St Andrew's CofE First School

St Andrew's CofE First School Hewell Road, Barnt Green, Birmingham, B45 8NG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Pupils make outstanding progress and leave school with very high standards in a wide range of subjects.  The most able pupils reach remarkably high standards for their age.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs do equally as well as others.  Much of the teaching is outstanding. Teachers and teaching assistants take every opportunity to develop pupils’ basic skills.  Teachers plan topics that teach pupils to be curious, independent and to develop a love of learning.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding and they have impeccable manners.  In lessons, pupils concentrate and work hard for long periods. They respond immediately to their teachers’ instructions.  Pupils feel exceptionally safe at school, and have an excellent knowledge of how to keep themselves safe.  The school is going from strength to strength under the very strong leadership of the headteacher and governors.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher is an outstanding role model, both as a leader and a teacher.  Leaders at all levels, including governors, are quick to identify and act on any emerging weaknesses.  Actions to improve teaching are concerted and highly successful, so standards continue to rise.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 19 lessons, including four that were jointly observed with the headteacher. In addition, they listened to pupils reading and analysed the work in their books.  Meetings were held with pupils, members of the governing body, staff and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors met parents informally and analysed the results of the school’s own questionnaire for parents. There were too few responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, to provide information on parents’ views.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including: the school’s own data on pupils’ progress; the school’s evaluation of its performance; records relating to attendance; and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

