St Philip's CofE Aided Primary School

St Philip's CofE Aided Primary School 2 Vinery Way, Cambridge, CB1 3DR

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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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This is a good school

 Standards in reading, writing and mathematics have improved since the previous inspection.  Pupils’ progress this year has improved significantly and is now good.  Teaching is consistently good and sometimes outstanding. This is an improvement since the previous inspection.  Senior leaders check classroom practice rigorously and provide good guidance to staff on how to improve. This is why the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement have improved.  There are some exciting activities provided that vibrantly promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils behave well, feel safe, work hard in their lessons, and are courteous and polite.  Most parents who expressed a view are extremely pleased with the school and many commented on the good progress being made by their children.  Attendance has improved to above average this year as a result of a more rigorous approach to checking on absences.

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This is a good school

 The governing body responded positively to the previous inspection and has undertaken training and introduced new governors that has improved its practice. As a result, governors monitor the school’s strengths and weaknesses more effectively.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers’ marking does not always lead to improvements in pupils’ skills and understanding.  Standards in writing are below those in reading and mathematics.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 21 lessons or parts of lessons. All classes were observed at least once and several were observed twice. Four of the observations were undertaken jointly with the headteacher or assistant headteacher.  Many of the teaching staff were involved in discussions with the inspectors, particularly the headteacher and the assistant headteacher.  Discussions also took place with groups of pupils both formally and informally, the Chair of the Governing Body and another representative of the governing body, and the school’s local authority adviser.  The inspectors took account of the views of 100 parents from the online questionnaire (Parent View) and conversations were held with many of the parents at the start and end of the school day. The inspectors also analysed the 38 questionnaires completed by staff.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the

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Information about this inspection

school’s own data on pupils’ recent and current progress; planning and monitoring documentation; reports on the quality of teaching over time; records relating to behaviour and attendance; documents relating to safeguarding and the minutes of various meetings.

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Inspection team

Nigel Grimshaw, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Mark Redmile Additional Inspector Susan Wood Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Just over half of the school population are from White British backgrounds. There are a wide range of ethnic minority groups represented on the school roll but numbers in each group are relatively small.  About one in five of the pupils speak English as an additional language, which is in line with the national average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is above the national average. This is additional funding provided to schools for children in the care of the local authority and those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is in line with the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is above the national average.

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Information about this school

There are currently 15 pupils who have a statement of special educational needs.  The percentage of pupils arriving at the school and leaving the school during the school year is similar to other schools.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is a privately run breakfast club for the pupils. This was not part of this inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise teaching to outstanding by:  exploiting opportunities to engage and stimulate pupils to develop their vocabulary and their writing skills to the full  find ways to make more able pupils think hard about their writing  ensuring that teachers’ marking and feedback result in improvements

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The achievement of pupils is good

 From starting points that are below what is typical for pupils’ age, attainment by the end of Year 6 has improved and matches last year’s national average. This includes pupils who are from different minority ethnicities and those who speak English as an additional language, and represents good progress and achievement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress levels have now improved over both years since the previous inspection. In some year groups this year, progress has been outstanding. One parent, typical of others, reported, ‘My child has exceeded all her expectations in terms of her results this year.’

