St Francis Catholic and Church of England (Aided) Primary School

School report St Francis Catholic and Church of England (Aided) Primary School Newport Road, Ventnor, Isle of Wight PO38 1BQ

p.1

Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

p.1

Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

p.1

Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

p.1

Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

p.1

This is an inadequate school

 Since the last inspection leaders and governors have been ineffective in bringing about improvements in achievement and teaching. Standards have declined, particularly in Key Stage 1.  Pupils’ current progress in writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2 is weak.  Disadvantaged pupils make inadequate progress. The gap between their achievement and others in the school is widening, especially in Key Stage 1.  The impact of teaching on pupils’ learning over time is inadequate. Expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low. Work is not matched well enough to pupils’ varying abilities.  Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning require improvement. In lessons, some pupils drift off task and disengage from learning. Poor behaviour is not always well managed by staff and this impacts on the learning of others.  Too many disadvantaged pupils are often absent. Attendance is not monitored carefully enough.

p.1

This is an inadequate school

 Arrangements for safeguarding pupils are ineffective. Leaders have failed to ensure that staff training is up to date. Governors have not fulfilled their statutory duty to ensure safeguarding policies and practices meet requirements to keep pupils safe.  In the early years, provision is inadequate because of shortcomings in arrangements to safeguard children.  Governors have an inaccurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They do not ensure that the school uses its resources such as pupil premium funding effectively.  Leaders’ plans to drive school improvement lack rigour and precision.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 The school has made a concerted effort to improve the teaching of phonics (letters and their sounds) with some positive results.  Pupils behave well around the school. They are generally well mannered and supportive of one another.  The relatively new consultant headteacher and acting headteacher are working well together to raise expectations from a low starting point. Inspection report: St Francis Catholic and Church of England (Aided) Primary, 13–14 January 2016 2 of 9

p.1

Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

p.2

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Urgently improve safeguarding arrangements, including in the early years, by: ensuring the safeguarding policy meets statutory requirements training all staff in the required areas of safeguarding, including the prevention of extremism and radicalisation improving the effectiveness of monitoring of safeguarding information and procedures.

p.2

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leaders and governors by: accurately identifying the school’s strengths and weaknesses ensuring additional funds are used effectively to meet pupils’ needs ensuring the school’s website meets statutory requirements raising staff awareness of the needs of disadvantaged pupils and how to meet pupils’ needs effectively monitoring the attendance of all groups of pupils developing the role of middle leaders raising staff expectations of pupils’ behaviour in lessons.

p.2

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieve well in all subjects by: making sure teachers are held to account for the progress of groups of pupils ensuring activities build more effectively on what pupils already know improving the standard of pupils’ handwriting and pride in the presentation of their work ensuring time is well used in lessons and that pupils are engaged by their learning improving the quality of phonics teaching in early years.

p.2

What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

p.2

What does the school need to do to improve further?

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

p.2

What does the school need to do to improve further?

The school may appoint one newly qualified teacher. Inspection report: St Francis Catholic and Church of England (Aided) Primary, 13–14 January 2016 3 of 9

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

 Since the last inspection, the overall pace of improvement has been slow. Until recently, improvement has lacked momentum. Standards have fallen, particularly for disadvantaged pupils in Key Stage 1. Interim arrangements for the leadership and management of the school have been in place since Easter 2015.  The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. The current safeguarding policy does not meet statutory requirements. Staff training is out of date and some elements are missing. There is no one in the school trained in the strategy to prevent extremism and radicalisation, for example. Governors do not adequately monitor and evaluate the school’s safeguarding procedures.  Strategic priorities have not been addressed quickly enough to halt the decline of disadvantaged pupils’ progress. The school receives substantial funding for this large group of pupils. However, leaders do not ensure that it is used effectively. Gaps in attainment and progress between this group and other pupils

