St Andrew's CofE (Aided) Primary School

School report St Andrew's CofE (Aided) Primary School Belfast Street, Hove, East Sussex BN3 3YT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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

 Leaders are strong role models for pupils in their conduct and courtesy. They firmly believe that pupils are at the heart of all that they do.  Parents rightly believe that their children are extremely safe at the school and that pupils behave well.  The school has a good reputation in the local area and parents wholeheartedly recommend the school to others.  Children get off to a good start in Reception and are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.  Pupils make good progress, and by the end of Year 6 reach above average standards in writing and often high standards in mathematics and reading.  British values are very well promoted. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.  Senior and key stage leaders monitor teaching and achievement well. As a result, in 2014, the number of pupils attaining higher levels in the Year 6 tests in mathematics and spelling, punctuation and grammar improved.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Governance is good. Members are knowledgeable and take an active part in supporting and challenging school leaders.  Teaching is good: teachers are hard working and entirely supportive of leaders. They celebrate pupils’ achievements and plan creative lessons for pupils.  Pupils enjoy school. They attend regularly and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strongly promoted.  Leaders are committed to inclusivity. Leaders engage extremely well with parents. Both they and staff appreciate the caring culture of the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, teachers do not set work at the right level in English or check on pupils’ learning to move pupils on at the right time in lessons.  Feedback in pupils’ books does not always provide clear guidance on how pupils can improve their work or acted on the advice given.  Subject leaders do not have enough time to undertake checks on learning.  Leaders have not set clear success criteria in action plans. This makes measuring the impact of actions difficult.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes, across a range of subjects, including English, mathematics, French, science and computing. Four visits were undertaken with senior leaders. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in lessons and separately with the headteacher.  Inspectors met with governors, senior leaders, subject, key stage, curriculum and assessment leaders. They also met those responsible for special educational needs, pupils who speak English as an additional language and child protection, and representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors held formal and informal discussions with pupils. They listened to pupils reading and observed them at break, lunchtimes, during enrichment activities and in assembly.  The 191 responses to the online, Parent View, survey were considered, along with comments made to inspectors by parents during the inspection. Responses from 55 staff to a questionnaire were also

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Information about this inspection

analysed.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation. This included records of pupils’ attainment and progress, information about checks on teaching and the management of staff performance, the school’s action plans and self-evaluation summary. They also scrutinised the minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s website, behaviour logs, case studies and safeguarding information.

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Inspection team

Najoud Ensaff, Lead Inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school. Plans are in place for the school to increase further in size next year.  Pupils are taught in two classes across each year group, except Year 2 where there are three classes. Next year, Reception classes will increase to three full-time classes from the current provision of two.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is above average, and rising. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for pupil premium funding (extra government money for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after) is below average.  There is currently no early years leader, although one will join the school next academic year. Leadership of this phase is currently shared between Reception teachers and the assessment leader.  The school meets the government’s floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’

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Information about this school

attainment in reading, writing and mathematics.  Most pupils are White British, although about one in five pupils comes from a range of multi-ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average and few of these are at the early stages of learning English.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching and achievement by ensuring that:  teachers always set work at the right level for pupils, not only in mathematics but also in English  questions are used consistently well to check on pupils’ learning and to move pupils on at the right time  feedback given in books is always helpful in guiding pupils how to improve and they are asked to act on comments.  Strengthen leadership and management by:  sharpening targets in action plans so that the intended outcomes of actions are clear and easy to measure  developing the role of subject leaders so that they have more time to check on learning in lessons.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders are strongly committed to nurturing pupils so that they become valuable members of society. They passionately believe in developing the whole child. They set strong examples for staff and pupils in their conduct and courtesy.  Staff, parents and pupils appreciate the caring culture that permeates St Andrew’s. Parents are very positive about their experiences with the school and wholeheartedly recommend it to others.  Strong leadership has ensured that pupils leave Year 6 having made good progress in mathematics and English, with standards in reading and mathematics being high.  Senior and key stage leaders make regular and useful checks on the quality of teaching and learning through visits to classes and through work scrutiny. The assessment leader makes a strong contribution to these checks through his role in analysing and sharing progress and attainment information. Together, these checks led to a successful focus on increasing the proportion of pupils who gained higher levels at

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The leadership and management are good

the end of Year 6 in mathematics and spelling, punctuation and grammar last year.  Recently, checks on learning have resulted in leaders rightly focusing on improving the quality of teachers’ marking and pupils’ responses to this marking. They have also rightly focused on the progress made by some pupils who have special educational needs or who speak English as an additional language.  Subject leaders are effective in ensuring that teachers’ checks on pupils’ learning are accurate and provide teachers with useful training. However, they do not have enough time outside of class to undertake checks on learning through lesson observations or close scrutiny of progress information or work in books.  The early years teachers work closely with the assessment leader to monitor progress and oversee provision in Reception classes effectively. They rightly identified gaps in the performance of disadvantaged

