St John's CofE Primary School

St John the Baptist CofE Primary School Vale Road, Colwick, Nottingham, NG4 2ED

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 do not make enough progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 to reach the standards they are capable of reaching.  Standards are not as high as they should be because teachers do not use the information they have on what their pupils can do to plan demanding tasks, particularly for those capable of doing harder work.  Pupils are not given enough opportunities to become independent in their learning.  The marking of pupils’ work does not help them to improve, and too much poorly presented work is accepted.  Teachers do not give enough attention to middle and higher-ability pupils.  School leaders have not done enough to improve the skills of teachers and teaching assistants.  Although governors are frequent visitors to the school, they are not sufficiently involved in identifying where it is doing well and which aspects need to improve.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children in the Reception Year get a good start to their education and make good progress.  Pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding and those with special educational needs do well.  Pupils feel safe. They behave well in lessons and around the school, and have good attitudes to learning.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher have coped well in difficult circumstances caused by frequent staff absence.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 lessons and saw all teachers teach. Seven lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors heard pupils read and looked at the work in their books.  Meetings were held with governors, senior leaders, subject leaders for English and mathematics, the special educational needs coordinator and pupils. An inspector had a conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of documentation, including the school’s improvement plans, its own judgements on its strengths and weaknesses, and the data it collects on pupils’ progress. Documents detailing the school’s arrangements for safeguarding were reviewed.  The inspection team took account of 23 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also noted the responses to the school’s recent questionnaire to parents and carers and took account of three letters from parents.

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Information about this inspection

 Questionnaire responses from 11 members of staff were analysed.

