St George's Beneficial Church of England (Voluntary Controlled) Primary School

St George's Beneficial Church of England Primary School Hanover Street, Portsea, Portsmouth, PO1 3BN

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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’ attainment is average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. Pupils make good progress given their starting points, which are below national expectations.  Good teaching over time enables pupils across the school to achieve well. Teachers organise and manage lessons well and make excellent use of resources to engage and interest pupils. This helps them to learn effectively.  Effective provision in the early years means that children settle down quickly, are keen to learn and make good progress.  Thorough regular checks on pupils’ progress enable the school to quickly identify any pupils falling behind and provide the help needed to make sure they catch up.  The school is a very caring, supportive community where pupils’ welfare is paramount. Consequently, pupils feel safe, behave well and are kind and respectful towards each other and to adults.  The headteacher provides strong, dedicated

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

leadership. She is very ably supported by her deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher, middle managers and governors.  Together, leaders and governors make a formidable team that has enabled the school to maintain good provision for its pupils in spite of building works and high pupil mobility.  Outstanding enrichment activities, such as ‘Commonwealth Games Week’ and the ‘Silent Movie’ project, support pupils’ personal and academic development extremely well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Teachers do not sufficiently encourage pupils to benefit by engaging as fully as they could during lessons, or by responding to feedback.  In mathematics, pupils are not encouraged enough to solve practical problems or investigate number patterns.  Staff in the early years do not plan a wide enough range of outdoor activities for the children.  Senior leaders do not always set clear and measurable targets for key school improvements. Inspection report: St George's Beneficial Church of England Primary School, 19–20 November 2014 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 26 lessons or part lessons, of which two were joint observations with senior staff.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors, the headteacher and other senior staff. Additionally, a meeting was held with a local authority officer.  The inspectors took account of the 46 questionnaires completed by parents and carers. They also spoke to several parents and carers when they brought their children to school. The inspectors took account of the 16 staff questionnaires.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents. These included the school’s own information on pupils’ current progress, planning and checks on the quality of teaching and assessment, the new curriculum, records relating to behaviour and attendance, the sports premium action plan and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors listened to pupils read in Year 2 and Year 6.

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Inspection team

Janet Sinclair, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Inspection team

Jennifer Venning Additional Inspector Inspection report: St George's Beneficial Church of England Primary School, 19–20 November 2014 3 of 10

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Information about this school

 St George’s is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after, is high.  There is an above average proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups.The proportion of pupils who speak Engish as an additional language is also above average. An above average proportion of these pupils are at an early stage of learning English.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  There is an on-site breakfast club.  The school experiences high levels of pupil mobility, mainly due to the number of foreign students who attend the local university part time and seek temporary placements for their children.

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Information about this school

 The school is undergoing major building works, which started in 2010, to improve the flow of the building.  There are two early years classes that include both nursery and reception children. There are 15 nursery children who attend on a part-time basis.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise teaching and pupils’ achievement to outstanding levels by:  ensuring pupils have more opportunities to respond fully to teachers’ questions and feedback so that they can make even better progress  increasing opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills through practical problem solving and investigation  ensuring that staff in the early years plan a wider range of outdoor activities for children  ensuring that key priorities for school improvement have clear and specific goals. Inspection report: St George's Beneficial Church of England Primary School, 19–20 November 2014 4 of 10

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders have dealt extremely well with the protracted building works and their on-going impact on the daily life of the school. In spite of this, and the high degree of pupil mobility, they have maintained an effective grip on the school since the last inspection. They have ensured a strong staff team, effective teaching, good progress for pupils, and provide exciting additional learning experiences that pupils thoroughly enjoy. They have demonstrated evident capacity for further improvement.  Although some are fairly new to the school, middle leaders have good professional skills which they use well to support other staff. They have been influential in improving pupils’ writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar and mathematics, as well as providing support for vulnerable pupils and those at an early stage of learning English.  The quality of teaching and learning is regularly checked by senior staff. This includes checking pupils’

