St Augustine of Canterbury CofE Primary School

St Augustine of Canterbury C of E Primary School St Augustine's Road, Belvedere, DA17 5HP

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy 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

 The strong leadership of the executive headteacher, head of school and governors has ensured that the academy continues to improve. There is a clear sense of direction for further improvement, supported by all pupils, parents and staff.  Leaders successfully focus on improving teaching and pupils’ learning. This is leading to improved progress and attainment for all pupils.  Most teachers plan interesting and challenging activities, which ensure pupils make good progress. Very effective use of questioning from all staff extends pupils' learning further.  Pupils’ interest and enthusiasm are captured through a wide range of interesting topics. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well.  The governing body, supported by the board of directors, offers strong levels of challenge to school leaders. Systems to monitor the school’s effectiveness are rigorous.  Children in the Reception class make good progress

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

in a safe and happy environment. They behave well together.  Pupils’ behaviour around the school is calm and respectful. Pupils feel safe, get along well together, and work hard for their teachers.  Parents recognise and are appreciative of the improvements in teaching and behaviour. They are supportive and involved in their children’s learning.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some teaching is not consistently good, meaning a few pupils could make better progress.  A few teachers do not accurately use information about how well pupils are doing to plan their next steps. Pupils’ ability to think critically is not firmly established.  Leaders and teachers in the early years are overly cautious when assessing children’s progress. As a result, some children’s achievements are not fully recognised.  Opportunities for children in the early years to record number work are less developed than they are for writing.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in 11 lessons or part lessons, four of which were jointly observed with the executive headteacher or deputy head of school. Inspectors also visited an act of worship, some small group teaching sessions and listened to some pupils read.  Inspectors examined work in a sample of pupils’ books to assess their progress and attainment.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, members of the local governing body and the Chief Executive of the Academy Trust. Inspectors also held meetings with senior leaders and members of the inclusion team, including the family liaison officer and subject leaders.  Inspectors took account of the 16 responses to the online parent questionnaire, Parent View, and to the 53 responses to the school’s own version. They also spoke to several parents as they brought their children to school. Inspectors took account of the nine responses to the staff survey.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors took account of the school’s work and examined a range of documents. These included the school’s information on pupils’ current progress and standards, checks on the quality of teaching, evaluations of school’s performance and the curriculum. They also examined documents relating to child protection, safeguarding, attendance and behaviour.  During the inspection, the head of school was on jury service. He attended a meeting after school to give his views.

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Inspection team

Penny Spencer, Lead Inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible to be supported by the pupil premium funding is above average. This additional government fund supports disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for free school meals or who are looked after.  Children attend the Reception class full time.  The proportion of pupils who belong to a minority ethnic group or who speak English as an additional language is above average. Approximately half of all pupils are of Black African heritage, with White British pupils being the next largest group.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  The school opened as an academy in August 2013 and its name was changed to St Augustine of

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Information about this school

Canterbury C of E Primary School. It is part of the Trinitas Academy Trust.  The day-to-day running of the school is led by the head of school who was appointed at the time of the conversion. A deputy head of school was appointed in January 2015, following changes to the senior leadership team. The executive headteacher provides strategic leadership for the primary schools within the trust. When the school was inspected previously, under its name of St Augustine of Canterbury CE VA Primary School, it was judged as requiring improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and achievement to outstanding by ensuring that:  there is a consistent use of assessment information by all teachers to inform their planning and ensure rapid and sustained progress for all pupils.  Make the early years outstanding by: − developing the skills of teachers so they more accurately recognise children’s progress and achievement, especially for more able children  giving children more opportunities to record their number work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The head of school, ably supported by the executive headteacher, governors and directors of the academy trust, has ensured the focus on improving teaching and pupils’ progress is successful. Rapid improvement has been made in all areas since the school became an academy.  Leaders at all levels are ambitious for further success and the school’s development plans are regularly checked to ensure progress is made. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Consequently, there is good capacity for further improvement.  Subject leaders are fully involved in making checks on pupils’ learning within their areas of responsibility. Those with more experience provide helpful support to those leaders who are recently appointed. The school makes good use of the other schools within the trust to provide additional expertise.  The quality of teaching is thoroughly checked and swift action is taken when needed. High quality training

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The leadership and management are good

and coaching enable those teachers who may need support to improve. Leadership is not outstanding because, despite this support, some teaching is not yet consistently good.  Staff targets, linked to their pay awards, are focused on pupils’ progress and tailored carefully to experience and responsibilities. Staff appreciate the training that is available, which provides good opportunities for career development.  Rigorous procedures for tracking pupils’ progress ensure staff understand well how pupils are doing. The mantra of ‘keep up not catch up’ used to provide immediate feedback and extra coaching for pupils who are at risk of falling behind. It is a highly successful element of this process. Careful analysis of the poor results in mathematics in 2014 led to immediate changes in planning and extra training for all staff. Consequently, achievement in mathematics is now equally as good as reading and writing.

