St Dunstan's Catholic Primary School, Woking

School report St Dunstan's Catholic Primary School Onslow Crescent, Woking, Surrey, GU22 7AX

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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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well and make good progress across the school. Consequently, pupils’ attainment rises to above-average levels by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Good and sometimes outstanding teaching helps pupils to learn new skills quickly. Teaching helps pupils flourish without fear of failure. This helps them to develop a love of learning.  Pupils are great ambassadors for the school. They feel very safe. Their exemplary behaviour means that there is a calm and happy atmosphere at all times.  Activities both in and out of lessons provide pupils with many memorable experiences and help them to become sociable, friendly and confident individuals.  The headteacher and governing body provide strong leadership. They are well supported by an able leadership team. Together, they are ensuring that the school continues to improve, with attainment rising, especially in writing.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have a good understanding of the main priorities and are doing the right things to ensure that there is even more outstanding teaching across the school.  Parents are almost unreservedly positive about the school, especially the way that adults care for their children.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are just a few occasions when teachers do not change work quickly enough to help pupils who are finding it too hard or too easy.  Sometimes, the marking of books does not show pupils how to improve their work or learn from their mistakes.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 22 lessons, of which 12 were joint observations with the headteacher or assistant headteacher. In addition, the inspectors made some short visits to lessons.  Discussions were held with pupils, members of the governing body, members of staff and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors took account of the views of 151 parents who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View). The inspectors also read letters from parents and talked to some at the end of the school day.  The inspectors observed the school’s work, heard some pupils read, and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress, planning and monitoring documents, the school development plan, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding information.  The inspectors analysed 39 questionnaires from staff.

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Inspection team

Mike Capper, Lead inspector Additional inspector Janet Sharp Additional inspector Lee Selby Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average-sized primary school. It is increasing in size and there are now three classes in Year 1 and the Early Years Foundation Stage (the Reception classes).  Pupils come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, with the largest groups being White British, Indian and Eastern European. Around 45% of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported at school action is broadly average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also broadly average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding given to the school for specific groups of pupils, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority, and children from service

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Information about this school

families) is below average. Virtually all pupils are in the first of these categories in this school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of outstanding teaching by ensuring that teachers always adapt work if they can see that pupils are finding it too easy or too hard.  Make better use of marking to help pupils improve their work and to correct errors.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children are working below the levels typical for their age when they join the school in the Reception class. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, especially in becoming confident and improving their speaking skills.  Pupils build well on this good start in Key Stages 1 and 2. Pupils’ knowledge of letters and the sounds they make (phonics) improve quickly. Changes to the way phonics is taught meant that the percentage reaching the expected levels in the national phonics screening checks at the end of Year 1 improved from below average in 2012 to above average levels in 2013.  By Year 6, pupils read confidently from a range of texts. Pupils’ writing also improves quickly. Pupils write enthusiastically. They use their imagination well to help them write interesting reports or stories. In mathematics, as they get older, pupils carry out increasingly complex calculations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school successfully promotes equality by ensuring that all groups do equally well. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs receive good support, enabling them to learn quickly. Their needs are identified and monitored rigorously so that teachers and teaching assistants can help them to overcome their specific difficulties.  More-able pupils also make good progress, especially in mathematics where they confidently apply their good knowledge to practical activities.  Although there are too few pupils known to be eligible for pupil-premium funding to comment on their attainment by the end of Year 6 without identifying them, this group achieve well across the school. Additional support is closely tailored to each pupil so that it is sharply focused and successful. This ensures that the gap between the attainment of eligible pupils and others closes quickly.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language make rapid progress in improving their

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The achievement of pupils is good

speaking skills. By the end of Year 6 there are no significant differences between the attainment of pupils from different background with all, including those from Indian or Eastern European backgrounds, achieving equally well.  Achievement is not outstanding because there are some minor variations in the pace of pupils’ learning across the school. However, senior leaders tackle this well and there are good systems to help pupils who are in danger of falling behind catch up. Consequently, despite these slight variations in progress, pupils’ attainment reaches consistently above-average levels in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is mostly good and there is some outstanding teaching in all year groups. Teachers have excellent relationships with the pupils and manage their behaviour positively through praise and clear instructions. This means that pupils are very willing to try new things. As one pupil said, ‘Sometimes we learn by getting things wrong.’  Teachers plan work that fully motivates pupils. For example, pupils in Year 6 responded very enthusiastically to an activity where they worked out the cost of ‘toolkits’ using decimal numbers because the work was linked to their move to secondary education.  More-able pupils learn well most of the time because teaching takes good account of what they already know. For example, in Year 2, they very rapidly improved their writing as the teacher challenged them to write more complex sentences using adjectives and adverbs.  Teachers make good use of homework to support pupils’ learning. Pupils speak very positively of

