Belgrave St Peter's CofE Primary School

Belgrave St Peter's CofE Primary School Thurcaston Road, Leicester, LE4 5PG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Require improvement 3 Leadership and management Require improvement 3

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

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because it is not good enough to ensure that all pupils make good progress.  Some teachers’ expectations of what pupils of all abilities can achieve are not high enough. They set work that is too easy for some pupils. As a result, progress is not consistently good.  In some lessons where teaching is not good, pupils’ attention wanders and they lose concentration.  Achievement in reading and mathematics requires improvement because pupils’ progress varies too much as they move through the school.  Leadership and management require improvement as recent turbulence has disrupted the work of senior leaders to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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The school has the following strengths

 The acting headteacher is inspiring everyone to work as a team to bring about improvement. Staff morale is high.  Children have a good start to school in the Early Years Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception classes).  Pupils enjoy school and feel safe. Their attendance and punctuality are improving as a result.  There are examples of good and outstanding teaching for the school to build upon.  Additional government funding is being used effectively to promote good progress for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported and make good progress.  Pupils’ achievement in writing is good following a recent focus on raising standards.  The interim arrangements for leading and managing the school are proving to be very effective.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 16 lessons taught by nine teachers. Two lessons were observed jointly with the acting headteacher.  Meetings were held with the pupil council, six Year 6 pupils, the Vice-Chair of the Interim Executive Board (IEB), the senior educational adviser for the Diocese of Leicester, the acting headteacher, and teachers responsible for different aspects such as the Early Years Foundation Stage. The Chair of the IEB returned from holiday to attend the formal feedback session at the end of the inspection.  A discussion took place with a representative from the local authority about the support and advice it gives to the school.  There were 18 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) by the end of the inspection. The inspectors took account of these and also sought the views of parents as they arrived at school with their children.  The inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school’s own information on pupils’

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Information about this inspection

recent and current progress, planning for school improvement, checks on teaching and behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Joseph Peacock, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Mark Vickers Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school with eight classes, one for each year group from the Nursery to Year 6. Some classes are smaller than usual. There are only 23 pupils in the current Year 6.  Four out of ten pupils are from a variety of minority ethnic backgrounds with almost half speaking English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils supported by additional government funding through the pupil premium is high, almost twice as many as the national average. In this school, it mostly applies to pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals but includes looked after pupils and any from forces families.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action and the proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are both broadly average.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is currently no Governing Body, headteacher or deputy headteacher.  The Diocesan educational adviser, in partnership with the local authority, has established an Interim Executive Board of seven members with a two-year term of office to replace the Governing Body.  A deputy headteacher from another Leicester school has been seconded for two terms to act as headteacher until a new headteacher and deputy headteacher are appointed.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that a higher proportion of teaching is good or better by:  raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils of different abilities can achieve  planning harder tasks that will interest and challenge all pupils, including the most able.  Focus more on improving teaching and pupils’ achievement in reading and mathematics, particularly in Key Stage 2, so that pupils’ progress is consistently good and matches their achievement in writing by Year 6.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by establishing a new senior leadership team and clearly defining the role and responsibility of each member in order to drive forwards the pace of improving teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress made by pupils is inconsistent in reading and mathematics in Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils mostly make good progress in Years 1 and 2 to achieve expected standards. Writing, a weakness in 2013, has been improved and attainment now matches that in reading and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress accelerates considerably in Year 6 because of very effective teaching and, in the last academic year, pupils achieved above average in mathematics but their achievement required improving in reading and writing. This was mostly due to the larger than average proportion of boys who did not do as well as the girls in that particular year group. Boys’ achievement matches that of girls in the current year.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 A scrutiny of work in pupils’ books and the school’s own assessment data show that progress in reading and mathematics is variable as pupils move through the school and requires improvement. Many are not achieving the standards they are capable of because tasks do not take account of what they already know and they are not sufficiently challenging.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement in writing is good for most pupils following a strong focus on improving how it is taught. Increasing the opportunities for pupils to write as they work in subjects other than English and better, more informative marking are two improvements from the last inspection that have also helped raise standards in writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported in lessons throughout. National and school performance data show that most are making good progress compared to others and closing the gap between themselves and other pupils in the school and nationally by Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils from a minority ethnic background and those who speak English as an additional language achieve as well as other pupils. Their progress in some lessons is affected by the quality of teaching, as it is for all other pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In the relatively small Year 6 class, attainment is above average in reading and writing and well above in mathematics because pupils make good progress in their last year in school. More able pupils make good progress and their attainment is above average. Mathematics is particularly well taught in this year group, helping a third of pupils to attain above average and half of these to achieve Level 6 two years ahead of time. The expertise of a member of the IEB in mathematics is being put to good use and beginning to raise standards for all pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils eligible for the pupil premium achieve well. Their attainment is similar to that of other pupils in the school in reading, writing and mathematics because of the good progress they have made. These pupils benefit from the close attention of teaching assistants in lessons who support them effectively.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school adopts a structured approach to the teaching of phonics (linking letters to the sounds they make) and makes effective use of teaching assistants to create smaller groups in each year. This gives pupils more individual help to learn new work. It is especially effective in the nursery, Reception and Year 1. For the past two years, pupils’ attainment has been above average. Good use of phonic skills and guided reading sessions are beginning to raise attainment in reading.  Children enter the part-time nursery class with skills and understanding that are well below those expected for their age, especially in communication skills, as there is a higher proportion than usual who speak English as an additional language. Children enjoy a wide range of interesting tasks indoors and outside, such as taking apart machines, using construction equipment to build some of their own or creating windmills outdoors. All enjoyed their visit to a

