Staunton and Corse Church of England Primary School

Staunton and Corse Church of England Academy Gloucester Road, Corse, Gloucester, GL19 3RA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Children in early years make rapid progress and achieve exceptionally well because teachers plan activities that challenge them and build very effectively on their existing skills.  Pupils make excellent progress across the school and a high proportion of pupils make better than expected progress in all subjects. Standards in writing are particularly high.  Disadvantaged pupils make outstanding progress because they receive precisely targeted support.  Teaching is always at least good and much is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations and set tasks which challenge all groups of pupils so that they make outstanding progress.  Relationships are strong. There is a high level of mutual respect between adults and pupils, which motivates pupils to learn.  The pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is promoted exceptionally well through the school’s promotion of values such as respect and kindness. There are also many

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

opportunities for pupils to reflect and think about the world.  Parents hold the school in high regard. All parents would recommend this school to others.  Behaviour is exemplary. Pupils are very keen to learn and enthusiastic about their work. They feel extremely safe and enjoy taking on extra responsibilities..  The school has benefited from the collaboration with other schools in the partnership. This has helped staff to evaluate and improve on their own practice and that of others.  The headteacher, the staff and governors are ambitious and are continuously striving to improve the school. Leadership at all levels is outstanding. The team works exceptionally well together to ensure a rising trend in standards and rapid progress for all pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching and learning in eight lessons. Four of these were observed jointly with the headteacher. Other evidence related to the quality of teaching was also gathered such as work in pupils’ books and the school’s own records.  The inspector analysed 14 questionnaires completed by the staff and also took into account 17 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. A number of parents spoke to the inspector at the end of the school day.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, assistant headteacher and middle leaders. The inspector also met a group of governors including the Chair of the Governing Body.  The inspectors listened to pupils read.. Meetings were held with a group of pupils and the inspector spoke to others at lunchtime to find out their views of school.  The inspector looked at the school’s assessment data, monitoring and evaluation documents. Records

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Information about this inspection

related to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance were also checked.

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Inspection team

Shahnaz Maqsood, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school.  Nearly all the pupils are of White British heritage.  A quarter of the pupils are disadvantaged and known to be eligible for the pupil premium. This isadditional funding for pupils eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority. This is broadly in line with the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average.  Early years provision consists of a full-time Reception class.  There is a play group run by parents on the school site. This provision was not inspected.  Many families move to the area into temporary accommodation. This results in many pupils leaving and joining the school at different times of the school year.  The school works closely with two other local schools, Highnam Church of England Primary Academy and Redmarley Church of England Primary Academy. All three are part of the ‘Primary Quest’ academy trust.

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Information about this school

Two of the school’s governors are directors of ‘Primary Quest’ and sit on the board which oversees its work.  For two years the headteacher was executive headteacher of Highnam Church of England Primary Academy as well as Staunton and Corse Church of England Academy. In September 2014, she returned to a full-time position at this school.  The headteacher is a local leader of education (LLE) and supports other schools.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which are minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.  Staunton and Corse Church of England Academy converted to become an academy school in August 2011. When its predecessor school Staunton and Corse Church of England Primary School was inspected, it was judged to be good.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teachers’ feedback to pupils on their work consistently challenges them in mathematics so that they make even faster progress, similar to their rate of progress in English.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The determined and able leadership of the headteacher has given clear direction to the school and has contributed to its success. She is very well supported by the assistant headteacher, the staff and the effective governing body. The school’s review of its work shows accuracy and a sharp focus on continued improvement.  Systems for monitoring pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching are very thorough. The outstanding work of the senior and subject leaders in both of these areas has contributed strongly to the rapid rise in standards. Pupils in danger of underachieving are identified quickly and very effective support provided. In the absence of the headteacher for two days a week last year, other leaders took effective charge, demonstrating the depth of the capacity of the leadership.  Teachers are set challenging targets and given high quality support and training. Their performance management is rigorous and the strong focus on their individual and personal needs ensures that they are

