St Lawrence CofE (Voluntary Aided) Primary School

St Lawrence CofE Primary School Dog Lane, Napton-on-the-Hill, Southam CV47 8LU

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a good school

 The leadership team has maintained and further developed the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.  The headteacher has created a caring, nurturing and inclusive culture where every child is valued. All leaders, including governors, have a clear and ambitious vision for the school.  Leaders have an exceptionally accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for development as they carry out regular checks on the quality of teaching and learning.  Teaching is typically good and as a result all pupils make good progress. Lessons are imaginative, planned well and meet the needs of pupils with different abilities.  Highly effective use of teaching assistants enables disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs to make good progress. Well- planned and regular, focused support is provided.  Children in the early years provision make rapid progress. Highly effective teamwork, coupled with

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This is a good school

high-quality teaching, lead to children developing as capable and confident learners.  Pupils’ behaviour and their personal development and welfare are outstanding. Pupils behave well at all times and work hard. They have a thorough understanding of staying safe.  Leaders strongly promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The Christian and British values taught permeate across every aspect of the school. Respect and tolerance for all are deeply embedded.  The broad and diverse curriculum provides additional opportunities for pupils to develop a range of skills, for example, debating, sports and music.  Governors are very knowledgeable and provide high levels of support and challenge for leaders.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Reading progress slows in Year 1 from that made in Reception Year and pupils do not build on the levels achieved in phonics (letters and sounds).  Occasionally, pupils are not moved on in lessons when they are ready and work is not challenging enough to ensure pupils make good progress.  The school improvement plan is not fully evaluated to check whether the actions taken are successful.  Leaders have not yet fully developed a system of tracking progress, including that of pupils who have special educational needs and those in the early years.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of pupils reaching the level required in the Year 1 reading check by building on the levels achieved at the end Reception Year and sustaining rates of progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that pupils are moved on in lessons when they show that they are ready and that work is sufficiently challenging for all pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by: evaluating action plans to determine the impact of actions taken continuing to develop an effective system for evaluating progress information about all groups, including those who have special educational needs and children in the early years.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The focused and dedicated leadership of the headteacher has ensured that the school continues to improve. All leaders, including governors, share a strong sense of purpose and are ambitious in their vision for the school. They have been successful in creating a culture of high expectation in which good teaching, learning and behaviour can flourish.  Leaders’ self-evaluation of the schools’ strengths and areas for improvement is accurate and honest. This enables them to produce appropriate action plans for targeted aspects. While the areas and actions identified are precise, leaders do not systematically check the impact of actions taken. As a result, they are not totally sure which are leading to improvement and which are not.  Regular checks are carried out by all leaders on the quality of teaching. Subject leaders provide effective support for colleagues and lead training to ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills needed to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

deliver good-quality lessons and provide effective support for individual pupils. They know the strengths and areas for development in their subjects and regularly report back to governors on these.  Leaders and managers have successfully introduced a system of assessing pupils following the removal of national curriculum levels. Clear summaries have been produced and these demonstrate which classes and groups are working at age-related levels in different subjects. While an overview of attainment has been established, the measuring of pupils’ progress over time is still evolving. Additionally, pupils on support programmes are not always assessed at the outset or exit of a programme to determine the progress made by pupils targeted, and leaders do not use their early years data to evaluate what proportion of children make expected or better than expected progress.  Annual targets are set for teachers in line with the teachers’ standards and linked to the school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

improvement plan. Pay awards are only made where teachers demonstrate that pupils are making good progress and that the targets set are achieved.  Only a very small number of pupils in this school are eligible for the pupil premium funding. Nevertheless, leaders make effective use of the funding received to provide additional support for eligible pupils. This includes one-to-one tuition with support staff and pastoral support for vulnerable pupils. As a result, these pupils make the same good progress as all other pupils in the school.  The sports premium is used well to improve resources, provide specialist sports teaching and increase pupils’ participation in different events. As a result, pupils develop a good understanding of the benefits of exercise and participate in a wide range of activities, including athletics and cross-country running.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and is effective in promoting key skills in different subjects.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Interesting topics provide a platform for pupils to extend a range of abilities. For example, Year 3 and 4 pupils were practising Glint of Gold based on their topic about the Egyptians to perform to the whole school. The curriculum is strongly enriched through visits, visitors and clubs. Pupils are provided with a wide range of experiences, including sporting and musical events, dance workshops and being part of the school orchestra.  Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively and this is underpinned by the values taught in assemblies and religious education lessons. Pupils learn about other cultures and religions represented in modern Britain and these are brought to life as much as possible. For example, pupils go shopping in a multicultural city and enjoy an Indian meal, when they learn about India. British values are effectively promoted through participation in different events. For example, pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

