St Paul's CofE Primary School, Leamington Spa

St Paul's CofE Primary School, Leamington Spa Upper Holly Walk, Leamington Spa, CV32 4JZ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Good 2

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Leaders, managers and governors have not ensured that teaching and pupils’ achievement are consistently good.  Governors have not understood that the school is not doing well enough. Only recently have they given attention to how effectively additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and for sport are used.  Many new leaders have not yet had enough impact on school improvement.  The school's website does not include all of the information it should.  The behaviour of some pupils, especially in Key Stage 2, is not good. Although pupils follow the school’s code of conduct well, too many do not take care with handwriting and the presentation of their work.  Teaching over time has not been good enough to ensure that all pupils make enough progress. Improvements are being made but are too recent to be completely effective.  Year 6 pupils did not achieve well in the 2014 national assessments. Their attainment was below

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

average and this represented slow progress. Expectations for what pupils can achieve are not always high enough.  Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve well enough. Although many are now starting to do better, some are still behind their peers.  The quality of writing is not good enough. Pupils make many mistakes in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Some leavers are not well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children in the early years make good progress. They are prepared well for Year 1.  Pupils follow school rules and move around the school safely. They treat each other and visitors with respect and courtesy. They like school.  The school provides a wide range of clubs, activities and trips that support and extend pupils’ learning.  Pupils know about different cultures and are developing a good understanding of tolerance and respect.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed parts of 22 lessons, four of them jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ books and the school’s assessments in order to gather evidence of pupils’ progress and the quality of teachers’ feedback. They heard some pupils in Years 1 and 2 read.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils, members of staff, and several representatives of the governing body. They also had a discussion with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors gathered the views of 152 parents and carers through the online questionnaire, Parent View. In addition, inspectors spoke with parents and carers on the school premises and received some letters from parents.  The inspectors considered the 38 questionnaires completed by members of staff.  The inspection team reviewed school documents, including school policies, checks on how well the school is doing, and its improvement plans.

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Inspection team

David Bray, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The early years provision consists of a part-time Nursery class and a full-time Reception class.  The large majority of pupils are White British. Others come from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through pupil premium funding is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding for disadvantaged pupils.  The school does not meet the current government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school has experienced significant changes in leadership at all levels since the last inspection. These include a new headteacher, acting deputy headteacher, and leaders of subjects. Several members of the

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Information about this school

governing body are new and the Chair of The Governing Body has only recently been elected to this role.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teaching is consistently good or better and pupils make at least good progress by:  improving teachers’ and pupils’ expectations for the use of grammar, punctuation and spelling across the school so that more pupils write accurately and effectively, and older pupils are better prepared for the next stage of their education  making sure that expectations for pupils’ presentation of work, including the quality of handwriting, are clearly understood and that older pupils take more pride in their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Leaders, managers and governors should:  make sure that the action taken to improve teaching and pupils’ achievement is followed through and fully evaluated to secure improvement  check carefully how effectively the pupil premium funding is used and take swift action to ensure that disadvantaged pupils catch up with their peers  carry out an evaluation of what impact the use of extra sports funding is having on pupils’ participation and attitudes to sport  update the school's website to meet all statutory requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance and the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how these aspects of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have not established a culture throughout the school where teaching and pupils’ positive attitudes to learning are sustained year-on-year. Although leaders at all levels are currently leading improvements, many actions are too recent to have had a positive impact. This is mainly because many leaders are new to their roles.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Although school leaders have made the improvement of grammar, punctuation and spelling a priority, some pupils are still not taking enough care with their work. Some pupils’ writing, especially in Key Stage 2, is not accurate enough. This means they are not prepared sufficiently for the next stage of their education.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Disadvantaged pupils are improving the standard of their work but not all of them are yet making enough progress. This is because some still have much catching up to do. Leaders have planned the use of pupil premium funding but have not evaluated carefully how well recent strategies for improvement are working.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Some parents who responded to Parent View indicated that they would not recommend the school and that it was not well led or managed. However, the school has recently completed a similar survey and this shows a much more positive response with a very similar number of returns made. Some parents wrote to inspectors because they were not able to make comments on Parent View. All of these letters highlighted their positive experiences of the school. The small number of parents spoken to during the inspection also expressed positive views about the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher, leaders of subjects and governors know that improvement is urgent. Priorities have been clearly identified, expectations for improvements are rapid and all staff understand what needs to be done. School leaders ensure that teachers are given appropriate targets for their work. As a result, the teaching of reading and mathematics has improved in a short space of time.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The gap between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and others is narrowing. The headteacher has taken on the responsibility of managing the provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. These pupils are now doing better. These recent improvements reflect the school’s commitment to securing equal opportunities and tackling discrimination.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The arrangements to promote positive behaviour are strong. Pupils are happy at the school; they comply with the code of conduct and are respectful. Despite this, some do not take sufficient care over the presentation of their work.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders understand that rapid improvements are needed in order to reverse the decline in attainment and progress. The school’s plans for development are ambitious. Already, many aspects have improved. The most-able pupils are doing much better than they were and are now tackling work that is stretching them.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have prioritised the accurate assessment of pupils’ progress. This practice includes external comparison of work and checking by the local authority. The school has started to plan the introduction of changes to the curriculum and the ways that teachers will assess pupils’ performance linked to the new curriculum. This is aimed at ensuring that pupils develop the higher level of skills and knowledge they require.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils are taught a wide range of subjects and they have good opportunities to think about and discuss important ideas. They study aspects of different religions and explore topics, such as the Romans. This helps them to deepen their understanding and knowledge of cultural and religious diversity.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 There is a good range of additional clubs, activities and trips. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is developed well through lessons and assemblies. Pupils regularly reflect on particular ideas in assembly and respond well to these opportunities. This helps them to understand that people have different faiths and to show good levels of tolerance and respect. They are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has used additional sports funding to provide a good range of extra training opportunities for participation in a wider range of sports and higher expectations for what can be achieved. However, leaders have not evaluated the effectiveness of provision sufficiently.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements. The school maintains thorough safeguarding records and policies. School leaders and members of staff have received regular training in child protection and safeguarding so that they can fulfil their safeguarding responsibilities. Pupils say that they feel safe in school, and staff and parents agree.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has provided effective support and advice to the school and governors. It acted quickly when results declined in 2014. It has helped the school to identify the urgency of improvements needed and has provided well-focused guidance.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governance requires improvement because governors have only recently understood that the school is not performing well enough. There have been some recent, significant, changes in governance. These including a recently appointed Chair of the Governing Body. The governors have responded to the drop in results in 2014 positively and are now much more aware of the need to provide sufficient challenge for school leaders. As a result, governors understand the school's priorities and the need to improve the effectiveness of their work. Governors have recently held a meeting with parents in order to make it clear that the school needs to improve and to inform them of how this will happen.  Governors have not made all of the required information available to parents that they should. For example, some information relating to pupils’ achievement is not on the school’s website. Governors

