St Leonard's CofE (A) Primary School

St Leonard’s CofE (A) Primary School Syerscote Lane, Wigginton, Tamworth, B79 9DX

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics.  The early years setting provides a safe and stimulating environment that helps pupils settle quickly and prepares them well for learning in Key Stage 1.  Leadership is effective across the school, supported by considerably improved governance. As a result, all groups of pupils are making good overall progress.  Leaders are very effective in analysing the strengths and weaknesses of their subject areas and are determined to provide the very best for the pupils.  Pupils behave well and are keen to learn, so lessons are very rarely disrupted. Pupils show courtesy and respect to each other and to adults.  Pupils feel very safe in school. Each individual is known well and pupils are confident about who to turn to if they need help.  Teachers engage pupils well and provide interesting activities to challenge them.  Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the academic progress pupils make, but also the way their personal skills are developed.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well.  Parents are supportive of the school and feel it is providing a positive place for their children to learn and helping them make good progress.  Governors are very well informed about the performance of staff and pupils, and are actively involved in the life of the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The more-able children in the nursery and reception classes do not always progress as quickly as other ability groups.  Marking in mathematics books, though good, is not as detailed and helpful as in English.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in all classes and also carried out lesson observations jointly with the headteacher. She looked in detail at pupils’ work to assess the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress over time. She listened to a sample of pupils reading.  The inspector held discussions with pupils, senior leaders and other staff, governors and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector looked at a wide range of documents. These included the school’s attainment and progress information, planning and monitoring documentation, improvement plan and self-evaluation summary, the work of the governing body, safeguarding policies, and behaviour and attendance records.  She took account of the 41 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 13 responses to a staff questionnaire. She talked to parents and carers to find out their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Mary Le Breuilly, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average primary school.  The large majority of pupils are White British.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, at around 11%, is below average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium, around 14%, is below average. This is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority.  There is a part-time nursery and a full-time reception class in the school.  Almost a quarter of the current pupils started their schooling in other schools. Many joined in Year 3 or Year 4.  The school makes use of off-site provision from a unit to support a very small number of pupils with dyslexia.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that activities are adapted to provide more-able children in the nursery and Reception with the challenge that will accelerate their progress and develop their skills to the highest levels.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Refine marking in mathematics books so that it gives pupils consistently constructive feedback.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is passionate about giving each and every pupil the best education she can. She has built a strong and dedicated team, who know the pupils as individuals and use their accurate and detailed awareness of the school’s strengths and weaknesses to identify areas for improvement. Related planning is rigorous and the actions taken are closely monitored by senior leaders and governors.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of literacy and numeracy is exemplary. The performance of staff and pupils is rigorously analysed and followed up with energy and ambition. The subject leaders lead by example and are willing to go the extra mile in support of their pupils. Other staff are supported in developing the effectiveness of their teaching in these subjects. The early years is well led.

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The leadership and management are good

 The quality of teaching is checked carefully by the headteacher and subject leaders. All staff have individual targets for improvement and these link to the school’s overall improvement plan. Staff are eager to improve their practice. They freely share ideas and learn from each other’s expertise, and work with other teachers in a network of local schools. As a result, staff expertise is growing.

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The leadership and management are good

 The pupil premium is used well to improve the education of disadvantaged pupils. Some of the funding has been used to pay for teaching assistants who are well trained by the school to provide high quality support for eligible pupils. These initiatives have had a significant impact in raising their achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 National sports funding has been used successfully to support pupils in becoming more active at lunchtimes and taking up sporting activities after school. It has also been used to improve the teaching of physical education, including improving the assessment of pupils’ progress in physical education lessons.

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The leadership and management are good

 Most parents are very positive about the school. They feel that their children are well cared for in a happy learning atmosphere. They say the school is approachable and any concerns are listened to.

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The leadership and management are good

 The broad curriculum ensures that pupils learn English and mathematics effectively, and gives them many opportunities to link skills and ideas. For example, pupils have been learning about the First World War in preparation for Remembrance Day, composing prayers of remembrance in religious education lessons, drawing pictures of poppies and writing about the war in English lessons.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils are given many opportunities to reflect on their learning and everyday experiences and to share their thoughts and feelings in a safe environment. Moreover, a wide range of additional activities, including sport, music and cultural events, successfully promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and helps to prepare them for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are good

 Equality of opportunity is promoted well. The school ensures that all pupils can participate fully in all activities regardless of their backgrounds or any barriers to learning that they may experience.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school buys some support from the local authority in order to develop staff skills. This has helped them to more accurately assess children’s attainment and progress in the nursery and reception classes.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance has improved strongly since the last inspection. Governors are very active in school and have a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. They use the regular reports from the headteacher to discuss important aspects such as teaching and achievement. They monitor lessons, look at books and talk to pupils, backing up their own judgements and those of senior staff with external reviews. They undergo regular training in order to improve their ability to carry out their duties.  Governors provide good support and challenge, particularly through the recently established committees which allow for more detailed discussion. They monitor finances effectively and have a clear understanding of the links between staff pay and performance. They know how additional funding such as that for the pupil premium and sports is spent, and they are aware of the impact it has had.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors make sure safeguarding arrangements are effective, and meet statutory requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. From when they first join the nursery, children show a willingness to learn and respond quickly to the instructions of staff. The school is a calm and well-ordered place where pupils can thrive. They are proud of their school and share the values it promotes.

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Behaviour

 Pupils show an eagerness to learn in lessons and respond well to the challenges teachers set for them. When asked to work in pairs or in groups, pupils cooperate and work well together. They often help each other with their work, explaining things to each other and supporting each other’s learning. Disruption in lessons is very rare.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are friendly and polite to staff and to each other, and talk confidently to visitors. They hold doors open, greet people in a friendly manner and are always eager to help.

