St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Preston-upon-the-Wealdmoors, Telford, TF6 6DH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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.  Achievement is good in all year groups. From their different starting points, pupils make at least good progress during their time in at the school and reach above average standards by the end of Year 6.  Teaching is good and some of it is outstanding.  Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge. They are well aware of precisely what each pupil’s next steps in learning are and they enthuse and motivate pupils so that they are able to learn well.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils feel very safe in school and parents and carers share this view. They enjoy being at school and this is reflected in their consistently high levels of attendance.  The school’s leaders are well supported and challenged by a good governing body. Governors are fully involved in the school’s successful drive for improvement.  The provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is a

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

strength of the school. Well-planned programmes and additional help from very effective support staff ensure that their needs are fully met.  The subjects and topics taught are wide ranging and provide good opportunities for pupils to apply their skills in a variety of real- life situations.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding. Occasionally the work teachers give pupils in the mixed-age classes is too hard or too easy.  Teachers in this small school have not had many opportunities to learn from what others do, for example in other schools. Inspection report: St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 5–6 March 2014 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in six lessons, three of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. The inspector also made a number of shorter visits to classrooms and heard a number of pupils read.  Meetings and discussions were held with groups of pupils, governors, members of staff and a representative of the local authority.  The inspection took into account the 26 responses to the online questionnaire for parents and carers, Parent View, and the outcomes from the school’s recent consultations with parents.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Clive Lewis, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Inspection report: St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 5–6 March 2014 3 of 10

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below average.  An above-average proportion of pupils join the school mid-year and mid-key stage. This pupil mobility continues to be particularly high in some year groups.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium (funding from the government to support pupils in local authority care, those known to be eligible for free school meals and those with a parent in the armed services) is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action is broadly average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average, and is very high in some year groups.  The number of pupils in Year 6 in 2013 was too small to make comparisons with the

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Information about this school

government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations set for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the overall quality of teaching by ensuring that:  teachers provide appropriately challenging work for all groups of pupils within each class  teachers get better opportunities to learn from each other and from teachers in other schools about things they could do to improve learning. Inspection report: St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 5–6 March 2014 4 of 10

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress during their time in school. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6 is typically above average, which constitutes good progress from their broadly average starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The number of pupils leaving Year 6 in 2013 was very small, so the results of individual pupils had a big impact on overall standards. Though achievement was good in mathematics and reading, a small number of pupils underachieved in writing. However, observations of learning in the classrooms, work in pupils’ books and a close scrutiny of the school’s data show that progress in Key Stage 2 is consistently good or better for pupils currently in the school, and standards for pupils in the current Year 6 are above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In the Reception class children work well together and quickly become confident in their learning and in the classroom routines. Systematic teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make), and good work across the school when pupils read with a teacher in a group and discuss what they are reading (guided reading), ensure that children acquire secure basic reading skills and develop an enjoyment of books. Year 2 pupils, for example, read accurately and with good expression. They know the difference between fiction and non-fiction writing and can work out what is likely to happen next in a story.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupil premium funding has been spent well to support the learning of the small number of pupils for whom it is intended. Too few pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium to allow comment on their attainment without potentially identifying them. However, their progress is similar to that of their classmates because the funding has been used effectively to provide the support they need.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make at least good progress. Their needs are well known and good support from teachers and teaching assistants helps them to achieve their challenging individual learning targets.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good, with some examples of outstanding teaching which helps pupils make good and, at times, better progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Reception class, good use is made of both the outdoor and indoor areas to develop children’s skills. Adults take every opportunity to extend children’s language and numeracy skills by regularly asking them about the things that they are doing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 A scrutiny of pupils’ books shows that they learn well and make consistently good progress because teachers provide challenging activities over time that make them think deeply about their work. They make good links between different subjects and to previous learning. This helps to promote pupils’ confidence and enjoyment in learning as well as their spiritual and cultural development. Inspection report: St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 5–6 March 2014 5 of 10

