St John's & St Peter's CofE Primary

St John's and St Peter's CofE Academy St Vincent Street West, Ladywood, Birmingham, B16 8RN

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 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 school that requires improvement.  Pupils do not make consistently good progress. As a result, they do not always reach the levels of attainment of which they are capable by the end of Year 6.  Pupils do not make as much progress in writing and mathematics as they do reading. There are few opportunities for them to write at length and improve their work.  Teaching is not yet of the consistently high standard needed to secure good progress for all pupils.  Teachers do not check how well pupils are progressing often enough, especially those whose first language is not English. Their explanations of mathematical concepts are often unclear, especially in Key Stage 2.  The most-able pupils are not always challenged sufficiently. They are not always required to think really deeply by the work they are set or the questions teachers ask them.  Parents' views are not always considered in a systematic or efficient manner.

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The school has the following strengths

 School leaders know what to do to improve the achievement of pupils and have taken rigorous actions to move the school forward and eradicate poor teaching.  The behaviour of pupils around the school and during lessons is good. The school's work to keep pupils safe and secure is also good.  Progress in reading is good throughout the school. Pupils read widely and often and are inspired to read by passionate teachers.  The achievement of children in the Reception class is good. Children here are well-taught and are excited about their learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 13 lessons or parts of lessons of which nine were observed jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and looked at the work in their books.  Meetings were held with senior leaders and different groups of people involved with the school. These included pupils, parents, members of the governing body, members of the teaching staff and two representatives from the diocese that sponsors this academy.  Inspectors took into account 13 staff questionnaires and one letter from a parent. Responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, were too few to a provide reliable picture of parents’ views and the school does not currently record parental surveys.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including plans for improvement, records of the school’s checks on pupils’ and teachers’ performance, safeguarding and attendance documents, minutes of meetings of the governing body and school policies.

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Inspection team

Faheem Chishti, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Helen Booth Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school converted to become a sponsor led academy in November 2012.  St John's and St Peter's Church of England Academy is a slightly smaller than average primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is average.  The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is well above average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.)  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and who speak English as an additional language is much higher than that found nationally.  In all year groups, a high proportion of pupils join or leave the school at different times of

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Information about this school

the year. Currently, around a quarter of the school population have not attended the school since the start of their key stage.  The governing body manages a small breakfast club on site.  It is not possible to determine whether the school reached the government’s floor targets in 2013 (the minimum expectations for achievement and progress) as there is no officially published data available for the school that would allow inspectors to make the necessary comparisons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently at least good in order to raise levels of achievement for all groups of pupils, especially at Key Stage 2, by:  ensuring that all teachers ask questions which make pupils think deeply and which help them understand how to improve their work  raising teachers’ expectations of the quality of work pupils are capable of, especially more-able pupils  ensuring that pupils' progress is checked more regularly, especially those pupils for whom English is an additional language.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve achievement in writing and mathematics by:  ensuring that all teachers ask questions which make pupils think deeply and helps them understand the key learning points covered by their lessons  providing pupils with more opportunities to write at length and improve their work  ensuring teachers’ explanations of mathematical concepts are clear and illustrated with helpful examples so that pupils can understand them better, particularly in Key Stage 2.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make greater efforts to obtain the views of parents and record their responses more systematically so that they can be used to improve the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils' achievement requires improvement. Progress is not consistent enough, particularly in Key Stage 2, to enable pupils to reach standards that they should achieve by the time they leave the school in Year 6. Standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are below average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards in mathematics are improving but are considerably below national averages. Although evidence gathered during the inspection shows there are pockets of good progress, it is inconsistent across the school. Too frequently, progress is not as good as it should be.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards in writing are below average at the end of Key Stage 2. The proportion of more-able pupils achieving the highest standards is disappointing. Their progress is inconsistent and is often below that which is expected of them.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Although standards in reading are also below average, progress across the school is more consistent than that in mathematics and writing. This is as a result of consistently good teaching in this area and a high status given to reading across the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The most-able pupils do not make fast enough progress because, at times, they are given work that does not fully challenge them or extend their thinking. Too few pupils attain the highest levels in tests at the end of Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Most pupils start school with skills that are below those typically expected for their age. They make good progress in the Reception class so that by the time they start Year 1, their skills are only slightly below average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1 so that at the end of Year 2, they meet the standards expected of them in reading, writing and in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Reading skills are improving. Pupils can use phonics (learning letters and the sounds they make) to read unfamiliar words because staff are well trained and teach reading effectively.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive effective support so that they make similar progress to others in school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of pupils supported by the pupil premium is similar to that of other pupils in school. The gap between the attainment of eligible pupils and the others in writing and mathematics has closed, and is now only approximately half a term behind in reading.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because it has not been consistently good enough to ensure that all groups of pupils achieve well in English and mathematics. Teaching is too inconsistent across the school as a whole.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers do not question pupils carefully enough to explore and deepen their understanding. As a result, many pupils, particularly the most-able, are not challenged enough to produce work of a high standard. For example, in a Key Stage 2 class, most of the class were engaged in a similar writing activity with few opportunities for them to be creative or respond to challenging ideas or problems.  Many pupils, often new to the school, speak English as an additional language. Although there are good resources and suitable teaching support in place to meet most of their needs, their language development is not checked systematically enough to ensure that they make good progress all the time.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of writing and mathematics is currently a priority because staff recognised that pupils' progress and attainment in these subjects required improvement. Although pupils have good opportunities to write across a range of subjects, they do not check their own work often enough so that it can be improved. Similarly, the teaching of mathematics is too variable; too often teachers do not give pupils clear explanations or examples to clarify key mathematical concepts. This results in some pupils remaining confused.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There is no outstanding teaching in the school, although teaching in Key Stage 1 and in the Reception class is consistently good. Children are often enthused and have work that is well matched to their needs. For example, in a Key Stage 1 mathematics lesson, pupils loved the challenge of individual tasks when placing numbers on a number grid. Similarly, children in the Reception class made good progress with their language development through re-enacting the emotions from 'Jack and the beanstalk'.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The use of marking and pupils' understanding of their next steps in learning is good. All teachers mark pupils work effectively with useful comments to pupils on how to improve their work. Pupils are able to discuss teachers’ comments and are clear about what the various marking codes and colours the school employs mean. This ensures they know what they need to do next to improve their learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of reading is also good and ensures pupils make good progress in this subject. This is helped in no small measure by the enthusiasm for reading by teachers and the high profile it is given throughout the school. Most pupils have a number of books they will be reading throughout the week and make good use of the electronic reading devices recently purchased by the school. It is not uncommon for pupils to search for their favourite genres or authors and be hugely disappointed if these are not available.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good. Teachers identify pupils' needs at an early stage, and put the necessary support in place. Skilled and well- trained teaching assistants ensure that pupils receive support that is effective and is matched well to their needs.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils' good manners and their keenness to learn contribute to an orderly and safe environment around school. Pupils demonstrate a positive attitude to school and their own learning. Behaviour is managed very effectively and consistently throughout the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school's work to keep pupils safe and secure is also good. Pupils say they feel safe, like their teachers and could identify staff they could talk to about any worries or concerns they might have.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 During playtimes and lunchtimes, pupils play happily together, and inspectors saw no instances of poor behaviour. Pupils enjoy playing games together and enjoy the use of a wide range of play equipment provided by the school. Lunchtime supervisors and sports coaches also provide good support as well as structured games for pupils that engage their interest at all times.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of different forms of bullying but say that it is very rare in this school. Pupils are confident in their teachers’ ability to deal with any such incidents. They understand the importance of e-safety (safety when using computers to communicate).

