Robert Piggott CofE Junior School

School report Robert Piggott Church of England Junior School School Hill, Wargrave, Berkshire, RG10 8DY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 has been high for some time.  By the time pupils leave the school they have made good, and sometimes rapid, progress.  In 2013, Year 6 pupils left the school having made rapid progress in English and good progress in mathematics.  The percentage of pupils in Year 6 who are on track to attain the highest levels this year has increased in reading and mathematics.  The effective checks on teaching that senior leaders make have helped to raise the quality of teaching and achievement to good.  The executive headteacher is a strong role model to staff and pupils in her conduct and professionalism.  Pupils feel safe at the school. They support the school’s values of grace, courage and friendship, readily showing them in their good behaviour and conduct.  Pupils have good opportunities to develop literacy and numeracy skills across different subjects. They extend their learning, in and out

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

of class.  Leaders at all levels, including governors, have a very good understanding of the school and plan effectively to move the school forward.  Pupils have good opportunities to take on responsibilities, work together, reflect and learn about other cultures.  The local authority has provided effective support to the school.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 A few of the least able pupils are not always given work at the right level of difficulty.  Some pupils are not always clear from teachers’ marking about how to improve their work or they do not consistently correct errors in it.  Staff, including some middle leaders, do not have regular opportunities to observe lessons, to see best practice or to check on the quality of teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 lessons or part lessons across all classes and in a range of subjects, including English and mathematics. At least half of these were conducted jointly with senior leaders.  Meetings were held with pupils, senior leaders, governors and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors held informal discussions with 12 parents. Responses to the school’s recent survey of parents and the 66 responses to the online survey, Parent View, were considered, together with comments made by parents who spoke to the inspectors during the inspection. Inspectors also analysed 19 responses from staff to a questionnaire.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in lessons and also separately, with senior leaders. They heard pupils reading and observed them in class and around the school, including at informal times.  A wide range of school documentation was considered. This included: information provided by

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Information about this inspection

the school on pupils' attainment and progress; documentation relating to the performance management of staff; evidence of checks on teaching; external evaluations of the school; the school’s website; development plans; the school’s self-evaluation; behaviour records; and safeguarding information.

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Inspection team

Najoud Ensaff, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Alan Jones Additional Inspector David Shears Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Robert Piggott Junior School is a little smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage . Few pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds or speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils who have disabilities or special educational needs and are supported through school action is below average. The proportion of pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  There are very few pupils supported through the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils eligible for free school meals or those in the care of the local authority.  The school moved to teaching pupils in mixed-age classes this year. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 are taught together for subjects other than literacy and numeracy. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are taught together.  The executive headteacher is also headteacher of Robert Piggott Infant School, with which the

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Information about this school

school is in a federation.  School leaders work with other local schools as part of development work related to the range of subjects taught in the school. The executive headteacher has worked at the request of the local authority to support other schools.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding by:  ensuring that the work given to the few less able pupils is always at the right level of difficulty  sharing best practice in how teachers mark work so that pupils fully understand how to improve their work and correct errors  enabling staff, including some middle leaders, to observe lessons more regularly to see best practice and to check on the quality of teaching.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enter the school with high attainment and they leave with high attainment. Attainment at the end of Year 6 has been well above average for some time.  Pupils make good progress during their time in the school. Progress for Year 6 pupils was above that of other pupils nationally in mathematics and well above others in English in 2013. Progress for White British pupils in Year 6 was also much better than for similar pupils nationally last year.  Pupils make good, and sometimes rapid, progress across different year groups, with the best progress being made in reading.  Pupils enjoy reading. They read regularly and several were able to talk in detail about events and characters in novels, and to name their favourite authors. One Year 6 pupil spoke about her enjoyment of Jane Austen and her current reading of Pride and Prejudice.  Attainment across the school of current pupils is at least above average and is often high.

