St Andrew's CofE Primary and Nursery School

St Andrew’s CofE Primary and Nursery School Mansfield Road, Skegby, Sutton-in-Ashfield, NG17 3DW

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Because teaching is consistently good, all groups of pupils achieve well and attainment in English and mathematics is above average at the end of Year 6.  The strong leadership of the headteacher and the good support of the governing body ensure that staff morale is high and that all are committed to raising standards further.  Accurate checking of pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching gives the school a clear picture of how well it is doing and what needs to be done next to improve pupils’ education.  Teaching assistants work well with teachers, and provide good support for any pupils who need additional help.  Pupils’ good behaviour and attitudes to learning contribute to the strong sense of community in the school.  Pupils say they feel safe and well looked after at school and the vast majority of parents and carers agree.  Pupils’ learning benefits from a wide range of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

activities that strongly promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always check regularly in lessons that the work is hard enough for all groups of pupils.  Occasionally teachers’ explanations are too long and pupils do not have enough time to work on their own.  Pupils are not given enough opportunities to respond to the advice teachers provide when marking their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 18 lessons, four of which were seen together with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. They also observed a school assembly and made a number of other short visits to classrooms.  They observed pupils at break and lunchtimes, and in the before- and after-school clubs.  The inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, other staff and pupils, the Chair of and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body, and some parents and carers at the start of the school day.  Inspectors heard groups of pupils of different ages reading.  The inspectors took account of 56 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  They looked at the school’s policies, teachers’ plans, school improvement planning and records on behaviour and safety, together with samples of pupils’ work. They also looked at information on individual pupils’ progress and teachers’ performance, and records of meetings held by the

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Inspection team

Kenneth Thomas, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Alan Chaffey Additional Inspector Wendy Davies Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Andrews is an above-average-sized primary school.  Almost all pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is low, as is the proportion who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care and pupils with a parent in the armed forces.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school provides before- and after-school clubs that are managed by the governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make more teaching outstanding and raise pupils’ achievement further by making sure that:  teachers check during lessons that all groups of pupils, particularly those capable of reaching higher levels, are making at least good progress  the results of these checks are used to provide harder work where needed  teachers’ explanations are not too long, so pupils have more time to work independently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the contribution teachers’ marking makes to pupils’ progress, by ensuring that pupils are given time to respond to the advice given.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start in the nursery with skills that are broadly in line with those expected for their age. They make good progress in the nursery and Reception classes and attainment is above average by the time they enter Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress continues to be good in the rest of the school. All groups of pupils achieve well in English and mathematics. Boys and girls, and pupils from different ethnic backgrounds, all make equally good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 has been considerably above average for several years. Although test results in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6 dipped to average in 2012, the work seen and the school’s own records show that the current pupils’ attainment is on track to be well above average again in July 2013.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in reading because the regular teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) helps to ensure that their basic reading skills are secure. This was reflected in pupils’ above-average scores in the Year 1 national reading check. Good progress is made in writing and mathematics because pupils are provided with many opportunities to apply and develop their skills in a range of subjects beyond English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because teachers and teaching assistants know the pupils well and ensure that support is carefully matched to their needs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of pupils for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium is good, because of the additional support the school has provided to meet their needs and the careful way staff check that the extra help is making a difference. The gap between the attainment of these pupils and their classmates has narrowed. Overall they are currently behind other pupils in the school by about a term in reading and writing and two terms in mathematics, and doing better than similar pupils nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Through the careful tracking and review of pupils’ progress, gaps in learning are identified and addressed promptly. This reflects the school’s good promotion of equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Predominantly good teaching enables pupils of all backgrounds and abilities to make good progress and achieve well. This is a major factor in the good progress pupils are making in English and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good and occasionally outstanding teaching in the nursery and Reception provides the basis for pupils’ enthusiasm for learning that is evident throughout the school. This is seen across all year groups in pupils’ excellent attitudes to learning, and their willingness to share ideas and try their best for their teachers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use their good knowledge of individual pupils to plan learning tasks that meet the needs of different abilities and ages well. For example, careful planning was a feature of outstanding teaching in an English lesson with a class of Year 1 and 2 pupils. Rapid progress was made in the development of pupils’ reading, writing and comprehension skills because the learning tasks were closely matched to pupils’ attainment levels and very effective use was made of teaching assistants to support learning in small groups.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good use of the support available from teaching assistants is a feature of most lessons. Together with teachers, they ensure that the work given to disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and those eligible for the pupil premium builds up in small steps so they make good, measurable progress towards their learning targets.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In most lessons teachers continually check the progress pupils are making. This underpins good progress and ensures that any misunderstandings are quickly identified and tackled. Occasionally, this is not done thoroughly enough to identify when the level of challenge needs to be increased because some groups of pupils, and higher ability pupils in particular, are finding the set work too easy.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In a few lessons progress slows because teachers’ introductions and explanations to the whole class are too long. When this occurs, pupils do not have enough time to work independently and find things out for themselves.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is exceptionally thorough and makes clear what pupils have done well and what they need to do to improve their work. However, the work in pupils’ books shows that there are too few instances where they have responded to the teachers’ comments and learned from the advice given.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 From entry to the nursery, the vast majority of children learn and accept the school’s expectations of behaviour in lessons and around the school. Good, and in many cases excellent, behaviour in lessons across the school makes a significant contribution to the positive climate for learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Staff, pupils, parents and carers agree that behaviour is good. There have been no exclusions for several years. Pupils from all backgrounds get on well with each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Good relationships and positive attitudes to learning are evident in the constructive way in which pupils work together in small groups. For example, the sharing of ideas in a class of Year 3 and Year 4 pupils, as they worked together in groups, helped all to make good progress in understanding the use of headings, sub-headings and paragraphs in writing about the life of Henry the Eighth.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils have a reasonable understanding for their age of different kinds of bullying, including physical and cyber-bullying, and persistent name-calling. In discussion with inspectors, pupils said that they could not think of any incidents of this type, or any racist comments, having taken place.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe and are confident that adults will look after them well if they have any concerns. The vast majority of parents and carers appreciate the good quality of care that the school provides. Pupils are well cared for in the before- and after-school clubs.  Attendance is average and most pupils arrive on time at the start of the day.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides strong leadership and a very clear direction for the work of the school. With the full support of senior leaders and the governing body, she ensures that all staff work together as an effective team that is committed to providing the best possible education for all.

