St Andrew's CofE Primary School

St Andrew’s Church of England (Aided) Primary School Furnace Green, Weald Drive, Crawley, RH10 6NU

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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:

 Despite some current strengths, teaching has not been consistently good enough over time, particularly in Key Stage 2, to enable all pupils to achieve as well as they could.  Pupils’ achievement in mathematics requires improvement as it is not yet good and does not match that in both reading and writing.  Not all teachers adjust tasks to ensure pupils who are doing well are sufficiently challenged, especially in mathematics.  Planning does not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to apply their numeracy skills in solving problems.  Pupils do not always know how well they are doing or how to improve their learning.  The best practice in teaching is not routinely shared across the school.  The school’s plans for future development are not linked tightly enough to the progress pupils have made or should make in the future.  Senior leaders check the quality of the teaching, but this work has not been effective

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

enough to ensure teaching helps pupils make consistently good progress.

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The school has the following strengths:

 The strength of teaching in Key Stage 1 ensures younger pupils progress well.  Pupils behave well and get on well with one another. They enjoy school, feel safe and are polite and welcoming to visitors.  There are close links with the church and the local community and pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well.  The school provides good care and support for pupils and their families.  Leaders and managers are improving teaching. Their actions have already successfully raised achievement in English. This has led to improvements in pupils’ progress in writing, which is now well taught.  Governors provide a good level of challenge which is helping the school to improve.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 10 lessons or parts of lessons and two assemblies. Almost all lessons were observed jointly with either the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Activities relating to the teaching of, and support or intervention for, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, or are at the early stages of learning English were also observed.  Inspectors talked with pupils, listened to them read and observed pupils at play during break and lunchtimes.  Meetings were held with both senior and middle leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body and five other governors, and a representative of the local authority.  The inspection team observed the school’s work, and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s information on pupils’ progress for the current school year and previous three years, pupils’ work, and notes of visits made by the locality adviser. The inspection team

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Information about this inspection

also looked at self-evaluation and school improvement documentation, planning, assessment information, documentation on the management of teachers’ performance, and school policies and records relating to behaviour, safety and attendance. The school’s safeguarding procedures were also evaluated.  The inspection took account of the 38 responses from parents and carers to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 29 staff questionnaires. The views of 10 parents and carers were sought at the start of the school day as they brought their children to school, and during an informal meeting with a group of parents and carers following a school assembly on the second day of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Wendy Forbes, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jamaal Hassan Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school.  All pupils are taught in single-age classes including those in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language are just above the national average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care and those with a parent or carer in the armed forces, is below average.  An above-average proportion of pupils are supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the current government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school does not use any alternative or off-site provision.

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection the school has experienced many changes in its staffing. These have been due to both the short- and longer-term absence of a number of teachers, mainly in Key Stage 2. These absences were covered by temporary teaching staff. At the time of the inspection all classes had permanent full-time or part-time job-sharing class teachers.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of good and outstanding teaching by:  sharing more widely the best teaching in the school  making better use of data to ensure that work is more precisely matched to pupils’ abilities, especially more-able pupils’, so that their work is more demanding  raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do so that they can all achieve well  making sure that teachers make clear to pupils what they are learning in classroom activities and what they need to do to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement in mathematics by:  ensuring leaders have a clear view of the weakness in mathematics teaching and learning and provide a detailed plan for improvement  ensuring pupils have more opportunities in lessons to practise and extend their knowledge and understanding of basic skills in mathematics so that they can use these skills to solve real-life problems and apply them in other subjects as well.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that senior leaders:  check teaching regularly to see that all pupils are making good progress  encourage teachers to reflect better on how well they are helping their pupils learn  make sure that school improvement plans are more tightly linked to outcomes for pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Since the last inspection, progress made by pupils including those who are learning English as an additional language has not been consistently good enough, especially in mathematics. Too few pupils, especially the more able, have made enough progress because of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 over time. In addition, some disruption to learning as a result of staff absence has left some pupils with gaps in their learning. As a result, attainment, although improving in writing, remains broadly average overall at the end of Year 6. School records indicate that some pupils currently at the top end of Key Stage 2 are now making up any lost ground and benefiting from stronger teaching.  Despite some signs of improvement in mathematics in 2012, achievement in English remains stronger, particularly in writing. Tracking data and pupils’ work show that attainment in writing is above average by the end of Year 6. This is because of the school’s focus on literacy and the

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

strengthened use of assessment data to track progress.  Achievement in mathematics is the weakest area. Plans and actions for raising achievement are not as sharply focused as in English.  Children enter the Reception class with levels of skills and abilities often lower than average in speech and language. They progress well throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, entering Year 3 with attainment above, and often significantly above, average.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs generally make similar progress to others which is better in writing and reading than in mathematics.  In the 2012 Year 1 phonics screening check (linking sounds and letters) taken by pupils currently in Year 2, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected result was broadly average. Most have a secure knowledge of phonics to help them read unfamiliar words. The school successfully

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

plugs any gaps in pupils’ knowledge by providing a daily phonics session. This focus on developing early reading has strengthened pupils’ progress in reading. By the time they reach Year 6, many are fluent, enthusiastic readers who can express preferences and read for enjoyment.  In the 2012 tests, the attainment of Year 6 pupils who benefited from the pupil premium was broadly in line with that of other Year 6 pupils in the school in English and approximately six months behind in mathematics. However, the gap in both mathematics and English was bigger than that found nationally. Pupils who were eligible for the funding made better progress than others in English, but did not catch up at the same rate in mathematics.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching over time has not always promoted good achievement because it has not been consistently good enough.  In the past the teaching of mathematics has been less effective than in reading and writing in meeting the pupils’ needs. Teaching does not always effectively challenge pupils sufficiently to fully develop the application of their numeracy skills. For example, lesson planning does not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to solve problems.  Teachers know their individual pupils well. However, they do not always assess progress routinely during lessons, and tasks are not always adjusted to extend learning. In some lessons, teachers give too little attention to the different abilities of pupils and so, for the most-able pupils in particular, work is not always demanding enough for them. This means they do not make the progress of which they are capable.  Staffing difficulties have had a negative impact on pupils’ achievement and the overall quality of

