St Paul's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Chipperfield

St Paul's Church of England Primary School, Chipperfield The Common, Chipperfield, Kings Langley, WD4 9BS

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Pupils thrive in the school’s happy, nurturing, yet academically challenging atmosphere that lives up to its motto ‘Love to learn, and learn to love’.  Pupils get off to a very good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Nearly all pupils make excellent progress in all year groups in a wide range of subjects including reading, writing and mathematics. By the end of Year 6 standards are well above average.  Teaching is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and provide interesting work that stretches the most able and enables all pupils to succeed.  Teaching assistants provide excellent support to small groups and individuals and help to ensure that all pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make outstanding progress.  Attendance has been sustained at a high level and reflects pupils’ very positive attitudes to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school and enjoyment of learning. Their behaviour is exemplary in classrooms and around the school.  The school provides a stimulating range of subjects for pupils, with carefully planned learning outcomes. This rich and varied experience is enhanced by an excellent range of lunchtime and after-school clubs.  Leadership is excellent and has taken the school from strength to strength. There is a relentless drive on raising standards by improving teaching and ensuring that all pupils are helped to do as well as possible.  There is a strong sense of teamwork amongst staff and support for the direction taken by the inspirational headteacher. Staff feel valued and given good scope to develop their own skills and expertise. Subject leaders play an effective role in leading their areas.  Governors provide a good level of support and challenge. They know the school well through detailed information provided by the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

headteacher as well as their own frequent visits.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 12 lessons. They undertook joint observations with the headteacher and deputy headteacher and observed them feeding back to teachers. They also carried out a series of short visits to each class.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils during lessons, around the school and in two organised meetings. They spoke with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors, teachers with subject and other responsibilities, other teachers and support staff.  During the inspection Year 6 pupils were involved in end of year tests and were not observed in literacy or numeracy lessons. Instead, the inspectors looked closely at their work in all subjects in their exercise books.  The lead inspector had a brief telephone conversation with the local authority adviser who has been linked to the school.  Inspectors listened to pupils reading and talked to them about books. They looked at portfolios

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Information about this inspection

of children’s work and exercise books from all year groups.  Inspectors took account of the 19 responses to the staff questionnaire and the 54 responses to the online questionnaire for parents, Parent View.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents provided by the school, including progress data, minutes of meetings of the governing body, the school development plan, the self-evaluation report, action plans for subjects, safeguarding documents and records, policies, records of the monitoring of teaching and information relating to teachers’ performance targets and training.

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Inspection team

Helena McVeigh, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Alison Carter Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 St Paul’s Church of England Primary School is an average-sized primary school located in a small village close to Kings Langley. There is a part-time nursery that currently has 19 children on roll.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for those known to be eligible for free school meals and children in the care of the local authority) is well below the national average.  Most pupils are of White British heritage with well-below-average proportions from minority ethnic backgrounds. A very small number of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is much lower than the national average. The proportion supported through school action plus is above average. There are currently no pupils who have a statement of special educational needs.

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Information about this school

