The Piggott School

The Piggott Church of England School Twyford Road, Wargrave, Reading, RG10 8DS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected N/A 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.  Students make good progress and their GCSE results are above average. The proportion of students achieving grades A* to C in both English and mathematics rose to securely above average in 2013.  Students’ good achievement is maintained in the sixth form.  Teachers are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their subjects, capturing students’ interest and setting a high level of challenge.  Students demonstrate exemplary, positive attitudes to their learning, aiming to do their best. Their behaviour in lessons and around the school is excellent, with students feeling safe within school.  The manner in which students cooperate and participate in lessons greatly benefits their learning.  There is an excellent range of additional activities and educational visits.  The students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is outstanding.  The sixth form is good. Students are well prepared for higher education or employment

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher, other leaders and the governing body work effectively to ensure that teaching is of a consistently good quality.  In the newly established Reception class, children are settled, happy and learning well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A minority of students, including some of those who are eligible for the pupil premium, do not make the progress of which they are capable.  In some lessons, teachers do not use questioning well enough to extend students’ knowledge and understanding.  A few teachers do not ensure that their marking and feedback are being used by students to improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 49 lessons, including two in the new Reception class. Ten of the observations were carried out jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors also made a number of shorter visits to 23 lessons to look at specific aspects of students’ work and their attitudes to learning.  Inspectors observed other aspects of the school’s work, including an assembly and tutor periods, and heard students read.  Meetings were held with school staff, including subject leaders and senior leaders, and five different groups of students.  A meeting was held with representatives of the governing body.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of school documentation, including the self-evaluation and development plan, records of students’ progress, behaviour and attendance, documents relating to safeguarding and the minutes of the governing body.  Inspectors took account of the 190 responses to the online parent questionnaire (Parent View)

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Information about this inspection

and three letters from parents. They also considered the 75 staff questionnaires which were returned. An inspector had informal conversations with parents as they brought their children to the Reception class.  Inspectors observed the work of the school, speaking informally with students and observing their arrival and departure from school.

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Inspection team

Kevin Harrison, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Heidi Boreham Additional Inspector Richard Butler Additional Inspector Jackie Jones Additional Inspector Julie Miriam Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The Piggott Church of England School is a larger than average all-through school. There are more boys than girls at the school.  The school became an academy school on 1 July 2011. In collaboration with the local authority, it opened a primary phase in September 2013 for 25 Reception age children, but the school will have pupils in all primary years by 2019. When its predecessor school, also The Piggott School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding.  The vast majority of students are from white British backgrounds. Some students from minority ethnic groups attend the school; almost all speak English as their first language.  Fewer than one in fourteen students benefits from the pupil premium, which is significantly below the national average. The pupil premium is the additional government funding provided for students who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children looked after by the

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Information about this school

local authority, and pupils with a parent serving in the armed forces.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also above average.  The school is the lead school in the Wokingham Federation of Schools for initial teacher training.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for student attainment and progress.  Very small numbers of students are taught away from the school at the Aspire Centre which helps to prepare young people to stay in education or for work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the achievement of students so that they all fulfil their potential by ensuring that teachers:  regularly use students’ progress information to check the impact of teaching, particularly on those supported by the pupil premium  use a broad range of questioning strategies, already evident in the best lessons, to encourage students to develop their ideas and deepen their understanding  provide clear, regular, written feedback that explains to students how well they are doing and how to improve their work  follow up their feedback to students to ensure that they are using it to improve their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Many students enter the school in Year 7 with attainment which is above average and they then make good progress. The small number of children in the new Reception class are doing very well.  The number of students gaining at least five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics in 2013 was securely above average. Students also attained above-average results in a range of other subjects, including art, chemistry, core science, physics and German. Students made particularly good progress in all these subjects.  Some students were entered early for GCSE mathematics in 2013 and they did well.  Students currently in Year 11 are making good progress in English and mathematics and are on track to achieve above-average GCSE results in these subjects and to do similarly well overall.  A very high proportion of students stay on and join the sixth form, where they make good progress across a very wide range of subjects. Clearer advice and guidance, high quality

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The achievement of pupils is good

teaching and an increased choice of options led to improved results in 2013.  Many students progress from the sixth form into higher education. At the same time, there is comprehensive support for students who seek employment, with opportunities for work-related experience, clear career advice and help with writing applications.  Disabled students and those with special educational needs are very effectively supported by teachers and teaching assistants; they make good and often outstanding progress.  The most able students do well because their abilities and talents are carefully nurtured and developed, enabling them to flourish in the academic, creative or sporting fields. They make the same good progress overall as other students. Occasionally, in some lessons they are not always fully stretched by the work set to achieve their full potential.  The 2013 GCSE results show that all categories of students supported by the pupil premium,

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The achievement of pupils is good

including those known to be eligible for free school meals, were over a grade behind other students in both English and mathematics. Several of these students joined the school in Year 9, including some after exclusion from other schools. Current tracking shows that eligible students are now making better progress to achieve levels closer to their fellow students.  Students who enter the school with below-average levels of attainment in reading and mathematics are well supported through the funded Year 7 catch-up programme which features one-to-one tuition and schemes such as the Accelerated Reader.  During their time at the school, students effectively acquire a growing range of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills in all subjects.  The students who attend the off-site provision make good progress, are well monitored and are given effective support.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the secondary phase is consistently good, with a high proportion of outstanding practice. No inadequate teaching was evident during the inspection. Teaching in Reception is ensuring children make rapid progress.  Most lessons involve a range of different activities that make learning fun and fast paced. For example, in a Year 11 mathematics lesson, the teacher challenged the students to find a missing number and then enabled the students to work out for themselves how they could apply that computation to establishing an algebraic formula.  Teachers are enthusiastic, with strong subject knowledge, and this helps them to capture students’ interest and ensure that they learn well. Teachers in Key Stages 4 and 5 have a detailed knowledge of examination requirements, which they effectively use to help students achieve their target grades.  Most teachers are skilled at tailoring the work set to the students’ abilities and interests, which