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

teaching. Many of these issues have now been resolved, and much of the teaching seen during the inspection was good, but the impact of past difficulties remains.  Stronger teaching, most notably in Year 2, has had a positive impact on pupils’ progress. An ‘award-winning performance’ by an enthusiastic Year 2 teacher in character as a Scottish farmer energised pupils in their descriptive writing about ‘Granny Island’ for ‘Well Hello There’ magazine. The lesson was well planned to meet pupils’ needs, engaging pupils enthusiastically in their writing.  The teaching of writing is more effective than in mathematics because of the emphasis given to developing literacy skills.  Other adults provide an important role in developing the confidence of pupils. This is especially so for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and for pupils at the early stages of learning English, for whom teachers’ planning provides guidance to ensure they have equal

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

access to learning and participate fully with their peers during lessons.  The systematic teaching of reading throughout the school, particularly the focus on early reading, has helped pupils make good gains in reading over time. Improvement in the teaching of phonics ensures that younger pupils progress well in reading. Key Stage 2 pupils continue to benefit from the effective teaching of guided reading.  Strengthened marking, including written feedback to pupils, provides constructive guidance on next steps for improving their work. However, teachers’ written comments are not always used effectively because pupils are not given enough time to respond by revisiting their work and identifying how to make improvements.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils get on well together, are polite and helpful to visitors and considerate towards one another. Pupils told inspectors that they feel happy, safe and secure in school, enjoy learning and attend regularly.  Most pupils behave well in lessons, around the school and on the playground. School records show, and comments from pupils indicate, that this is typical of behaviour over time.  Behaviour is not outstanding because occasionally some pupils become distracted when activities in lessons are not pitched at the right level to fully challenge them, and there are a few pupils whose behaviour in lessons and around the school has to be managed very carefully.  Pupils are well aware of the differing kinds of bullying and understand that bullying can take different forms such as physical, name calling, cyber bullying or prejudiced-based bullying. Although a very small minority of parents and carers expressed some concerns in the online

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

questionnaire over behaviour and bullying, pupils are extremely confident that behaviour is typically good and that bullying is rare but swiftly dealt with should it occur. Overall most parents and carers agree that their children are happy in school, feel safe, are well looked after and behave well.  Pupils enjoy the responsibilities they are given such as being school council members and peer mediators. As one pupil said, ‘You can really help someone and make a difference.’

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Since the last inspection, staffing difficulties have contributed to problems experienced by the school in its drive to raise achievement and improve teaching. Steady improvements to literacy, most significantly in writing, show that the school has capacity to improve further, but it has not yet produced consistently good teaching or achievement overall.  Strengthened systems for tracking progress help staff understand how well pupils are achieving. However, other than for literacy, plans for improvement are not always sharply related to outcomes for pupils. This is a particular issue for mathematics, where previous weaknesses in teaching and outcomes have not been brought together in clear plans and actions.  Leaders check the quality of teaching. They recognise that more needs to be done to ensure learning and progress are consistently good to improve achievement. As yet, examples of the best teaching are not routinely shared to help strengthen teaching across the school.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The staff and governors are committed to ensuring that equal opportunities are provided for all pupils, that there is no discrimination, and that the school provides a caring community, informed by its Christian values.  Effective use has been made of the pupil premium funding to overcome some barriers to learning and raise the achievement of identified groups of pupils. Funding is targeted to provide a range of additional small-group or one-to-one support in literacy and mathematics while also making a positive contribution to pupils’ emotional, personal and social needs. This has already led to improvements in their writing, filling some gaps in their learning and pupils’ engagement in learning.  Subjects taught are planned well to cover topics that engage the interest of pupils. There is an appropriate focus on developing pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills. However, mathematics is not always linked to other subjects to ensure that pupils have sufficient opportunities to apply

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The leadership and management require improvement

their skills. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Activities which involve pupils’ learning about others’ beliefs help to promote tolerance and understanding well.  Support for pupils who may be potentially vulnerable and the school’s work with families are strengths and enable the school to be alert to, and identify, specific needs. Pupils are cared for well and safeguarding systems are fully in place and ensure the school keeps pupils safe.  The local authority has worked with the school on improving progress. Planned support and challenge are focused on improving both the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress.  The governance of the school:  The governing body provides good support for the school through opportunities to question and challenge as well as through working supportively with school leaders and staff. Governors are familiar with information on pupils’ achievement, such as the Ofsted ‘dashboard’

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The leadership and management require improvement

to inform them how the school is doing compared to others nationally. They know the school’s strengths and areas to improve and regularly take part in training to update their skills and knowledge about how to further improve the school’s performance. Tracking systems provide helpful information about progress. However, opportunities for governors to contribute to improvement planning are not routinely organised by the school. Governors keep a close check on school finances, including the pupil premium, to make sure it is spent in the best interests of pupils. The governing body knows about the quality of teaching in the school and how the school rewards good teaching. Governors ensure performance management is in place.

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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 126047 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 411946

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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 Aided Age range of pupils 4−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 207 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anthony Welch Headteacher Elizabeth Dickenson Date of previous school inspection 19−20 May 2010 Telephone number 01293 529006 Fax number 01293 538325 Email address office@st-andrews-crawley.w-sussex.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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