 Every year, some children leave or enter the school during Key Stage 2. In the current Year 6, of 25 pupils, five joined the school in the last three years.  The headteacher is a local leader of education and provides regular support to another school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Provide opportunities for all teachers to share their excellent practice and expertise more widely with other schools.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children start in the Nursery or in the Reception class with skills that are broadly typical for their age. They are helped to settle well in these classes and quickly develop a love of learning along with skills, knowledge and understanding that prepare them well for Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils continue to make rapid and sustained progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 across all subjects. They attain standards at the end of Year 2 that are above average in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2013, Year 2 attainment was well-above average in all three subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 By Year 6 standards are also well above average. In 2013, pupils’ results in the national tests were well-above average in reading, writing and spelling, punctuation and grammar and above in mathematics. School information for this year indicates even better outcomes for mathematics, with more pupils attaining the very high level 6. In 2013 the proportion of pupils exceeding the expected progress between Key Stage 1 and 2 was well above average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics from most starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils enjoy mathematics and respond well when given challenging problems to solve. Their knowledge of times-tables and ability to work things out in their heads develops well from Key Stage 1 onwards. They are encouraged to find different ways of solving problems and to explain how they found their answer.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 More-able pupils achieve really well because of teachers’ high expectations, the challenging work they are given and their obvious love of learning and keenness to succeed. The proportion of pupils who attain the highest levels in reading, writing and mathematics is testament to their success.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Standards in reading and writing are high. Pupils enjoy reading and they can talk about different authors and styles. They are taught well how to use phonics (sound that letters make) from the early years and use this to read unfamiliar words. The Year 1 phonics checks consistently show an above-average proportion of pupils reaching the expected level. Writing is a strength and has improved over the past few years as it has been a school priority for improvement.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 School leaders work hard to ensure that all children can succeed and no one is overlooked. Pupils who are falling behind are quickly given additional support to help them catch up. Pupils who are disabled and those who have special educational needs or who are learning English as an additional language make excellent progress.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The school uses its pupil premium additional funds effectively to benefit the small number of eligible pupils, through, for example, additional one-to-one support, paying for educational trips and after-school activities. At the end of Year 2, the pupils who were eligible for the additional funds outperformed their classmates in 2013. The eligible Key Stage 2 pupils were around a term behind others in reading, writing and mathematics, though well above their peers nationally. The small number of pupils in some years makes comparisons from year-to-year unreliable.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils achieve well in all subjects and attain high standards. For example, the work in Year 6 science books is well-above average and sets them up very well for secondary school. Physical education is a strength of the school.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is of a consistently high quality across all year groups and subjects. As a result and because of their positive attitudes to learning, pupils make excellent progress throughout the school.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and of what they can achieve. They provide interesting and challenging activities for pupils of all abilities. Pupils in Key Stage 2 mathematics are encouraged to decide for themselves which of three levels of difficulty to attempt. This helps them to become self-reliant and resilient.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Pupils are given additional help as soon as they appear to be falling behind. Very good use is made of additional support, such as teaching assistants, who are very effective in helping children access work or who provide additional challenge for the most able. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are given additional help, but encouraged to try as much as possible for themselves.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The development of literacy and numeracy through all subjects is well established throughout the school. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, adults encourage children to talk and provide them with ample opportunity to name and to count objects inside and outside. More-able children are shown how to add and subtract simple numbers. Further up the school, teachers emphasise the meaning of unfamiliar words and expect correct spelling, punctuation and grammar in pupils’ work in all subjects.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers make regular links between subjects. For example, numeracy is developed in science where pupils are drawing line graphs and in physical education where pupils accurately measure how far they can jump or throw a javelin. Pupils are inspired by looking at the work of artists such as Monet to write poems and biographies.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers use questioning very effectively to make pupils think and to find out what they know and understand. Pupils often work in pairs or use individual mini white boards or ‘work books’ so that they are all involved in thinking about a question and sharing ideas with their peers.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers are alert to pupils’ misunderstanding in lessons and in written work and homework. They respond swiftly to help overcome difficulties. Teachers check all written work very regularly and meticulously, with encouraging comments and detailed suggestions for how to improve. They invite pupils to respond to their questions and further challenges.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers assess pupils’ attainment and monitor progress in all subjects. This contributes to the high standards of work. Teachers agree on their assessments of pupils’ work by looking at books together in staff meetings in school and also with other local schools. This approach helps to ensure consistency of assessments and the sharing of good practice.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding throughout the school. This view is shared by staff and parents. Pupils are courteous and polite to adults and each other. They are proud of their school and enjoy that fact that it is small and they ‘know everyone’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils develop excellent attitudes to learning from the time they join school and they genuinely seem to ‘love learning’ and to respect each other. They settle to work quickly in lessons and are keen not to waste time. They relish being given responsibilities and know the school’s rewards and sanctions system well. They respond immediately to the teachers’ established routines for gaining their attention.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The new building is maintained extremely well and secured by key fobs for all external and some internal doors. Pupils are supervised well outside during playtimes. Pupils say that they feel safe and well looked after.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils know about bullying and its different forms. They say that it is rare but dealt with swiftly by adults. Most parents agree with the pupils’ view.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are encouraged to look after each other. For example, Year 5 and 6 pupils act as playground leaders to help younger children in the wide variety of lunchtime activities as well as resolving minor tiffs between friends. Year 6 pupils enjoy helping Reception children, for example, to put on their coats before going out to play.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils enjoy coming to school and their attendance has been well-above average for the past few years.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school is extremely well led by an inspirational headteacher who is supported effectively by her deputy and other members of the leadership team. School leaders are excellent role models for other staff, from whom they have earned a very high level of respect and commitment. Staff are proud of their school, they feel valued and ‘happy to be part of a wonderful team’. There is a strong sense of working together for the benefit of the pupils.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The outstanding leadership and management are exemplified in the Early Years Foundation Stage where children quickly benefit from the excellent teaching and facilities to make a really strong start to their school life.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher has established an atmosphere of openness and transparency. Expectations of teachers and pupils are very high. There is a strong belief in equality of opportunity for all. Systems are clear and there is high level of consistency that contributes to the school’s success.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher has been involved in supporting other schools in her role as a local leader of education. Other members of St Paul’s staff have not had the opportunity to share their expertise and excellent practice with other schools.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders have established a relentless focus on improving and sustaining high quality teaching and learning. They regularly check the quality of teaching and ask pupils their views on a range of issues. Subject leaders play an effective role in overseeing plans and outcomes in their subjects. Each teacher is also part of a small team, including a governor, that is responsible for monitoring a group of subjects.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The process of annual target setting for all staff is rigorous and managed effectively. Staff are offered a good range of training opportunities.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The range of subjects offered and the way that they are planned and assessed are outstanding and contribute to pupils’ excellent academic outcomes and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are given rich and varied learning experiences with a strong focus on creative subjects such as art and music, but also with very good provision for all other subjects. They are offered a wide range of lunch time and after school activities as well as educational trips. Pupils make very good use of information and communication technology. For example, using Ipads to take videos of performance in athletics, timing activities, for research and playing number games in the Nursery.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Good use is made of the additional sports funds to promote physical activity and healthy lifestyles. For example, it pays for funds to enable every pupil in Key Stage 2 to learn to swim and to attend sports activities or competitions.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school has received effective support from the local authority, which has every confidence in the headteacher and what she has achieved. The local authority adviser has led reviews of the school, with constructive feedback, and helped to validate the school’s own judgements of teaching and teachers’ assessments of pupils’ work.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governors provide a good level of challenge and support to the school. They are proud of the school and very happy with the headteacher’s leadership and vision. They know the school well, including its strengths and what needs to improve further. Several governors are frequent visitors to the school. Governors have helped to maintain excellent links with parents and the community  Governors are aware of the standards of pupils’ attainment in the school and use their understanding of performance information well to ask searching questions of school leaders. They know about the quality of teaching and how the school supports weaker teachers when necessary. They understand the link with movement up the pay scale and teachers’ individual targets.  Governors hold the headteacher to account and set her challenging targets. They oversee the finances very effectively including the use of additional funds such as the pupil premium and

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The leadership and management are outstanding

additional sports funds. Governors have received a good level of training for their role and ensure that all safeguarding requirements are being well 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 117441 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 439959

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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 220 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stephen Morrill Headteacher Norah Tattersall Date of previous school inspection 5 May 2009 Telephone number 01923 262340 Fax number 01923 260904 Email address admin@stpauls909.herts.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 and 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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