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The leadership and management are good

work, talking to pupils, paying short visits to classrooms and carrying out detailed lesson observations. This enables the headteacher and senior staff to know what needs to be done to improve teaching further. Where issues are identified, staff are given good support through a variety of methods, for example the provision of behaviour management courses for inexperienced teachers.  The school’s processes set targets for staff that are appropriate to their level of responsibility and linked to pupils’ progress. These systems work well, and teachers know they will be held to account for pupils’ achievement and the quality of their teaching. They receive good training for their areas of responsibility. Staff spoken to were pleased with the opportunities provided for their further professional development.  Accurate self-evaluation and detailed school improvement planning help senior staff to identify what needs

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The leadership and management are good

to be done and to put effective actions in place. However, planning is not always focused enough on clearly measurable outcomes and this sometimes lessens its impact.  Activities are carefully planned, particularly in English and mathematics, to ensure they aid good progress. British values are promoted well through assemblies and religious education. Leaders have worked well to ensure that the requirements of the new National Curriculum are in place. The use of specialist teachers for music and French help to enrich pupils’ learning. Excellent experiences provided through, for example the film-making and sailing programmes, give pupils opportunities to develop team-working and leadership skills.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strongly promoted. Pupils are caring and helpful, work well together and enjoy each other’s company. They also enjoy the opportunities they have to lead

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The leadership and management are good

assemblies, as seen in a Year 6 assembly led by pupils reflecting on a film project and their friendships. Pupils understand the distinction between right and wrong, especially through activities such as the anti- bullying assembly and presentations when good behaviour is celebrated. They enjoy finding out about the different cultures represented in the school through, for example, the multicultural week.  The school’s extensive systems to track the progress of all pupils enable the school to identify those who are not doing well enough, and to ensure they get the help they need to catch up. As a result, the school is successfully closing the gaps in the performance of different groups. It works effectively to promote equality of opportunity and tackle discrimination.  The school makes effective use of funding to provide additional support for disadvantaged pupils, ensuring that they achieve well and their wider personal needs are addressed. They benefit, for example, from the

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The leadership and management are good

recently initiated breakfast club and the sailing programme.  Primary school sports funding is used to provide professional development for the subject leader, coaching for staff and additional sporting opportunities for pupils. These include the ‘Street Dance’ festival where they competed against other schools, and the ‘Commonwealth Games Week’ where they were able to try new sports such as new-age curling, judo and boxing. These initiatives are aimed at ensuring that the impact of the funding can be sustained.  The school works effectively to support parents and carers, who state that they are happy with the school and all that it provides. They are kept well informed through regular newsletters, courses, parent interviews and curriculum information.  The school receives a formal annual visit from a local authority representative and a small amount of additional support.  The school ensures that all current safeguarding requirements are fully met.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors, many of whom are recent appointments, are developing their roles well. They fulfil their statutory duties effectively, making sure that all safeguarding training, policies and procedures are in place, and provide a good level of challenge, support and expertise to the school. They have been Inspection report: St George's Beneficial Church of England Primary School, 19–20 November 2014 5 of 10

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The leadership and management are good

particularly effective in supporting the school during the building works with their financial and organisational expertise. Governors know that teaching and learning are good because they receive detailed termly reports from the headteacher. The business manager keeps governors well informed of the state of the school’s finances, including the pupil premium and how it is spent. The finance committee check it thoroughly. They know how well pupils in the school are doing because they understand the information about pupils’ performance and have detailed reports from the headteacher. All governors undertake appropriate training to develop their knowledge and skills. They are involved in setting targets for the management of the headteacher’s performance and have a good knowledge of the process in place for all staff. They are fully involved in the system for rewarding good teaching and, where necessary, dealing with any underperformance.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. The school works hard to promote good behaviour through forging positive relationships and a strong, caring school community. Pupils respond by behaving well in lessons and at break times. They have good attitudes to their work, enjoy their lessons and work well together. Occasionally, when lessons do not engage them, they become fidgety and lose interest.  The school has clear policies and procedures to promote good behaviour which are implemented consistently by staff. Pupils know what happens if they misbehave, such as when their name is put on a sad face, or they are provided with closer supervision elsewhere in the school. There are few exclusions and when they occur they are dealt with effectively.  Pupils enjoy taking responsibility, either as school councillors or as prefects ensuring that children are not lonely at playtime. They take their roles seriously and are proud of the help they give to others.

