Long Ditton St Mary's CofE (Aided) Junior School

School report Long Ditton St Mary's CofE (Aided) Junior School Sugden Road, Surbiton, KT7 0AD

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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

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

 Pupils’ achievement is varied and certain groups, such as the more able and pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, do not do as well as they could.  Teaching is inconsistent. Some teachers’ expectations of pupils are too low. As a result, pupils are not always regularly given work that stretches them to do their best.  Pupils are not given the opportunity to build on what they have learnt over time. Lessons do not build on what has been taught before.  Pupils have too few opportunities in lessons to act on the guidance given by their teachers to improve their work.  Time and resources, such as teaching assistants, are not always used effectively to help pupils make progress.  Patterns of pupils’ behaviour are tracked and pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, but school leaders do not analyse their work effectively.  In lessons that do not fully engage pupils, their behaviour sometimes disrupts learning for others.

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

 Senior leaders do not set teachers’ targets with sufficient rigour to speed up the rate of school improvement.  The roles of other leaders are developing; however, they are not having enough impact on improving teaching and learning.  Leaders focus too much on what teachers do when reviewing the quality of teaching. They do not analyse closely enough the impact teaching has on pupils’ progress.  The governing body recognises that there is room for improvement at the school. However, they do not hold school leaders fully to account for raising standards at the school quickly enough.  Leaders, including governors, have not analysed precisely enough how effective their use of the pupil premium grant has been in narrowing the gap for disadvantaged pupils. Gaps in these pupils’ attainment are not consistently closing.

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The school has the following strengths

 Teaching in some classes is of a very high standard. Pupils achieve much better in these classes.  Elements of the curriculum are taught well, for example physical education, science and art.  Citizenship is promoted effectively at the school. There are strong links with schools in the United Kingdom and Uganda. This helps ensure pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The headteacher provides caring and supportive leadership. Staff are committed to do the best for pupils, and develop excellent links with parents who think very highly of the school.  Pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs receive good provision and achieve well.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and their attendance is improving.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed learning in 15 lessons across a range of subjects, as well as an assembly. Four lessons were observed with the headteacher, and one with the deputy headteacher. The inspectors observed playtimes and pupils’ behaviour around the school. They analysed pupils’ work, talked with pupils and listened to some pupils read.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, subject leaders and three members of the governing body. The lead inspector spoke to a representative from the local authority on the telephone.  Inspectors looked closely at school documentation, including minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s analysis of how well it is doing, its improvement plan and reports from the headteacher to the governing body. Inspectors also reviewed the school’s own data about pupils’ current achievement and the school’s behaviour logs.  Inspectors took account of 74 responses from parents to the online questionnaire, Parent View. They also

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Information about this inspection

had informal conversations with some parents at the beginning of the school day and considered three letters from parents. The inspectors analysed 25 responses to the staff questionnaire provided by Ofsted.

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Inspection team

Matthew Barnes, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Long Ditton St Mary’s Church of England Junior School is smaller than average in size. There are six classes from Year 3 to Year 6.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after, is below average.  The majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average and represents just under a third of the school roll. The highest representative groups, other than White British, are of Romany and Gypsy heritage or any other White background.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is much lower than average. However, the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement is almost double the national average.  The school meets the current floor standards, which set the government’s minimum expectations for

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching, so that it is consistently good, by: − increasing teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve and always setting work that is hard enough for pupils − ensuring teachers plan work that builds on what pupils already know − making effective use of time and resources, such as other adults, in all lessons − giving pupils more opportunities in lessons to act upon the advice given to them in their teachers’ marking, so that their progress is more rapid.  Improve pupils’ achievement, including more-able pupils, disadvantaged pupils and pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, so that it is consistently good or better.  Improve pupils’ behaviour and safety by:  ensuring all teachers’ have the same high expectations of behaviour to ensure that all pupils are always fully committed to their learning  ensuring pupils show consistently good attitudes to their work  rigorously analysing behaviour and safety over time so that leaders know how effective their work is in

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

these areas.  Improve leadership and management by: − strengthening the rigour of leaders’ checks on teaching so that leaders focus more on pupils’ learning − making better use of the skills of other leaders, including subject leaders, so that they have more impact on the quality of teaching and learning across the school − ensuring leaders at all levels set high expectations, including through the targets they set for staff − ensuring governors challenge leaders more effectively − making sure leaders analyse the effectiveness of pupil premium funding more rigorously. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management can be improved. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management can be improved.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The leadership and management require improvement because they have not led to consistently good teaching or achievement. Some improvements in attainment over time and in attendance indicate that the school has the capacity to improve further.  The headteacher has given some useful feedback to teachers about what they are doing in lessons. However, feedback has not been sharply enough focused on the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress in lessons and over time. This means, at times, leaders’ evaluations of the effectiveness of teaching are over generous.  School leaders carry out regular checks on pupils’ progress. However, leaders are not using the information well enough to identify where pupils are not making enough progress.  Since the last inspection, the school has worked hard to develop the skills of other leaders, such as subject leaders. However, they still do not play a full part in improving the school, especially in checking and