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

pumping station and still talk excitedly about the machines and demonstration toilets they saw. Nursery and Reception staff plan well together and both classes follow the same topic programme. The close, individual contact with skilled teaching assistants or when they work in small groups promotes communication skills effectively, particularly for those who speak English as an additional language. Very few are unable to communicate well in English by the end of their Reception year. Most make good progress and achieve above local authority levels in all areas. However, basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics remain below national levels for some on entry into Year 1.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Some teachers are not ensuring that pupils achieve consistently well. Too often, teaching is not effective enough to make sure pupils of all ability levels made good progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers’ expectations for pupils are not high enough in too many lessons. Planned tasks are often too easy and this limits pupils’ achievement. Teachers are not taking proper account of pupils’ known ability levels when planning lessons to ensure tasks are sufficiently challenging.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 A strength is the management of behaviour in lessons. Teachers and their assistants ensure pupils are closely supported if they are experiencing difficulty. There is usually a quiet, calm atmosphere for learning in most lessons, even when some pupils are not provided with tasks that engage and challenge them.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In lessons where teaching is good or outstanding, teachers convey high expectations for pupils of all ability levels and plan tasks that challenge pupils and require them to apply their skills to extend their learning. In a Year 6 literacy lesson, for example, expectations were explicit and high as they wrote a 500-word story for a national radio programme competition. The highly effective teaching created a positive atmosphere for learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 A whole-school focus on improving the teaching of writing has resulted in pupils of all abilities doing well in writing. Progress in developing writing skills is consistently good. Pupils make better progress than in reading and mathematics, where the quality of teaching remains too variable.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Most teachers mark work carefully and give clear direction about how pupils could further improve. This aspect has been improved since the previous inspection. Guidance by teachers for pupils’ written work has resulted in significant improvement and higher standards.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants make a major impact on the quality of pupils’ work. Additional staff are used purposefully and work effectively to support disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. These pupils and those supported by the pupil premium funding make good progress as a result. The very few who join the school from countries such as Portugal with English as an additional language are closely supported in lessons until their English speaking skills are sufficiently well developed.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Children in the Nursery and Reception classes benefit from good teaching and this ensures that they have a good start to school and make good progress. Here, teachers’ planning consistently ensures that there is a close link between skills being promoted in activities indoors with those outdoors. This helps new skills to be learnt quickly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. In some lessons, they are not challenged by tasks that are too easy and their attention wanders. This means that their progress is not always as good as it should be.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Teachers and teaching assistants manage behaviour well, ensuring that, for most of the time, there is a calm atmosphere for learning. However, some pupils and parents complained about the behaviour of ‘a few’ at lunch times. The school is about to appoint a lunchtime manager to increase opportunities for play and improve the quality of supervision. School records show that exclusions are rare.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Behaviour is good in the Nursery and Reception classes. Children share resources sensibly and concentrate well on their tasks. A girl found a quiet corner to write about machines following up the recent visit to the pumping station, for example. Routines have been quickly established and all respond immediately to teachers’ or other adults’ instructions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Visitors such as the police and prison service teach pupils about dangers they may face from strangers or drugs. Pupils say that they feel safe and that ‘everyone is friendly’. ‘If we fall out one day, we are friends the next’ was a typical view. Those who spoke to the inspectors said that they are well looked after by staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying. They are clear about internet safety and know about cyber bullying. Even the youngest were familiar with what cyber bullying was. School records show that incidents of bullying or racist behaviour are extremely rare and always dealt with thoroughly by staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The school has well-established procedures to promote good attendance and these have resulted in attendance that is in line with most other schools nationally. Attendance continues to improve and is above average so far this year, with persistent absence being significantly reduced. New morning procedures have also seen a big improvement in punctuality.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Very few parents and carers responded to the inspection questionnaire. Their views on some of the questions were equally split between positive and negative. They were also equally split about recommending the school to others. Those spoken with during the inspection, however, were wholly positive. All were pleased with the recent changes and a typical comment was that ‘staff are welcoming’.