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The quality of teaching is good

their ‘Mathematics Challenges’ which they find fun and helpful.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, adults give children sensitive support as they work. They make good use of the very well-resourced outdoor area to let children work together and to develop physical skills. Throughout the day, there is a successful focus on language development, including improving both speaking and writing skills.  Teachers give pupils who speak English as an additional language extra help when needed. This, coupled with the many opportunities they have to talk about their work, means that these pupils very quickly improve their speaking skills.  Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. When working with disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, they make sure that they have practical resources to help pupils understand what they are learning.  Occasionally, teachers do not check on learning during an activity so that they can make

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The quality of teaching is good

adjustments when it is clear that pupils should be challenged more or are finding work too hard. The quality of marking is improving but it is not consistently strong. It does not always help pupils improve their work or correct errors.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of the pupils is outstanding. Parents, pupils and staff almost unanimously agree that the excellent behaviour seen during the inspection in lessons, around school and in breakfast and after-school clubs is typical. As one pupil said, ‘We know we have to work hard and behave very sensibly so that everyone can do well.’  Pupils’ thorough enjoyment of school is seen in high rates of attendance and excellent punctuality. They develop a love of learning and have very positive attitudes towards their work. They are very polite and friendly and take great pride in their work, sharing ideas and helping each other if they have problems.  The school successfully promotes good relationships and ensures that there is no discrimination. There is a delightful atmosphere on the playgrounds with pupils from different backgrounds playing together happily and behaving very sensibly.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils say that very occasional

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

bullying is tackled very well by staff and that there is always someone to talk to if there is a problem. Pupils know that bullying can take many forms. For example, recent talks about e- safety mean that pupils are very clear about how to avoid cyber-bullying.  Pupils take responsibility very well and show great maturity when talking about the school. The ‘Pupil Voice’ meetings give them many opportunities to contribute to school improvement. They greatly appreciate that their views are valued.

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The leadership and management are good

 The high expectations of the headteacher and other senior leaders are shared by all staff. They will not accept second best for their pupils and, together, they are determined to build further on the school’s numerous strengths. The local authority supports the school well in this process.  There is no complacency. Senior leaders are doing the right things to ensure that even more teaching is outstanding and all teachers are set sharp targets to help them improve. Experienced teachers provide effective support to those who are new to the profession. Training for all members of staff is well targeted and in areas such as the teaching of mental mathematics has significantly improved pupils’ learning.  The school has a wealth of data on how well pupils are learning. Leaders make good use of this information to check progress and to respond quickly to any emerging dips in achievement. For example, when leaders saw that pupils were not doing quite as well in writing as in reading,

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The leadership and management are good

their response was rapid, ensuring that the gap is now closing quickly.  Middle managers such as teachers who are in charge of subjects are playing an increasingly strong part in improving provision. Although some are relatively new to their roles, they have a clear understanding of priorities and are beginning to be more involved in visiting lessons and other activities so that they can play an even fuller part in ensuring consistent practice across the school.  The school focuses well on encouraging healthy lifestyles and promoting pupils’ well-being. Pupils participate keenly in physical activity. They are pleased that the new primary school sport is already extending opportunities to take part in competitive sport and is helping them to fulfil their physical potential. The school is checking the impact of spending carefully and benefits can already be seen in teachers’ increased confidence in teaching gymnastics following recent

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The leadership and management are good

training.  The curriculum (topics and the subjects taught) supports learning and pupils’ personal development extremely well. It fosters creativity very effectively, especially through music. Visits and visitors make a very strong contribution to pupils’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils learn important values such as trust and respect and why they should care for each other. They understand that cultural differences should be celebrated and not feared.  The governance of the school:  Strong governance has played a key part in continued school improvement. Governors have made good use of training to improve their skills. For example, training on analysing data has helped them to provide challenge when looking at information on pupils’ attainment and progress. Governors meet regularly with staff to talk about how well pupils are doing and they visit school to check for themselves. Consequently, they have an accurate picture of how the

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The leadership and management are good

school’s performance compares with that of others. Governors check the use of the pupil premium to ensure that the gap between the attainment of eligible pupils and others is closing. They know about the quality of teaching and they ensure that only good teaching is rewarded financially. They support the headteacher well in ensuring that teaching is maintained at consistently strong levels and understand what needs to be done to make it even more outstanding. Governors ensure that procedures for safeguarding pupils meet requirements.

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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 125238 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 431439

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 482 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Jones Headteacher Julianne Birch Date of previous school inspection 28 January 2009 Telephone number 01483 715190 Fax number 01483 722866 Email address office@stdunstans.surrey.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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