St Michael's on the Mount Church of England Primary School

St Michael’s on the Mount Church of England Primary School Park Lane, St Michael’s Hill, Bristol BS2 8BE

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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 Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 St Michael’s has improved well since the previous inspection and is still improving.  Parents and staff value the school’s welcoming and inclusive atmosphere that strongly promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school continues to fulfil a respected role at the heart of its multicultural inner city community.  The headteacher, with effective support from the deputy headteacher and governors, secures consistently good teaching throughout the school.  School leaders and staff collaborate carefully and effectively to identify and support the pupils’ individual needs as early as possible.  The good teaching, learning and assessment are typified by the diligence and skill of staff in promoting the pupils’ confidence in learning.  Pupils apply themselves well to their learning. Consequently, they make good progress during their time in the school.  The average levels of attainment at the end of

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This is a good school

Year 6 reflect the pupils’ good progress from their varying starting points.  The behaviour of pupils is good. They share very supportive relationships with each other and with adults.  The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils feel safe and are safeguarded well at school.  Well-considered and implemented routines help children in the early years to start school successfully.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ handwriting, spelling and numeracy skills are not always fully developed. This restricts their ability to write fluently and to solve mathematical problems confidently.  Some leaders have not been in post long enough to raise pupils’ attainment fully.  Pupils’ attendance is below average and the punctuality of a few pupils is not always good enough.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase pupils’ attainment in writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6 by: improving the teaching of handwriting and spelling through the school raising pupils’ skills in recalling number facts quickly so they can solve problems more confidently strengthening the work of middle leaders (those responsible for particular age groups or subjects) to further develop these skills.  More strongly enlist the support of parents to improve pupils’ attendance and punctuality.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The school has benefited from a stable period of leadership and staffing since the previous inspection. This has enabled the headteacher and deputy headteacher to build a partnership and work closely and effectively together. As a result, senior leadership has been able to secure a culture where good teaching and behaviour thrive and promote a strong vision for improvement. Leaders work supportively with staff and governors to sustain a strong commitment to the school’s values of ‘Respect, Responsibility, Trust and Unity’.  The headteacher leads an unwavering joint effort to sustain an inclusive community. Pupils from a wide range of backgrounds mix and learn happily together. Parents strongly support the school’s caring atmosphere.  Senior leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They have strengthened the way they work with staff to effectively share and promote good practice across the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Middle leaders are playing an increasingly strong role in bringing improvement and have contributed well, for example, in securing consistent assessment and marking procedures across the school. However, some middle leaders are relatively new to their roles and have not been in post long enough, for example, to fully raise pupils’ handwriting, spelling and mental arithmetic skills. Even so, the school’s team-based approach to leadership is quickening pupils’ progress. This demonstrates the school’s capacity to generate further improvement.  The school’s self-evaluation is accurate, and leaders, including governors, focus well on the right priorities. They also check effectively to make sure that actions taken make a positive difference to pupils’ outcomes. Leaders have effectively focused on addressing the issues of the previous inspection. For example, the quality of teaching of phonics and reading and the consistency of teaching across Key Stage

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

2 have been strengthened. Consequently, teaching is good.  Leaders have also identified that the progress of some pupils through Key Stage 2, including some joining the school late into this key stage, has been constrained by their slow recall of number facts. Leaders and teachers are acting effectively to address this aspect and their actions are quickening the progress of pupils. However, some middle leaders have not yet been in post long enough to make enough impact on pupils’ attainment in mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2.  The school works well with parents. This is evident in the supportive way that staff and parents discussed children’s learning before and after school, and during the mathematics workshop held during the inspection. School leaders are more strongly promoting attendance and punctuality than in the past, to support the drive to raise pupils’ achievements. However, they are not yet enlisting the full support of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

parents to secure better pupil attendance and prompt arrival at school.  The school provides an effective, bespoke curriculum, which promotes pupils’ progress well. The curriculum is well balanced by a stimulating range of extra-curricular activities. The range of experiences provided for the pupils strongly promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepares them very well for life in modern Britain.  Pupils are encouraged, especially through music, art and drama, to learn about and celebrate the wealth of language, culture and religious views evident in their widely differing backgrounds. For example, pupils celebrate a different language each month and experience assembly themes, weekly topics and other work such as ‘The Zulu Project’ that extend their cultural understanding.  All pupils are taught about British values such as democracy. In addition, for example, pupils take part in

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

an annual Shakespeare performance and ‘Hobby Horse’ and ‘Maypole’ dances to celebrate British culture. Such well-organised activities, much appreciated by the pupils and their parents, promote equal opportunity and combat discrimination strongly.  The school’s respect of individual pupils is reflected in the effective use of additional funding to support disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. It is also seen in the good use of pupil premium funds to provide skilled support staff at an earlier stage to ensure that disadvantaged pupils achieve at least as well as other pupils.  Leaders make sure that additional funding for pupils who speak English as an additional language is directed efficiently to secure specialist teaching that ensures their good progress.  The school implements its use of primary PE and sports funding effectively. Staff and visiting coaches now present a widened range of sports. School checks show raised staff and pupil skills and enthusiasm