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good organisation in the classroom, coupled with high expectations of work and behaviour, ensures that teaching takes place in a purposeful and calm learning atmosphere. Pupils display a thirst for knowledge and a love of learning. This makes a significant contribution to pupils’ good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There is a clear focus on teaching pupils to read throughout the school. Daily teaching of phonics and guided reading activities for all age groups further support the development of pupils’ reading skills and a love of books. As well as reading skills, pupils gain a wide range of skills in communication and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Usually, teachers make very good use of the school’s accurate assessment data to set and review targets for pupils’ learning and to provide well for the varying needs and abilities of pupils in their mixed-age classes. Very occasionally, however, the work set for the most- and least-able pupils is too similar and is both too difficult for some pupils to undertake without a lot of help and not sufficiently demanding for those pupils capable of working at higher levels. In a few cases, pupils complete their tasks and then have to wait to move on. When this happens they lose their high levels of motivation and the pace of learning slows.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are used well to ensure that the work given to disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, as well as others who need extra help, is carefully sequenced so that all make good progress towards their learning targets.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking across the school is of a high standard and there is evidence in some books of dialogue between teachers and pupils which is helping pupils to check their own understanding of how well they are doing.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good, in class and around the school. They are keen to learn and get on with their tasks quickly and with the minimum of fuss. They respond readily to established classroom routines and respond promptly when teachers ask for their attention so that time is not wasted.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Adults are positive role models and make their expectations of behaviour very clear. Pupils are polite, friendly and welcoming and are keen to be rewarded for displaying good manners and courtesy.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils report that the school has an effective system of rewards and sanctions, which ensures that any rare unsatisfactory behaviour is dealt with effectively and promptly. Pupils who find it more difficult to behave well are sensitively managed and skilfully supported so that their behaviour improves significantly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The oldest pupils said that they will be ‘really sorry’ to leave the school at the end of Year 6 but were excited about the opportunities to learn new things and make new friends. They are well prepared for secondary education.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The school has comprehensive systems for undertaking risk assessments and for the recording of any child protection concerns. Inspection report: St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 5–6 March 2014 6 of 10

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe. They say that they feel ‘very safe’ in school and are confident that any issues they raise will be dealt with promptly. They have a good understanding of different forms of bullying, including any that might be encountered through internet sites.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy being at school and their attendance rates are consistently high.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils respond well to the school’s excellent promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They have a very clear sense of what is right and wrong.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides strong and determined leadership. Following her appointment in September 2012 she swiftly and accurately identified the improvements the school needed, with the full support of the governing body. Her high expectations are a significant factor in the improvements made and the continuation of the good progress made by pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school thoroughly evaluates its performance and identifies what should be improved. It ensures the priorities on its action plan carefully match these needs. Leaders ensure that actions have a clear impact on progress and teaching. Their work has led to an improved school with good capacity to move forward further.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff are very well motivated and demonstrate a shared sense of responsibility for, and commitment to, the school’s continued improvement. All staff are continually reflecting on how to improve their teaching and are determined to become even better. They are beginning to share with each other the things they do that have worked well, but do not yet routinely learn from teachers with similar age groups in other schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders, including those with responsibility for subjects or age groups, have an accurate overview of teaching strengths and what should be improved. They acknowledge that the key challenge is to increase the proportion of outstanding teaching in the school. The system of setting progress targets for teachers is rigorous in ensuring that they are held to account for the achievement of their pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ progress is checked regularly and rigorously in half-termly pupil-progress meetings between class teachers and the headteacher. Pupils who fall behind are given the help they need to catch up.

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The leadership and management are good

 Fully supported and monitored by the governing body, the school makes very effective use of the money derived from the pupil premium to support frequent small-group and one-to-one work. This helps to ensure that the small group of eligible pupils make good progress in their time in school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has used the primary sports funding well to provide additional physical education activities. They are led by skilled sports coaches, working with class teachers. This motivates pupils very well and is resulting in improved teaching skills among staff. This, in turn, is leading to improved physical skills, health and wellbeing. Systems are in place for the full evaluation of the provision at a future date. Inspection report: St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 5–6 March 2014 7 of 10

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The leadership and management are good

 The small size of the school ensures that all pupils and families are known very well by staff. The school’s very positive relationships with parents and carers and its good links with a wide range of partners and the local community contribute significantly to improvements in pupils’ achievement and well-being. Strong links with local schools help to overcome the potential isolation of such a small school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is particularly strong. Pupils develop into confident, articulate and reflective individuals who are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided the school with effective support for improvements in its monitoring and self-evaluation systems and for governor training.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a very accurate understanding of the quality of teaching and the strengths and priorities of the school. They are kept extremely well informed by the headteacher, visit school regularly and canvass the views of parents. Governors regularly attend training in order to develop their expertise. This has ensured that they have a very good understanding of school performance data. As a result they continue to challenge and support the school well. Governors closely question the quality of teaching and support leaders in checking it. They ensure that teachers’ pay increases are linked to the progress of their pupils. They have worked carefully and consistently to ensure that safeguarding policies and practices are rigorous and meet national requirements. They have a good understanding of how the school uses its resources, including the effective use and impact of pupil premium funding and sports

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The leadership and management are good

funding. They know how well their pupils perform when compared with schools nationally. Inspection report: St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 5–6 March 2014 8 of 10

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. Inspection report: St Lawrence Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 5–6 March 2014 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 123496 Local authority Telford and Wrekin Inspection number 431151

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 72 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lisa Howells Headteacher Stephanie Gaskell Date of previous school inspection 23–24 May 2012 Telephone number 01952 387780 Fax number 01952 387782 Email address a3091@telford.gov.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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