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

are not closing quickly enough. In Key Stage 1 gaps are widening.  Leaders have failed to improve teaching. The management of teachers’ performance is inadequate. Too little attention is paid to ensuring staff meet the needs of disadvantaged pupils. Teachers’ performance targets are not sharply focused on leaders’ key priorities.  The school development plan lacks detail. There is no forecast about how leaders’ actions will impact on pupils’ achievement. Actions are too broad, not costed and not evaluated. As a result, leaders are unable to evaluate the difference they are making.  Middle leaders’ roles are not defined well enough and, as a result, they are having insufficient impact on raising standards. Some leaders, such as the early years coordinator, are very new to their posts. They are focusing on practical issues but are not clear enough about the priorities for improvement.  Sports funding has been used effectively to raise the profile of competitive sport. The PE leader strives to

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

improve provision and increase access for all pupils. There is, however, insufficient evaluation of the grant by senior leaders to identify where spending is effective.  The interim headteacher is supporting the new acting headteacher well, although this arrangement is too recent to have had a significant impact. Together, they are working to raise expectations among staff.  The recently reviewed curriculum is broad, balanced and is enhanced by many enriching activities. The school uses its unique environment and heritage well and pupils eagerly look forward to visits and visitors. British values are incorporated well into the curriculum. For example, Year 6 study crime and punishment as a theme in history and this gives opportunities for pupils to consider such issues. The review has invigorated teachers.  The school has numerous clubs on offer. There are several sports clubs and many others, such as

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

cookery and chess clubs. The school runs a before- and after-school club. These provide a relaxed start and end to the day, with a range of activities on offer.  Special events weeks, such as a multi-faith week in which each class studies a different religion and celebrates a festival from that faith, help to build respect, tolerance, equality and diversity.  The spiritual and moral development of pupils is strong in the school, with several clergy supporting assemblies. Cultural development is addressed largely through the curriculum and visits. Social development has had a high priority as the school has focused well on pupils’ values and behaviour. For example, Year 4 and Year 6 attend residential visits with very different emphases, particularly to develop social and cultural experiences.  The governance of the school Governors are not clear enough about the strengths and weaknesses of the school and the impact of

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

leaders’ work to improve pupil progress. Governors do not carry out some of their statutory responsibilities. The school’s website does not contain all the information it should. For example, the charging policy is not compliant with Department for Education guidance. Governors have been involved in awarding pay based on teachers’ performance, but are unclear whether pay awards are helping to raise standards. Governors do not adequately monitor and evaluate all aspects of the school. While they are aware of information in the headteacher’s report, they have limited understanding of how well different groups of pupils are progressing or attend. Inspection report: St Francis Catholic and Church of England (Aided) Primary, 13–14 January 2016 4 of 9 Governors’ evaluation of the impact of the pupil premium grant and the PE and sport premium lacks rigour. Governors lack awareness as to whether the money is used well.

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management is inadequate

The new Chair of the Governing Body is keen to support the school.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 Teaching, learning and assessment are inadequate. Teachers’ inconsistent expectations result in many pupils making slow progress. Disadvantaged pupils are making particularly slow progress because teaching does not develop their knowledge, understanding and skills sufficiently.  Time is not always used well in lessons and teachers do not have high enough expectations. For example, in a lesson where a large number of pupils became distracted for a significant amount of time, the adults in the room did not address this.  Teachers provide plenty of opportunities for innovative writing and pupils are beginning to write more. However, pupils do not always think hard enough about how to improve their work, particularly in Key Stage 1 and lower Key Stage 2.  Teachers’ feedback to pupils about how to improve their work is ineffective and pupils are not clear enough about what they have done well and what to do to move forward.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 There are considerable variations in the quality of the teaching of mathematics. Not all teachers insist on the correct use of mathematical language, which leads to pupils misunderstanding what is being taught. Tasks are not always challenging enough and, therefore, some pupils struggle to make progress.  Pupils’ handwriting in Key Stage 1 and lower Key Stage 2 is often weak. Pupils receive too little support to make improvements. Their overall presentation of work is poor.  Phonics outcomes are good in Year 1 because teaching is very effective. While there are some inaccuracies in the teaching of phonics in early years, children persevere.  When reading, pupils can work out unfamiliar words but do not use their phonics knowledge confidently. Pupils have reading diaries and report that they read more at school than at home. Pupils’ understanding of punctuation is weak and many lack confidence in reading.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate

 Teaching assistants support disadvantaged pupils, but are not always focused on pupils’ next steps. Consequently, these pupils are not keeping up with their peers.

p.4

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement because, while the majority of pupils have positive attitudes to their learning, this is not consistent. Poor attitudes hinder the progress of some pupils.  Most pupils are respectful of adults working with them and respond quickly to instructions. However, there are times in lessons where pupils do not respond well or engage effectively in learning activities. This is largely because the tasks are not challenging enough.  The school has recently promoted an anti-bullying strategy and pupils are aware of the dangers of most forms of bullying. One third of parents who responded to the survey feel that bullying is not well managed. A third of pupils who responded to the survey stated that bullying happens. Most pupils say that teachers deal well with incidents when they are reported and that there is someone in school they

p.4

Personal development and welfare

could talk to if they are worried. Pupils report that they feel safe in school.  There are limited opportunities for pupils to demonstrate and develop independence, initiative and a sense of responsibility. While house captains have to apply for their roles, there are too few opportunities beyond these positions.  The school has invested some of its pupil premium funding to provide an emotional literacy support assistant to help pupils talk about and deal with worries. This is having a positive impact.  Strong curriculum content to develop pupils’ social and moral development means they learn to be tolerant of others and to support the school’s values. Inspection report: St Francis Catholic and Church of England (Aided) Primary, 13–14 January 2016 5 of 9

p.4

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement because sometimes in lessons groups of pupils lose focus or disengage from learning. Adults are not effective at spotting this and addressing it promptly when it occurs. This poor behaviour affects these pupils’ learning and sometimes has an impact on the learning of others.  Overall, attendance has improved and is broadly average. However, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils has fallen since September. The school had not analysed this and so was unaware of this issue.  Pupils’ behaviour around school, inside and outside, is well managed. Recent changes to the organisation of outside areas have significantly improved behaviour. Staff and pupils note how much better it is.  Pupils are generally polite and courteous towards others.

p.5

Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

 There has been a gradually falling trend in pupils’ standards in Key Stage 1 since the last inspection. Achievement is now below pupils nationally in English and mathematics. In Key Stage 2, the standards reached have been more variable, with attainment in mathematics and writing below other pupils nationally.  The achievement of disadvantaged pupils is inadequate and overall the standards they achieve have declined. In Key Stage 1, the gap in standards between this group of pupils and other pupils in the school and nationally has widened year on year. In Key Stage 2, the gap in achievement has closed significantly in reading, closed a little in mathematics but has widened in writing. However, assessment information shows that disadvantaged pupils currently in the school are significantly behind other pupils and, in some year groups, this gap is unacceptably wide.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is very low. Overall, they make

p.5

Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

inadequate progress as tasks do not build well on their prior learning, or ensure they access the full curriculum.  The most-able pupils achieve well in reading but not in mathematics and the standard they reach in writing is particularly poor. These pupils are given insufficient opportunities to edit and improve their work.  Due to slow progress in the past, there are a large number of pupils who need to catch up. Many of these are pupils whose behaviour in lessons is not good, and who are set work that is not focused or appropriately challenging. Adults do not intervene quickly enough to ensure all pupils’ progress is rapid.  In the early years, the proportion of children who achieve a good level of development is a little better than that found nationally. However, disadvantaged children achieve less well than others and the gap between between them and their peers is widening.  The proportion of pupils who met the standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has risen steadily

p.5

Outcomes for pupils are inadequate

and is now well above average. Almost all pupils are secure with their early reading skills by the time they leave Year 1. All disadvantaged pupils achieved the expected standard, providing a strong basis for the teaching of reading in Year 2.