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The leadership and management are outstanding

improving their teaching continuously. Salary progression and teachers’ performance are closely linked. Staff at the school work as a team and morale is high. One teacher told the inspector that this was the best school she had ever worked in.  The headteacher and subject leaders take a leading role in working with other schools in the academy trust. Regular meetings are held to evaluate the school’s own work and the work of other schools in the Primary Quest. At present the three schools are working together to develop a new assessment system. This will enable them to determine pupils’ achievement readily and very accurately.  The school’s strong focus on providing equality of opportunity is the main reason for the excellent achievement of all groups of pupils. The funding for disadvantaged pupils is used very well to support their academic and personal development, such as for music lessons and extra individual help. This boosts

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The leadership and management are outstanding

their confidence and they make rapid progress.  The school makes excellent use of the primary sports funding through links with a local secondary school and the Youth Sports Trust. It has improved the skills of the teachers, employed specialist coaches to teach a wider range of sports and challenged the most able pupils to compete at the higher levels.  The curriculum has been very well adapted to meet the needs of the pupils and enable them to make fast progress. As a result, pupils are highly motivated and want to learn Social, moral, spiritual and cultural education is threaded through the topics and is developed exceptionally well through the study of art, music, poetry and other faiths and cultures. Pupils are extremely well prepared for life in Britain through the school’s ‘values’ programme. This encourages pupils to discuss and debate in the school council, learn about right and wrong, to reflect and to respect the views and beliefs of others. Pupils from this school

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The leadership and management are outstanding

have links with a school with pupils from different ethnic backgrounds.This has helped them to understand different cultures and beliefs.  Safeguarding procedures are extremely effective and meet statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The effective governing body has successfully striven for continued improvement by providing high levels of challenge and support to the leaders.  Governors have a very good understanding of data. This enables them to monitor pupils’ progress and check how well they are doing, including those who are disadvantaged. Governors regularly compare pupils’ progress with how well pupils are doing nationally. They use the information to constantly challenge leaders and decide on the priorities for improvement.  Governors improve their skills through regular training. This has been useful especially for checking that the school’s safeguarding procedures meet regulations and are being implemented robustly.  The Chair of the Governing Body commented that ‘this school has always promoted British values because respect, understanding and consideration for others is the ethos of the school’.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Governors use the school’s funds very carefully and ask many questions before allocating them to ensure maximum benefit for pupils. Performance management is well orchestrated and the quality of teaching well monitored. Pay rises are always based on the impact on pupils’ performance.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupil’s attitudes to learning are excellent and they take great pride in their work. A mixed class of Years 5 and 6 pupils were glowing with pride when they made clay models of goblins during an art lesson. All the models were unique and the precise detail on figure heads showed how much care they had taken.  Pupils are equally well behaved around school. They are polite, considerate and helpful and an overwhelming majority of parents agree that pupils behave very well.  Pupils very willingly take on responsibilities. The school provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils to do this, including representation on the school council. Pupils act as ‘buddies’ and ‘play leaders’ for the younger children, for which they receive external training. There is also a popular dance club run by Year 5 pupils in which they learn ‘hip hop and street dance’. The pupils explain they do not need adult

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Policies related to safety are all up to date and reviewed regularly. The school has detailed knowledge of the suitability of those who work with the pupils and takes great care to ensure pupls are kept safe.  Pupils told the inspector that bullying was extremely rare and they were very confident that their ‘worries’ would be quickly tackled by adults. The school’s records indicate that there have been no reports of bullying or racism for more than a year. The pupils show excellent awareness of all types by bullying, including cyber bullying. They spoke about how they learn to keep themselves safe on bicycles, the road and the internet.  Punctuality is excellent and pupils are very rarely late to school. Attendance is above average because pupils enjoy and always look forward to coming to school. Year 1 pupils told inspectors ‘they love coming

