St Andrew's Benn CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School

St Andrew's Benn CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School Chester Street, Rugby, CV21 3NX

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Staff changes and lengthy absences have disrupted teaching and learning, adversely affecting pupils’ achievement.  Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ capabilities for learning are not high enough for pupils to make sustained improvement.  Pupils’ progress has been too variable in reading, mathematics and especially in writing.  Pupils have insufficient opportunities to develop their writing and literacy skills across subjects.  Early years provision is not good. Its leader is not based in these classes so is not directly available to children and staff. The governing body is not providing sufficient oversight or management of the provision made for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leaders, managers and governors are improving teaching and pupils’ achievement.  The headteacher is resilient and resourceful and has led the school with great determination through its difficulties.  Governance has improved since the last inspection. Governors now have a good grasp of what the school needs to do to make sustained improvement.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and have positive attitudes to learning. They mix well together whatever their culture or background. They learn in a safe environment.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language make particularly good progress in their learning. Inspection report: St Andrew's Benn CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 5–6 November 2014 2 of 11

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 lessons. Seven of these were seen jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other staff with leadership responsibilities, five governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors discussed teaching and pupils’ progress with class teachers and teaching assistants. Pupils’ books and records of their progress were examined.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and talked with them about their reading experiences.  Inspectors took account of 17 responses to Parent View, the online questionnaire for parents. Inspectors also spoke to a number of parents in the playground. The inspectors considered 23 responses to the staff questionnaire.  A range of documentation was examined, including the school’s self-evaluation and development plans, and its analysis of pupils’ attainment and progress. Safeguarding arrangements, policies and records of

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Information about this inspection

checks made by leaders and external consultants on the quality of teaching were examined.

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Inspection team

Rodney Braithwaite, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Inspection team

Christine Millward Additional Inspector Inspection report: St Andrew's Benn CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 5–6 November 2014 3 of 11

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  About half of the pupils are White British, the remainder coming from a range of minority ethnic heritages, the largest being Portuguese and Polish. The number of pupils who speak English as an additional language, about two in five, is double the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is larger than the national average.  The numbers of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium, just over one in three in the school, is above the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding provided for children who are looked after or known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school has a Nursery for children who attend part-time and two Reception classes for four-year-olds who attend full-time. There are nine other classes, seven of which are mixed-aged classes. The school has

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Information about this school

a higher-than-average turnover of pupils starting or leaving school other than at the usual times.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school provides a breakfast club and a number of after-school clubs.  Since the previous inspection, there have been many long-term staff absences. There have also been a number of staff changes, including the appointment of the deputy headteacher and some subject leaders, who have taken up their posts since September 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and learning by: – making sure that teachers have higher expectations of pupils’ capabilities and provide more challenging learning activities in lessons – giving teachers more opportunities to observe good and outstanding teaching in this and other schools in order to help develop their own skills.  Accelerate pupils’ progress and raise their attainment throughout the school, especially in writing, by: – giving pupils more opportunities to write across a range of subjects and topics to reinforce what they learn in English.  Improve the leadership and management of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage by: – ensuring that the leader of early years provision is readily accessible to children and staff and is based in the area – ensuring governors take closer oversight of the early years provision and actively monitor and support its improvement. Inspection report: St Andrew's Benn CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 5–6 November 2014 4 of 11

