St Paul's CofE Primary School, Kingston Hill

School report St Paul's CofE Junior School

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Princes Road, Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey, KT2 6AZ

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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.  School leaders have created a climate of very high expectations in which all pupils thrive, flourish and achieve exceptionally well.  All pupils are warmly welcomed into a bright and stimulating school. Vibrant displays of pupils’ work around the school are of very high quality and reflect outstanding teaching over time.  Although already high, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has continued to improve year on year. They make outstanding progress throughout the school.  All groups of pupils achieve equally well, reflecting the school’s promotion of equal opportunities.  Teaching has improved so that much is outstanding and never less than good. Teachers have very high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour.  The rich and stimulating range of subjects on offer promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively. The

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

quality of art and music is particularly impressive.  Pupils love coming to school and this is reflected in their attendance, which is above average. They relish the different activities available and they enjoy learning. Their behaviour is excellent at all times.  Pupils get on very well together and show great respect towards the faiths and cultures of those from backgrounds different to their own. Racial harmony is a strength of the school. Pupils feel very safe in school.  Leaders and governors have maintained and improved the already high levels of teaching and achievement and are clearly set to improve further.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed pupils working in 20 lessons or parts of lessons, of which eight were observed jointly with senior leaders. They looked at work in pupils’ books and they listened to pupils in Year 6 read. They attended two assemblies and observed pupils’ behaviour in school and in the playground.  Meetings were held with school leaders, six governors, different groups of pupils and a representative from the local authority.  Among the documents scrutinised were plans showing how the school intends to improve further, records of pupils’ standards and progress, minutes from governors meetings and information showing how the school keeps pupils and staff safe and secure.  The views of parents were considered by analysing the 18 responses to the online survey Parent View and by taking into account the school’s own most recent survey. Inspectors also spoke to parents informally during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Joy Considine, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Ken Bryan Additional Inspector Janet Sharp Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for additional funding known as pupil premium is below average. This is additional funding provided by the government to support those pupils who are eligible for free school meals and pupils who are looked after.  Almost half of the pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and about a quarter of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and who have special educational needs who are supported at school action is broadly average. The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school is coming to the end of a substantial building and refurbishment programme. It plans

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Information about this school

to improve facilities for staff and pupils and accommodate additional pupils as the school moves to three forms of entry by September 2017.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Extend the links the school has within the local community to share its outstanding work with a wider group of schools.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language, make exceptional progress in reading, writing and mathematics. By the end of Year 6 their attainment is significantly above average and has been consistently so for several years.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve equally as well as other pupils. This is because systems to pinpoint their specific needs are robust. They are provided with excellent support in class or are occasionally taught very effectively in small groups by specialist teachers or highly trained teaching assistants.  In the Year 6 national tests in 2013, pupils eligible for additional funding were about two terms behind other pupils in reading and writing. School leaders were very quick to respond by making the achievement of these pupils a priority for development. Consequently, these pupils are achieving exceptionally well across the school and the gap in attainment has almost closed.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The most able pupils make outstanding progress. In the 2013 national tests, the proportion of pupils attaining the highest levels was considerably above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. School information and work in pupils’ books show that pupils are already working above those levels seen at the same time last year.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy reading and talk about books with confidence and enthusiasm. Stories are brought to life by teachers to help pupils to understand more difficult parts. For example, pupils in Year 4 dressed up as characters from Alice in Wonderland to re-enact the courtroom trial to find out who stole the tarts.  Pupils enjoy writing because teachers inspire them to write. For example, in Year 6, pupils researched a chosen charity and produced some excellent writing to persuade the reader to support that charity. They wrote fluently and confidently using imaginative vocabulary to express

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

their thoughtful ideas.  Mathematics lessons are lively and engaging, with purposeful activities that make pupils want to learn. They talk about numbers confidently and many say that mathematics is one of their favourite lessons. They use a wide range of strategies to solve real-life problems and this leads to their outstanding progress.  Although reading, writing and mathematics are given high priority, pupils make outstanding progress in many other subjects. For example, the quality of art and music is exceptionally strong. They also enjoy and make excellent progress in physical education and reach high standards of performance.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The quality of pupils’ work and their excellent achievement indicate that teaching is consistently outstanding over time. Pupils thoroughly enjoy learning because teachers make it fun, but challenging. Pupils are very proud of their work and showed inspectors examples of their best work, including pop-up books they made in design and technology lessons.  Teachers have very high expectations and plan lessons that are inspiring and memorable. Pupils have to work hard because teachers ask probing questions that require them to analyse information and find solutions to complicated problems. This extends their understanding and develops their ideas further. This was seen in a Year 5 mathematics lesson where pupils were adding and subtracting negative numbers in the context of money problems.  Work provided for pupils is at exactly the right level because teachers have an excellent understanding of the needs of pupils. Teaching assistants are highly skilled in supporting

