St Andrew's Church of England Primary School

St Andrew's Church of England Primary School Coleman Street, Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, WV6 0RH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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

 Assisted by the local authority, senior leaders and governors have ensured that the quality of teaching and achievement have markedly improved since the last inspection.  Pupils’ progress has accelerated over the past three years and is now good.  Teaching is good because expectations of what pupils can achieve has increased as teachers plan lessons that help pupils build successfully on what they have learned before.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ work and behaviour. They use effective feedback in English and mathematics to enhance pupils’ learning.  Teachers value pupils’ efforts in lessons. This raises pupils’ self-esteem and promotes good attitudes to learning.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils have a good understanding of British values and are well prepared for life in modern Britain by the time they leave Year 6.  Pupils are well behaved, considerate and polite.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

Pupils from a diverse range of backgrounds get on well together.  Pupils feel safe in school because adults create a secure and caring atmosphere.  Provision in the early years is good. Children enjoy interesting activities and are well prepared for Year 1.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Subject and other middle leaders are not fully involved in checking the quality of teaching and learning within their areas of responsibility in order to make sure that pupils make faster progress.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do are not always high enough. As a result, the most-able pupils do not always make as much progress as they could.  The school is not always effective in involving parents in supporting their children’s learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited several lessons or parts of lessons, five of which were observed jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher. Inspectors looked at a range of pupils’ work and heard a number of pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 read.  Meetings took place with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, senior and middle leaders and groups of pupils. Inspectors also met the Chair of the Governing Body and other governors, and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s data on pupils’ progress and records relating to pupils’ behaviour, attendance and safeguarding. They observed movement around the school, playtimes and lunch breaks. Displays in classrooms and around the school were also scrutinised.  There were not enough responses to the online survey, Parent View, to provide inspectors with information. They spoke with parents bringing their children to school. The 39 responses to the staff

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Inspection team

Andrew Bailey, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much larger than average-sized primary school.  Children in early years attend the Nursery part time for either morning or afternoon sessions. They attend full time in Reception.  Most pupils are from ethnic minority groups. This is a much higher proportion than average. The largest groups are from Pakistani, Indian, any other white background, and any other ethnic group. A large majority of pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is well above the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support children who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.  The school has a broadly average proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils who either leave or join school in Years 1 to 6 is well above average.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  Since the previous inspection, there has been a high turnover in teaching staff, including members of the senior and middle leadership. A number of teachers are new to the profession.  At the time of the inspection, the headteacher had only been in post since the start of the term.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Bring about further improvements in teaching and learning through:  increasing the involvement of middle leaders in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning across the school  ensuring that work is planned and set so that pupils, particularly those who are most able, make the progress they should  checking regularly on pupils’ learning so that all pupils are moved on to the next challenge quickly.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build strong relationships with parents and families through:  enabling their participation in and support for the achievement and development of their children  building effective systems for listening to and responding to their views  informing parents of improvements in the school’s work in supporting their children’s learning and development.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders, including the governors, have worked diligently to eradicate past underperformance and underachievement. There is an accelerating pace of improvement and staff morale is high despite a period of staff changes. As a result, teaching has been systematically strengthened and so too has pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s improvement plan is reviewed regularly and identifies what the school can do better. It has improved the skills of teachers and challenged them to raise their expectations for pupils. As a result, pupils’ attainment and progress have risen, particularly in mathematics in Key Stage 2.

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The leadership and management are good

 The checking of the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress is rigorous and well-planned. This helps teachers to identify their strengths and areas for improvement. However, middle leaders do not yet regularly check the quality of teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility to make sure that planned actions are having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Effective systems are in place to robustly assess the performance of teachers. Teachers are held to account for the progress of pupils in their class. Staff skills and talents, including those of newly qualified staff, are nurtured particularly well. Governors have ensured that there is a clear link between teachers’ performance and their pay progression.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum (the subjects taught) focuses effectively on developing pupils’ knowledge and skills in reading, writing, mathematics and communication. It has a positive impact on pupils’ achievement and their physical well-being. The school has fully implemented the revised National Curriculum and has made necessary adaptations to what is taught in order to raise expectations for pupils’ achievements. A good start has been made on implementing new systems to assess, track and record pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils are given many opportunities to develop their understanding of cultures and lifestyles different to their own and this contributes to their strong understanding of what it means to live in modern Britain. They are also encouraged to reflect and explore moral dilemmas. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is well developed.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders ensure that all staff foster positive relationships, promote equal opportunities and tackle discrimination. This can be seen in the harmonious relationships between pupils from a range of backgrounds brought about by the school’s strong provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are good

