Crigglestone St James CofE Primary Academy

Crigglestone St James Church of England Primary Academy St James Way, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, WF4 3HY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils’ progress in English and mathematics is not fast enough from Year 1 to Year 6.  The quality of teaching varies too much. There is not enough consistently good teaching in Key Stages 1 and 2. Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of what the pupils can achieve.  Leaders, managers and governors do not have a consistently strong impact on improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement because the checks they make are not always accurate enough.  Governors, although very supportive of the school, do not always have accurate information from which to judge how well the school is performing and where it needs to improve further.

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The school has the following strengths

 The progress of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good because of good teaching. Children make significant gains in the development of early reading skills.  Pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons is good and they agree they feel safe and secure.  Leaders and managers have ensured there are well thought out and strongly implemented policies for developing pupils’ understanding of unfamiliar words, letters and sounds (phonics).  The curriculum provides a wide range of enjoyable experiences that contribute well to the pupils’ strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Inspection report: Crigglestone St James Church of England Primary Academy, 30 April–1 May 2013 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 17 lessons taught by 11 teachers; two were joint observations with the executive headteacher and the head of school.  Inspectors observed and spoke with pupils during lessons and at lunch and break times. They met formally with a group of pupils.  Meetings were held with senior leaders and managers. A meeting also took place with the Chair and vice-chair of the Governing Body.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including arrangements for safeguarding, performance management, attendance figures, information about pupils’ attainment and progress, and pupils’ books.  The views of 49 parents were analysed through the on-line questionnaire (Parent View).

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Inspection team

Fiona McNally, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jane Salt Additional Inspector Sharon Lambert Additional Inspector Inspection report: Crigglestone St James Church of England Primary Academy, 30 April–1 May 2013 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 The school is a larger than average-sized primary school.  Crigglestone St James Church of England Primary Academy converted to become an academy on 1 July 2012. When its predecessor school, Crigglestone St James Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding.  The proportion of pupils 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 below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is below average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after by the local

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Information about this school

authority.)  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage and the proportion of pupils of who speak English as an additional language is below average.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to at least consistently good or better so that pupils make at least good progress in English and mathematics by:  increasing the opportunities for pupils to reinforce their basic skills in all subjects and across all areas of the curriculum  ensuring pupils, especially less-able pupils, have the opportunity to read more widely at all stages of their development  improving the planning and use of resources in order to better support the less-able pupils and to increase the level of challenge for more-able pupils, so they can reach their potential  ensuring the pace of lessons is appropriate to the needs of all pupils so that learning can be reinforced or moved on, as necessary  matching better the needs of individual pupils in class through regular and more skilful checks on their understanding in order to allow teachers to reshape activities accordingly, so that all

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

pupils can access the right level of learning and reach or exceed their personal targets  ensuring all pupils are clear on their personal targets and through marking are given constructive feedback so they know how to move their learning forward.  Improve the quality of leadership and management, including governance, by:  ensuring that the professional development of staff enable teachers to make the necessary improvements in their classroom practice and that the pupils benefit from consistently strong teaching  ensuring that procedures in place for checking the quality of teaching are fully accurate so that the school’s provision is correctly judged and the right priorities for improvement are identified and acted upon  providing governors with more accurate information about pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching to enable them to challenge more effectively the school’s performance.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. Inspection report: Crigglestone St James Church of England Primary Academy, 30 April–1 May 2013 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Taking account of children’s skills when they enter the Reception class, which are broadly in line with typically expected levels, children make good progress in developing their basic skills in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Pupils in Years 1 to 6 make the progress expected of them and standards are in line with national averages. Not enough pupils make better than expected progress in English and mathematics. This is also true for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  The attainment of the very small numbers of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is similar to that of their peers who are not eligible for this funding, and the gap in their attainment is narrower than that seen nationally.  Pupils have the opportunity to read often. As a result, in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Year 1, they do well in learning letters and sounds to help them with reading unfamiliar words.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

Pupils’ achievement in the Year 1 phonics check is above average, which is a reflection of better teaching and the good development of early reading skills in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  However, there are not enough opportunities for less-able pupils in particular, to read widely. Less-able pupils are not provided with access to all the books in the library which means they do not have the opportunity to read books of their own choosing based on their own interests. Pupils in Year 2 said that they would like more opportunity to read factual material, about spiders and dinosaurs, for example, which they cannot do from the school’s reading scheme.  Taking the variations in pupils’ performance and the above factors into account, the school demonstrates an adequate, rather than a pro-active commitment to the promotion of equality of opportunity.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is inconsistent across the key stages and not enough teaching is enabling pupils to make good progress in English and mathematics.  In the lessons observed, there were too many examples of teachers not having consistently high expectations of what the more able pupils could achieve. Equally, some teachers did not regularly provide appropriate support for less-able pupils. This was due to teachers’ planning and resources which did not sufficiently match the individual needs of the pupils.  Teachers’ questioning did not consistently succeed in getting pupils to think more deeply about the task set. It did not always succeed in eliciting information from the pupils that would then allow teachers to check on pupils’ understanding or to reshape tasks and refine explanations to improve pupils’ learning. Equally, pupils do not have a clear understanding of the levels they are aiming for and are not given enough information through marking and feedback by teachers, to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

ensure they know how to achieve these levels.  Where less effective teaching was seen, teachers were often moving learning forward at too fast a pace and, in so doing, did not always make the appropriate checks to ensure that pupils had a secure understanding of what they were doing. Equally, some more-able pupils were given activities that were too easy, which meant there were times when they had finished their work and were not given any further activities to extend and deepen their learning.  Pupils’ books in Key Stages 1 and 2 show that marking is regular but that teachers do not consistently use comments to help pupils to know what they have to do to improve. Where work is incorrect or incomplete, this is sometimes not identified by teachers and, where it is identified, pupils are not consistently challenged to correct or complete their work. As such, pupils’ progress from one piece of work to the next is too steady. Pupils’ books show that the majority of

