King's Stanley CofE Primary School

King's Stanley CofE Primary School Broad Street, King's Stanley, Stonehouse, GL10 3PN

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 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 are taught well, helping them to make good progress in lessons and over time.  Achievement is good. By the end of Year 6 some pupils make outstanding progress, given their starting points.  The provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. It is improving rapidly as a result of the drive to meet each child’s needs.  Outstanding behaviour contributes to the positive and inclusive ethos that permeates all aspects of the school’s work.  Pupils feel safe and look out for each other.  The headteacher’s outstanding leadership inspires staff and pupils to do their very best. His commitment to helping everybody succeed is a significant factor in the improved teaching and achievement since the last inspection.  Leadership and management are good. School leaders consult widely and act decisively. School improvement planning is aimed at where it can have most impact in the shortest time.  Governors are focused and influential. They

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

regularly check up on what is happening in school. They challenge leaders to raise the quality of teaching and achievement further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Outdoor activities in the Early Years Foundation Stage are not organised well to make the most of the small outdoor area.  Some teaching does not provide sufficient challenge for more able pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 19 lessons. In all lessons inspectors were joined by either the headteacher or the deputy headteacher.  The inspectors took account of 32 responses to the online Parent View survey, as well as discussions with parents at the end of the school day.  Inspectors talked with two groups of pupils as well as with individual pupils during their lessons and at break time. Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books. They talked about reading with pupils from Years 1, 2 and 5, and listened to them read.  Inspectors held discussions with the school leaders, teachers, the designated safeguarding leader, subject leaders, the local authority school intervention officer, the Chair of the Governing Body and two governors. Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including pupils’ attainment and progress, case studies of selected pupils, child protection and safeguarding, the school’s curriculum, the management of

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Information about this inspection

teachers’ performance and the school’s plans for improvement.

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Inspection team

Jonathan Palk, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lorna Brackstone Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium, which is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority, is below the national average. There are no pupils looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is below the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The acting deputy headteacher was appointed as headteacher at the start of this term. The governors have appointed a teacher as acting deputy headteacher for one year.  Provision for early years is full time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Secure typically outstanding teaching by:  making certain that all lesson planning and teaching provide high levels of challenge for more able pupils  ensuring that teachers are consistent in using subject specific language and make this available to pupils in all lessons  introducing good quality investigations into mathematics lessons that encourage pupils to deepen their thinking.  Improve the experiences of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage by:  offering interesting and challenging experiences in the outside area  improving their physical development.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher promotes a steadfast belief in every pupil and all staff. His unwavering dedication and passion in every pupil’s achievement are outstanding. Staff and pupils have risen to the challenges he sets, work hard, and are ambitious to make everyone’s time at school a success.  Staff are supported every step of the way in improving their teaching, with a skilfully designed programme of professional development, a blend of utilising the strengths of existing teachers and working with local schools and local authority specialist staff. The experience of visiting other schools helps staff clarify their aims and vision for the school.  The headteacher has excellent communication skills. Parents value the weekly newsletters for the clarity of information they provide about school improvement and pupils’ successes. Governors have benefited from transparent reporting on each element of the comprehensive action plan.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff are rigorous in their checking on pupils’ progress and adjusting the offer of additional learning groups using the expertise of the teaching assistants.  The school promotes equality of opportunity well and tackles discrimination of all kinds very effectively. The provision for disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is unambiguous. The precise use of additional funding is used to effectively to meet the learning needs of these pupils. They are fully involved in lessons and so make rapid progress.  School leaders evaluate supplementary programmes well. Staff use these to ensure that pupils who aspire to the highest level in mathematics and writing tests and for pupils who need improve their reading skills make rapid improvement in their academic achievement.  The school has used the additional sport funding wisely. Staff have received training through working