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The leadership and management are good

pupils and those with special educational needs, to whom they are providing additional support.  Leaders make good use of pupil premium funding to provide both academic and pastoral support to disadvantaged pupils. This has a good impact on their progress and attainment, with gaps between them and others nationally closing by the end of Key Stage 2.  Leaders go to great lengths to ensure that differences between pupils are celebrated and accepted. Many pupils talked about ‘differences week’, where pupils celebrated what made them unique. Much of the display work around the school promotes tolerance and acceptance of others. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated and leaders have ensured that every pupil has equal access to learning and support.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted extremely well. Pupils are taught about the difference between right and wrong through the clear sanctions and rewards system in the

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The leadership and management are good

school and the strong religious values of the school. They understand the rule of law and about democracy, taking part in votes for school council, debates and mock trials.  Pupils enjoy art and the school is covered in beautiful examples of pupils’ work. Alongside assemblies, religious studies lessons and personal and social education lessons, this helps to prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain.  A well-organised broad and balanced range of subjects is taught through a thematic approach which enables literacy and numeracy skills to be applied across other subjects. These are complemented by a wide range of enrichment activities. Pupils spoke about, for example, visits to the Isle of Wight, visiting authors, karate, dodgeball and chess clubs.  Their view that sports clubs were well attended, along with leaders’ evaluations of the confidence levels of pupils and staff in sports, and of pupils’ participation rates in sports, indicates that sports funding is being

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The leadership and management are good

used well. For example, it has been used to provide digital resources which allow teachers to focus on pupils’ skill development and on additional training for staff. During the inspection, Years 3 and 4 pupils were rehearsing for a dance festival and Year 2 pupils were learning how to ride their scooters safely.  Strong partnership work with a local cluster of schools, and within the Deanery, help to support Year 6 pupils as they move on to secondary schools, and enables teachers to assess work accurately. Careful liaison with external agencies and close contact with parents ensure that vulnerable pupils are protected and barriers to learning are overcome.  Senior leaders know their school well. They have a clear idea about strengths and weaknesses which they use to create action plans. However, they do not always make clear enough what the intended impact of actions is. As a result, it is not easy for leaders to always measure how successful actions have been.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is viewed as a low support school by the local authority, due to its track record of success. Recent support provided by the local authority has been effective in improving provision in the early years and in supporting leaders’ changes to marking.  The governance of the school:  Governors are passionate about, and committed to, the school. They take an active role in supporting and challenging school leaders.  They have a good understanding of the information about how well pupils are doing in relation to others nationally. They also know about the school’s success in closing gaps between disadvantaged pupils and others nationally by the end of Key Stage 2. They are well informed about the quality of teaching in the school and understand the way that salary progression links with staff performance and how underperformance is tackled.  They make good use of the skill set of governors to ensure that school funds are used appropriately and

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The leadership and management are good

that budgets for future expansion are considered carefully.  The governors ensure that current safeguarding requirements are met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils conduct themselves extremely well. They are polite, respectful and courteous.  They demonstrate caring attitudes to one another and socialise well together at break times. They respond quickly to teachers’ instructions and gather in an orderly way in the dining hall and for assembly.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning. Only occasionally does their attention slip when work is not set at the right level, then their attention wanes.  Pupils’ comments and leaders’ checks on learning in lessons indicate that behaviour is good rather than outstanding. This is because, occasionally, pupils chat when work does not engage them fully.  Leaders provide strong role models for pupils in their own behaviour. They also track pupils’ behaviour well, keeping clear records of incidents and follow up actions, as well as analysing patterns and trends to inform future actions.

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Behaviour

 Pupils enjoy school. Their attendance is above average. School leaders have improved the attendance of pupils who attended less regularly in the past.  Pupils take pride in their work and celebrate their achievements readily.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Pupils feel very safe in school. They know how to keep safe in a range of situations, including when using the internet. They are supported exceptionally well by staff in learning how to keep safe, for example when cycling, using scooters and using the internet.  Parents rightly believe that their children are safe.  Pupils’ safety is given a high priority by leaders; relevant contact information for the person responsible for child protection is highly visible throughout the school.  Leaders are rigorous in the way in which they monitor pupils’ attendance. A strong feature of the school is the way that individual pupils who need additional support are collected from, and returned to, parents at the school gates by designated members of staff, to ensure their safety.  Pupils understand different forms of bullying, such as verbal, physical, racist and homophobic bullying.

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Safety

They are confident that the rare instances of bullying are quickly and effectively handled.  Pupils and staff reported that the school was a ‘caring’ and ‘joyful’ place, where staff and friends help them. Supervision of pupils at break times is plentiful with pupils kept safe as a result.  Governors and senior leaders ensure that the school’s provision for pupils’ safety is regularly audited, and that appropriate employment checks and training are undertaken.