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The leadership and management are good

 Improved teaching, together with regular checks on pupils’ progress, ensures any gaps in performance between different groups, are closing quickly. The school promotes equality of opportunity well. Staff promote the value of positive relationships and mutual respect well, so that there is no discrimination.  Parents speak passionately about the improvements they have seen since the school became an academy, especially in behaviour and academic progress. They appreciate the special workshops to help them understand how their children are learning, in particular in mathematics.  The school uses the additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils well to ensure they achieve highly. The family liaison officer is pivotal in supporting families and pupils to overcome any barriers to learning. She provides both support and challenge for them to do well. Their specific needs are identified accurately and current pupils are achieving as well or better than their peers and other pupils nationally in

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The leadership and management are good

all year groups.  Additional primary sports funding is spent wisely. Funds provide specialist training for teachers, additional resources, equipment and opportunities for all pupils to attend clubs. The school is investing in bicycles and developing staff to offer cycling training to pupils. Plans to develop a cycling and running club are well in hand.  The early years leader has a good understanding of how children learn and ensures activities are engaging and fun. Children enjoy coming into school and make good progress.  The school’s curriculum provides a wide range of subjects, enhanced by regular trips and visits to places of interest. Opportunities for pupils to use their English and mathematical knowledge in other subjects are built into topics and allow pupils to practise their skills regularly.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils have many opportunities

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The leadership and management are good

to work together, evaluate and reflect on their learning and to work within the school rules and culture.  The school promotes British values strongly; for example, pupils who visited the courts during the inspection explored an understanding of the law. They were keen to explain how they had re-created a trial, complete with solicitors, barristers and a judge. The school’s values of trust and compassion for each other prepare them well for life in modern multicultural Britain.  Effective support from the academy trust has been instrumental in bringing about the rapid changes to pupils’ achievement. Improvements to the building have ensured the school is bright, welcoming and fit for purpose. Teachers benefit from good training and opportunities to work together across the schools.  Safeguarding meets statutory requirements. The school’s procedures and systems ensure pupils and staff are well looked after and kept safe from harm. Checks on the suitability of staff to work with children are

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The leadership and management are good

robust.  The governance of the school:  The board of directors from the trust provides good strategic leadership for the school. Communication between the board and school leaders is regular and challenging. By checking and managing the quality of teaching, they are effective in dealing with that which is less effective and rewarding the best. The trust ensures safeguarding policies; recruitment practices and financial management procedures are reviewed regularly.  The local governing body is effective in overseeing the day-to-day life of the school. Governors have a good understanding of information about pupils’ achievement and progress, due to excellent training. They challenge school leaders to ensure all pupils, including those who receive additional funding, are making the best possible progress. Regular visits and opportunities to be involved in checking the quality of teaching support their understanding of the progress the school is making. Good

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The leadership and management are good

communication between the board and the governing body supports their work well.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well in lessons and at break times. They speak very positively about how behaviour has improved. The school’s values of endurance, trust, thankfulness, forgiveness and compassion underpin this good behaviour.  Effective systems for the management of behaviour, used consistently by staff and understood by pupils, have brought about this improvement. Pupils love the opportunity to ‘go for gold’ and to earn rewards for their house.  Children in the Reception class quickly develop good behaviour habits. They play sensibly together and use equipment carefully.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They respond quickly to adult instructions and, in most lessons, concentrate well. Behaviour is not outstanding because when teaching is less effective or they have to wait a long time for instructions, they lose concentration and become fidgety.  Pupils enjoy school and take their responsibilities seriously. Older pupils organise the hall for acts of

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Behaviour

worship, play with younger pupils at break, and act as ‘buddy’ readers. The school council is proud of the work it is doing in improving the playground environment.  Pupils know what bullying is because there are regular lessons to keep them informed. They state there are no incidents of bullying in the school and that everyone behaves well. School records confirm there have been no recorded incidents recently. Records also reflect the decline in incidents from the time the school became an academy. Pupils are confident that adults will help them if they were to have concerns.  Attendance is above average, and improving, because pupils enjoy coming to school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils feel safe in all areas of the school and parents are confident the school looks after their children well.  The good work of the family liaison officer is central to the safeguarding of pupils and families who are most in need. Because of good relationships, parents are confident to seek the help and support to ensure their children succeed.  Policies and procedures for keeping pupils safe are robust and regularly checked to make sure they are having a positive effect. Staff are knowledgeable and well informed because of the high quality training they receive.  The school site is very secure and policies for vetting staff and visitors are strong.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Rapid improvements in the quality of teaching since the school became an academy mean teaching is now good.  Teachers have good relationships with pupils. Most teachers use their knowledge of pupils’ progress and achievement to plan interesting and exciting activities. Overall, these stretch and challenge most pupils’ thinking and understanding. Teaching is not outstanding because, in a few instances, this is not so effective, resulting in slower progress for some pupils.  The quality of questioning by teachers and additional adults is a real strength in teaching. As a result, pupils’ thinking and learning are extended further. Teachers encourage pupils to apply these skills to their own work and to challenge each other further. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, pupils had to create their own questions for others on how they might use and apply their knowledge of graphs to solve problems in different contexts.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The introduction of high quality systems for marking and feedback has accelerated pupils’ learning. Pupils are clear about what has been successful and how they need to improve. Regular opportunities for them to respond support this development further. Pupils understand and use the targets they are set to challenge themselves highly.  Disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language are taught well. Carefully planned lessons meet their individual needs, and support from well- trained teaching assistants is effective in ensuring all these pupils make good progress from their starting points.  Teaching assistants work as a strong team alongside the teachers. High quality training has increased their skills so that they provide a good level of support for all pupils.  The most able pupils now receive challenging work that meets their needs. As a result, they make good