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management are not yet good because leaders have been unable to sustain improvement in pupils’ achievement, or ensure consistently good teaching. This situation is due largely to the turbulence in staffing since the previous inspection.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Positive action taken by senior leaders has not yet had time to result in continuous and rapid improvement in teaching and learning. However, leaders have maintained a positive ethos among pupils towards learning and promoting fellowship and positive relationships in school. Consequently, behaviour is good throughout the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 At present the leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage have insufficient day-to- day impact on the quality of teaching and learning in the Nursery and Reception classes. This is because the school has not based a leader of early years provision in any of these classes.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Some new subject leaders, appointed as a result of the changes in staff, have not had sufficient time to develop their subjects in order to bring about necessary improvement. All have made promising starts in accurately evaluating specific priorities and are taking action to ensure improvement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has taken on a huge range of responsibilities with considerable determination to drive improvement forward. Intended results are beginning to show. Her positive approach to problems and high aspirations have succeeded in maintaining good staff morale and gained high approval from parents and pupils. The deputy headteacher provides effective support and is an excellent role model for teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Other senior leaders make effective contributions to improvement priorities. For example, support is effective in helping pupils new to the school to be well integrated, particularly those who speak English as an additional language.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher are at the forefront of monitoring teaching and learning. Their actions are proving fruitful in improving teachers’ skills, especially those of staff new to the profession. Plans to enable teachers to observe best practice so their own practice improves have not been fully implemented.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders are setting more rigorous targets relating to the management of staff performance. Teachers’ pay is closely linked to pupils achieving the standards set. Leaders are accurately evaluating the areas for improvement identified in school development planning.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively. In 2014, the gap in attainment between these pupils and all pupils nationally closed considerably, particularly in reading. Disadvantaged pupils’ attainment is now almost equal to that of other pupils in the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Additional sports funding is used well. Pupils are enthusiastic about physical activities. They relish new opportunities to develop their sports skills – such as in rock climbing. All are learning more about how to lead healthy lives.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The new curriculum is steadily taking shape. It is becoming increasingly helpful in developing pupils’ enjoyment of learning and improving their achievement. Learning opportunities are helping to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They are gaining good understanding of the responsibilities of citizens in modern British democratic society.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders promote equal opportunity well in this school which provides for pupils from different ethnic heritages. Their action results in no discrimination, helps pupils to show respect for others and enables them to take pride in their school. The effective integration of new arrivals is helpful to these pupils’ personal and social development. Inspection report: St Andrew's Benn CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 5–6 November 2014 5 of 11

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Arrangements to ensure pupils’ safety are good. Statutory safeguarding requirements are met.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has provided limited support for the school in the past. It has recently entered into a new arrangement offering more help as needed.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has a strong partnership with parents, some of whom are very cautious in approaching school. Virtually all parents in conversation and in their responses to Parent View expressed great confidence in leaders, teachers and other adults in school. Parents stated, ‘We cannot speak highly enough about what the school does for our children.’

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governance has improved considerably since the previous inspection. Led by an astute Chair of the Governing Body, the governors recently arranged a review of their own performance and have clearly learned much from the experience. Further training has led to a more accurate understanding of performance data on attainment and progress. Their improved skills are enabling them to be more confident when visiting the school in identifying school improvements and weaknesses. They have gained a good knowledge of the school’s strengths and development areas and are increasingly proactive and challenging in their dealings with school leaders and are better at holding them to account for the school’s performance.  Governors have a good working knowledge of what the school continues to do to tackle teaching that requires improvement. They closely oversee the management of teachers’ performance and are fully

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The leadership and management requires improvement

involved in decisions made on teachers’ pay in relation to the targets set for improving pupils’ achievement.  Governors have not established as close a link to the Early Years Foundation Stage as they have in other areas of the school to inform themselves of its standards and provision. Consequently, they have not been able to have more impact on improving the quality of provision for Nursery and Reception children.  Governors carefully administer the school’s budget. They know how effectively additional government funding is used to improve the performance of disadvantaged pupils. They also have a good understanding of the impact of sports funding on developing pupils’ physical skills and ensuring their good health.  The governing body ensures that safeguarding arrangements, including those to counter extremism, are meeting requirements. It regularly reviews the effectiveness of all school policies.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well in lessons. They also behave well in the dining hall, assemblies and in activities involving outdoor sports.

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Behaviour

 Pupils talk forcefully about how well they get on together even though they come from many different backgrounds. Pupils agreed with one who said, ‘Most of us are loyal to our God; we don’t mind other people’s religions; we are all equal.’

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Behaviour

 Good attitudes to learning are shown by pupils’ views of teachers and other adults in the school, for whom they have considerable respect. They say, ‘Teachers are really good at helping us…they understand us; they like kids and give us life lessons.’

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Behaviour

 Pupils believe these good relationships help in their own personal development, one saying, ‘Since I came to this school, I have gained confidence, behave better at home and learn loads more.’

