All Saints CofE (C) First School

All Saints CofE (C) First School Church Lane, Standon, Stafford, ST21 6AL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good progress across the school including in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They achieve well in relation to their starting points. The current Year 4 pupils are working above the standard expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teaching is typically good, and some is outstanding.  The atmosphere of the school is open, welcoming and inclusive and this permeates all parts of school life. Parents are happy with the education the school provides for their children.  Pupils are extremely polite and behave very well around school and in lessons. Pupils feel safe and act with consideration towards others.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well through a wide variety of activities.  Teaching assistants give good help and guidance to small groups and individuals, so pupils at all ability levels make good progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher’s leadership is strong. She has an accurate view of how well the school is doing and what needs to be better. As a result, teaching and learning are improving.  The effective governing body make a strong contribution to school improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Progress in mathematics is not as good as it is in English because pupils do not practise their mathematical skills enough in other subjects or explore ideas and find things out for themselves.  Subject leaders are not yet experienced enough in observing teaching in order to improve pupils’ learning or analysing information about pupils’ progress.  Teachers do not always modify tasks in lessons, in order to challenge individual pupils to do even better.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons and a support group and made several short visits to lessons. Five of these lessons were seen jointly with the headteacher.  The inspector spoke formally with one group of pupils and informally with others during work and play.  The inspector visited an assembly, listened to pupils read and discussed the work they have been doing in class.  The inspector reviewed pupils’ work, with the headteacher.  The inspector observed the school’s work and considered a range of information it provided regarding: pupils’ achievement; records of governing body meetings; records relating to attendance and behaviour; the school’s own evaluation of its work; and information on the setting of targets for teachers.  Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body, staff, and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector took account of the 20 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), and

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Information about this inspection

spoke informally with parents as they brought their children to school.  An evaluation was made of the views of staff expressed in nine questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Terrance Mortimer, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This first school is a much smaller than average-sized primary school and the majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils who receive support from the pupil premium (additional funding from the government to support pupils eligible for free school meals, looked after by the local authority or with a parent in the armed services) is well below average.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or with special educational needs and are supported by school action is well below average, as is the proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  Pupils are taught in mixed-age classes.  The school shares its site with a nursery (Busy Bees). This is managed by the governing body, and was included in this inspection.  The school also runs a breakfast club on the school site.  Since the previous inspection the school appointed a new headteacher in September 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate progress in mathematics to match that in reading and writing by:  giving pupils more chance to explore ideas and find things out for themselves  increasing opportunities for pupils to practise their mathematical skills in subjects other than mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching to reach outstanding, by:  ensuring that teachers check pupils’ progress and understanding during lessons and reshape work in order to challenge individual pupils to do even better.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness and impact of subject leaders by:  strengthening their skill i analysing of information about pupils’ progress and providing them with more opportunities to carry out paired observations so they can clearly understand the link between teaching and learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most Nursery and Reception (Busy Bees) children start school with skills and abilities that are below those expected for their age. Consistently strong teaching enables the children to make good progress in all areas of learning. The children are offered and engaged in a wide range of activities that flow freely between indoors and outdoors. By the time children start Year 1, the large majority reach levels in reading, writing and mathematics that are in line with those expected for five-year-olds.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The small size of each year group means that their attainment is considerably affected by the starting point of each individual pupil’s start.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment by the end of Year 2 in 2013 was above average in English and mathematics. However, in 2013 the progress of Year 2 pupils was not as good as in previous years due to inaccurate assessment prior to their entry to Year 1 The school now has a more accurate system in place to record information about pupils’ progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress throughout Key Stages 1 and 2 in reading and writing although progress in mathematics is not as strong. However, pupils leave at the end of Year 4 with skills in reading, writing and mathematics that are above the levels expected nationally for this age group.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s data, confirmed by the findings of this inspection, shows that pupils are making better than expected progress in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Many pupils write confidently, read well and are developing a secure understanding of the skills required to succeed in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The teaching of phonics (the links between letters and the sounds they make) is effective throughout the school, and pupils become confident and competent readers. In the national Year 1 phonics checks in both 2012 and 2013, pupils reached the standard expected nationally. Pupils enjoy using the library frequently, and are keen to talk about the books they are reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in physical education are good due to the effective use made of the primary sport funding to obtain support provided by expert outside teachers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The numbers of pupils supported by the pupil premium are small. However, the gap in attainment during 2013 has closed with their peers and nationally. They make good progress in English and mathematics throughout the school, as a result of carefully selected additional support and resources to benefit these pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The small numbers of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. They receive very good individual help and guidance and are given work that is closely matched to their individual needs. As a result they thrive and grow in confidence about what they can achieve.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good overall and as a result pupils achieve well over time. There is some outstanding teaching, especially in the Busy Bees. The vast majority of parents believe that teaching is good.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is never less than good and is often outstanding. Staff engage well with the children and provide exciting, challenging activities to help them learn. Staff create a good balance of adult-led activities and tasks that children choose for themselves. For example, when a child wanted to find out if an earwig would float or sink if it was in the ‘water city’ and carried out his experiment and then talked excitedly to the teacher about his ‘results’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage and throughout the school because staff build on the good start pupils are given when developing early language skills and this is responsible for the improvement in pupils’ progress in reading and writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the best lessons, the pace of learning is good as are relationships between pupils and Teachers question pupils effectively to find out what pupils are thinking. Good use is made of ‘talk partners’ to discuss what they intend to write. For example, good progress was made in a Year 3/4 English lesson where pupils related their feelings to places in a story they were reading to create a story map and were excited when they were able to create their own ‘island of feelings’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Mathematical skills are developed well in most areas, but pupils do not have opportunities to use and apply these skills systematically across different subjects as they do their skills in English.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In a minority of lessons, pupils are not challenged enough in their learning. The activities are not hard enough to encourage pupils to think for themselves, and tasks are not amended during the lesson to increase their difficulty. This is seen most often in mathematics lessons and as a result, pupils do not always make the progress of which they are capable.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are used well. They provide good tuition in small groups and help individual pupils to develop their learning skills at a pace that suites them. For example, in one lesson a teaching assistant challenged pupils well to explain a pattern to solve a problem for ‘an alien party’. Teaching assistants also provide a good level of support for disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those supported by the pupil premium