go to the local memorial on Remembrance Day to develop an appreciation of how their heritage has been shaped. Pupils learn that people have different views through a debating club. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Parents have very positive views of the school. They appreciate and value the support provided by all staff for their children and are fulsome in their praise of the headteacher. Most parents said ‘I love it’ when asked for their views about the school. Typical comments on the online questionnaire included, ‘I cannot praise the staff enough. The welfare and education of every single child comes first’.  The local authority provides only light-touch support for the school as it rightly has confidence in the school’s leadership. It carries out termly visits and checks that teachers’ assessments of pupils’ work are accurate.  The governance of the school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Governors provide effective challenge and support to senior leaders. They are actively involved in school events and regularly visit the school to gain first-hand information. They collect the views of pupils and staff, and carefully consider the information provided for them by senior and subject leaders. They work as a full governing body rather than sub-committees and meet every month. As a result, they have a secure understanding of the strengths of the school and also areas where it can improve. Governors bring a wide range of skills and knowledge to their roles and they use these well to ask searching questions of school leaders. They have a good understanding of school performance and how well pupils and different groups are doing. Governors have a clear understanding of the quality of teaching. They carry out pupil surveys and talk to pupils about their learning. Governors oversee the management of teachers’ performance and are

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

aware of the links between this and teachers’ pay progression. Various cuts to funding have meant that governors have to keep a very careful check on the school’s budget. They ensure, however, that finances are well managed to provide the staffing and resources needed to maintain good teaching, leadership and outcomes. They have a good awareness of how the pupil premium and sports funding are spent and the impact of spending on pupils’ achievement.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders, governors and staff work closely to ensure that pupils are safe. All staff receive regular training, including about preventing radicalisation and extremism, and are aware of how to identify whether pupils are at risk and the steps to take if they have any concerns. Posters are displayed in staff cloakrooms to reinforce the message that safeguarding is a collective responsibility. All parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, say that

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching is consistently good and ensures that pupils make good progress. Teachers have good subject knowledge and plan lessons which meet the needs of pupils with different abilities. Effective use is made of teachers’ specialist knowledge to teach subjects, including French. Adults skilfully question pupils to check their understanding and develop their thinking.  Teachers form good relationships with pupils and act as positive role models. Pupils told inspectors that they like their teachers and lessons are fun. Imaginative activities are planned which engage and motivate pupils but extend learning. For example, pupils in Year 6 used Cluedo cards to write sentences containing a prepositional phrase, subject, object and verb. Creative writing ensued, with pupils enthusiastically reporting who was killed, with what, where and by whom.  A strong feature of lessons is the orderly and purposeful atmosphere for learning across the school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Expectations are high and pupils have good attitudes to learning and they strive to do their best. Pupils work well together and share their views and ideas. They help each other in lessons and happily explain what work they are doing with pupils who, for any reason, have been out of the classroom.  Highly effective use is made of teaching assistants to support pupils’ learning. They work with individuals or small groups both outside and within the classroom. They have received training to lead specific support programmes for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs or disability. They keep records of how well pupils are progressing and feed this back to class teachers. This additional support ensures that these pupils make good progress and do not fall behind.  The needs of the most-able pupils are catered for well. Year 6 pupils attend sessions at Southam College to extend their reading ability and comprehension skills. Ability grouping is in place in Key Stages 1 and 2

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

in mathematics. Pupils join the next year group up in order to access work at a higher level. In English, teachers increase the level of challenge in tasks to deepen and extend pupils’ learning. This ensures that pupils are consistently stretched and their needs are fully met.  Reading is strongly promoted. Pupils read regularly and develop a love of books. World Book Day was celebrated enthusiastically during the inspection. Pupils wrote book reviews, dressed as book characters in early years and shared stories and their favourite books with other pupils in the school.  A particular focus on strengthening pupils’ grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting is having a positive impact on the quality of writing seen in pupils’ books during the inspection. There is no significant difference between boys’ and girls’ writing due to teachers and leaders reviewing how writing is taught. Drama opportunities have been increased and teachers now use more boy-friendly texts and topics to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