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, good teaching and the good support from the Nursery Nurses and teaching assistants make sure that the children make a good start to their education. Routines and expectations are established at this early stage, together with an enjoyment of learning, and these provide a basis for continued good progress throughout the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported by good planning by the school’s coordinator and well-trained teaching assistants. As a result, most of these pupils make improved progress, similar to their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress and standards are not quite so good in writing across the school, particularly for the more able. Overall, this group achieved well in reading and mathematics this year but in writing, progress was not quite so good. Pupils do not always have to think hard about writing or use more extensive vocabulary, especially the more able.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013 the gaps in attainment between those pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding and their peers narrowed, from around five terms behind, to a year behind, in mathematics, reading and writing. This year, data and pupils’ work show that these pupils are making good progress in each year group.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has a long tradition of success in sports activities. The use of the primary school sports funding has led to increased choices of activities, better training for staff, better resources for the pupils and greater levels of participation. This has improved pupils’ physical well-being and their understanding of healthy lifestyles as well as their enjoyment of learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The good teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) led to results in the Year 1 phonics check that were well above national average in 2013 and to improved spelling across the school. Pupils also say that they enjoy reading and most of those spoken to said they read for pleasure at home. When they read to the inspectors they read with appropriate fluency and when faced with new words were able to use their skills to read them correctly. Reading standards are in line with pupils’ age.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Evidence from the school’s own records and from reports of joint observations provided by the local authority, as well as the scrutiny of pupils’ completed work over the year, all confirm that the quality of teaching has improved over time. Inadequate teaching has been eradicated and the vast majority of teaching is now good, with some outstanding teaching.  Teachers plan lessons that the pupils enjoy and find interesting and so they sustain their concentration. In one example, among several, Reception children much enjoyed searching for plastic letters in a large container of foam and then identifying them by their letter sounds and then forming simple words. The vibrant approach to teaching early reading is proving a successful addition to the improved phonics teaching.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Classroom displays are stimulating, attractive and informative and teachers and pupils refer to them to aid their learning. In most lessons the teachers prepare resources that help pupils’ to make good progress. In a Year 6 lesson the teacher made excellent use of slides on the interactive whiteboard to stimulate pupils’ use of exciting new vocabulary, such as words like ‘audacious’, ‘vivacious’, and ‘euphoric’. However, in most lessons this level of stimulation to extend vocabulary is not evident and this makes an adverse impact on pupils’ progress in writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Improvements in the teaching of mathematics have led to good and outstanding pupils’ progress. The teachers’ have developed good subject knowledge as a result of training in school and this has led to the effective use of challenging questions for the pupils to answer.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The work produced in topic lessons combines a variety of subject areas very effectively. However, the few opportunities for pupils to apply and extend their grammatical and punctuation skills, for instance through longer pieces of writing, limit progress in writing, especially for the more able pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The literacy leader in school has recently introduced a new marking scheme that the pupils find helpful. However, this is new and is not yet being used consistently and the guidance is not leading to improvements in pupils’ progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They behave well in lessons and around the school because expectations were established when they started school and are carried on with consistent behaviour management from the adults.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 The pupils are keen to do well. They want to learn in lessons and take pride in the presentation of their work. This is clearly better than previously because it was an area for improvement identified in the last inspection.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Pupils say that behaviour is good and this is echoed by parents through the questionnaire and through discussions with parents at the start and end of the school day.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that they feel safe at school and that bullying is not an issue. Parents agree with this view. Parents’ comments included: ‘My children love school. There has never been a day when they have not wanted to go to school.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Pupils have been taught about keeping safe at school and in the wider community in lessons, in assemblies and school leaders have encouraged outside speakers to support this. The safe use of the internet has been highlighted for parents and pupils through the school’s website and through discussions in lessons and through posters around school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Senior leaders and governors have had considerable success in tackling the previously low rates of attendance. Attendance this year has risen to above average. This is because of more rigorous monitoring, early checks on absences, the use of parent contracts and closer links with school’s Education Welfare Officer.

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The leadership and management is good

 In her determined bid to raise standards, the headteacher has successfully focused on improving the quality of teaching. She and the assistant headteacher, and also the core subject leaders, have been rigorous in checking the classroom practice, the classroom learning environments and the work in pupils’ books.

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The leadership and management is good

 Leaders have a much better understanding of pupils’ performance data than previously, and the school has excellent systems for monitoring the attainment and progress of every pupil. All the information is shared with staff and so any pupils who are underachieving are identified quickly and actions taken to accelerate their progress.

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The leadership and management is good

 Regular pupil progress meetings with individual teachers and the performance management or appraisal of staff ensure that the quality of teaching continues to improve. Where there are areas in need of improvement the school provides appropriate training opportunities for staff.

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The leadership and management is good

 Staff have responded well to the increased rigour. One member of staff told us, ‘I have worked in a few schools and have never worked in a school with such a clear vision of what it wants to achieve.’

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The leadership and management is good

 Subject leaders have worked effectively to review the curriculum (the subjects taught) in the light of the new national guidance and the school is now well prepared for this. Teachers plan work that motivates the pupils. As a result, pupils enjoy their work and are keen to do well. This was particularly true of an ‘Enterprise Week’ in school recently, for Year 5 pupils. The pupils created a business project which included market research, product design, data handling, customer surveys and finally promoting and selling their products.

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The leadership and management is good

 The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils have a clear understanding of correct manners and behaviour; show genuine respect for adults and each other; and this has resulted in a harmonious and welcoming school environment. In an assembly there was spontaneous applause from the pupils for some of their classmates who had acted out some parts of the story of St. Peter.

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The leadership and management is good

 The local authority and the Diocese have supported the school well in a wide variety of ways, including support for the Early Years, literacy and the quality of teaching.

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The leadership and management is good

 The school has created a close working relationship with parents. The parents appreciate this. One said, ‘The headteacher and staff have created a lovely, friendly atmosphere in school and they make everyone feel especially welcome.’

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The leadership and management is good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body took quick and decisive action following the last inspection. Training was organised for governors to gain a clearer understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They are now more actively involved in checking the work of the school and are less reliant on receiving information from others. Good links have been established between individual governors and staff to check on the school’s progress on priority areas in the school improvement plan. They are, therefore, now very clear about the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They have a good awareness of the school’s performance data and the improvements being made. They have a good knowledge about the quality of teaching, the way teachers’ performance is managed and how this has led to improvements. They make sure that pay reflects teachers’ effectiveness. They know how the pupil premium and sports

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The leadership and management is good

funding are spent and the impact that these are having. Governors have ensured that all the safeguarding procedures fully meet statutory requirements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 110840 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 441987

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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 345 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Emma Turner Headteacher Siobhan Rouse Date of previous school inspection 28 November 2012 Telephone number 01223 508707 Fax number 01223 508708 Email address office@stphilips.cambs.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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