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking is up to date, encouraging, and consistently applied throughout the school. Marking, explains clearly to pupils what they need to do in order to improve their work and pupils are usually given the opportunity to respond to the comments made.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the most successful lessons, teachers captivate pupils’ interests by making them think for themselves and keep them actively learning throughout the lesson. Good organisation sustains a good pace of learning, expectations are high and teachers systematically review pupils’ progress to continually move them on to higher levels during the lesson. Pupils are often encouraged to explore their own ideas in an open-ended way during these lessons, more especially in English than in mathematics.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In lessons, pupils behave well which reflects teachers’ good management of their behaviour and pupils’ love of learning. Pupils are interested in their work, try hard and concentrate well. They are growing in confidence and are beginning to put forward their ideas and pose questions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are punctual to school and lessons because they look forward to their learning. One pupil, representing the views of many said, ‘It’s the best school in the world, teachers make it fun to learn’. Pupils, parents and staff all recognise that behaviour is good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 During lessons pupils cooperate and are keen to learn, except in the weaker lessons where pupils are content to do only what they are given and not seek further challenge or their own independent solutions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are courteous and well-mannered, and this type of behaviour is modelled by staff. Around the school, including in the breakfast club, there are many examples of good behaviour and of pupils’ sensitivity to the needs of others. At break and lunchtimes, pupils’ behaviour is good and they socialise well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel very safe in school. They say that bullying is very rare and they know about the different types of bullying, for example ignoring somebody or name calling. They say that if it happened they would go to a member of staff and the adult would do something about it.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Effective management of behaviour and positive use of praise and encouragement contribute to the promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, older pupils support the younger pupils very well in the playground and as reading and mathematics buddies. The celebration assembly was an example of how successfully the school reinforces its motto of ‘caring for each other succeeding together’ which fosters pupils’ confidence.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school has worked hard to raise attendance, and was average in 2013 and this term is above the national average. There have been no exclusions.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher who was appointed in September 2012 has accurately evaluated the school’s strengths and weaknesses and acted quickly to address the latter. Her drive and determination have contributed considerably to improvements in teaching through a difficult period of changes.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors, parents and staff, are wholly supportive of the renewed focus the headteacher has brought to raising achievement and improving the quality of teaching. She is an inspiration to all members of the school community and there is a strong commitment to driving further improvement. The morale of the staff is high.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s plan for improvement is based upon accurate evaluation of data which identifies appropriate t priorities. The plan is having a positive effect upon improving teaching and learning, and boosting pupils’ progress. The checks that are made on teachers’ use of assessment through a new tracking system are making a difference to the quality of teaching because they are enabling teachers to pitch work more accurately and improve pupil performance.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject leaders’ roles are not yet fully developed. They check teachers’ planning but have not carried out sufficient observations of teaching to enable them to accurately evaluate its impact on learning and pupil progress. Also they do not fully analyse information about how well pupils are doing in order to focus on subject specific issues such as how to help pupils develop greater independence in mathematics and use mathematical skills in other subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 Appropriate decisions about teachers’ salaries based on pupils’ achievement, and progress of individuals and groups have been taken by the headteacher. Subject leaders’ targets are clearly focused on pupils’ achievement in their areas of responsibility.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school provides an interesting and well-balanced curriculum on a two year rolling programme, which is now beginning to involve pupils in determining some of the topics they study. The teaching of physical education is being enhanced through the new primary sport funding which has enabled the school to engage an outside consultant (ex-Olympian) to help train staff and give pupils expert tuition. This is also shared throughout the small school cluster of which the school is a member.

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The leadership and management are good

 The good provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is supported by a range trips, including a residential visit in Year 4 which enhances pupils’ learning and social skills very well. Music lessons for Year 3 and 4 are taught well by a specialist teacher and pupils develop an appreciation of music.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides effective support, including training for governors and regular monitoring of achievement and teaching and learning. It offers an objective view of the school’s performance through its visits and reports.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents are very positive about the school’s leadership and 100% of those who completed the Parent view questionnaire would recommend the school to others.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors support the headteacher effectively in the school’s ambitious drive to become outstanding. The governing body has a clear understanding of its responsibilities and statutory duties. Governors have a developed a programme of visits to check the school’s effectiveness and are able to offer high levels of support and challenge, including having link subject governors. They are well informed about pupils’ achievement, compare it with that in other schools nationally, and are pleased to see that it is improving. They ensure that the budget is spent wisely and that all funding, including the pupil premium, is used to maximise pupils’ learning and progress. Governors know the performance of staff and are fully aware of strengths and weaknesses, understanding how arrangements to manage staff performance are directly linked to pupils’ progress and salaries. They have ensured that safeguarding

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The leadership and management are good

arrangements meet requirements and regularly seek and attend support and training.

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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 124274 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 427096

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school First School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 5–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 55 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dr Richard Payne Headteacher Mrs Nicola Mulliner Date of previous school inspection 21 October 2008 Telephone number 01782 791234 Fax number 01782 791234 Email address office@allsaints-standon.staffs.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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