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Behaviour

 Parents and staff believe that behaviour is good. Pupils told the inspector that any poor behaviour or unkindness was dealt with quickly. They are confident that the system of rewards and sanctions is fair.

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Behaviour

 The school has successfully helped some individual pupils to improve their behaviour through carefully tailored support that develops self-control and engages them better with learning.

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Behaviour

 The school places great emphasis on pupils’ moral and social development and on their spiritual development. They are given times to reflect on moral and social issues in assemblies and in lessons and do so thoughtfully.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils, parents and staff all agree that pupils are safe and well looked after.

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Safety

 Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying and its negative consequences. Those who spoke to the inspector said that any form of bullying is rare in the school and is dealt with effectively by staff if it happens.

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Safety

 Pupils learn how to stay safe in a range of situations, for example on the roads or when online. They can describe the actions they would take if they received unkind messages through social networks, online games or text messages.

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Safety

 Attendance has improved as a result of careful use of a range of measures including a reward system for good attendance.

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Safety

 The school works closely with the local dyslexia unit which supports individual pupils from time to time, ensuring that those who attend are safe and secure and keeping a careful check of their attendance and progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lesson observations, school records and the work in pupils’ books show that teaching is good throughout the school. Most pupils are set challenging work and are making good progress in a wide range of subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching of reading, writing and mathematics helps to ensure that pupils of all abilities are strongly motivated and demonstrate good levels of understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers work hard to make learning interesting and engaging. One Year 1 pupil spoke with great enthusiasm about a recent topic on the Great Fire of London. Pupils generally respond well to the challenges set for them and appreciate teachers’ efforts to make learning lively and relevant.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers provide particularly helpful feedback to pupils during lessons, talking to individuals about their work and challenging them to improve it. This was particularly evident in mathematics lessons in Key Stage 2, where teachers quickly moved pupils on to more difficult work once they saw that they had firmly grasped the ideas being presented to them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking in English books is highly constructive and provides useful comments on how to improve. Pupils value their teachers’ comments and take them seriously, and as a result they try hard to make the next piece of work better. Marking in mathematics is good, but not as effective. Pupils receive excellent verbal feedback in mathematics lessons but less helpful feedback in their books.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants make a positive contribution to learning, supporting individuals and groups and helping maintain a positive classroom environment. They play an important role in supporting pupils who are in danger of falling behind in their work, and make a big contribution to the effective teaching of personal, social, and health education.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading is taught well from the early years through to Year 6. Pupils told inspectors that they were encouraged to read at home. Younger readers have good strategies to help them work out what individual words mean, and enjoy the stories in the books they read.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are set home learning tasks, which they are encouraged to interpret in creative and imaginative ways. They enjoy these tasks, often involving other members of the family in making models or taking photographs to demonstrate their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In such a small school there are inevitable fluctuations in standards from year to year, but pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. By the end of Year 6 results in reading, writing and mathematics are typically higher than those seen nationally when considered over the last few years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children make a good start in the early years although the most able children do not make the rapid progress they could. Phonics test results in Year 1 are consistently higher than the national average. This shows that pupils are learning to read more quickly than in many schools. Throughout Key Stage 1 pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014 the proportions of pupils making and exceeding the progress expected nationally in reading and writing in Key Stage 2 were above average. Although results and progress vary from year to year in mathematics, considered over time pupils make good progress. Scrutiny of pupils’ work in their mathematics books confirms that they are continuing to make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The significant proportion of pupils who join the school late, and frequently in Year 3 or Year 4, are helped to settle quickly and generally make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disadvantaged pupils across the school make good progress because of the additional support they receive. There were too few eligible pupils in Year 6 in 2014 to comment on their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics without risk of identifying individuals.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More able pupils across the school make good progress. This is because in most lessons they are challenged well and because they know what they need to do to attain the higher levels.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similarly good progress because they receive support that helps them keep up and at times catch up with other pupils, leaving with standards that meet the average for their age group.

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The early years provision is good

 Children enter the nursery with skills and abilities that vary but overall are broadly typical for their age. They settle quickly in because of the positive environment and the well-established daily routines.

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The early years provision is good

 Behaviour and safety are good. Children are safe. They are known very well as individuals. They rise to the occasion as staff seek to establish routines and introduce them to the school's high expectations. They respond well to the warm and encouraging way in which adults treat them.

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The early years provision is good

 Teaching is good. Children benefit from a range of well-planned activities, some led by the teacher or teaching assistant and some they choose themselves, that stimulate their curiosity and sustain their interest. As a result, most children, including disabled children and those who have special educational needs, and those who are disadvantaged, make progress that is at least in line with that expected and sometimes better and are ready for Year 1.

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The early years provision is good

 Children starting in the nursery with limited skills, for example in their ability to dress themselves or to use a pencil, are helped to catch up quickly. By the end of Reception these children often catch up with their peers. However, more-able children are not always fully challenged to develop further and do not always make as much progress as they could because adults do not always adapt activities to provide extra challenge when it becomes clear these pupils are coping easily with a task.

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The early years provision is good

 Children’s progress is carefully recorded and each child has a detailed ‘learning journey’ that helps staff understand their individual strengths and weaknesses. It is also used to provide appropriate activities that allow each child to develop further.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years is led well. The new leader receives valuable support from other senior leaders and from the previous leader for early years. She has quickly identified her priorities for development and is making improvements.

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 124345 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 448544

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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 120 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Leanne Holder Headteacher Viv Wild Date of previous school inspection 18 March 2010 Telephone number 01827 475800 Fax number 01827 475803 Email address office@st-leonards-wigginton.staffs.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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