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Inspection team

David Speakman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Alan Brewerton Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is a smaller than the average-sized primary school.  A below-average proportion of pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds.  The percentage of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average. None are at the early stages of learning English.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is about average. This is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children in the care of the local authority, and those who have a parent serving in the armed forces.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is about average. The percentage supported through school action plus or a statement of special educational needs is below average.  In 2012, the school did not meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school runs a breakfast club before school each morning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the quality of teaching is consistently good in all classes in order to improve pupils’ achievement and raise standards by:  providing demanding work that is matched well to the capabilities of pupils at all levels of attainment  improving the marking of pupils’ work so that they know what they need to do to improve, ensuring that pupils respond to teachers’ comments and that only good-quality and well- presented work is accepted  helping pupils to develop skills to learn independently by providing more-structured approaches to learning through investigation, for example in mathematics  ensuring that teachers continuously monitor the progress of all groups of pupils in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leadership and management on the quality of education provided by:  increasing the level of accountability of subject leaders and others in charge of important aspects of the school for the quality of provision and outcomes in their subjects and areas of responsibility  ensuring all staff members have opportunities to develop further their teaching skills  increasing governors’ direct involvement in identifying the school’s strengths and areas in need of improvement to place them in a strong position to ask searching questions of school leaders.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress over time is not good enough to enable all pupils to do their very best. Attainment at the end of Year 6 fell to below the national average in English and mathematics in 2012. Attainment at the end of Year 2 was also below average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Older pupils’ books clearly show they do not apply the skills they learn in literacy, particularly writing, to other subjects. Handwriting is legible but work is not presented well. The amount of work covered over time is too limited to be effective in helping to improve writing skills. They are not given enough opportunity to practise and consolidate what they learn in literacy lessons.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In mathematics, pupils lack the skills and confidence to solve problems for themselves. They do not always understand what to do when solving problems or when carrying out investigations. They lack the confidence to take the next steps independently and find difficulty in explaining how they worked things out.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils capable of doing harder work do not get enough challenge in class. Consequently, they do not reach the standards they are capable of. In end-of-key-stage tests and assessments in 2012, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher levels in both Years 2 and 6 was below the national average. This year, the position is better at Year 6, with a predicted increase reaching the higher level. In Year 2, very few pupils, if any, are expected to reach the higher level.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Progress in most classes is beginning to improve because close checking of pupils’ progress this year is helping to identify groups of pupils in danger of falling behind so they can be helped. Standards in Year 6, for example, have improved and pupils are on track to reach average standards by the end of the year. Standards in Year 2 have not shown the same improvement and are likely to remain below average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children start in Reception with skills and knowledge well below the levels typical for their age. They make good progress, particularly in personal, social and emotional development and in learning to communicate. However, because of their low starting points, attainment is below average when they move into Year 1. Children are particularly good at speaking to others. They speak clearly, in well-constructed sentences and use a good range of vocabulary.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Results of the national screening in Year 1 to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding of letters and the sounds they make (phonics) show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard was similar to the national average in 2012. This represents good progress from low starting points in developing reading skills. Pupils improve their reading steadily. Younger pupils are mostly confident, but occasionally hesitate over unfamiliar words. Most older pupils are more confident, read fluently and with expression. Some pupils, however, do not show a clear understanding of what they are reading, for example, when solving problems in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are now progressing well, and better than other pupils in the school, because they receive well-focused support.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is good. In 2012, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals were about two terms ahead of other pupils in English and mathematics. School records show that the pupils currently supported by this funding are continuing to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although most teaching seen during the inspection was good, it still requires improvement because achievement is not good. Pupils’ workbooks show that teaching has not been good enough in the past but it is now getting better and hence pupils’ progress is improving.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching is least effective, teachers do not explain clearly what they expect pupils to do. Mathematics investigations, for example, are not planned adequately and the directions given too vague so pupils have little idea about what to do. Teachers miss opportunities for pupils to work together, talk about what they are doing and improve their independent learning skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Organisation of lessons does not ensure all pupils are equally supported and challenged. Teachers and teaching assistants too often focus mainly on the lower-attaining pupils or those with special educational needs. In some lessons, the tasks set are not demanding enough for pupils capable of doing harder work. Pupils say their work is often too easy.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The marking of pupils’ work does not consistently help pupils to improve. In some books, teachers’ comments do not give clear guidance to pupils on how they might improve. Teachers do not always correct work that is inaccurate or incorrect, and some accept work which is poorly presented. Pupils do not always respond to written comments made by teachers.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is improving. The teaching of reading is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Year 1 so pupils make good progress in building the basic reading skills. Teachers ask pupils to read nonsense words to ensure pupils are reading sounds rather than recognising words they already know. This builds secure early reading skills and teachers of older pupils build on these early skills well.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching is more effective, tasks stimulate interest and challenge pupils to try hard. Learning is securely based on what pupils have already learned so they move on confidently in their learning at a quick pace. Teachers’ expectations are high and this can be clearly seen when teachers ask questions that make pupils think carefully about their work. This supports writing well; for example, when pupils in Year 6 wrote about emotions, the teacher modelled good quality writing and discussion helped pupils to clarify their ideas.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers keep their input to a minimum and give pupils time to practise and consolidate learning. Effective organisation into groups gives teachers the opportunity to match work to pupils’ needs.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. The teacher gives children the opportunity to talk to the class about their learning. She gently coaches children to speak correctly and clearly so listeners can easily understand. Children really enjoy this and children’s speech is a strong feature.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are given suitable help and guidance, often individually or in small groups. Teachers and teaching assistants provide effective support for pupils by breaking tasks down into smaller achievable steps through one-to- one support or through small-group activities. Adults do well in building the confidence of vulnerable pupils. Pupil premium funding is spent wisely and the ‘booster’ teachers help qualifying pupils to maintain their good progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils speak positively about behaviour in school. They are happy to come to school. There are no recorded instances of pupils not being allowed to come to school because of poor behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are positive about their learning and speak highly of the opportunities the school provides for them. They take work that is demanding seriously and are proud when they achieve good results. When they are given the opportunity to work in groups, they do this well, listen to others ideas respectfully and learn from each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils spoken to feel safe in school. They say bullying is rare and if it ever happens, it is dealt with quickly and effectively. They know about bullying, how to avoid it and the different forms it can take. Sensitive support is provided for disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable so they fit into school life well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils understand the school’s expectations of them. They respond well to the management of behaviour and understand the system of rewards and measures taken to address any poor behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is developed well. Good-quality care for all pupils, including in the before-school breakfast club and in the after-school activities, means that pupils develop good social awareness. Pupils work well together in lessons and listen to each other’s ideas. They know what makes behaviour good and make good choices.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is close to the national average. Pupils mostly arrive to school on time.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because the school’s leaders have not yet made sure that the quality of teaching is strong enough to promote good achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Due to a high level of staff absence, the headteacher and deputy headteacher have taken on much of the responsibility for checking the quality of education and its impact on achievement. They are aware of the main strengths and weaknesses and have managed to secure more focused support for pupils. As a result, much of the teaching is now good and progress improving.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Other leaders, such as the key subject and aspect leaders and governors, do not yet play a big enough role in directly monitoring the school’s performance or contributing to raising standards.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher have an accurate picture of the progress of different groups in each year. They use this as part of their checking on how well teachers are doing their jobs. This has started to improve teaching and, in turn, pupils’ progress is beginning to show improvement. The school, therefore, has the capacity to improve.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has records of training undertaken mainly by teachers, but some teaching assistants say they would appreciate greater opportunity to develop their teaching skills.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has appropriate procedures to manage the performance of staff. In collaboration with the headteacher, governors have set demanding targets for the work of senior leaders. All staff, including support staff, have their own challenging targets, which are closely monitored, to guide their work and improve their performance. Due to staff absence, some appraisal cycles remain unfinished so impact is limited.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupil premium income is allocated appropriately. Extra support for eligible pupils is effective in closing the attainment gap between these pupils and others. Eligible pupils are helped financially, where necessary, to take part in school trips so that they have the same opportunities to learn as other pupils.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Equality of opportunity requires improvement because pupils of average attainment or capable of doing harder work are not always given the same support and challenge as other pupils.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority supports the school well. The attached officer heightened the local authority’s involvement when standards dipped last year. He is providing and developing further a comprehensive programme of support tailored to raise the school’s effectiveness. He is assisting the school in building support links with two other primary schools.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors are involved in the life of the school, but this is mainly in a volunteering and support capacity. Their awareness of school effectiveness is not yet fully rooted in first-hand knowledge gained through focused visits.  Under the guidance of their ‘training governor’, governors have conducted a full self-review, including a focus on what skills they have to support their work and where training would be useful. They concluded that their understanding of progress data does not place them in a strong enough position to ask searching questions of the staff or to challenge underachievement. However, the headteacher and deputy headteacher keep them informed, so they have a broad overview of the school’s performance.  Governors set clear targets in managing the performance of the headteacher and staff. They have full knowledge of the senior leaders’ checking of staff expertise and know how staff are

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The leadership and management requires improvement

doing through this process. They make sure teachers’ pay increases are linked to competence.  Apart from their understanding of performance data, governors’ training is up to date. They make sure that requirements are met, including those for safeguarding and procedures for vetting staff and visitors. They ensure the school is safe and secure.

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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 122787 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 412730

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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 191 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christine Drake Headteacher Chris Belton Date of previous school inspection 25 September 2008 Telephone number 0115 911 5599 Fax number 0115 987 1693 Email address office@st-johns-pri.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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