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs by prompting them in lessons and by explaining to them how to complete their work.  Teachers make imaginative use of resources to stimulate pupils’ interest and motivate them. Pupils talk enthusiastically about their learning with partners. They share ideas and compare notes. This gives them the confidence to contribute to class discussions and so progress at rapid rates.  Pupils develop their imagination and creativity through carefully planned learning experiences, allowing them to reflect on the wider world. For example, pupils in Year 4 created some beautiful paintings of animals based on Aboriginal art. Their work was of extremely high quality because they had been taught particularly well, making an excellent contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils often use their literacy and numeracy skills when learning other subjects. For example, in

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

science, pupils calculate differences in temperatures and record their results on charts and graphs. They write up their experiments using correct scientific vocabulary, explaining clearly what they discovered. This contributes to their outstanding progress.  Teachers mark pupils’ work thoroughly. They provide detailed comments informing pupils of what they have done well and what they need to do to improve their work further. Consequently, pupils are very aware of what they need to do to reach higher levels.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They have an exceptional understanding of right and wrong and they know and understand the school’s systems to promote excellent behaviour. Staff implement approaches to managing pupils’ behaviour consistently and so pupils are very clear about teachers’ high expectations.  Pupils love school and this is reflected in their attendance, which is above average. They are friendly, kind and helpful to adults and each other. They are sensitive to the needs of others and they say that all pupils are treated fairly and that discrimination on any grounds is not tolerated.  The playground has been re-developed in response to the previous inspection. There are different areas in which pupils play organised games, sit quietly or play among themselves. This has contributed to their outstanding behaviour. During the inspection, pupils chatted to inspectors about their favourite areas and how behaviour has improved over time.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils know about different forms of bullying, but say it does not happen. On the rare occasions when pupils fall out, there is always an adult on hand to sort out the problem. School records show no reported incidents related to behaviour and there have been no exclusions in recent years.  The very large majority of parents strongly agree that their children are safe, happy and secure at school and that behaviour is excellent.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 School leaders and governors have very high aspirations for each and every pupil. Consequently, the relentless drive to improve teaching and further raise standards has successfully underpinned all aspects of their work. Teamwork is highly effective and staff morale is high.  School leaders rigorously check the work of teachers. They formally observe teachers and drop in informally. They scrutinise pupils’ books and check teachers’ plans. All staff have targets linked to pupils’ progress and know that their progression on the salary scale is linked to their performance in the classroom. There is a carefully planned training schedule to ensure that the skills of all staff are fully developed.  Middle leaders have an excellent understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They play a strong role in ensuring that all that is on offer for pupils is of the highest possible quality. They are very well trained and so are well placed to offer guidance and support to their colleagues.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupils benefit from rich and stimulating experiences that make an excellent contribution to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Apart from the subjects pupils learn in school, there are extensive opportunities for them to take part in visits and to attend activities outside school. The new primary sports funding has been used to employ sports coaches who work alongside teachers to improve their skills. This has further improved the already excellent provision for sports in school.  The local authority provides light touch support for this outstanding school. School leaders work alongside colleagues from other schools to share their skills, but acknowledge that this aspect of their work is an area to develop further within the wider school community.  The governance of the school:  Governors are highly effective and make an outstanding contribution to the leadership and management of the school. They have an excellent understanding of how well the school

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The leadership and management are outstanding

performs in comparison with other schools and know that teaching is typically outstanding. They know that the school’s arrangements for managing teachers’ performance are robust and that only the best teaching is rewarded. Governors are highly regarded within the school community because they visit school often. Without prompting, pupils spoke of the many occasions that governors visit school to see how well they are doing. There are excellent systems for governors to check that all statutory responsibilities are fulfilled and to carefully check that the school spends money, including additional funding, wisely. Arrangements to keep pupils and staff safe meet all 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 102591 Local authority Kingston Upon Thames Inspection number 439520

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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 Junior School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 295 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Daphne Gibbs Headteacher Kevin Edmonds Date of previous school inspection 31 March 2009 Telephone number 020 8549 4555 Fax number 020 8549 4557 Email address admin@plj.rbksch.org 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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