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is outstanding over time because teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and pupils respond to the challenge.  Relationships are extremely positive and benefit pupils’ learning by creating a calm, harmonious environment.  Writing is taught exceptionally well. Pupils have clear guidance which helps them improve the quality of their writing not only in English but in other subjects. Topics such as ‘space’ interest and enthuse pupils so they want to learn. Boys in Year 1 told the inspector how much they enjoy coming to school to do topic work.  Pupils experience a range of written work and styles which inspire them to write. Pupils in Year 2 wrote poems using a range of complex nouns, verbs and adjectives.  Phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is well taught. Pupils use this knowledge to help them read and become fluent. Love for, and enjoyment of, reading is encouraged. Pupils are introduced to a range of

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

authors.  Mathematics is generally taught very well because teachers plan a range of tasks for pupils in their class to ensure activities are not too easy or too difficult. As result, all groups of pupils make at least good and sometimes better progress in lessons. However, progress over time is not consistently as strong in mathematics as in reading and writing.  The teaching assistants provide invaluable support and guidance to all pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and the disadvantaged.  Pupils assess and analyse their own work and then identify how to improve it without the help of the teacher. They share ideas on how it can be improved with their classmates and help each other. Marking is systematic and regular, and advice is usually very helpful. However, one or two teachers do not use it well enough to challenge pupils to accelerate their progress even further in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils

 Achievement is outstanding because pupils make rapid progress across the school, particularly in writing.  In 2014, standards at the end of Year 6 were well above average in reading and writing, and above average in mathematics. Apart from those who joined the school in Year 6, the proportions making expected progress and more than expected progress in all year groups were above national figures.  Attainment at the end of Year 2 was below average, with a number of pupils joining the class just before th national tests. However, all pupils made good or better progress from their starting points in the school.  The most able pupils progress rapidly, especially in writing. As a result,, above average proportions reach the higher levels in reading and mathematics. The teachers cater very well for these pupils’ particular needs by ensuring they are set tasks which develop the depth of their knowledge and understanding of a

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The achievement of pupils

particular topic.  The achievement of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is outstanding because of well-planned and precise support which enables them to make rapid progress.  Disadvantaged pupils make outstanding progress. Across the school, this group of pupils make at least expected progress and more make better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics than other pupils. Gaps in attainment are narrowing and in some cases these pupils are doing better than others. This is as a result of close monitoring and a high level of support and intervention. At the end of Year 6 disadvantaged pupils were two-and-a-half terms ahead of other pupils nationally in writing and one-and-a-half terms in reading. In mathematics they were less than a term behind. Compared to their classmates disadvantaged pupils were nearly a term ahead of their classmates in writing, similar in

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The achievement of pupils

reading and less than a term behind in mathematics.

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The early years provision

 Early years provision is outstanding and children make outstanding progress from starting points that are typical for their age. By the end of Reception the vast majority of children, including the disadvantaged, are very well prepared for Year 1. This is particularly the case in literacy, mathematics and creative development.  Children’s behaviour is exceptional. They are considerate and relationships are extremely well developed and positive. For example,children working together on activities they have chosen advise each other about how to measure and cut the straws to make a kite.  Leadership of the early years is excellent. The leader ensures that all adults have high expectations so that children are consistently challenged. Detailed planning and support enable the disabled children and those with special educational needs to make rapid progress.  The school has established strong links with parents, including those whose children attend the playgroup.

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The early years provision

From time to time, the Reception class and the playgroup work together and this helps the younger children settle when they begin school.  The staff use their very good knowledge of the children to plan interesting and fun activities which engage and support children’s learning. For example, children celebrated Chinese New Year with long coloured ribbons running across the playground. They told the inspector that the wind was making the ribbon ‘zigzag and wiggle like a dragon’.  Teaching is outstanding because teachers use information on how well children are doing very effectively to plan their next steps in learning to ensure that they all make rapid progress. Teaching assistants are also fully involved and provide invaluable support and guidance.  Children are well cared for and feel safe and secure. Parents agree that their children are kept safe and told the inspector that they are happy and settled.

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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 137149 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 448618

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 97 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Graham Bruce Headteacher Jennifer Dwight Telephone number 01452 840240 Fax number 01452 840240 Email address admin@stauntoncorse.gloucs.gov.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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