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The leadership and management are good

 The thorough analysis of pupils’ progress and accurate evaluation of the school’s work provides all leaders, including the governing body, with a clear understanding of the school’s performance. This ensures that improvement planning is sharply focused on identified weaknesses. This is seen, for example, in the successful action taken to raise attainment after the dip in 2012, and demonstrates the school’s good capacity for continued improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Improvement planning is supported by effective procedures for evaluating individual teachers’ performance and setting targets based on the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress. Teachers and other staff say that they are well supported through training to achieve their targets.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupil premium funding is used to provide academic and personal support for eligible pupils through additional staff and resources. Leaders and governors check carefully to make sure this support is carefully linked to pupils’ individual needs, and the gap in attainment between these pupils and their classmates is narrowing.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides ‘light touch’ support, which is appropriate in the light of the school’s good performance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The range of subjects taught promotes achievement well and is enhanced by a variety of after- school activities and visits out of school. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is nurtured well through school assemblies, music and the arts. The impact is seen, for example, in pupils’ acceptance of clearly defined boundaries of what is right or wrong.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has very positive relationships with the vast majority of parents and carers, and staff strive to involve them fully in their children’s learning. A really good example is seen in the ‘Razzle-Dazzle’ sessions at the start of the day in the Year 1 and Year 2 classes, when the parents and carers who have brought the children to school sit and read with them.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They know how its results compare with those of other schools and hold leaders to account for its performance. They are well informed about the quality of teaching and make sure that pay and promotion are justified by the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress and achievement. They make sure that all national requirements are met, including those relating to the safeguarding of pupils. All necessary checks are carried out to ensure pupils’ safety.

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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 122742 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 413121

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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 366 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Summerfield Headteacher Karen Brookes Date of previous school inspection 24 November 2009 Telephone number 01623 484522 Fax number 01623 484523 Email address office@st-andrews.notts.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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