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

comments from teachers are about the presentation of their work, rather than giving them suggestions on how to improve the content.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, teaching is consistently good. There is also good and Inspection report: Crigglestone St James Church of England Primary Academy, 30 April–1 May 2013 5 of 9

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

occasionally outstanding teaching in some classes in Key Stages 1 and 2. In stronger teaching, teachers have high expectations of pupils. Teachers plan lessons which are challenging and varied, and keep pupils interested and enthusiastic about their learning.  When teaching is stronger, teachers use effective strategies to regularly check pupils’ understanding and use this information to reshape tasks. Teachers and other adults are supportive and so pupils feel confident to articulate their answers at length and to take risks and become more independent in their learning. For example, in a mathematics intervention class for less-able pupils, one pupil used an operation for multiplication that other pupils had not used. Through thorough and very regular checking on pupils’ work, the teacher saw this and asked the pupil to explain it to the class, which he did. Through skilful questioning by the teacher, the pupil

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

explained the method in full, serving to demonstrate a new strategy for other pupils, as well as giving that particular pupil the opportunity to demonstrate an excellent attitude to his learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They demonstrate a willingness to learn and are excited by the opportunities to do well.  Evidence shows that pupils behave well in lessons and around the school, including at playtime, in assemblies and in the dining hall. Pupils are polite to adults and to each other. For example, children from the Early Years Foundation Stage up to Year 6 always offer to open doors for adults and other pupils.  Where pupils have occasionally less positive attitudes, it is largely due to the quality of teaching which does not sufficiently challenge or motivate pupils. The management of behaviour is consistent, as seen in lessons, and confirmed by the views of parents, staff and pupils.  Pupils say they feel safe. On the rare occasion when there is poor or disruptive behaviour in lessons or around the school, pupils say this is dealt with immediately by adults, meaning it does

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

not make them feel worried. Pupils are able to describe what bullying is and know about the different forms it can take, such as racist or cyber-bullying. Pupils say bullying is rare because there is an attitude of respect and care in the school and that teachers deal with issues of that nature quickly, so that any issues do not persist. Parents largely agree that bullying is rare and when it occurs, it is dealt with effectively by the school.  Pupils attend regularly and are always punctual to lessons, demonstrating that they like school and feel happy there. The large majority of parents who took part in the survey on the school’s provision said their child was happy at the school. Pupils said that they enjoyed school because the adults helped and cared about them.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders’ evaluation of the school’s provision lacks pinpoint accuracy in some areas and this makes it more difficult for the school to identify what remains to improve. For example, some teaching has been judged to be of a higher quality than it actually is and so less-effective elements of teaching have not yet had a strong enough focus for improvement. This means that the systems for managing staff performance require improvement.  Training intended to improve the quality of teaching has not always been focussed closely enough on the individual needs of staff or on whole-school development.  The school’s curriculum provides varied opportunities for pupils to enjoy learning, which promotes positive behaviour. This is seen particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage where children are often able to apply basic skills in many of their learning activities. However, the broader curriculum is not yet providing enough opportunities to support the reinforcement of

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The leadership and management requires improvement

basic skills and for pupils to apply their communication, literacy and numeracy skills in practical ways and in a broad range of topics.  The school provides a wide range of enjoyable experiences, which contribute well to pupils’ strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They have the opportunity to learn Inspection report: Crigglestone St James Church of England Primary Academy, 30 April–1 May 2013 6 of 9

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The leadership and management requires improvement

about their own faiths and values, as well as the values and customs of other faiths. Pupils enjoy visits to places of interest both locally and further afield. Pupils learn Chinese and relish the opportunity to learn about Chinese culture.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:  Governors are very supportive of the school. For example, some take an active role in providing enrichment opportunities for pupils, such as leading collective worship and taking pupils on history walks around the locality, to offer pupils a perspective of their own neighbourhood and its place in the wider community. Governors have a secure understanding of the financial management of the school, including the use and impact of the pupil premium funding and they manage these resources efficiently. However, they have not had accurate information on how the school’s performance compares with national figures and the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

information provided about the quality of teaching has been inaccurate at times. Therefore, governors are not currently challenging the school with sufficient rigour about pupils’ progress in order to make the necessary improvements. Inspection report: Crigglestone St James Church of England Primary Academy, 30 April–1 May 2013 7 of 9

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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: Crigglestone St James Church of England Primary Academy, 30 April–1 May 2013 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 138293 Local authority Not Applicable Inspection number 411728

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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 Academy converter School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 314 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rev Cannon Ian Gaskell Headteacher Colleen Gibson Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01924 303540 Fax number 01924 303542 Email address headteacher@stjamesacademy.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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