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ enjoyment of school is exemplified by the different stimulating learning experiences they describe, such as the trip to the transport museum in Coventry, the regular mathematics challenges and participation in the school play about Ancient Greece.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are encouraged to think for themselves which helps to prepare them for their future lives and Inspection report: St Andrew's Benn CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 5–6 November 2014 6 of 11

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Behaviour

contributes positively to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Behaviour

 Just occasionally, a small minority of pupils take insufficient trouble with their work. When teaching is dull, some allow their attention to wander as they lose interest in learning.

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Behaviour

 Attendance has improved markedly in the last two years. For the first time in several years attendance rates are close to the national average. The school has rigorous systems to deal with absenteeism and lateness, leading to considerable improvement to pupils’ punctuality. There have been no exclusions of pupils in the last two years.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils are confident that adults deal quickly with any unsafe behaviour. Access to the buildings is secure and the many staff working in the school are checked meticulously prior to appointment.

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Safety

 There is very little evidence of bullying in the school, which is confirmed almost unanimously by pupils, parents and school staff. Older pupils have a clear understanding of the dangers of internet bullying – especially through social media and mobile phones. The school reports no incidents of racism in this multicultural environment.

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Safety

 The school works closely and effectively with external agencies in supporting families and children who may be at risk of not coping with school.

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Safety

 Pupils’ behaviour and safety in the breakfast club and after-school clubs are also good.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching has not been consistently good enough to ensure that, over time, pupils gain the knowledge, understanding and skills that they should. Until recently, many protracted absences of staff, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage, have disrupted the learning and progress of pupils so their attainment has been too variable year on year.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers have not expected enough of pupils or challenged them sufficiently in the work set. Some activities and tasks have been too easy. Pupils have lacked encouragement to complete their work or take sufficient care. Consequently, teaching has not had sufficient impact on pupils’ learning to help them all achieve as well as they should.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Literacy skills, particularly through writing, have not been promoted well across all subjects. Consequently, the teaching of English skills is not reinforced. Similarly, the teaching of mathematics has varied considerably in quality, and pupils have made differing rates of progress, often depending on which year group they were in at any given time.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching of phonics (the sounds letters make) was not effective enough until recently. The improvement in reading skills in 2014 has continued. Teachers currently have more confidence, knowledge and skills to teaching phonics more effectively than in previous years, and resources are much improved.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of spelling and grammar has improved and pupils are making good progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 As staffing has stabilised during the last year, teaching has improved. The school’s regular monitoring and inspectors’ observations of lessons and pupils’ work confirm that there is an increasing amount of good or better teaching. However, this is not yet consistent enough to promote sustained improvement to pupils’ progress and performance.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers have improved their evaluation of their own practice and benefited from regular observation and guidance by senior leaders. However, some have had little opportunity to observe good or better teaching elsewhere or in the school itself, such as that seen in Year 5/6, where the teacher’s challenge and Inspection report: St Andrew's Benn CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 5–6 November 2014 7 of 11

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

questioning were extremely effective. Consequently, many teachers have not seen or shared good practice.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers work effectively with teaching assistants, who support all groups of pupils. This close collaboration is a positive aid in the recent improvement in the progress of disadvantaged pupils, those who speak English as an additional language, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement in all years has not been good enough. Pupils’ progress over time has varied too much in reading, writing and mathematics. Sometimes progress has improved in one subject and then fallen away in others, reflecting inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and unstable staffing. Consequently, some pupils have not reached their full potential and standards should be higher.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils have often not learned subject skills mainly because teaching has lacked continuity from frequent changes of staff or unavoidably long staff absences. This situation has eased and there is currently stable staffing for the first time in two years.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In summer 2014 at the end of Year 2, pupils’ standards improved in reading, writing and mathematics, but remained below the national average. Few pupils reached higher levels of attainment, and progress of all groups was too slow.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Currently, pupils in Years 1 and 2 are making better progress. The many who speak English as an additional language make good progress in learning English, reflecting the consistently good support they receive when taught in groups outside of mainstream classes. They are soon able to engage in the full range of subjects offered in mainstream classes.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ standards in the national phonics screening check in 2014 were below average. However, this result was still markedly better than the previous year, and the inspection found that this improvement is continuing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In Year 6 in 2014, pupils’ standards in reading were close to the latest national average, and progress in reading was similar to that of pupils nationally. Standards in mathematics and writing were below average. Some pupils reached higher levels, but fewer than nationally – especially in writing. Progress was not generally good, but pupils achieved well reading, spelling, punctuation and grammar.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are making good progress. They are individually supported by teachers and teaching assistants and achieve well.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 in 2014 made better progress than other pupils in the school in reading and writing and similar progress to the others in mathematics. The attainment of disadvantaged pupils in, writing and mathematics was about half a term below that of others in the school. Their attainment in reading was close to that of pupils nationally, but below in writing and mathematics. Overall, attainment gaps are narrowing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 As a result of successfully focused action in the school, the progress made by disadvantaged pupils in all year groups is generally better than that of other pupils. The same is true of disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and pupils who speak English as an additional language.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The most-able pupils sometimes do well, but their achievement is too variable, as is that of most pupils. Achievement of the most able is currently good in reading. Writing remains a weaker area for these pupils. In mathematics, the most able have made steadily improving progress in the last two years, but it has not been quick enough to ensure that more reach higher levels.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils starting school at times other than at entry to the Early Years Foundation Stage make improving progress the longer they are in the school. Effective additional help usually enables them to achieve as Inspection report: St Andrew's Benn CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 5–6 November 2014 8 of 11