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The leadership and management requires improvement

have provided a good level of support and ensured the school recovers from a recent funding deficit. They know about the amount of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and sports. However, the impact of spending is not evaluated well enough.  Governors are starting to be informed about teachers’ performance and whether teachers merit increases in pay. They review policies regularly, including those related to safeguarding. Governors are starting to develop an understanding of changes to the curriculum and assessment requirements. They are now asking for clearer information about how much progress pupils are making and how well pupils are taught.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Some pupils, particularly older ones, do not take enough care over the presentation of their work. As a result, their work is untidy, has too many errors and their handwriting is not legible. This means that they are not prepared well for the next stage of their learning in secondary school.

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Behaviour

 Pupils understand the school’s code of conduct very well. They know what behaviour is expected. As a result, they listen quietly in lessons, move around the school carefully and are considerate to each other.

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Behaviour

 Pupils get on well together in the playground; they share resources and play cooperatively.

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Behaviour

 There is a good atmosphere of tolerance in the school. Pupils understand what it means to hold to a particular faith, but they have respect for different faiths. They are interested in different beliefs.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are respectful in assembly. They listen well to adults and participate in prayer and reflection.

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Behaviour

 Pupils look after the school environment. There is very little litter and no graffiti. Pupils are proud of the school.  The school keeps records of any behavioural incidents and promotes positive behaviour though rewards.

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Behaviour

 Attendance is average and the school has good arrangements to promote attendance.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Safeguarding arrangements meet all statutory requirements. Checks are carried out to ensure that the school site is safe, that trips are managed safely and equipment is safe.

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Safety

 Pupils have a good awareness of different types of bullying, including the use of racist and other abusive terms. Pupils spoken to said bullying did not exist in the school. They feel there is no name-calling and that different groups of pupils get on well with each other. They feel confident that if they discussed any concerns with an adult, they would be dealt with effectively.

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Safety

 Pupils have a good awareness of the need to keep safe when using the internet. They say that they have received good advice on how to use roads safely and keep themselves safe in situations outside school.