p.5

Early years provision is inadequate

 While the school takes action to safeguard children when necessary, safeguarding is inadequate as the school’s policy does not meet statutory requirements and staff have not had relevant up-to-date training.  The coordinator for the early years is new to her role and is being supported to develop her skills. She has identified issues from the initial screening of children’s skills and abilities on entry to the setting.  Children enter with skills, knowledge and levels of understanding that are typically below other children nationally. Attainment at the end of the early years is good overall compared with other children nationally. Overall, over time, children make good progress and most are ready to start Year 1 when they leave early years. However, the progress of disadvantaged children is inadequate and the gap between disadvantaged children and others is widening. Not all staff are aware of who the disadvantaged children

p.5

Early years provision is inadequate

are.  The small number of children with special educational needs or disability make very good progress because their needs are well met by staff. Inspection report: St Francis Catholic and Church of England (Aided) Primary, 13–14 January 2016 6 of 9  Phonics is taught at the start of the day with a short input from the teacher and then adult-led groups. Inspectors observed some poor modelling of letter formation and pronunciation. Some poor behaviour prevented one group from making adequate progress.  Mostly children behave well, and cooperate and share. Nevertheless, this is not always the case and is not always managed effectively by staff.  Children behave safely and understand how to stay safe. The large number of adults available creates a very nurturing environment with all adults interacting well with the children.  Children enjoy learning and teachers plan enjoyable and engaging activities for them. For example, a

p.5

Early years provision is inadequate

teacher had visual prompts to help children retell a story and develop their own ideas to write short sentences using their phonics knowledge. However, activities are not targeted well enough to ensure that disadvantaged children make the progress they need to in order to keep up with others.  Parents engage positively with the school. The school provides regular and timely communications with weekly packs of activities to support parents working with their children at home. Inspection report: St Francis Catholic and Church of England (Aided) Primary, 13–14 January 2016 7 of 9

p.6

School details

Unique reference number 136011 Local authority Isle of Wight Inspection number 10002370

p.7

School details

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

p.7

School details

School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 320 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Louise Rogerson Headteacher Mrs Karen Ridett (acting headteacher) Telephone number 01983 857449 Website www.stfrancisventnor.co.uk Email address office@stfrancisventnor.org Date of previous inspection 24–25 September 2013

p.7

Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs or disability is well below average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those supported by the pupil premium funding, is well above the national average. The pupil premium funding is additional government funding to support those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority. There were no looked after pupils at the time of the inspection.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage and a very small proportion speak English as an additional language.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The headteacher left in April 2015 and a local leader of education from Summerfields Primary School was

p.7

Information about this school

interim headteacher until December 2015. The current deputy is now acting headteacher and has the support of the local leader of education one day a week.  The new Chair of the Governing Body took the position in November 2015.  A before- and after-school club operates on the site. The school’s governing body manages this. Inspection report: St Francis Catholic and Church of England (Aided) Primary, 13–14 January 2016 8 of 9

p.7

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed in a range of lessons in all year groups as well as carrying out two learning walks. Three lessons were observed jointly with the acting headteacher.  Inspectors discussed reading with a group of pupils from Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5 and listened to them read.  Pupils’ work in books was scrutinised both in lessons and separately.  Inspectors considered 42 responses to the online parent questionnaire, 20 responses to the online pupil questionnaire, 36 responses to the staff questionnaire and one letter from a parent. Inspectors talked to parents at the start of the school day. A discussion was held with a group of pupils.  Several meetings took place jointly with the acting headteacher and the local leader of education who supports the school. A telephone conversation was held with a representative from the local authority. Meetings were also held with three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, staff

p.8

Information about this inspection

responsible for safeguarding, mathematics, English, early years, sport, and the provision for pupils with special educational needs or disability and disadvantaged pupils.  The before- and after-school club was inspected and informal discussions took place with staff and pupils who attend the club.  A range of documents were scrutinised. These included development plans, anonymised performance management records, information about pupils’ progress, records of the school’s checks on the quality of teaching, records of pupils’ attendance, behaviour records, school policies and safeguarding documentation.

p.8

Inspection team

Janet Sharp, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Linda Jacobs Ofsted Inspector Brian Macdonald 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 .

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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,

p.9

Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.9

Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.9

Inspection team

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

p.9