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The leadership and management are good

alongside sports coaches. The money is used to provide teachers and pupils with experiences of a variety of recreational sports. The uptake of school sporting clubs is high.  Leaders rigorously check the quality of teachers’ work and the secure link between pupils’ success and salary progression ensures that only good practice is rewarded. The headteacher provides straightforward and specific feedback to staff on the effectiveness of their lessons, ensuring that they have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their teaching.  Self-evaluation is accurate as leaders have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Leaders’ evaluation is made more effective by the collaboration with local school networks, the local authority, and governors’ astute oversight. English, mathematics and the early years leaders’ development plans accurately highlight areas for improvement. These are implemented effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 The quality of spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is strong and helps pupils respect each other and value their differences. The programme to help pupils to understand other cultures feeds their interest well. They are aware of how their fundraising has helped improve lives at home and abroad. These activities help them become mindful of the rich diversity of life in modern Britain and the wider world.  The school’s curriculum provides memorable experiences and rich opportunities for good quality learning. The outdoor lessons, as well as experiences in sport, music and drama, have a very positive impact on pupils’ aspirations.  Safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements and reflect positively the staff’s determination to ensure all pupils can get the most from their education.  The strong collaboration with the local authority forged after the last inspection has been central to

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The leadership and management are good

improvement. The programme is carefully tailored to the school’s needs. Effective links with the teaching school are having a significant impact in improving mathematics teaching.  The governance of the school:  The governing body used the review of governance to establish a dedicated team with the full range of skills needed to maintain a tight oversight of the school’s work. The governing body works closely with headteacher and staff to check and challenge the impact of their work. They take nothing at face value, but delve and question all the time. Experts on the governing body have been used effectively to perfect safeguarding procedures and improve the quality of mathematics teaching.  The governors have made a strong contribution to shaping the school’s action plan. They have influenced how the school presents assessment information in order that all governors can be involved in measuring pupils’ progress against national expectations.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Attitudes to learning have transformed as lessons have become more fun and pupils are clear about what they have to do. Pupils, including those who lack confidence, are eager to contribute, but will await their turn patiently. Pupils calling out or failing to listen to instructions never disrupt lessons. They engage quickly with the focus of the lesson and work well with each other when asked.  Pupils enjoy being challenged, particularly in their reading and writing. Science and art lessons are a firm favourite with Year 5 pupils because of the chance to experiment and explore ideas.  Pupils take their roles and responsibilities for the school grounds and the outdoor school, and during assemblies and lunchtimes, seriously. Year 6 pupils are ‘buddies’ for the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage and show them the high expectations of conduct and behaviour in and around school.

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Behaviour

As a result, young children behave well and their personal development is particularly strong. Parents and carers report that having to deal with poor behaviour is rarely an issue with their children.  Pupils enjoy their homework assignments and complete these to a high standard. They are frequently given choices about what they can study, or work as a team to produce a piece of research for the class.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils know how to stay safe. They receive appropriate guidance through lessons and assemblies in developing skills that keep them safe in their lives. They recognise when they are vulnerable because staff encourage them to speak out when they have concerns. Pupils report that they are listened to and value the chance to speak with a family worker and counsellor to help them resolve worries.  Attendance is above average. There is almost no unauthorised or persistent absence.  Pupils know what to do if they witness or experience bullying. They say it is very rare and teachers deal with any unsafe behaviour very quickly. They talk knowledgeably about the work of staff who help pupils resolve conflicts they may experience. Safeguarding is not yet outstanding as lessons do not emphasise enough the importance of protecting pupils from forms of abuse emanating from mobile technology and

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lesson planning is detailed, with a variety of activities that interest and engage pupils of different abilities. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and work hard to make sure lessons are challenging and enjoyable.  Team working is encouraged and pupils are open about any difficulties that they have understanding their work. They speak with pride about their high quality written work and topic work.  Teachers conscientiously use targets as a mechanism for helping pupils improve their work. Importantly for the pupils, the teaching directly addresses these targets through good questioning and examples. Small teaching groups in lessons are chosen according to how pupils are mastering and using new skills. In this way learning never slows.  Good teaching of writing is evident in the high proportion of pupils making better than nationally expected progress. Pupils get the time to complete extended pieces of writing across a range of subjects. Teachers

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The quality of teaching is good

regularly check their pupils’ written work, adding helpful comments. Consequently, written work is revised continually, resulting in high-quality pieces produced before the end of the topic. The personal satisfaction this generates only serves to strengthen pupils’ resolve to do even better.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are included in all lessons. They receive expert help from trained staff. The regular assessment and structured conversation with each pupil help teachers identify where they need to broaden and deepen the pupils’ learning.  Marking is very focused on informing pupils of their next steps to improve their work and picking up on misconceptions and errors. Tenacity from teachers in ensuring that the learning is secure before moving on maintains pupils’ confidence.  Teachers are reflective, evaluating each of their lessons to see how they can improve the learning. The