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The quality of teaching is good

 As a result of good teaching over time, pupils make good progress and achieve well.  Pupils and adults share positive working relationships which help to motivate pupils to achieve well.  Classrooms are well organised with lively displays of pupils’ work and helpful prompts for pupils on walls.  The effective teaching of reading ensures that pupils apply their phonics (the sounds letters make) skills successfully and reach above average standards in reading.  Pupils have good opportunities to write a range of different texts in English lessons and across other subjects. Creative examples include diary entries written by Year 4 pupils about their imagined experiences on the Titanic. From a young age, pupils learn to write neatly and joined up, taking pride over the presentation of their work.  Pupils have good opportunities to apply their mathematical understanding to problems in mathematics and

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The quality of teaching is good

science.  Teachers generally set work at the right level in mathematics. They and additional adults provide pupils with useful support in English. Where learning is most successful, teachers set work at the right level not only in mathematics but also in English. They also encourage pupils to develop their knowledge by using effective questioning and by checking effectively on how well pupils are learning. Strong learning was seen in a Year 2 English lesson built around character descriptions and a Year 4 English lesson linked to non- fiction writing. Occasionally, the work set in lessons is not at the right level. As a result, the pace of learning slows for a few pupils and they lose interest.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, acknowledging and praising pupils’ successes and often providing pupils with guidance about how to improve. Leaders are keen to deepen the guidance provided by teachers so that it focuses more consistently on key errors such as spelling, sentence construction or

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The quality of teaching is good

mathematical reasoning. Also, not all pupils are given sufficient opportunity to correct errors and improve their work.  Homework is set regularly and complements classwork, providing pupils with opportunities to practise and apply literacy and numeracy skills as well as to develop more creative responses to topics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress from their starting points. By the end of Year 6, standards in writing are above average and high in reading and mathematics.  They make good progress in Reception classes and continue to do so across Key Stages 1 and 2.  In 2013, pupils in Year 6 left the school having made much better progress in reading and mathematics across Key Stage 2 than other pupils nationally. In 2014, Year 6 pupils left having made much better progress in reading than other pupils nationally.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress over time, so that gaps between them and other pupils nationally close by the time they leave the school. In the 2014 national tests, the gap in disadvantaged pupils’ attainment compared with other pupils nationally was equivalent to about a term’s progress in reading and mathematics and close to a year in writing. When compared with other pupils in the school,

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The achievement of pupils is good

the equivalent gaps are about one term in reading and two terms in writing and mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs generally make good progress as a result of in- class and additional carefully planned support. Occasionally, their learning slows in lessons, when adults do not use questioning effectively to move pupils on in their learning.  Current data indicate that the most able pupils make good, and sometimes rapid, progress. Lesson observations and leaders’ checks on learning show that when these pupils are not set off to work at the right time their learning slows.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language usually make good and sometimes rapid progress, but sometimes when feedback does not pick up on key errors in their written work, such as those in pupils’ use of tenses, their learning slows.  Work in pupils’ books shows that, over time, pupils make good gains in their learning. Their writing

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The achievement of pupils is good

develops in vocabulary, structure and length and pupils’ ability to tackle increasingly difficult calculations improve well over time.

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The early years provision is good

 Children enter Reception with skills which are broadly typical, but which are sometimes weaker in literacy and communication in particular. Current Year 2 pupils entered Reception with a notable proportion of pupils displaying weaker skills in a range of areas, including literacy and number.  They make good progress in Reception and leave well prepared for learning in Key Stage 1. In 2014, the proportion of children who achieved a good level of development was above average. This represented an improvement on 2013. This improvement was as a result of efforts by school leaders and support from the local authority to improve the quality of teaching in this phase. In addition, more children left Reception in 2014 having both achieved, and exceeded, the early learning goals in literacy and mathematics than in 2013.  Teaching in Reception classes is good. Children are well supported in their learning. They have many

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The early years provision is good

opportunities to apply their phonics skills in writing words and simple sentences. They learn to count and sort groups of objects, as well as to recognise and write numerals. Children were seen successfully using resources to support their take away calculations. Impressively, they were able to successfully write and explain in words calculations such as seven take away two.  Children learn well both indoors and outdoors. They are given good opportunities to make choices and to manage risks. Their physical development, art and technology skills are promoted well. Children share and discuss their experiences as part of end of day activities. These are particularly helpful in supporting children’s good personal, social and emotional development, with teachers supporting children to resolve any minor problems quickly.  Very occasionally, when children work on their own, adults leave them for too long without checking on

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The early years provision is good

their learning or moving them on. This slows the learning of a few children.  Current leadership systems in Reception are effective. Reception teachers work closely with the assessment leader to check on children’s progress and to monitor provision. They have a clear idea about strengths and weaknesses in this phase, recognising the need to narrow the gaps between children with special educational needs, disadvantaged children and others. They have put in place appropriate support to tackle this.  Children listen attentively and behave well. They play well together, often helping one another to pack away or put coats on. Relationships between children from a range of backgrounds are positive.  Children say that they feel safe and parents support this view. Adults help to keep children safe through careful supervision and quick responses to any disagreements. They are appropriately trained and logs of

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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 114556 Local authority Brighton and Hove Inspection number 453276

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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 4−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 466 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Christine Bartley Headteacher Trevor Cristin Date of previous school inspection 2−3 December 2009 Telephone number 01273 294800 Fax number 01273 294802 Email address admin@st-andrews.brighton-hove.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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