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The quality of teaching is good

helps their progress.  Teachers promote students’ numeracy, literacy and communication well, providing good opportunities for speaking and listening. The use of questioning to check students’ knowledge and understanding is a key strength of many lessons. However, in others, questioning only involves those students who volunteer an answer.  Teachers track the progress of all students and are aware of key groups of students who may potentially underperform, such as those eligible for the pupil premium. The most effective teachers know how to support any student who might potentially be disadvantaged by their circumstances and skilfully help these students to learn and make good progress.  Disabled students and those with special educational needs are well supported by the additional staff who work well in partnership with teachers, ensuring that these students make at least good, and sometimes outstanding, progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers effectively promote the students’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. As a result, students learn to be confident about sharing their views and beliefs even if they are different from those of their classmates, knowing that they will be respected.  The school’s new marking policy is being used to make the quality of marking more consistent. Most marking is clear and helps students to improve their work. However, there remain a few teachers who are not marking students’ work frequently enough to help all students to make the progress they should. Unfortunately, even when work has been thoroughly marked, students miss or are not given the opportunity to act upon the marking to improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students are well motivated and their attitudes to learning are exemplary. Their willingness to participate in lessons and additional activities helps their progress.  The behaviour of children and students is outstanding. They engage and cooperate fully, which helps their learning. They know how to behave appropriately, even without direct adult supervision, and are well mannered and polite in lessons and around the school.  Students have a clear understanding of risk, whether this is online, in their journeys to and from school or when participating in potentially dangerous activities such as contact sports or practical design and technology. The school’s work to keep children and students safe and secure is outstanding.  Strong, mutually respectful relationships underpin all aspects of the school’s work; students and staff spoke of their pride in the school.  The school has worked tirelessly with students who have joined the school late, including several

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

following exclusion from other schools. It has provided outstanding care and support enabling these students to stay safe and remain in education.  Students keenly take on additional responsibility, for example by becoming representatives on the year and school councils. The school council has a direct link to the governing body to raise issues of concern to the students. Older students mentor and support younger students effectively.  The school’s leadership programme provides a wealth of opportunities for students to become active members of society. Students value these opportunities.  Incidents of bullying and racism are extremely infrequent and students know that both are unacceptable and are appropriately dealt with.  Attendance is above average and continues to rise. School leaders continue successfully to reduce the already very low number of fixed-term exclusions.  The school has appropriate risk assessments in place for potential hazards, especially those

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

related to the ongoing building work and refurbishment. Students understand and respect the control measures.

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The leadership and management are good

 All leaders and managers, with outstanding direction from the headteacher and senior leadership team, are fully committed to equality of opportunity and to enabling all students to do as well as they possibly can. They acted decisively to address the disappointing results in 2012 and the success of these actions is a clear indicator of the school’s capacity to sustain further improvement.  Each day a different member of the senior leadership team is at the Reception phase of the school as the children arrive. Parents appreciate the opportunity to ask questions or raise concerns.  Teaching is robustly monitored and evaluated, helping students to achieve well. Leaders regularly drop into lessons to help them maintain an accurate picture of teaching quality. Staff are given instant feedback with a carbon copy of the notes and observations made. Support or training follows when the teaching observed is not at least good and there are good

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The leadership and management are good

opportunities for staff to learn from one another. Together, these measures have removed inadequate teaching and ensured that the vast majority is now good or better.  The school plays a leading role in the provision of both initial and continuing training for teachers, both at The Piggott and in neighbouring schools, helping teachers keep knowledgeable and up to date.  The appraisal of teachers’ performance against the Teachers’ Standards is linked closely to targets for improving students’ progress. Staff are clear of what they are aiming for, morale is high, and they are highly committed to enabling all students to achieve well.  The high number of responses to the Parent View survey show that parents are supportive of the school, being very pleased with the progress their children make and how well cared for they are.  The broad curriculum is supported by an impressive range of additional activities. The school

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The leadership and management are good

reviews the curriculum of each key stage annually. There have been many recent and well- judged changes which have ensured that students now have access to appropriate courses, particularly at Key Stage 4 and in the sixth form.  Staff and students are kept safe and safeguarding meets requirements.  The school has maintained links with the local authority and receives external support and guidance when appropriate. Strong partnership exists with other local schools and with the diocese.  The governance of the school:  Governance is good. Recent changes in the organisation of the governing body are already helping governors offer a greater degree of challenge within the context of the school’s priorities. Governors want the school to serve the needs of the local community as well as possible, and this aspiration lies behind the establishment of the all-through academy.  Governors know about the progress of different groups of students, including those eligible for

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The leadership and management are good

the pupil premium, and how it is measured. They have a thorough understanding of the importance of improving teachers’ performance. They understand the system used in the school to do this and how teachers’ performance and pupils’ achievement are linked to teachers’ pay progression. Finances are well managed. Governors make sure all aspects of safeguarding meet statutory 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 136891 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 440480

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school All-through School category Academy converter Age range of pupils 4–18 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1243 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 255 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Helen Craig Headteacher Hilary Winter Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01189402357 Fax number 01184404892 Email address office@piggott.wokingham.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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