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The achievement of pupils is good

Attainment in reading and mathematics is better than in writing.  Work in books shows that, over time, pupils make good gains in their learning. Pupils’ punctuation, presentation, control over language and ability to solve increasingly complex calculations develop well over time. For example, the most able pupils in Year 6 were able to work out complex calculations involving percentages and decimals.  Events such as numeracy week enable pupils to develop literacy and numeracy skills across subjects.  Pupils with special educational needs generally make good progress because they are well supported by adults in lessons. Those from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language also make good, and sometimes rapid, progress. Equality of opportunity is promoted well.  Occasionally, less able pupils do not make as much progress as possible because work set for them is sometimes too difficult.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress of the very few pupils supported through additional funding is generally good. By the time they reach Year 6, gaps in learning between them and their peers have closed to the equivalent of one term.  The most able pupils make good progress, attaining high standards. The percentage of pupils reaching the highest levels is above average. The proportion of Year 6 pupils who are on track to reach the higher levels in mathematics and reading this year is higher than in the past.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers provide work which engages and challenges pupils well. Pupils are provided with good opportunities to extend their learning in lessons and at home.  For example, Years 5 and 6 pupils made rapid gains in their learning as a result of homework which prepared them well for future learning. They were asked to explore Tudor times, as part of preparation for group presentations. Pupils looked at a range of appropriate and interesting reading material, both online and from books. The teacher set high expectations which he communicated well. Pupils knew exactly what they needed to do to be successful in their learning and made excellent progress. Several spoke excitedly about an upcoming educational visit linked to this work.  In other lessons, learning was meaningful and memorable, for example when pupils related rules for multiples of four to events such as the Olympic Games. Pupils created and tested out

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The quality of teaching is good

theories relating to multiples. Teachers responded well to pupils’ learning, for example redirecting lessons when needed to help pupils understand things properly.  Teachers promote pupils’ social and cultural development well and enable pupils to add to their knowledge of the wider world through pieces of work such as ‘Around the world in 80 days’ and through frequent opportunities for them to share their learning.  Teachers and other adults use questioning well in lessons to check on, and deepen, pupils’ understanding. For example, support provided to pupils in a Year 4 literacy lesson linked to writing a poem about a cat was effective in eliciting good-quality responses from a few pupils with special educational needs.  Marking is regular. It celebrates pupils’ achievements well and reinforces their learning. The best marking provides very useful guidance to pupils about how to improve so that they are able to

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The quality of teaching is good

correct their work. Leaders recognise that not all teachers mark as effectively as possible and they are keen to share the best marking with all teachers in order to improve pupils’ progress.  Work in books shows that, while tasks that are set are usually appropriate for pupils, for a few of the least able, work is sometimes a little too difficult.  Positive relationships between teachers and pupils mean that pupils are keen to do well and are not afraid to ask for help. Pupils work hard in lessons and persevere in order to succeed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  They are polite, courteous and respectful. Pupils embody the school values of grace, friendship and courage in their conduct with one another.  Pupils socialise well together at break time, assembling in an orderly way and using equipment sensibly.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning and these help to ensure that they make good progress.  Pupils have a good understanding of what constitutes bullying and they know about different forms of bullying, such as verbal, physical, cyber, racist and homophobic bullying. They say that instances of bullying have lessened and are rare. They are confident that the school deals effectively with those that do happen.  Pupils said that discrimination of any kind is not tolerated and individual pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds spoke positively about settling into the school well. Parents of pupils with specific emotional needs spoke very positively about the care provided to their children. The

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

additional help given to their children supports their move to secondary school.  The school keeps logs of reported incidents well, with careful records of actions noted. The school pointed to examples in which actions had had a marked and positive impact on the challenging behaviour of individual pupils.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  A programme of e-safety and visits by the police help pupils to understand how to keep safe. Pupils who act as go-betweens to sort out disputes or quarrels when they arise (peer mediators) and ‘kind teachers’ support pupils well in feeling safe.  All staff are appropriately trained in safeguarding children. Pupils and parents say that pupils feel safe at school.  Parents who responded to the Parent View online survey and those who spoke to inspectors said that their children felt safe and that behaviour was good.  Pupils attend regularly. There have been no permanent exclusions of pupils in the recent past.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour and safety are not outstanding because pupils said that very occasionally a few pupils do not pay attention well in lessons when work set is not at the right level of difficulty for them.