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The leadership and management require improvement

improving the quality of teaching and learning in their subject areas.  Much of the curriculum is taught through topics, which pupils particularly enjoy. Enrichment activities, such as re-enacting battle scenes, are used to celebrate pupils’ work with their parents. There are strong links with other schools within the Thames Ditton area, as well as in Southampton and Uganda. Through well-planned experiences and assemblies, pupils have opportunities to explore and appreciate different faiths and cultures, and this prepares them well for life in modern Britain.  The headteacher, through his warm and supportive leadership, has established a strong sense of community at the school. Staff appreciate the support they are given and are committed to the school and enjoy working there. Positive relationships are fostered and so pupils from all backgrounds play and learn collaboratively. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is supported well as a result.

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The leadership and management require improvement

Discrimination is not tolerated at any level. Leaders promote equal opportunities effectively.  Sport funding has been used effectively. The school employs a high-quality sports coach to teach physical education and promote active engagement in sport. Teaching and support staff benefit from developing their own practice by working alongside the coach. This has led to an increase in the clubs that are available to pupils at the school. Participation rates are high and the clubs are often full. Excellence in sport is promoted well, as reflected in the school’s recent success in the local authority dodge-ball competition.  Provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good. The special educational needs coordinator has a very good understanding of the needs of pupils on the register and how well they are doing. She analyses carefully the difference interventions have on progress and changes

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The leadership and management require improvement

what these pupils receive if necessary. This has ensured that disabled pupils and those who have special education needs make good progress.  The local authority has recently worked with school leaders to look at how effectively the school is using the pupil premium grant. Although they rightly identified a number of strengths in how the money has been used, they did not help leaders evaluate what impact these were having on the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. Inspectors’ analysis revealed that the gaps in attainment for many pupils currently in the school are now closing.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements. All staff receive regular and relevant training. Checks on the suitability of staff and volunteers are systematic and rigorous. School leaders work effectively with families who find it more challenging to engage with the school. This has helped to improve attendance.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The support of the local authority has been variable. This has improved significantly since January 2015. The consultant currently working at the school has given useful feedback to leaders about the quality of provision at the school.  School leaders work effectively with the cluster of schools in their area. They also appreciate the support they receive from the Diocese of Guildford.  The governance of the school:  Governance at the school varies in its effectiveness. Governors are committed to making Long Ditton St Mary’s a good school. They have a wealth of expertise and carry out their duties with the aim of providing relevant and useful challenge for school leaders. However, governors have been too easily convinced by the reasons given by leaders about why the school does not compare well statistically with other similar schools. This has allowed expectations to remain too low and has not ensured that

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The leadership and management require improvement

improvements have been rapid enough.  Minutes of meetings, including those following committee meetings, show that governors ask for information about the performance of teachers and how this relates to pay. Governors believe the quality of teaching is better than it actually is because they have not been rigorous enough in checking what they have been told by leaders. They have not ensured that targets for teachers are challenging enough to bring about more rapid improvement.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. In lessons where pupils are not sufficiently challenged, or time is wasted, low-level disruption prevents pupils from making as much progress as they could.  Where expectations are lower, pupils do not try as hard to do their work. Too often they rely on the guidance of adults because they are not expected to think for themselves and too much is done for them. In lessons where expectations are higher, it is very different. In these lessons pupils are very focused and learn well.  Behaviour is not managed consistently well. At times, pupils play too boisterously together at break times and this is not picked up and tackled well enough by staff. Similarly, in some lessons, teachers and support staff do not manage behaviour effectively.  At other times, staff manage behaviour exceptionally well because they have very high standards and expect every child to show the same level of commitment to their work. However, this is not consistent

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Behaviour

enough across the school.  Pupils are confident, articulate and generally well mannered. The relationships among pupils and between pupils and adults are positive. Pupils enjoy the responsibilities they are given. They make positive contributions to the life of the school through discussions they have with governors. School leaders also promote making a wider contribution to the community, such as raising and donating money for local charities.  Leaders do not sufficiently check trends in behaviour. They are not able, therefore, to assess the effectiveness of what they do to improve the behaviour of pupils over time.  There have been no exclusions at the school over the last three years.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure requires improvement.  School leaders have provided useful opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding of safety. For example, through assemblies and the organisation of talks from external speakers, pupils are taught about road, rail and water safety. Pupils are aware of the risks they face when using the internet. However, leaders do not sufficiently analyse the impact of their work on pupils’ understanding of safety.  Attendance is improving and is now close to the national average. Some groups of pupils still have poorer attendance than is typical for similar pupils nationally. However, good work has been done by school leaders to engage those who are persistently absent. As a result, several low attenders are now more enthusiastic about coming to school.  Pupils told inspectors that they like coming to school and feel safe. They have a good understanding of

