Deeping St James Community Primary School

Deeping St James Community Primary School Hereward Way, Deeping St James, Peterborough, PE6 8PZ

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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 Good 2 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, including governors, have not ensured that teaching enables pupils to achieve well and reach the standards they are capable of by the end of Year 6.  Leaders’ evaluations of the quality of teaching do not sufficiently take into account its impact on pupils’ achievement over time.  Leaders of different subjects do not have enough influence in improving teaching and learning.  Governors have not thoroughly questioned leaders about pupils’ achievement in Years 1 to 6, or checked that it builds successfully on the good achievement seen in the early years.  Although pupils are kept safe and feel safe in school, some statutory safeguarding policies have not been checked by the governing body.  The management of teachers’ performance does not ensure teaching is consistently good or better.  Teachers do not always have high expectations of what pupils can achieve.  Teachers do not always use the information about

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

what pupils already know to set work at the right level so pupils make the very best progress they can, especially those most able.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply their writing skills in different subjects or to develop their problem-solving skills in mathematics.  Teachers do not do enough to ensure that pupils’ grammar, punctuation and spelling are accurate.  Marking does not consistently help pupils to improve their work.  The school website does not include all the information it should.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leaders have taken action which is making a difference to the quality of teaching.  Teaching in the early years is good, resulting in good achievement.  Behaviour is good. Pupils enjoy coming to school and have good attitudes towards their learning.  Attendance is above average.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is developed effectively through well- planned activities and visits .  Opportunities for music, drama and sport are notable strengths of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited eight lessons and a number of other school activities. Several lesson observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors also looked in detail at the work in pupils’ books and heard several pupils read.  Planned and informal discussions were held with pupils throughout the inspection.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, staff, five members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 43 responses to the online questionnaire for parents, Parent View, and spoke to several parents during the inspection. Account was also taken of the nine responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including the school’s own information about pupils’ progress and minutes of meetings of the governing body. They also took account of records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Lois Furness, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 In this average-sized primary school, almost all pupils are White British.  The children in Reception attend on a full-time basis.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below the national average. The pupil premium provides additional funding for disadvantaged pupils: those who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average.  In 2014, the school met the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  A new teacher was appointed in September 2014 to cover the maternity leave of one of the assistant headteachers. A temporary assistant headteacher has been appointed during this leave of absence.  On site is ‘Jimmy D’s’ playgroup and after-school club. This setting is not managed by the school and

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Information about this school