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Safety

 The school works well with other agencies when there are any safeguarding concerns about children.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because expectations are not always high enough, including those for the presentation of work. Consequently, some pupils do not take enough care over how their work looks, or for the legibility of their handwriting. This is an improvement priority for the school and younger pupils are taking more care. Some older pupils, however, are not.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although it has improved, the teaching of writing is still not effective enough. Pupils are starting to understand how they should write well across subjects. For example, many older pupils are using writing skills effectively in science lessons. However, too many pupils are still making regular mistakes in their use of grammar, punctuation and spelling. This means that some older pupils are not ready for the next stage of their education.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Despite extra individual support, some disadvantaged pupils have not caught up with their peers because they had previously fallen too far behind. Teachers are increasingly aware of the need to cater for different groups of pupils, such as those who are disadvantaged.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers assess pupils’ work regularly and pupils are starting to experience similar approaches across classes. They say they find this helpful. Teachers often give clear feedback to pupils on how to improve their work. These improvements are still too recent, however, to have had a strong, positive impact on the progress of some pupils who have previously fallen behind.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Reading was identified by school leaders as a priority for improvement. The school’s assessments of reading show a significant improvement. The teaching of reading is now good. Younger pupils develop a secure understanding of how to sound out letters and older pupils read fluently. The teaching of reading is systematic throughout the school and pupils are developing a good understanding of a range of texts. Pupils regularly participate in reading activities which develops their reading and comprehension skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The school has responded positively to disappointing outcomes in the 2014 national assessments. This response includes identifying clear priorities for improvement, revising the school’s calculation policy, and providing mathematics training and support for teachers. The school’s current assessment data, and work seen during the inspection, indicate that progress in mathematics is now much better. The teaching of mathematics is now good and most pupils are making good progress in the subject.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Leaders have ensured that teachers raise their expectations for how well the most-able pupils should achieve. The school’s data and work seen show that a higher proportion of these pupils are on track to achieve the higher National Curriculum levels in the 2015 national tests.  Teachers have a good understanding of the subjects and topics they teach. They understand and use the school’s code of conduct well. The use of rewards is effective. Teachers are able to develop positive relationships with pupils and, as a result, pupils are respectful and appreciative.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants provide good support for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. This helps them make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, Year 6 pupils achieved below-average results in the national assessments for reading, mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling. Attainment in writing was average. Results were below government floor standards. This followed a decline in the previous year. Year 2 pupils attained average results in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Current school data and the work seen during the inspection show that the attainment and progress of pupils across different classes in the school are better, although they still require improvement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The quality of writing requires improvement. This is because pupils are still not giving sufficient attention to grammar, punctuation or spelling. This is especially the case for some older pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 were two terms behind others in the school in writing. They were two and a half terms behind their classmates in mathematics. In reading, they were a term behind. Disadvantaged pupils were three and a half terms behind pupils nationally in mathematics, and two and a half terms behind in reading. In writing, they were a term behind pupils nationally.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 School data and work seen during the inspection show that disadvantaged pupils are starting to make better progress, across all year groups. This has been a key priority for school leaders. Although most pupils are doing better, some are not, because the extra support provided is relatively recent and they had previously fallen too far behind.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, the most-able pupils did not achieve as well as they should. Teachers have received additional training and support, and are regularly setting more challenging work and increasing their expectations of what these pupils can achieve. Many of the most-able pupils are now achieving higher National curriculum levels as a result.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Younger pupils make a good start in learning how to link letters and sounds (phonics). Throughout the school, pupils have regular opportunities to read and they look at a range of different texts. The school is currently developing the quality of the library resources. Older pupils have a good understanding of different texts and are able to develop empathy with characters.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Improving progress in mathematics is a key priority for the school. Extra training, support and resources have resulted in teachers having a clearer understanding of what pupils should be expected to achieve. The school has introduced a revised calculation policy, and this has led to the development of better skills and an increase in the pupils’ confidence. As a result, the work seen during the inspection and the school’s data show that most pupils are currently making good progress in this subject.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are currently making good progress. The school has invested a significant amount of time and effort to ensure that the teachers’ expectations for the progress of this group have improved.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years provision is good because teaching is consistently better than in other years in the school. Good links are made between the activities that children can choose and the skills they learn in reading, writing and mathematics. Information about what children know and understand is recorded regularly and used to plan appropriate activities. These meet their specific learning needs.

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The early years provision is good

 Children start in the early years with knowledge and skills typical for their ages. At the end of Reception in 2014, the proportion of children assessed by the school as reaching a good level of development was well below average. A review by the local authority in September 2014 showed that these assessments had been moderated wrongly for two consecutive years and that children were actually doing far better than this. Revised assessments show that children were much closer to the national average and observations during the inspection, along with school records, confirm that they are making good progress.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership of the early years is good. The early years leader supports staff in planning children’s learning. Assessment information is comprehensively recorded, despite a period of confusion caused by previously inaccurate checks on the school’s assessments.

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The early years provision is good

 Behaviour is good. Children quickly settle into the routines of the Nursery and Reception classes. They learn to pay attention and know how to behave well. Children know how to keep themselves safe and they behave well in the outside area. They use apparatus sensibly.

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The early years provision is good

 Parents and carers get good information on how to support their children’s learning and are increasingly involved in assessments of their children’s progress.

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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 125701 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 456293

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 354 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Charlie Crow Headteacher Matthew Bown Date of previous school inspection 8 November 2011 Telephone number 01926 425361 Fax number 01926 425460 Email address Admin3371@we-learn.com 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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