 The inclusion leader makes good use of information about the individual learning needs of disadvantaged pupils to organise help and support that has resulted in these pupils making good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s arrangements for safeguarding and child protection meet requirements. Procedures are firmly established, with a great deal of effective practice adopted in the day-to-day management and care and protection of pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has made a strong contribution to the school’s development since the previous inspection. The local authority’s adviser visits the school termly, and this has helped it to build an accurate picture of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. The impact of the local authority’s support in raising the quality of teaching has been significant.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good use of its primary school physical education and sport funding to extend sporting opportunities for pupils and to develop teachers’ confidence and skills. A number of clubs cater for the raised interest levels of pupils. The funding has also enabled pupils to take part in more sporting events with other schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 Most of the parents to whom the inspectors spoke were positive about the school and what it does to ensure that pupils are happy, safe and secure. A few parents feel that the school could challenge pupils to work harder and feel that the school could do more to engage them in their children’s learning. The school does not provide parents with enough information about what teachers and pupils are doing well, or on the improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance is effective. The governing body is well informed and fully understands information about pupils’ progress and achievement.  The Chair of the Governing Body is both committed to, and ambitious for the school. He has successfully overseen a reconstitution of the governing body, which has improved the range of skills on which it can draw in order to inform decisions and support and challenge senior leaders.  Through regular contact with the headteacher and visits to school, governors know the quality of teaching and work closely with her to reward teachers appropriately for their performance and to tackle any underperformance.  Governors keep a close eye on the school budget and evaluate the impact the pupil premium funding has on the progress of those pupils eligible for support. They also check on how well primary school sport funding is used.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good, including in the early years. Pupils are a credit to the school in terms of their politeness, courtesy, their welcome to visitors and the pride they take in their school environment.

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Behaviour

 Pupils have good attitudes to learning, and this contributes to their improved progress. Pupils want to learn, and they work well with one another. The pride that they take in their work is apparent in their well-maintained books. Disruption caused by pupils’ poor behaviour is rare.

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Behaviour

 Behaviour is managed well because pupils follow the rules and the excellent example set by adults in their relationships with one another and with pupils. School records show that exclusions are rare and that good behaviour is typical over time.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are caring. They help one another in lessons and around school. Older pupils willingly support younger ones and welcome the many new entrants, from different backgrounds, who join the school after the start of the school year.

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Behaviour

 Pupils learn much about the need for tolerance of different beliefs and ways of life. This helps them to develop good relationships and to appreciate the need for understanding and support in class and the playground. The calm, harmonious atmosphere that pervades the school is rooted in this learning.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel safe, and those parents with whom inspectors spoke agree. Pupils’ understanding of how to stay safe and how to deal with potential unsafe situations is also good, including in the early years.

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Safety

 Pupils have a good understanding of potential bullying situations, including those that may be racially based and when using the internet. They are confident to discuss any concerns, and have every confidence that staff will address any issues that emerge.

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Safety

 All relevant policies and procedures for ensuring pupils’ health, safety and well-being are in place. Any safeguarding issues are logged and followed through effectively.

