mathematics is average but the gap between their attainment and that of their classmates is quickly closing. This shows the school makes very good use of the pupil premium money. For example, it provides additional help for these pupils to raise their standards in English and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers have high expectation of their classes. They use progress data very well to set challenging work which makes sure pupils of all abilities are fully stretched.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Lessons proceed at a rapid pace and pupils work very hard. Teachers’ questions make pupils think deeply. Teachers use answers expertly to gauge if pupils are ready to move on to new work.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Educational games, computers and other resources are skilfully used to engage pupils and develop their learning. For example, Year 6 pupils were making good gains in their understanding of persuasive writing through studying advertisements, which they found very interesting and relevant. However, teachers do not always plan enough time for pupils to practise writing longer pieces of work in subjects other than English.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers plan many opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. For example, in an outstanding assembly seen, pupils were reflecting deeply on their feelings about behaving fairly.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 In Reception lessons, teachers plan a very good balance of adult-led work and child-chosen activities and an appropriate range of indoor and outdoor work that lead to children’s excellent progress. For example, in an outstandingly well-taught lesson seen, children were making rapid progress in adding numbers using a computer game they had chosen. Outdoors, a group working very hard with an adult were thoroughly engaged in making music to mirror different moods in a story.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to learning, especially for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and those eligible for the pupil premium. For example, they use their expert knowledge to accurately assess the progress of these pupils to see that they are ready to move on to harder work.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Marking and feedback to pupils on the quality of their work are exemplary. Comments give very clear advice about how work can be improved so that pupils can reach their challenging targets. Pupils make corrections to show that they have noted the teacher’s advice.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school sets high expectations for behaviour. School records and pupils confirm that the excellent behaviour seen in classes and around the school during the inspection is the norm. Pupils are very polite and courteous to adults and to each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils feel extremely safe and say that bullying is unheard of. They are confident that any cases would be quickly dealt with by the school. They understand different forms of bullying, such as cyber bullying, and know precisely what to do if they meet it.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils feel very well cared for and supported by the staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have outstanding attitudes and take learning very seriously. Pupils make an excellent contribution to their own learning. For example, they take a high degree of responsibility for the quality of their work by checking that it is accurate, complete and of a high standard.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school council enjoyed the recent responsibility of advising teachers about how pupils feel they best learn. They were keen to tell inspectors of its positive outcome and that, as a result of their comments, they now have more practical work to do.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance is above average reflecting pupils’ enjoyment of school.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher’s uncompromising drive for excellence is enthusiastically shared by the staff who each make a valuable contribution to the school’s outstanding capacity to sustain improvement.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Since the previous inspection, leaders have improved markedly the teaching of mathematics and, as a consequence, progress in this subject. Their assessment of pupils’ progress is now frequent and accurate. They have made sure that the outdoor-learning area is frequently used by children in the Reception class.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders make robust checks on teaching and the quality of learning. The follow-up from these observations successfully tackles weaknesses to improve teachers’ skills. For example, successful training has improved the teaching of solving mathematical problems.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority has made a strong contribution to the training of teachers. For example, it has provided training that has sharpened subject leaders’ skills in assessing the quality of teaching and learning.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The way subjects are taught strongly promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, the school provides many opportunities for pupils to reflect on right and wrong and to recognise that their actions have consequences. In their drive to make the school even better, leaders have already introduced more opportunities for pupils to write longer pieces of work in subjects other than English, but it is too early to evaluate the impact of this initiative.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Most parents expressed positive views about their children’s progress, the quality of teaching and leadership of the school. The school provides many courses for parents that help them support their children’s learning at home and these are well attended.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders have a very clear commitment to combating discrimination and promoting equal opportunities. This is shown in the outstanding progress made by all groups of pupils, from all backgrounds. The school fosters excellent relationships with outside agencies and other schools to improve pupils’ life chances even more.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Child protection training for staff is thorough, and leaders implement child protection policies rigorously. The school completes all statutory checks on the suitability of staff to be employed.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has an accurate picture of how well the school is doing compared to other schools through their regular visits to see the school at work and their clear understanding of data on progress. They use this information very well to ask the school searching questions about its performance. For example, they have taken a keen interest in making sure that the school spots and diagnoses special educational needs at the first opportunity so that these pupils can quickly benefit from specialist help. The governing body fully supports staff training and is keen to improve its own skills. Governors check that the management of teachers’ performance is rigorous. Only those teachers that have met the challenging targets set by the school, including those for pupils’ progress, are considered for additional pay and promotion. They make sure that the school is spending the pupil premium funding on those eligible for 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 123474 Local authority Telford and Wrekin Inspection number 403530

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 189 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Wayne Edwards Headteacher Caroline Hawkins Date of previous school inspection 17 October 2007 Telephone number 01952 811692 Email address enquiries@stpetersedu.co.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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