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The leadership and management are good

 The executive headteacher is a strong role model for staff and pupils in her professionalism and high expectations for pupils’ achievement.  Along with other leaders, she has a thorough and accurate understanding of school performance. This rigorous understanding of strengths and areas for development has enabled leaders to put in place effective actions and plans for improvement as well as relevant training of staff.  Effective checks on teaching by senior leaders have helped to raise the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement to good.  There are effective systems in place to track pupils’ attainment and progress. Both senior and middle leaders are involved in monitoring pupils’ progress, through scrutiny of work and by examining data.  While subject leaders are involved in regular lesson observations to check on the quality of teaching, other middle leaders do not observe lessons often. Senior leaders have increased the

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The leadership and management are good

time allocation for the special educational needs coordinator for next year to enable her to observe more lessons. They are keen to extend these opportunities to check on the quality of teaching to more middle leaders and to provide other staff with greater opportunities to see best practice through lesson observation.  Targets set for the management of staff performance are clear and ensure that staff are being held more to account for pupils’ achievement than in the past.  The local authority has provided effective and regular support to the school, with a focus on improving the quality of teaching in mathematics and developing the teaching of spelling, punctuation and grammar. This support has had a positive impact in raising the quality of teaching to good and in maintaining high standards at the end of Year 6.  The school works hard to engage parents through an effective website, regular newsletters and

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The leadership and management are good

parent surveys. Whilst a few parents who responded to the online Parent View survey indicated that they were not well informed about their children’s progress, inspectors found that the school provides parents with useful information about their children’s progress at least three times a year. Reports to parents about progress are of a good quality. Individual parents who expressed an opinion during the inspection said that communication with parents had improved since the school was last inspected and that staff are approachable. They pointed to ways in which they had been actively involved in their children’s learning.  The primary sport funding has been used well to provide coaching for staff and additional resources, and to develop a link with a local secondary school. These actions and the effective use made of the outdoor area at the school have improved pupils’ physical skills and well-being.

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The leadership and management are good

Pupils attend sports clubs regularly and take part in an increasing range of sporting events.  Subjects are well organised and give pupils breadth and balance of knowledge. The curriculum builds well on pupils’ interests. As a result, pupils achieve and behave well. There are good opportunities beyond the school timetable to enrich pupils’ learning. The school works well with a local cluster of schools to develop the curriculum, to prepare pupils very well for movement to secondary school and to enhance sports provision. It also works effectively with the parish, providing pupils with good opportunities to develop spiritually and to contribute to the local and wider community. Pupils have good opportunities to take on responsibility, to learn a musical instrument and to enjoy moments of calm reflection.  The governance of the school:  Changes to the governing body have improved its capacity to challenge leaders and hold them

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The leadership and management are good

accountable for the school’s performance. Governors provide good support to the school, for example by suggesting links with outstanding schools where pupils are taught in mixed age classes. Governors reflect on their own work, have evaluated their own performance and have established an action plan linked to that of the school. Governors have a good understanding of the quality of teaching in the school and data about pupils’ achievement. They ask searching questions about the achievement of the least able pupils and the way that additional funding is used to make a difference to pupils eligible for it.  Systems for performance management of staff are fully in place and appropriate targets are set. Governors ensure that staff are held fully to account for pupils’ achievement and there is now a more secure link between salary progression and pupils’ achievement.  Governors ensure that sports funding is used well to enhance sports provision and that it is

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The leadership and management are good

having a good impact on pupils’ participation rates in sports. They ensure that safeguarding arrangements meet 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 109993 Local authority Wokingham Inspection number 442439

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 174 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sharon Jhheent Headteacher Sally Ann Akers Date of previous school inspection 24−25 October 2012 Telephone number 0118 9402645 Fax number 0118 9402646 Email address schooloffice@robertpiggott.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 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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