receives its own inspection report, which is published on the Ofsted website.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and so raise pupils’ achievement in Years 1 to 6 by ensuring that:  all teachers have the highest expectations of what pupils are capable of achieving  teachers set work at the right level to ensure that pupils, especially the most able, make good progress  pupils are given regular opportunities to apply their writing skills in other subjects, and to develop their problem-solving skills in mathematics  teachers give appropriate emphasis to improving pupils’ punctuation, grammar and spelling skills  marking gives pupils clear guidance on what they need to do to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that leaders:  urgently ensure that all safeguarding policies are approved by the governing body  base their evaluations of teaching more closely on evidence of pupils’ progress over time  provide subject leaders with the training they need to become more effective in improving pupils’ achievement in their areas of responsibility  improve systems for managing the performance of teachers  organise training for governors so they develop the skills they need to hold leaders to account for pupils’ achievement.  ensure the school website meets statutory requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders including governors have not ensured that teaching is consistently good and have not sustained the good achievement seen at the time of the last inspection. Leaders have too positive a view of the school’s overall effectiveness. This is because they do not consider carefully enough the impact of teaching on the progress and attainment over time of pupils in Years 1 to 6, particularly those who are most-able.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders of different subjects in the main part of the school do not always lead improvement in their subjects effectively. They do not always review the quality of work in pupils’ books carefully enough or check how well pupils are making progress. In contrast, leadership in the early years is good. The early years leader has a good knowledge of the strengths and areas for improvement in the early years. She has been effective in ensuring that children make good progress in the Reception class.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Systems for managing teachers’ performance are in place but objectives are not linked closely enough to the national Teachers’ Standards. Consequently, the arrangements for performance management have not been sufficiently effective in ensuring consistently good teaching throughout school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has recognised the need for improvement and actions have been taken. For example, since September 2014, the mathematics leader has introduced a new way of assessing pupils’ progress in mathematics and has reduced the use of worksheets in Years 1 and 2. The English subject leader has ensured that all pupils have more opportunities for writing and given greater emphasis to improving pupils’ grammar, punctuation and spelling skills. Already improvements can be seen and standards are improving. However, there has been insufficient time for these measures to make a significant difference to pupils’ achievement in all year groups.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school tackles discrimination and fosters good relationships, but such action does not yet promote equality of opportunity for all groups of pupils, as there is insufficient support for the most able. The pupil premium is used appropriately to provide disadvantaged pupils with extra help. Whilst the progress of these pupils is improving, as for other pupils, it requires further improvement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Safeguarding procedures are effective and pupils are kept safe, although governors have not maintained all necessary documentation. For example, the safeguarding policy, which incorporates the latest information about keeping children safe, has not yet been ratified by the governing body. The school website is not up to date and does not include the necessary statutory information about the curriculum, or the specific amount or use of sport and pupil premium funding.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 In the past, the local authority has not challenged leaders enough about pupils’ achievement at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. However, the new adviser working with the school has informed leaders that pupils’ performance in 2014 required improvement, and has also identified that the work in pupils’ books should be better.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good. As a result, they are making good progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school provides pupils with a broad and rich curriculum. Provision for music is outstanding. There are two choirs, and over a half of the pupils in the school play a musical instrument. The ‘Band’, which involves pupils from five other local primary schools, is especially impressive. Sport is also a strength of the school and pupils regularly take part in competitive sports. The Years 5 and 6 swimming team came second in the Lincolnshire Games, and the tennis team got through to the county finals. Drama and choral speaking are other strong elements of the enrichment opportunities.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The primary sports funding is used appropriately to employ specialist coaches to support teachers in teaching physical education. This has resulted in high-quality sports lessons, good professional development of staff and good encouragement for pupils to join local sports clubs.  Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development effectively. British values are also promoted well. Staff teach pupils about their rights and responsibilities, and provision is further enhanced through the many visits and visitors which the school organises. Pupils learn about other faiths and cultures, and have made links with an ethnically diverse school in Peterborough. This helps prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders and staff have created a calm, positive and purposeful learning environment for pupils. This results in pupils’ good behaviour and attitudes, their willingness to learn, and their regular attendance.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school works well with parents. All parents spoken with during the inspection, and almost all of those who responded to the online questionnaire, expressed a high degree of satisfaction with the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school works in close partnership with other local schools to identify common areas of concern and agree policies; for example, to ensure good attendance.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors understand the importance of their role in providing both support and challenge but have not analysed the information the school holds on pupils’ attainment and progress closely enough to do this effectively. This means that governors do not provide the necessary level of challenge to leaders to hold them to account for pupils’ performance.  Governors know about performance management, that staff have targets and that pay awards are reliant on the achievement of these targets. However, they have not checked that teachers’ targets are properly linked to the national Teachers’ Standards.  The budget is managed well and governors know how funding such as the pupil premium and sports funding is used.  Governors do not ensure that all statutory duties are met in relation to safeguarding documentation or the school website. However, governors do make sure that the curriculum promotes tolerance and

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The leadership and management requires improvement

respect, and prepares young people for life in modern British society.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Parents, staff and pupils agree that the behaviour of most pupils is typically good.

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Behaviour

 Pupils behave very sensibly around the school. This includes when moving around corridors, during lunch and at break times. Pupils take on many jobs around the school and every Year 6 pupil has a responsibility. For example, pupils help the office staff, and some are responsible for setting up the hall for assemblies. Playground leaders organise games for younger pupils at lunchtimes.

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Behaviour

 The school records show that there are few significant behavioural incidents and exclusions are rare. The very few pupils with behavioural difficulties are managed sensitively and effectively by members of staff.

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Behaviour

 Attendance is above average. Efficient systems ensure that pupils attend regularly and punctuality is good.

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Behaviour

 Although most pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning, pupils become fidgety and they lose concentration when teaching fails to hold their interest. When this happens, it slows pupils’ learning.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The site is secure and risk assessments are thorough. Safeguarding procedures are understood thoroughly by all staff.

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Safety

 Personal, social and health education has a high profile and staff ensure that pupils’ emotional well-being is catered for well. This results in pupils saying they feel safe, and parents overwhelmingly agree with this view.  Pupils know how to keep safe and are knowledgeable about water safety, road safety and safe cycling, for example. The school helps pupils to be vigilant about the dangers of internet abuse and cyber-bullying.

