The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln

The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln Hampton Street, Lincoln, LN1 1LW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement.  Pupils’ progress and achievement are not yet consistently good across the school. Previously weak teaching has resulted in current Year 4 and 5 pupils making uneven progress, particularly in mathematics.  Teaching, although improving, is not yet consistently good. Too much teaching still requires improvement and the work of the best teachers is not fully shared with others.  In some lessons pupils have too few opportunities to work on their own, think for themselves and solve problems. In these lessons the pace of learning is too slow.  Leadership and management require improvement. Senior and middle managers, new to their roles, are beginning to bring about improvement but have yet to monitor and fully develop their areas of responsibility.  New initiatives to improve achievement, for example, the use of data to track the progress of all groups of pupils more closely, have yet to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

become embedded across the school.  The school does not work closely enough with parents or kept them fully informed about changes to the staffing and the leadership of the school.

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The school has the following strengths

 The deputy headteacher, well supported by the governors, has provided good interim leadership of the school and brought about improvements in pupils’ achievement.  Newly appointed teachers are bringing valuable skills and expertise to the school and the quality of teaching is improving.  Results rose sharply in English and mathematics in 2013 and in English are now above average.  Pupils behave well, attend regularly and are kept safe.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and particularly cultural development is promoted well. Inspection report: The St Faith and St Martin C of E Junior School, Lincoln, 25–26 September 2013 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 14 lessons and part-lessons, which included a joint lesson observation with the deputy headteacher, and short visits to classrooms. They also listened to pupils read and observed the teaching of literacy and numeracy to smaller groups of pupils.  Discussions were held with parents, pupils, staff, governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at pupils’ books, progress data, safeguarding information and other documentation.  Forty responses to the on-line questionnaire, ‘Parent View’ were considered as well as those from the school’s own parental survey and from school staff.

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Inspection team

Ann Ashdown, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sara Storer Additional Inspector Inspection report: The St Faith and St Martin C of E Junior School, Lincoln, 25–26 September 2013 3 of 10

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Information about this school

 This junior school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and groups, is above average.  An above average proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and a similar proportion speaks English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action is above average whilst the proportion supported at school action plus and with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The headteacher was absent from May to September 2013 and is now on a phased return to

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Information about this school

work after sick leave. During her absence the school was led by an interim headteacher and the acting deputy headteacher. From September 2013 the acting deputy headteacher been appointed permanently to the post of deputy headteacher.  Four of the present eight class teachers have joined the school within the last year. The literacy coordinator had been in post for two weeks and the numeracy coordinator for two terms at the time of the inspection.  The on-site provision for childcare, ‘West End Kids Club’ is subject to a separate inspection and its report is posted on the Ofsted website.  The school forms part of a local partnership of schools which works to share expertise and provide training.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently at least good by:  giving pupils more opportunities to work independently, think for themselves and solve problems  making sure pupils’ learning in every lesson moves on at a brisk pace.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure pupils make consistently good progress in all year groups, particularly in mathematics by:  sharing the best teaching skills, particularly those of newly appointed staff, more fully across the school  increase opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills in practical activities and real life situations  making sure pupils gain the skills they need to tackle mathematical calculations effectively.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring:  recent initiatives that have been designed to improve assessment, the tracking of pupil progress and the induction of new staff are consistently implemented by all staff  the school’s vision and agreed priorities are clear to staff and embedded in the routine work of the school  newly appointed senior and middle managers monitor the work of their areas of responsibility more effectively and robustly Inspection report: The St Faith and St Martin C of E Junior School, Lincoln, 25–26 September 2013 4 of 10

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 the school works more closely with parents to keep them informed about examination successes and changes to the staffing and the leadership of the school. Inspection report: The St Faith and St Martin C of E Junior School, Lincoln, 25–26 September 2013 5 of 10

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because pupils do not make consistently good progress across the school. This is because staff changes and previously weak teaching have meant that some pupils have ground to make up, particularly in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Current pupils have good attitudes to learning and make good progress in many classes for example in Year 5 and in one Year 6 class, but there is a slower pace of learning in Years 3 and 4. Work in pupils’ books and teachers’ own tracking of pupils’ progress confirms that the progress of some pupils is not yet consistently good.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils enter the school in Year 3 with attainment which is at least average for their age. In 2011 and 2012 their attainment in tests at the end of Year 6 was broadly average but in 2012 weaker in mathematics than in English, where it was above average. The proportion of pupils making expected and better than expected progress does not compare favourably with that found nationally.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2013, following the provision of more stable staffing and good teaching for this year group, examination results improved and were above average. All groups of pupils, including the most able, made good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Although pupils’ progress in mathematics is now beginning to speed up, the school recognises this remains an area for improvement as the ability of some younger pupils to tackle mathematical calculations effectively is not as secure as it needs to be.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Most pupils make good progress in reading. Pupils read fluently to inspectors and talked freely about the books they enjoy reading.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of pupils eligible for free school meals and supported by the pupil premium is now tracked much more closely. Extra funding is spent wisely on small group and one-to-one tuition and consequently the gap between their achievement and that of others has narrowed markedly. Test scores in 2013 show that pupils eligible for free school meals are approximately one term behind other pupils in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language make progress in line with their classmates because they receive timely and skilled help from both teachers and teaching assistants which builds their confidence and encourages them to aim for higher levels of achievement.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching, although getting better, still requires improvement because it is not yet consistently good, and in some lessons the pace of learning and pupils’ progress are not fast enough.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching requires improvement, particularly in mathematics, pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to use their skills to solve practical problems which are relevant to real life situations. Inspection report: The St Faith and St Martin C of E Junior School, Lincoln, 25–26 September 2013 6 of 10