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 There were too few responses on Parent View to give a complete picture of all parents’ views about behaviour. However several parents who met with inspectors all said that they were very happy in the standards of behaviour in school and were confident of its ability to deal with any poor behaviour should it occur. Parents are kept well-informed about their child's behaviour through reward assemblies and are quickly contacted if behaviour is less than good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance was broadly average in 2013 and is improving as a result of this being a focus for all staff. Punctuality is also just as important in this school, with pupils often seen hurrying to their classrooms at the start of the day to avoid being late.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher‘s drive for school improvement has resulted in good behaviour being the norm in all classrooms, the elimination of poor teaching and the development of a positive learning culture in the school. The results of this work are best seen in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1.

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The leadership and management are good

 The senior leadership team, supported by middle leaders, has an accurate view of the school's performance and know what needs to be done to improve the school further.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Staff are experienced and are keen to learn from other settings. This has resulted in a vibrant learning culture throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage. Systems for checking children's progress and documenting and recording their learning are fully in place.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school's systems for checking on teaching and the use of data to analyse pupils' performance are extremely sharp. Leaders know exactly the areas where the school performs well and the areas that need attention. Plans to tackle underperformance are robust and measurable. Teachers' performance is checked closely by school leaders with staff having clear targets linked to their classroom practice. Although leaders acknowledge that more needs to be done for teaching to be consistently good, leaders’ effective monitoring and the headteacher’s high expectations of staff, together with the provision of good training opportunities, have led to the eradication of all inadequate teaching and significant improvements in the quality of teaching and learning overall.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils' spiritual, moral and cultural development is developed well. A wide range of trips, visits and other activities make sure that pupils respect each other, enjoy coming to school and have a good awareness of different cultures and religions.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new sports funding is used well to provide additional and effective physical education teaching and a range of lunchtime and after-school sporting activities. The school has seen increased participation of pupils in sport and clear evidence that they are making healthier lifestyle choices as a result.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents speak highly of the school. Parents who responded to Parent View were happy with the school and would recommend it to other families.

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The leadership and management are good

 The staff questionnaires revealed a more than typical number of staff who were highly complimentary about the school. Questionnaires and responses from parents were more difficult to ascertain as the school does not have a rigorous system of gathering and recording their views and the school has not made sufficient efforts to elicit parents’ views of the school. Those parents that did meet with, or wrote to, inspectors spoke very positively about the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy sponsor provides thorough and effective support to the school. Plans to provide it with additional support through the creation of a multi academy trust are now underway.

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The leadership and management are good

 The rich curriculum allows pupils lots of opportunities for writing across different subjects. It tackles discrimination and promotes pupils’ awareness of the existence of the different cultures in Britain well. The school provides a multitude of ways to celebrate the wide diversity of backgrounds of all its' pupils. It places a high emphasis on the promotion of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, with particular emphasis on their social and emotional skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is made up of a mixture of new and experienced governors, who together bring a wealth of experience to their role. Governors have a good understanding of how to measure the performance of the school, understand the data on pupils’ achievement and are provided with reports about the school’s priorities which are clear and helpful.  Governors make appropriate use of this information to plan the use of funding such as the pupil premium and the new sports funding and keep a close check on how this impacts on pupils' achievement.  Governors know about the quality of teaching, how teachers’ pay is related to this and how well the school has tackled underperformance. Governors ensure that safeguarding procedures in school are robust and consistently followed.

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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 138883 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 440129

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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 Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 195 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Butcher Headteacher Sarah Lea Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0121 6751398 Fax number 0121 675 0827 Email address enquiry@stjonb16.bham.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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