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Safety

 Pupils’ understanding of bullying is promoted well through assemblies and the school’s well-organised programme of personal, social and health education. Pupils know that bullying may take different forms. They do not feel that it is an issue in school, because pupils treat each other with respect.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because over time it has not been good enough to ensure pupils make good progress and achieve well.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Information about what pupils can do is not used well enough to make sure that pupils of all abilities are fully stretched. In mathematics, teaching in Years 1 and 2 lacks challenge and limits the development of pupils’ skills. In writing, in particular, many tasks are the same or very similar for pupils regardless of their different abilities. This restricts pupils’ progress, especially for the most able.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling is improving but teachers do not ensure that pupils apply these skills consistently in their work. Expectations regarding the quality of pupils’ written work are not consistently high enough. Inaccuracies persist for some pupils because teachers do not remind them of their expectations. Once they have learnt a new skill – for example, the correct use of apostrophes – pupils have too few opportunities to apply it in their independent writing.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 New advice given by the mathematics leader about the teaching and assessing of mathematics are contributing to more effective teaching. However, teachers are not always using assessment information to plan the next steps in pupils’ learning. This means that pupils’ errors and misconceptions sometimes go uncorrected and pupils are moved on to harder work without their misunderstandings being rectified. Teaching focuses well on the learning of key number facts and skills, but pupils do not have enough opportunities to solve problems and develop their reasoning skills. This is not the case in all classes; in Year 3, there are good examples of the most-able pupils developing their thinking skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers regularly mark pupils’ work and use praise to encourage them. Although there is some good practice in some year groups, marking does not always provide pupils with enough information on what they need to do to improve. At times, there are too many ‘super’ or ‘well done’ comments without it being clear why such praise is being given. When comments tell pupils what they need to do, teachers do not always ensure that pupils follow the advice. This means that pupils’ learning is not taken forward fast enough.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Reading is taught well and teachers ensure that pupils read frequently in school. Pupils read a wide range of literature, and activities such as celebrating World Book Day help to establish pupils’ enjoyment of books. Most pupils read fluently by the time they leave the school, and pupils in Years 1 and 2 are skilled in using phonics (letters and the sounds they make).

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff have established a calm and orderly learning environment where pupils are treated with respect and adults are interested in what they have to say. As a result, pupils are ready to learn and willingly ask and answer questions. This interest and enthusiasm starts in the Reception class, where, as a result of good teaching, children eagerly involve themselves with their activities.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants are used well to boost the learning of pupils and to provide specialist support. This ensures that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Current data shows that pupils are now making improved progress in most year groups. This is because the quality of teaching is improving as a result of recent actions taken by senior leaders.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children start in the early years with experiences and skills that are typical for their age. By the end of the Reception Year, most children have attained a good level of development. This represents good progress in relation to their starting points on entry to school. However, this good progress does not continue in Years 1 to 6 and pupils’ achievement in these year groups requires improvement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, attainment at the end of Year 2 was below average overall. This was largely as a result of below- average attainment in mathematics. Progress was too slow. In reading, attainment has been broadly average over time, including in 2014. This is despite well above-average attainment in the Year 1 national phonics check in the previous year. In writing, attainment has also been broadly average over time.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 At the end of Year 6 in 2014, attainment was broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics. In the grammar, punctuation and spelling test, attainment was below the national average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The most-able pupils do not achieve well enough. In 2014, only 6% of Year 6 pupils attained the higher Level 5 in their combined results for mathematics, reading and writing; this is much lower than the proportion of pupils that did so nationally. At the end of Year 2, too few pupils attained the higher Level 3, especially in writing and mathematics. Work is often too easy for the most able; they are not challenged to achieve their best in all year groups.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 There are too few disadvantaged pupils in the school to make a judgement on their attainment by the end of Year 6 without risk of identifying individuals. Collectively, however, their progress is similar to that of other pupils as they move through the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Careful scrutiny of the school’s own assessment information indicates that individual pupils across the school are beginning to make faster progress. However, there is still too much variation in the rate of progress made by pupils in different year groups and in different subjects. Overall, progress in reading is more rapid than progress in writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Most of the younger pupils have good understanding of letters and the sounds they make, and they use this skill to work out unfamiliar words. In 2014, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected level in the national phonics screening check was well above average. Pupils spoken with said they enjoy reading. Older pupils are knowledgeable about a range of different authors. Current assessment information shows that more pupils than before are working at age-related levels or above in both Year 2 and Year 6.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. These pupils receive carefully tailored support that ensures they meet their agreed targets.

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The early years provision is good

 Good teaching ensures that children’s learning gets off to a good start in the early years. Over the last three years, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development has been higher than that found nationally. Children are prepared well for entry into Year 1.

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The early years provision is good

 All adults make sure that a safe, secure and exciting learning environment is provided, both in the indoor and outdoor classrooms. As a result, children are happy, confident and well behaved. They learn quickly to follow routines and rules, and how to get along with each other. They willingly share equipment.

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The early years provision is good

 Activities are planned carefully so that they develop children’s skills in all areas of learning well, especially in literacy and mathematics. Early reading and speaking skills are developed through carefully structured phonics and other reading sessions. The school identified writing as a weaker area, and staff are focusing on improving this aspect of children’s learning.

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The early years provision is good

 Adults have a good understanding of each child’s individual learning needs. They record the children’s progress electronically, building a comprehensive profile of children’s progress and where the next steps are needed to accelerate learning further.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years leader provides effective leadership and management and has a good knowledge of the strengths and areas for improvement in the school’s provision. The staff are not complacent and are currently evaluating how they can accelerate further the progress of the most-able children. All welfare and safety regulations for the early years are fully met.

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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 120396 Local authority Lincolnshire Inspection number 449616

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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 Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 209 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tim Hutton Headteacher Ian Wilkinson Date of previous school inspection 7 July 2010 Telephone number 01778 342314 Fax number 01778 348277 Email address enquiries@deeping-st-james.lincs.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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