inspire writing activities.  Teachers follow the school’s marking policy and add helpful comments so that pupils know how to improve their work. Pupils respond to these comments or follow the advice given. This has a positive impact on their next piece of work. Pupils also mark some of their own work, including homework, but this is carefully checked by homework monitors and teachers.  In the main, teachers carry out regular checks during lessons but sometimes they do not ensure that pupils are making sufficient progress or completing work which challenges them. Occasionally, the pace of the lesson also slows and teachers do not always move pupils on when they show that they are ready. This slows the progress made by pupils and therefore they do not complete as much work as they could.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils are confident and proud of their achievements and their school. They dress smartly, look after their own and school belongings and help keep the school environment clean and tidy.  Pupils understand that regular exercise and healthy eating contribute to their physical and emotional well- being. Children in the early years develop healthy eating habits as they have access to a fruit snack bar throughout the day.  Older pupils readily take on additional roles, demonstrating their maturity and responsible attitudes. They look after younger children at wet playtimes and enjoy representing the school as a prefect or school council member. Debating club enables older pupils to challenge but also to respect the views of others. Topics posed, such as, ‘Do you have to go to church to be a good Christian?’, encourage pupils to think

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Personal development and welfare

deeply and provide reasons for their views.  Pupils feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe. Notices are routinely displayed in computer areas to remind pupils about internet safety. Visitors, including those from the NSPCC, give regular talks to pupils in assemblies, to ensure they are vigilant and know whom to report concerns to. Pupils spoken to during the inspection demonstrated good levels of understanding about different hazards and risks, including fire and road safety and stranger danger.  Pupils have a good awareness of bullying and the different forms it can take. They know what cyber- bullying is and are clear that discrimination, including sexism and racism, should not be tolerated. Pupils are adamant that there is no bullying at St Lawrence, but are confident that if an issue arose, it would be dealt with quickly by staff.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils have exemplary attitudes to learning. They work hard and apply themselves fully in lessons. They often help each other and comment positively about each other’s work. They are tolerant of others and work and play together naturally and easily. They are exceptionally well motivated and take great pride in their school and work. This has a positive impact on their achievement.  Pupils behave consistently well in lessons, and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They are extremely polite and courteous, holding doors open for adults and each other, and demonstrate good manners at all times. Several pupils who talked to inspectors said that they had moved schools but prefer this one because ‘children behave better here’.  Lessons are seldom disrupted by poor behaviour. Visits to classrooms and talks with pupils during the inspection confirmed this. Pupils commented that in the past, a small number of pupils were disruptive or

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Behaviour

violent, but these pupils have now left the school. Records checked show that incidents were recorded appropriately and effective action was taken. Pupils who are vulnerable or who have emotional difficulties receive high-quality support and behaviour plans are drawn up to monitor the impact of actions taken.  Good behaviour is set as an expectation from the outset. Children in the early years provision quickly learn to follow instructions and share equipment. They listen to adults and show very high levels of concentration on, and engagement in, the activities they undertake.  Pupils love school and this is shown in their high rates of attendance. Attendance is above the national average and persistent absence is low. Pupils are keen to start their learning and their punctuality is good. Robust procedures are in place to follow up on pupil absence. The attendance of a small number of pupils with special educational needs was below the national average in 2015 but was linked to medical

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ achievement is good. Published information shows that standards at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 have remained consistently above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics since the previous inspection. Information from leaders’ observations of lessons and work in pupils’ books show that current pupils are making good progress throughout the school.  Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 in 2015 was significantly above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils make good progress and standards are rising in writing because of the increased focus on grammar, punctuation, spelling and handwriting.  Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 tests in 2015 was also above the national average in all subjects and has been maintained since the previous inspection. Some pupils join the school part-way through year groups, but due to the good quality of teaching they receive, they settle quickly and make

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Outcomes for pupils are good

good progress from their starting points.  The proportion of pupils reaching the expected level in the Year 1 phonics check in 2013 and 2015 was slightly below the national average. The teaching of phonics is strong in the early years provision, and while pupils make progress in Year 1 with their reading, not all pupils build sufficiently well on the levels they reach at the end of Reception Year.  The most-able pupils are suitably challenged in lessons. The school’s own information and observations of teaching show that these pupils make good progress across all year groups. In Key Stage 1, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard (level 3) was similar to the national average. However, the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard (level 6) in writing and mathematics was above the national average and similar in grammar, punctuation and spelling.  Pupils with special educational needs or disability make good progress. This is because they receive

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Outcomes for pupils are good

carefully tailored support from teaching assistants and class teachers. Regular input provided in reading, writing and mathematics helps these pupils achieve well. Leaders ensure that external agencies also provide specialist support for individuals with specific needs.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress as they too receive nurture and support as needed. In the tests at the end of Year 6 in 2015, the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their classmates and other pupils nationally narrowed, but there were still wide gaps in mathematics. The number of disadvantaged pupils in the Year 6 cohort was small and the progress of a few of these pupils did not meet national expectations. This was because some of these pupils receiving pupil premium support had additional learning or emotional needs.  Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, with strong attitudes to learning and good