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Behaviour

 The school uses assemblies well for discussions on bullying as well as holding an annual anti-bullying week. Consequently pupils are very clear about what constitutes bullying and how to avoid it. They say that there is very little bullying, mainly some falling out and disagreements, but when it does occur, it is dealt with quickly. They also know about cyber bullying and how to use the computers safely.  The school has worked extremely hard to improve attendance. As a result, it is now close to the national average and this is a good improvement since the previous inspection.  The breakfast club, which has recently opened, provides a healthy breakfast and enjoyable activities for pupils. This ensures a good start to the day. At lunchtimes, pupils behave well and enjoy being together. The school has worked closely with parents and carers to ensure pupils have healthy lunches.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  The school provides a safe environment for its pupils. This has been an on-going concern during the building works, but senior staff have been conscientious in ensuring the continuing safety and well-being of the pupils.  Pupils learn how to stay safe through, for example, road safety instruction, bicycle training and involvement in risk assessments, such as when cooking. They receive instruction on the safe use of tools and equipment in lessons.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school and know that adults will help them if they need it. They are pleased that they get help from prefects who sort out any minor disagreements at break times.  The school takes very good care of its disadvantaged pupils ensuring they get the help they need.  Parents and carers spoken to during the inspection and those who responded to the questionnaire agree

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Safety

that behaviour is good and that the school keeps their children safe.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school has maintained its good teaching provision since the last inspection. This has ensured that pupils across the school continue to make good progress.  Teachers make sure that lessons are well organised, that activities interest and engage pupils and that they learn well.  Teaching assistants make a strong contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly that of disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those at an early stage of learning English. Trained bilingual assistants support pupils well, both by interpreting for them and helping them to understand spoken Inspection report: St George's Beneficial Church of England Primary School, 19–20 November 2014 6 of 10

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The quality of teaching is good

English.  Specialist music teaching, as well as learning in French, engages, stimulates and challenges pupils. For example, pupils thoroughly enjoyed doing simple addition and subtraction in French and managed complicated rhythms in music.  Guided reading sessions help pupils to improve their reading and comprehension skills. Year 2 pupils who read to inspectors used their phonics (letters and the sounds they make) skills confidently to work out unfamiliar words, and enjoyed predicting what was going to happen. Year 6 pupils spoke confidently of their favourite authors and were able to summarise the content of the book they were reading. They read confidently and with good expression.  Good teaching of computer technology ensures pupils develop their skills successfully. For example, in an excellent session in the computer suite, pupils were strongly challenged and supported to work independently creating an effective animation. They did this very successfully. Very good use of specific

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The quality of teaching is good

vocabulary, both in this session and in others across the school, rapidly builds the confidence of pupils in developing their technical skills.  Teachers make good use of literacy across the curriculum. For example, pupils in Year 5 wrote poetry as part of their work on the ancient Egyptians, and pupils in Year 2 wrote extensively about their visit to the Spinnaker Tower.  Homework is used well to reinforce reading, spelling and mathematics. There is also an after-school homework club and resources for pupils via the internet.  Teachers set targets for pupils and mark their work conscientiously. However, they do not always give them enough opportunities to act on their guidance. As a result, pupils are not always sufficiently involved in correcting or improving their work or setting their own goals for their learning.  Teachers do not always ensure they provide their pupils with opportunities to extend their knowledge and

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The quality of teaching is good

understanding. This sometimes limits their progress in lessons.