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Safety

 Pupils’ attendance levels have improved but they are still slightly below the national average.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved significantly since the previous inspection. This is because, with the support of the local authority, senior leaders have provided high-quality professional training to develop the skills of teachers and teaching assistants. Teaching increasingly promotes good learning over time in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers value pupils’ efforts. This builds excellent relationships and results in enthusiastic and confident pupils who enjoy learning and want to do their very best. This is evident in the pride they take in presenting all of their work well and consistently trying hard.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are taught to work with one another and to understand the importance of listening and taking turns. When pupils are answering, others listen carefully so that they learn from each other, as when pupils in a Year 1 lesson took turns to edit the sentences that each had written about the park. Pupils valued the responsibility that they had been given, and valued their partner’s advice and used it well to improve their writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and other adults working in classrooms question pupils skilfully to develop their knowledge and understanding and assess their learning. In a Year 2 class, for example, pupils’ understanding of subtracting one number from another was carefully assessed by the teacher. This meant the teacher knew which pupils were ready to use these skills to solve problems and which pupils required more time practising the skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ use of oral and written feedback is effective in helping pupils to understand how they can improve their work. Pupils are consistently guided to improve their own work and teachers ensure that they understand their learning fully. Teachers set precise targets for pupils to achieve. The focus on pupils’ progress towards meeting their targets has been a key tool used by teachers to raise standards rapidly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) is good. Staff are well trained and provide work that is matched to pupils’ abilities. They model pronunciation clearly and correctly. Teaching for Year 2 pupils who did not meet the required standard in the Year 1 phonics check is strong. As a result, a high proportion meets the standard by the end of Year 2.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants usually provide good support for all pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. They have very positive relationships with the individual pupils and groups they work with, and this promotes good behaviour and learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Thorough systems to check on pupils’ progress and development ensure that ability and individual learning needs are accurately pinpointed. This includes those with complex needs and disadvantaged pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Music and physical education are very well taught by knowledgeable staff who translate their personal enthusiasms for these subjects to capture the interest of pupils, such as when groups of pupils in a Year 4 class composed and performed high-quality ostinatos to accompany news bulletins.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All lessons have a very clear focus on what pupils are going to learn in order to build upon what they already know. This is always explained clearly to pupils and so it ensures that they know what skills they are developing and helps them to know whether or not they have been successful.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In some year groups, the most-able pupils are not always given work in lessons that is hard enough for them.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Since the previous inspection, the expectations that teachers have for pupils’ achievement have been raised and pupils are set more challenging targets. As a result, pupils’ progress has improved and pupils are now leaving the school much better prepared for their secondary school careers.  Most children join the Nursery and Reception classes with skills and knowledge that are below what is typical for their age. Improvements in the teaching of reading and writing have led to children making better progress this year from their different starting points, so that, by the end of the Reception Year, an increasing proportion reach a good level of development. Inspection evidence and the school’s data show that this year, most children will achieve a good level of development, ensuring they are ready to start Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards by the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics are below those found nationally, but good teaching is improving the rate at which pupils make progress so that, in 2014, the results in national assessments were the best they have been in years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of pupils reaching the required standard in the 2014 national screening check for Year 1 pupils on phonics (letters and the sounds they make) was below average, but has improved year by year. Inspection evidence indicates further improvement can be expected this year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Due to improvements in teaching, pupils now make swift progress throughout Key Stage 2. This has brought about a rapid improvement in the attainment of pupils by the end of Year 6, after the results in national tests had previously been well below average for at least three years. Inspection evidence from books, observations of learning in lessons and school performance data show that pupils’ achievement continues to be good.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils from all backgrounds achieve well, including those learning English as an additional language. School tracking shows that pupils who join the school at different times also achieve well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Work in pupils’ books, the school’s own checks and inspection findings show that progress in reading, writing and mathematics, in all classes, is now at least as expected, and, in the majority of cases, better.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Results in national tests in 2014 show that there were gaps of three terms between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium and pupils nationally in reading and writing. Disadvantaged pupils were four terms behind pupils nationally in mathematics. Pupils eligible for the pupil premium were three terms behind their classmates in reading, while in writing they were four terms behind and in mathematics six terms. The same test results also showed that, by the end of Year 6, pupils eligible for the pupil premium had made progress that was as good as and, in some cases, better than other pupils nationally. Throughout the school, including in the early years, the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their classmates is rapidly being reduced.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make progress in line with similar pupils nationally in reading and writing. In mathematics, they make better progress than similar pupils nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils have not always achieved as well as they could. Although there are still occasions when these pupils are set work that is too easy for them, their progress is accelerating. As a result, the proportion of pupils reaching the highest levels in reading, writing and mathematics is rising steadily.

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The early years provision is good

 Children start in the Nursery with skills lower than are typical for their age. Personal, social and emotional, communication and language, literacy and number skills are weaknesses. Children are helped to settle into routines quickly and they make rapid progress in their personal, social and emotional development. They are given a good deal of help to understand what they are being told and in expressing themselves clearly when they speak. This is particularly helpful for those children learning English as an additional language. As a result, all children learn to focus their attention and they listen particularly well to adults.

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The early years provision is good

 In Reception, progress speeds up as children become more self-assured. Good self-control is acquired and the effective way in which phonics (the sounds that letters make) is taught is helping children to make good progress in reading and writing. As a result, children join Year 1 with the confidence and skills to continue to achieve well. This includes those with special educational needs and the most able and talented.

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The early years provision is good

 Teaching is good and at times very stimulating in Reception. Activities engage children’s interests well and ensure that the essential skills acquired, especially in early reading, writing and number work, are transferable to all areas of learning. Good opportunities are provided for children to discover and explore the world around them for themselves, both indoors, outdoors and through visits out of school to places such as The Sealife Centre. This fires children’s interests and excites even the most reticent to talk animatedly about their experiences.

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The early years provision is good

 Reading and writing skills are particularly well taught. Children of all abilities quickly learn the sounds that letters make and use these to read simple words. They are also taught to form letters and words accurately. Staff do not always take enough opportunity to extend reading skills further; for example, through the use of labels in the Nursery and Reception classrooms.

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The early years provision is good

 The learning journeys, which are records of a child’s achievement during the early years, clearly show the progress that children are making. However, parents are not asked to contribute to them; for example, by sharing children’s achievements at home.

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The early years provision is good

 Leadership and management of the early years are good. The leader has an accurate understanding of the provision’s strengths and areas for development. The leader has overseen improvements in the provision and children’s achievement since the previous inspection.

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The early years provision is good

 All safeguarding policies and procedures are implemented consistently to ensure that children work and play happily alongside one another in a safe, secure environment.

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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 132806 Local authority Wolverhampton Inspection number 462532

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 415 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Martin Berrington Headteacher Lisa Thompson Date of previous school inspection 5 June 2013 Telephone number 01902 558522 Fax number 01902 558524 Email address standrewsprimaryschool@wolverhampton.gov.uk

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School details

guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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