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In other lessons pupils’ progress sometimes slows when they are not encouraged to move on to the next task quickly enough or when they do not have the chance to work on their own and think problems through for themselves.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In lessons where teaching is good, teachers are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and use a variety of interesting resources so that pupils really enjoy learning. In a Year 6 class pupils very skilfully produced excellent newspaper headlines and were well aware of how to use such devices as alliteration, puns, rhymes and word play to enhance their skills as budding journalists.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the strongest lessons work is well matched to pupils needs so they all, including the most able, make good progress and are challenged to achieve their best. Pupils’ social and moral development is promoted well so they share ideas and information sensibly in pairs and groups. Work is marked regularly and at its best, particularly in English, pupils are given clear pointers for improvement.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants give effective and sensitive extra help to disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and to those pupils who speak English as an additional language so that they enjoy learning. These pupils make the same progress as their peers in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show kindness and respect to each other to staff and to visitors. Their good attitudes to learning help them to make the most of their lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Records show that pupils typically behave well, both in lessons and around the school. Staff manage pupils’ behaviour well and rewards and sanctions are applied consistently. Exclusions are rare.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Most pupils enjoy learning and attend school regularly. They enjoy being given responsibility, for example, as members of the school council.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Both pupils and their parents feel that the school is a safe place to be. Bullying is rare and, should it occur, is swiftly dealt with. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and receive good quality guidance on how to do this when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Assembly time is used well to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development. Themes such as ‘teamwork’ are explored well in assembly and pupils clearly understood the important messages being given. The school works hard to promote pupils’ good social and moral development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement so that the school can sustain and build upon recent improvements in teaching and in examination results. Improvements to systems to track the progress of all groups of pupils, more rigorous analysis of assessment data and a sharper identification of priorities for improvement are only recent initiatives and have yet to become embedded in the school’s work and their full impact felt.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Despite significant improvements, some weak teaching remains and the new leaders of literacy and numeracy and of other subject areas are still developing their roles and have yet to rigorously monitor the work of their areas. Inspection report: The St Faith and St Martin C of E Junior School, Lincoln, 25–26 September 2013 7 of 10

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has gone through a turbulent period of staff changes at all levels. During this time the deputy headteacher, well supported by an experienced headteacher from another school and the governors, has been instrumental in improving morale and moving the school forward.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 New staff speak highly of the good induction they have had to the work of the school. Teaching has been strengthened by good management of staff by the headteacher and the provision of good quality staff training. These and other innovations are evidence of the school’s capacity to improve.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 All pupils are given good equal opportunities to succeed. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. The sensible and effective spending of additional pupil premium funds is an example of how the school is ensuring all pupils are given the chance to succeed.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum meets pupils’ needs and supports their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. The school is, rightly, proud of its recent reaccreditation as an international school and pupils spoke enthusiastically about links with schools overseas. Work in literacy and numeracy is linked closely to that in other subjects and a good programme of enrichment activities adds to pupils’ enjoyment of learning.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school collaborates well with partner schools. The extra funding for physical education and sport is being pooled by all schools in the partnership and used to good effect to buy specialist sports coaching to improve pupils’ fitness and physical well-being.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority, through the educational advisor, provides good support for the school in evaluating its work, supporting the interim leaders and improving teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Responses to the on-line questionnaire, ‘Parent View’ showed that some parents disagree that the school is well led and managed. This concern is partly due to the several changes to staffing which took place last year and have now been resolved. However the school recognises that all parents need to be kept well informed, including through the school website, about staff changes and recent school improvements and successes.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors have undertaken training and continually seek to improve their strategic oversight of the school’s work. They are knowledgeable about the school’s performance data and how the school compares with others, understand how the performance of staff is managed and about the quality of teaching and ensure that staff are rewarded only if they are effective and have improved pupils’ achievement. They manage finances effectively and ensure pupil premium funds are spent wisely and exclusively on the pupils for whom it is intended. Governors have ensured that safeguarding procedures meet requirements and that staff are well trained and knowledgeable about, for example, child protection and risk assessment procedures. Inspection report: The St Faith and St Martin C of E Junior School, Lincoln, 25–26 September 2013 8 of 10

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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: The St Faith and St Martin C of E Junior School, Lincoln, 25–26 September 2013 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 120561 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 425003

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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 Junior School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 206 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mike Neary Headteacher Emma Nugent Date of previous school inspection 11 October 2011 Telephone number 01522 528063 Fax number 01522 528063 Email address enquiries@sfsm.lincs.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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