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is good

 Over the last few years, pupils’ progress has been consistently good, leading to average attainment at the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics. The school’s current information about pupils’ performance shows a continuing trend of good achievement.  Attainment at the end of Year 2 is generally below nationally expected levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Key Stage 1 is particularly affected by high mobility and the high number of children who join the school at an early stage of learning English. Although this impacts adversely on overall attainment, the progress of pupils on roll throughout Key Stage 1 is good.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs get specific help for their individual requirements that helps them to make good progress.  Pupils at the early stages of learning English receive high-quality support, both from external agencies and within the school, and this ensures that their language skills improve quickly. The school also holds

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is good

workshops for parents and carers to encourage further learning at home.  Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds make similar progress to other pupils in the school.  The school tracks the progress of all pupils carefully. This helps the school to identify pupils who are not doing well enough and ensures that they get the help they need to catch up.  At Key Stage 2, the school challenges the most able pupils through work that extends them, for example in activities such as computerised animation work and through teachers’ detailed feedback. Pupils in Key Stage 1 work effectively on extension activities with a higher-level teaching assistant, which enables them to make rapid progress.  Disadvantaged pupils attained higher standards in reading and mathematics in 2014 than other pupils nationally, but were below expectations in writing. Their overall attainment and progress are currently similar to their peers’ in the school.

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is good

 The school has worked hard to improve pupils’ writing skills. Work seen in pupils’ books shows that this has been successful. Pupils are making good progress in writing both through their work in literacy and in other subjects across the curriculum.  Pupils’ performance in the Year 1 phonics check was below the national average in 2014, but this was an improvement on 2013. The good emphasis on phonics across the school helps pupils to make good progress.  Regular guided reading, interesting books and reading at home help pupils to achieve well in reading. The Inspection report: St George's Beneficial Church of England Primary School, 19–20 November 2014 7 of 10

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is good

training of reading volunteers to provide regular support for reading within the school is a good initiative.  Pupils achieve well across a range of subjects. This was clearly seen in music, computer technology, and French lessons at Key Stage 2, where good achievement and high levels of enjoyment went hand in hand.  Pupils generally achieve well in their work in mathematics due to a strong emphasis on number and calculation. However, they do not get enough opportunities to investigate numbers or solve practical problems. This limits their ability to use their mathematical knowledge or work independently, and slows their overall progress.

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is good

 The early years is well led and managed to ensure good provision. Children start in the Nursery and Reception classes with levels of knowledge and skill that are below, and sometimes well below, those expected for their age. They make good progress, but generally do not reach the nationally expected levels across the areas of learning by the time they start in Year 1.  Staff make very good use of learning journals to record children’s progress. They use them carefully to check how well children are doing, and use the information to provide targeted support to ensure that those falling behind catch up. This ensures that all children make similarly good progress.  Children are well behaved, share resources happily and maintain good levels of interest and enjoyment. They learn about other cultures through, for example, celebrating Diwali, the Chinese New Year and Easter.  The systematic teaching of phonics helps to develop children’s early reading and writing skills as they

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is good

successfully learn to build simple words from individual sounds.  Teachers question children in a way that helps them to solve problems and develop independence. It also helps them to reflect successfully on their learning.  The many different activities that children can choose to do inside the class are well planned and organised. However, the activities provided outside are more limited and do not provide exciting challenges across the areas of learning. This sometimes slows children’s progress.  Safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures are fully in place. Safety in the early years classrooms is good. There are regular risk assessments.  Good links have been established with parents and carers through effective induction, regular newsletters and workshops. Inspection report: St George's Beneficial Church of England Primary School, 19–20 November 2014 8 of 10

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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 George's Beneficial Church of England Primary School, 19–20 November 2014 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 116346 Local authority Portsmouth Inspection number 449354

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 286 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane Robinson Headteacher Sandra Gibb Date of previous school inspection 24–25 November 2010 Telephone number 02392 822886 Fax number 02392 820179 Email address sgibb@stgeorges.portsmouth.co.uk Headers and page numbers!

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School details

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

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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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