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Early years provision is outstanding

 Early years provision is stronger because consistent, high-quality teaching, leadership and nurture are leading to outcomes which are high and continuing to rise. Children join school with skills and knowledge which are typical for their age. They make rapid progress and as a result, the proportions reaching a good level of development are well above the national average. As a result, children are extremely well prepared for Year 1.  Nursery and Reception children work and play together very harmoniously in the integrated early years unit. Good planning and high-quality teaching ensure that children’s needs are fully met. Staff have a detailed knowledge and understanding of each child’s needs. They plan exciting activities which capture children’s imagination and interest, while developing their confidence and independence. For example, following the story The Three Little Pigs, several children chose to work outdoors and build a house from

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Early years provision is outstanding

the materials available; others used twigs dipped in paint to create pictures of the story. All the children were engrossed and some enthusiastically retold the story through role play, saying, ‘You can’t blow my house down, it’s made of bricks and cement’.  There is a good balance of adult-led activities and activities that children choose for themselves. Staff skilfully question children to check their understanding and encourage language development. Adults act as good role models by working together as a team. They know precisely when to intervene and support children and when to stand back and observe.  All children thrive in the highly stimulating and vibrant environment created by staff. Well-stocked resource areas are easily accessible for children to choose and collect any materials needed. Children’s work is prominently displayed and celebrated within the unit. The outdoor area has been developed since

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Early years provision is outstanding

the previous inspection. The sheltered area ensures that children can work outdoors in all weathers and develop their early skills.  Early reading is taught well from the outset. A love of books is strongly encouraged through regular storytelling and homework. Children take home a selection of different books so that they learn to read different genres. Daily reading at home and school ensures children make rapid progress. Children enjoyed dressing up as book characters during the inspection to celebrate World Book Day and listened intently as staff told, and children acted out, the story of Stick Man.  Strong leadership in the early years ensures that areas for development are identified and addressed. A strong team ethic has been created, with all adults keen to develop their practice further. Careful checks are made on provision and professional development is provided for staff to ensure they have the skills

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Early years provision is outstanding

and knowledge needed.  Teachers carry out detailed and regular assessments of children’s abilities and skills. They capture these through careful observations and take photographs to support and provide evidence of the different stages of a child’s development. These are collated in exemplary learning journals and pinpoint precisely what children know and can do.  Teachers and other adults ensure that children are safe and well cared for at all times. Staff have had appropriate training in safeguarding and ensure that procedures for children’s welfare are in place.  Parents are strongly encouraged to be involved in their child’s education from the outset. They contribute helpful information to the learning journals through comments and observations made at home. These are sent into school on cleverly designed ‘lily pads’ and this adds to the staff’s knowledge of individual children. Parents are also fully involved in supporting early homework activities. Following a choice of

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Early years provision is outstanding

practical activities, one parent captured several photographs of their child making scones and sent it into school along with the comment, ‘This home learning is fantastic!’.

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School details

Unique reference number 130884 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 10001271

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 209 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jan Sanchez Headteacher John Brine Telephone number 01926 812447 Website www.stlawrenceprimaryschool.co.uk Email address office@stlawrenceprimaryschool.co.uk Date of previous inspection 21 — 22 June 2011

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The early years consists of a mixed unit of Nursery (Little Lawrences) and Reception Year children. Little Lawrence children attend part time and Reception children attend full time.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and almost all speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding is well below the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs or disability is similar to the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.  The headteacher is employed on a 0.9 contract. A senior teacher carries the headship responsibility for 0.1

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Information about this school

of the week.  A breakfast club operates on the school premises but is privately managed and therefore inspected separately.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching in all classes. They saw 20 parts of lessons, eight of which were jointly observed with the headteacher or senior teacher.  Meetings were held with pupils, the headteacher, other staff with leadership responsibilities and members of the governing body. Inspectors also spoke to a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 60 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the comments made. Inspectors also spoke to parents as they brought or collected their children from school. Pupils’ views were also considered by talking to pupils both formally and informally during the school day. There were no results on the pupil or staff online surveys.  Inspectors listened to pupils read, talked to them about their learning and reviewed the work in their books.  Inspectors reviewed a number of documents, including the school’s own evaluation of how well it is

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Information about this inspection

doing, the school improvement plan, data on current standards, leaders’ reports about the quality of teaching and learning, minutes of governors’ meetings and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Heather Simpson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Sarah Ashley Ofsted Inspector Derek Gardiner Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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