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The quality of teaching is good

progress and current pupils are set to attain high standards. They enjoy the extra sessions in mathematics they receive from a specialist teacher alongside pupils from other trust schools.  Writing is taught well. Topics planned by teachers give pupils frequent opportunities to practise their skills and write in a variety of styles. As a result, pupils’ progress is good and improving.  Effective teaching of the link between letters and sounds (phonics), through a well-planned, structured programme, enables pupils to make good progress in their reading and writing. Children make a rapid start in the Reception class, which forms a firm foundation for their learning as they move through the school. Older pupils, especially, enjoy reading for pleasure from a wide range of books.  Teachers have adapted their teaching well to support the new National Curriculum requirements in mathematics. Opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills through problem solving,

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The quality of teaching is good

investigations and across different subjects are strong. They are developing their skills in new methods of assessing progress supported strongly by subject leaders.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement has increased rapidly since the school became an academy. Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Their attainment is rising rapidly.  Children enter the early years with skills that are below what are typical for their age. They make rapid progress and are well prepared when they move into Year 1. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of Reception in 2014 was above the national average. Children in the current Reception class are on track to match this performance.  Good teaching of the sounds letters make (phonics) ensures pupils read well. The proportion of pupils achieving the standard in the Year 1 phonic check, in 2014, was above average. Pupils who read to inspectors used this knowledge well. They were able to work out words they did not recognise. Older pupils develop a wide range of strategies to support their reading and understanding of different texts.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014, pupils at the end of Year 2 achieved standards above those seen nationally in all subjects. Their progress was good, and in some cases outstanding. Disadvantaged pupils achieved in line with their peers and with all pupils nationally. Current pupils are on track to make equally good progress.  Despite outstanding progress being made in Year 6, the legacy of underachievement caused by poor teaching in the past was not eradicated in 2014. Although higher than previous years, standards and progress were below average in all subjects and for most groups. Black African pupils were an exception. They attained standards above average in reading and writing.  The school’s information for current Year 6 pupils indicates that progress and standards are considerably improved and will be at least in line with national averages. Progress across the school mirrors this improvement and indicates that the legacy of poor progress and low standards is gone. This reflects the

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The achievement of pupils is good

rapid and marked improvements in teaching and leadership.  Disadvantaged pupils at the end of Year 6, in 2014, were below their peers and below all pupils nationally. They were nearly two years behind in mathematics, 18 months behind in reading, and almost a year behind in writing. This group of pupils in the current Year 6 has closed the gap completely. The pupils are on track to achieve above their peers and in line with other pupils nationally.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. Staff target resources effectively and review progress regularly to assess the impact of their actions.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress and achieve well. They develop their skills quickly in the early years and continue improving as they move through the school. Black African pupils throughout the school achieve above their peers.  In the past, there has not been clear identification of the most able, and the work set for them was not

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The achievement of pupils is good

sufficiently challenging. However, improved assessment and better teaching are enabling them to make faster progress. The most able pupils currently in Years 2 and 6 are on track to achieve high standards.

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The early years provision is good

 Achievement of children in the early years is good. Children who enter with weak social or communication skills are helped to catch up quickly. Consequently, most children reach a good level of development and move confidently into Year 1.  Children maintain their concentration well. Adults are skilled in developing their language through conversation and good modelling. Children respond well and are confident to talk about their learning.  Staff have high expectations for children’s progress and plan activities that engage their interests. They work well alongside each other and share resources well. They encourage each other to try things out and experiment. For example, a group of boys worked well together to build a railway track that had to bend round furniture and under tables. They experimented with a range of track pieces to get the best fit.  Opportunities for children to practise their emerging writing skills are evident, both inside and out, and

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The early years provision is good

children use their developing understanding of phonics well to help them spell words. There is less evidence in children’s learning journals of number work, despite the wide range of number-based activities available for children to use.  Careful analysis of information about children’s progress ensures no group of children is left behind. .. Consequently, all children make good progress, including those who are disadvantaged, those with special educational needs and those who have English as an additional language. However, teachers sometimes err on the side of caution when making judgements, especially for the more able children. Their achievements are not always fully recognised. As a result, the early years provision is not outstanding.  Safeguarding procedures are strong, in line with the rest of the school. Teachers have good relationships with parents, who are pleased with the good start their children make. They are confident their children

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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 139213 Local authority Bexley Inspection number 449808

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 4−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 203 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Fr Clive Jones Headteacher Beverley Gardner (Executive Headteacher) Mark Alexander-Smale (Head of School) Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 02083112956 Fax number 02083103405 Email address admin@st-augustines.bexley.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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