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The quality of teaching is good

strategies for motivating pupils to try to work things out for themselves are made easier with the helpful writing prompts provided to the pupils in lessons.  Teaching is not yet outstanding. Teachers do not always ensure pupils access the language relevant to the subject taught or insist on this when they respond to questions or explain their ideas. In some of the lessons seen and the books scrutinised it is apparent that more able pupils are sometimes limited by tasks that are too easy.  Not enough lessons in mathematics invite pupils to use and apply their skills through investigations in the required areas of study.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the Reception class with skills that are average. Some year groups going through the school had above average skills when they joined school. Children are making good progress as a result of good provision, particularly in their attitudes to learning and communication skills.  All groups of pupils including those with special educational needs, those from below, average and above average starting points make much better than the progress expected nationally. Consequently, the vast majority of pupils are now reaching the national average at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, with significant numbers gaining the higher levels.  Results in national tests and teacher assessments in 2013 rose in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. This improvement continued in the 2014 national assessments, securing a reversal of previous trends. In Key Stage 2, achievement in reading is now well above average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Lesson observations, scrutiny of work and the school’s reliable predictions confirm that accelerated progress continues. The standard of writing is high across the school. The consistent approach to teaching writing that began at the start of 2014 is bearing fruit. Pupils are familiar with a wide range of writing techniques and plan their re-writing carefully. The teachers provide a wide range of props and prompts, some in the form of a tool kit, to help them structure their writing. The emphasis given to collecting appropriate vocabulary is a challenge for all pupils and spurs them to some excellent creative writing.  The proportion attaining the standard in the Year 1 letters and sounds check last year was high. The daily attention given to learning letters and the sounds they make has improved the skills of lower attaining readers. The daily individual reading sessions with trained staff and volunteers are also effective. The

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The achievement of pupils is good

adjustments to the small group reading sessions, that invite questions before pupils start to read the text, have proved to be a significant factor in improving reading comprehension.  Pupils’ achievement in mathematics is good. Teachers thoroughly map out any gaps in pupils’ skills and tackle these first. Good attention is paid to improving pupils’ mental arithmetic skills in all year groups. However, there are few good quality investigation tasks that encourage all pupils to apply their number skills and make connections between measures, geometry and statistics.  More able pupils in Year 6 are provided with additional lessons that demand more of their skills. This ensures that they achieve the highest levels in national tests and assessments. In mathematics, more able pupils are given work that challenges them to apply their skills to problems, such as giving Year 4 pupils the task of finding the area of compound shapes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The achievement of disadvantaged pupils exceeds expectations nationally and of other pupils in the school. The average point score of the few disadvantaged pupils exceeds the national by the equivalent of one term. The additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is precisely targeted to where there is a need. This may be additional one-to-one lessons in English and mathematics, sessions before the start of the lesson to go over skills, or an opportunity to have music lessons.

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The early years provision is good

 Children settle quickly into the Early Years Foundation Stage because routines and good relationships are swiftly established. Children, including those who have special educational needs, those for whom the school receives additional funding and the most able, make good progress from their various starting points and develop into confident young learners. Children are well prepared for Year 1.  Teaching is good. Adults effectively support and extend children’s understanding and knowledge by showing the children how to use skills and asking probing questions. They observe the children’s responses carefully and adjust the day’s activities to meet their needs.  The Early Years Foundation Stage leader knows the strengths and areas requiring development in her team and has already implemented a training programme for staff. Good use is made of visits to other local schools to see best practice and glean ideas.

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The early years provision is good

 The school leaders rigorously check that all possible steps are taken to ensure the children are safeguarded. Children are closely supervised, they understand the safety routines, including hand washing before eating, and they play safely together. Their behaviour is good.  Staff support each other well. They set consistent expectations of the children and offer warm encouragement to promote good learning. Indoors, the children are motivated to practise their writing skills in the Pen Den and develop their creativity at the Creation Station.  Easy access to the safe and secure outdoor area enables the children to extend their learning outside. These experiences are not always challenging the children to explore and develop their ideas. Although adequately resourced with interesting activities such as a ‘mud kitchen’ and opportunities for ‘treasure hunts’, the area is too small for the children to develop their physical skills, such as climbing and steering

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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 135266 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 447459

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 199 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Ceri Turrell Headteacher Mr Derk van den Broek Date of previous school inspection May 2013 Telephone number 01453822868 Email address head@kingsstanley.gloucs.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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