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

well as other pupils by the time they leave.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils have many opportunities to read in school to adults, and are encouraged to read at home with their parents. Many pupils are enthusiastic readers. Older pupils particularly enjoy the works of Shakespeare, which they have been studying in Years 5 and 6. They discuss knowledgeably the characters and events in Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth. Their wider reading is, however, limited.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils are improving their skills across subjects as the new curriculum becomes established, but they are not getting enough opportunities to write more extensively across the full range of subjects and topics being offered by the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ physical skills have improved well because the school sports funding is used effectively to provide a much wider range of activities led by specialist sports coaches.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Children enter the Nursery with linguistic skills and experience below those typical for their age because many are in the early stages of learning to speak English.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Children throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress in social and personal development, but their progress varies considerably in writing, number work and knowledge of the world. Consequently, their attainment is below national expectation by the time they enter Key Stage 1.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Most children in the early stages of learning to speak English make good progress in their understanding of the language. They are well supported by adults, who work closely with parents.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Assessment of children’s learning takes place regularly, but the information and data produced are not analysed sufficiently by leaders and staff to improve individual children’s progress. This is partly because the leader of the Early Years Foundation Stage has a full teaching commitment in Key Stage 1 and other responsibilities in the school.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 School leaders have not yet acted to ensure better day-to-day management of early years provision but acknowledge the difficulty. The current situation leaves children and staff without immediate direction and support. The governing body has not identified a governor who can link with the leader of this area to evaluate performance in the Early Years Foundation Stage and identify or provide appropriate support.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Teaching is sensitive to the emotional development of children and provides many interesting and enjoyable learning opportunities for them. It is not consistently good and children’s progress is, consequently, too variable.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Children in Nursery and Reception are very well cared for and kept safe at all times. They are curious and keen to learn. In the mornings they cannot get into their classrooms fast enough when the school doors open. In the Nursery, they concentrate fiercely on their activities but are often very quiet as they have not yet developed their verbal and language skills.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Children’s behaviour is at least consistently good and sometimes outstanding. They learn their daily routines well and listen carefully to instructions and guidance about their learning.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Parents are encouraged to work with staff on their children’s development. Many commented to inspectors on the ‘brilliant’ and ‘fantastic’ start their children have in the school. Although it is encouraging to see how well parents are satisfied with their children’s experiences and the positive relationships that exist between the Early Years Foundation Stage team and parents, inspection findings show that provision for children in the key stage and its leadership require improvement. Inspection report: St Andrew's Benn CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 5–6 November 2014 9 of 11

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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. Inspection report: St Andrew's Benn CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School, 5–6 November 2014 10 of 11

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School details

Unique reference number 130877 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 442585

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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 318 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Alison Farnell Headteacher Abigail Huggins Date of previous school inspection 13 December 2012 Telephone number 01788 574697 Fax number 01788 574697 Email address admin3591@welearn365.com 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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