David Driscoll, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Janet Watts Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is similar in size to most other primary schools, but with considerably more boys than girls than is seen nationally.  Almost all pupils are from a White British background, with others coming from a wide range of different ethnic groups. Almost all speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  Few pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium. This is additional funding for specific groups of pupils, such as children looked after by the local authority and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The headteacher is a local leader of education and has provided support for schools in the Black Country.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure the planning and activities used to promote the progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in mathematics are equally as detailed and effective as those used in reading and writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure the school’s website contains all the required information for parents.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children join the school with knowledge, skills and understanding that are above those typically seen in children of the same age. They make outstanding progress in Reception, so standards are high by the time they start Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Rapid progress is maintained as pupils move through the school. By the end of Year 2, pupils are, on average, a year ahead of pupils of the same age nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. By the end of Year 4 the attainment of over half the pupils is at least two years ahead of what is nationally expected in each of these subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Standards are equally as high in a wide range of subjects. Pupils write computer code in information technology lessons. Their writing in their books is beautifully presented with excellent spelling, punctuation and grammar. Pupils read demanding texts, such as the ‘Harry Potter’ series, and have a keen awareness of current affairs. Pupils, could, for example, discuss Scottish independence and the break-up of a comet that went too close to the sun.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils reach high standards in music, both in singing and in playing musical instruments. They already take part in a wide range of competitive sports, and this has been extended through carefully targeted use of the extra funding for sport. The monies have been used to encourage specific groups, such as potentially reluctant girls, to engage in more physical activity by providing activities that they find attractive, such as street dance and cheerleading. It is too soon to measure the impact of this work.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The school has successfully fostered a love of learning and a love of reading in pupils. They come to school ready to learn and keen to find out what they will be doing each day. Children in Reception quickly develop a high degree of independence and self-confidence. In all years and classes, pupils try their hardest and are proud of their work.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The most able pupils revel in the demanding tasks that they are given. In a Year 4 mathematics lesson, for example, pupils quickly learnt to add fractions with different denominators to make an improper fraction, which they then converted to a proper one. Each pupil could explain exactly what to do, consistently using the correct mathematical terminology.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils of all abilities make outstanding progress at the school. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are expected to make at least as much progress as their peers. They are given challenging work and are only given extra support when it is absolutely necessary, because staff give them the confidence to work things out for themselves. Their progress is slightly slower in mathematics than in reading and writing, because the guidance given to staff is not as detailed in mathematics as it is in other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 There are too few pupils eligible for support though the pupil premium to make meaningful comparisons of their attainment with those of other pupils. However, their progress across the school is equally as outstanding as that of other pupils.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Much of the teaching throughout the school is of the very highest quality, with an exceptional emphasis on teaching basic skills. In Reception, teachers and teaching assistants take every opportunity to develop children’s skills in reading, writing and mathematics, so they are well- prepared for more formal lessons in Year 1.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Children are consistently encouraged to read and write. For example, children in Reception making a spaceship wrote labels for it, while those doing research on computers made their own notes on what they had found out about animals. In a Year 1 mathematics lesson on patterns, the teacher chose the number of syllables in a word for pupils to study, so they learnt about reading as well as mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 No time is wasted at the start of lessons. Teachers always have an activity ready for pupils, so they get straight down to work. It is part of the daily routine that the youngest children go straight to an activity table when they arrive in the morning and older ones check the board for instructions of what to do, or settle down to read.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers have high expectations of how much pupils will learn in each lesson. They make sure that the work is at the right level of difficulty for pupils of different abilities and invariably involve pupils working independently. Pupils use their individual targets to check what they should be doing next, and assess their progress themselves. This gives teachers and teaching assistants the time to work with any individual who is struggling, so all make rapid progress in lessons.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers demand high quality work from pupils, who respond by working hard for the whole lesson. All staff are adept at assessing pupils’ understanding by asking probing questions. Incorrect answers are not accepted and, instead, the pupil is asked to think again. Marking of work is frequent, accurate and always points out to pupils what they need to do to improve.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The emphasis placed on developing pupils’ independence and self-confidence means that they are prepared to have a go at problems for themselves, and persevere when they find tasks difficult. Pupils turn to their friends for advice and discuss possible ways forward sensibly and logically in order to overcome such difficulties.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers plan lessons in great detail, with a range of tasks for each group of pupils. If any individual learns more quickly than expected, they are immediately given a more demanding range of tasks to complete. The plans for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are very clear in reading and writing, but are more general in mathematics, so progress is not quite as good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary. Pupils concentrate exceptionally well in lessons. They want to do their best and proudly share the results of their efforts.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 No pupil had to be reminded to get on with their work during the inspection, as they were all engrossed in the activities. Pupils consistently respond immediately to the teachers’ instructions, pack away sensibly and move between activities without any delay or fuss.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Outside of lessons, pupils play happily together. There are few incidents recorded of any poor behaviour and exclusions are exceedingly rare. There are no recorded incidents of discriminatory or derogatory language, and none was heard during the inspection.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are welcoming to visitors and their manners are impeccable. They always say please and thank you, for example, and hold doors open for one another.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils feel totally safe at school. They have an excellent understanding of what constitutes bullying, and why it is wrong. Pupils are extremely well-informed about how to stay safe on the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance is very high, reflecting pupils’ great enjoyment of school.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Outstanding leadership from the headteacher and governing body is driving the school forward. Standards are improving year on year and attendance continues to rise. Pupils’ independence, a key area for improvement at the previous inspection, is now a strength of the school.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher, supported by an exceptionally strong team of other senior leaders, has developed an ethos in school where all staff feel part of a team that is striving for continuous improvement. Key roles, such as leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage, are delegated to highly-experienced senior staff who are very effective in their areas of responsibility.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Checks on teaching are carried out by a wide range of senior leaders as well as those responsible for subjects and aspects of the school’s work, such as special educational needs provision. Such checks are now part of the school’s culture; the headteacher, for example, visits every class every day to find out what is going on.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Staff consistently receive high quality, detailed feedback on their performance. Even the very best lessons have areas for improvement, so teaching is constantly being improved and standards of achievement raised. Staff are given the opportunities to observe other teachers in school to learn from the many examples of outstanding practice.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupils find the curriculum to be interesting and enjoyable. It is based on encouraging enquiring minds and helping pupils to think for themselves. Many topics are based on a question, such as ‘what is it like to be blind?’ or ‘what determines if something is right or wrong?’ These make pupils think deeply about more fundamental questions and provides outstandingly well for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 There is great consistency in all that the school does, especially in ensuring equality for all pupils and teaching them to treat others respectfully and without prejudice.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority is well aware of the strengths of this outstanding school and so only provides ‘light touch’ support.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governors are extremely knowledgeable about the school’s performance. They have a deep understanding of the data relating to pupils’ achievement and go into great detail to check that no group is doing less well than others and to hold the headteacher to account. Governors visit lessons to check that the headteacher’s evaluations of the quality of teaching are accurate and are well aware of the demanding targets that are set for teachers to ensure that the school continues to improve.  Financial management is outstanding because governors are careful to evaluate the way that funds are spent in order to get best value. This includes a careful consideration of teachers’ pay and promotion, to make sure that the best teachers are rewarded and any weaknesses are tackled quickly.  Governors meet most statutory requirements, including those for safeguarding, but some important information is missing from the school’s website.

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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 116865 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 427086

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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 First School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 217 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kate Foster Headteacher Kay Cholmondeley Date of previous school inspection 21 October 2008 Telephone number 0121 445 1410 Fax number 0121 445 2972 Email address office@st-andrewscofe.worcs.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

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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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