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Safety

the different forms of bullying, including cyber bullying. Discriminatory language is exceptionally rare. Staff ensure that pupils understand the importance of treating people with respect.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching across the school is variable and not yet consistently good. It requires improvement because, in too many lessons, teachers’ expectations of what pupils will achieve are too low. This means that work does not always sufficiently challenge pupils and so they do not make as much progress as they could.  Lessons do not always help pupils to develop their understanding or improve their skills over time. Lessons often skip from one concept to another. This means marking is not always as effective as it could be. Too often, pupils do not get the time they need to make the improvements to their work that teachers have suggested.  In some lessons teachers give pupils more guidance than is needed and not enough time to apply what they have learnt. As a result, pupils do not have to think enough for themselves and are not able to complete their work independently.  When expectations are higher, pupils make exceptionally good progress. In these lessons, far more is

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

expected from the pupils themselves. For example, in a Years 5 and 6 mathematics lesson, pupils were encouraged to reason about the patterns they were investigating. Pupils used different methods to solve the problems for themselves, all of which were valued. The teacher then questioned pupils effectively to promote high quality discussion with their peers. This allowed pupils to deepen their understanding of the concepts being taught because they were expected to think it through for themselves.  Teaching assistants and other adults are not always used effectively. Some teach individuals or small groups effectively under the guidance of the special educational needs coordinator. These sessions help pupils who have a wide range of needs learn well. However, in some lessons, teaching assistants are less clear about what is expected of them and so they do not support learning as effectively as they could.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of reading has some strengths and is better developed than the teaching of writing and mathematics. Pupils enjoy reading and use these skills well across subjects. There is a good range of books in the library, which pupils enjoy using. They read widely, often and for pleasure.  The teaching of mathematics varies in its effectiveness. Pupils are taught in groups with pupils of similar abilities. This is more effective for the more able pupils in Years 5 and 6, who are extended and make good progress. However, mathematics is taught less well in other ability groups. Here, pupils do not do as well as they could because work is not always matched well enough to their needs.  The teaching of writing is not always as effective as it could be. Although pupils are given regular opportunities to review their own and others’ work, they have too few chances to write at length and to edit their work following feedback from their teachers. New approaches for teaching writing introduced by

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

leaders have had some success, but this has been varied and more effective where teaching is stronger.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils do not always make as much progress as they could from the time they enter the school to the end of Year 6. This is because teaching is too variable and too many lessons do not allow pupils to make good progress.  While the achievement of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is improving, gaps in attainment with other pupils in the school are not consistently closing. Compared to other pupils nationally, these pupils attained levels at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014 that were over five terms behind in reading and writing and nearly four terms behind in mathematics. They were also four terms behind their peers at the school in reading and writing and three terms behind in mathematics. Current information at the school shows that progress for disadvantaged pupils is accelerating, particularly in Years 3 and 4.  Pupils attain broadly average results by the time they leave the school. There has been a steady

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

improvement in results since 2011, although there was a slight dip in 2014. School data suggest that results will improve again in 2015.  Pupils achieve better in reading than they do in writing and mathematics. Work to improve achievement in writing has had some impact, although there is still more work to be done as the impact of this work varies across year groups.  Work seen in pupils’ books demonstrates that pupils make reasonable gains in literacy and numeracy skills across the school. The standard of their work in some classes, where teaching is more effective, is often higher. Similarly, the pride that pupils take in their work varies and is better in some classes than in others.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs often make good progress. Interventions that are coordinated by the special educational needs coordinator are effective. As a result, these pupils often make rapid gains in their reading, writing and mathematical skills.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 More-able pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Many make reasonable progress across Key Stage 2. However, they rarely make better than expected progress, despite their ability. This means fewer reach the higher levels than should.  Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds also make variable progress. Where teaching is stronger, they make much better progress. Conversely, where teaching requires improvement, their rates of progress are much more varied.

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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 125180 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 461195

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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 aided Age range of pupils 7−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 161 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Barry Fairbank Headteacher Mr David Gumbrell Date of previous school inspection 17−18 October 2012 Telephone number 02083981070 Fax number 02083983720 Email address head@stmarys-surbiton.surrey.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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