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The recent staffing turbulence, where the school lost its senior leaders and governing body, has disrupted the work to make teaching more consistently good and improve achievement for all pupils, particularly in reading and mathematics. The acting headteacher has made an excellent start in raising staff morale and in inspiring staff to share her vision for the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The acting headteacher has quickly identified relevant priorities for improvement. Inadequate teaching, or teaching that is not good, for example, is the key priority as it affects the progress pupils make in lessons and over time. Teaching is improving, particularly in promoting writing skills from entry to Year 6. As a result, most pupils now make good progress in writing. However, too much teaching still requires improvement in reading and mathematics.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The effective leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage ensure that children continue to have a good start to school. Part-time teachers in the nursery and the teacher in the Reception class work exceptionally well as a team to jointly plan topics and activities that will interest and motivate children to learn.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school makes good use of outside specialists to support disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs from entry and right through the school. Most make good progress because their needs are identified and met.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The national standards for teachers are used to judge the quality of teaching, so accurate judgements are made on how well teachers are performing. These assessments inform decisions about teachers’ pay. There is a process of restructuring to enable staff with specific subject responsibilities to become more involved in checking teaching and its impact on pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school is at an early stage in its preparations for the new national curriculum which is due to start this coming September. Staff are beginning to broaden learning experiences to give pupils more opportunities to gain essential basic skills in literacy and numeracy. Computers are used extensively in lessons to support pupils’ learning and the emphasis placed on writing is successfully improving their written skills. Pupils are provided with enjoyable additional learning opportunities beyond the normal timetable, such as after-school clubs for karate, football for girls and boys, and the popular adventure club with activities such as archery. Residential visits add to pupils’ enjoyment of school. The study of different faiths and displays of Indian dance and music give pupils an understanding of other cultures and contributes to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The additional funding allocated to increase sporting opportunities is being used effectively to enhance the quality and breadth of physical education and sports provision. A sports coach is a popular visitor to school each week and participation is beginning to increase.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Parents spoken to during the inspection expressed positive views about the school. They correctly believe that staff treat every pupil equally, their children are safe and looked after well, and that discrimination is not tolerated. Pupils are well prepared for life in Britain and a global society.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority took decisive and immediate action to support the school when it was left without senior leaders or governors. The ongoing support from local authority advisers has been massively increased and a strong partnership has been forged with the Diocesan educational advisers who are also keen to see the school improve. The interim arrangements are proving to be highly effective, enabling the school to improve steadily.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  An interim executive board with seven carefully selected members has replaced the governing body, with a two-year mandate to improve the school and make it good. The members of the board have considerable expertise to offer. Two are headteachers from outstanding schools and there is a national leader of education and a former college principal, for example. The Diocesan senior educational adviser adds to the bank of expertise available and is a frequent visitor to the school. All have an excellent knowledge about how well pupils are achieving in comparison with others nationally. They have, with the acting headteacher, identified the correct key priorities for improvement. The inspection has confirmed the accuracy and relevance of these priorities. Performance targets are set for the acting headteacher. There is a three-pronged check by the acting headteacher, the local authority and Diocese to make

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The leadership and management requires improvement

sure actions are effective in improving teaching and raising pupils’ achievement. This includes regular checks on the impact on the achievement and behaviour of pupils of the additional pupil premium funding from the government and the funds allocated to provide additional sporting opportunities. All current national requirements relating to employment and safeguarding are met.

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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 120186 Local authority Leicester Inspection number 432095

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 210 Appropriate authority Interim executive board Chair Judith Briers Acting Headteacher Vikki Tasker Date of previous school inspection 27 February 2013 Telephone number 0116 2665790 Fax number 0116 2680511 Email address admin@belgrave.leicester.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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