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

for sport. They also show more participation by pupils than in the past. For example, many more pupils now attend the netball and cross-country clubs compared to the previous year.  School leaders and governors implement statutory safeguarding requirements, such as vetting new staff, effectively. Staff diligently implement procedures and ensure that their day-to-day supervision of the pupils keeps them safe. Occasionally, records of the good support provided for pupils have not been updated as efficiently.  The school has received effective support from the local authority in providing effective training for teachers, which, for example, has helped to secure the consistently good teaching across the school.  The governance of the school Governors fulfil their duties diligently and effectively to meet their statutory obligations. Governors have strengthened the way they check the performance of the school in recent years. They work

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

closely with senior leaders to identify strengths and any weaknesses across the school. Governors receive and check information about the progress of different groups of pupils from the headteacher. They visit the school regularly and accompany staff on ‘Learning Walks’ to classrooms. They see for themselves how priorities for improvement and staff training, for example, in strengthening the teaching of phonics, make an impact on pupils’ achievement. This enables them to question the headteacher incisively and gather a good knowledge of the quality of teaching. By these means, governors ensure that decisions about pay and progression are closely tied to teachers’ performance. Governors also challenge and hold senior leaders to account for the use of additional funds. They ensure, for example, that funds are used to provide extra teaching so that disadvantaged pupils and those who speak English as an additional language are well supported. Governors make sure that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

safeguarding procedures meet statutory guidance. For example, they fully support the headteacher in keeping a close check on arrangements to secure the school site and keep pupils safe.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching is good across the school. Since the previous inspection, prompted and supported well by senior leaders, teachers have improved the way they assess and support pupils’ achievement.  Teachers check pupils’ abilities and needs at an early stage. With the additional boost of well-planned training, particularly in the teaching of letters and sounds and writing, teachers have raised their expectations of pupils’ achievement.  Leaders have also secured improved and more consistent marking of pupils’ work that gives pupils a better understanding of what they have done well and what needs to improve. Adults also give pupils effective and supportive oral guidance about how to improve. Teachers are very careful in checking the progress of pupils with differing abilities and needs, and adapt their teaching effectively.  As a result, the consistently effective teaching identified in the school’s records and observed during the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

inspection promotes the pupils’ good progress.  Teachers share the information gathered about the pupils carefully with each other and with skilled teaching assistants. They use their improved knowledge of pupils’ needs effectively to plan appropriately challenging activities and to provide timely and effective additional individual support. As a result, pupils behave well, show positive attitudes and eagerly engage in learning. For example, when reading books in Year 3, pupils responded enthusiastically to the teacher’s carefully posed questions to deepen their understanding of how to identify and interpret subheadings.  Adults work diligently to build pupils’ self-confidence as well as their academic skills. They encourage pupils and challenge them to think and share ideas. In response, the pupils’ sustained commitment to work is quickening their progress.  Teachers make effective use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and pupils who speak English

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

as an additional language. For example, teaching assistants and specialist teachers provide individuals and small groups of pupils with helpful support and guidance to extend their language and numeracy skills.  Teachers in all classes place a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ vocabulary and ability to write with lively expression. For example, pupils in Year 6 wrote colourful descriptions about different settings.  There is not enough emphasis on developing pupils’ handwriting and spelling. Similarly, although teachers are now challenging pupils to learn and practise the quick recall of number facts, this emphasis has not been in place long enough to make a noticeable difference to pupils’ calculation skills. These limitations sometimes weaken pupils’ confidence to complete descriptive pieces of writing and solve mathematical problems.  The teaching of phonics is well organised across the school and is beginning to help in improving spelling.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

Teachers frequently assess pupils’ developing skills to set work at the right level of difficulty. As a result, all pupils, including disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and the most able, make equally successful progress in relation to their starting points.  The pupils’ quickened progress in reading enhances their ability to learn in other subjects. For example, when questioned, pupils talked enthusiastically about their studies of the Ancient Greeks and of their pride when performing in the choir.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The pupils’ self-confidence and eagerness to learn in lessons underpin their improved progress since the previous inspection.  From the moment they begin school, pupils respond appreciatively to the high regard given to their individual needs by caring staff and there is very rarely any disruption to learning.  School records indicate few incidents of inappropriate behaviour, and these are reducing. Pupils know that bullying can take many forms. They know how to stay safe and, for example, say that they would quickly talk to an adult if they had any worries.  During break times, for example, pupils of all ages mix and play considerately together to make good use of the school’s small but enriching outdoor facilities. The youngest children, in particular, value the way staff encourage and support their play when climbing apparatus or using equipment.

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Personal development and welfare

 Staff help all pupils to develop their physical and emotional well-being successfully. Pupils grow in self- awareness and respect for others, as for example in the breakfast club, where pupils play board games and warmly exchange ideas with each other and with staff.  Pupils talk knowledgeably about cyber-bullying. They make ready reference to the e-safety they are taught at school that they feel keeps them safe when using computers. Pupils readily say, ‘There is rarely any bullying here – just friends.’ They also say there has been no bullying in recent terms. Records also show that when individual pupils have needed extra support they have responded well to improve their behaviour.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils in all classes behave well and respond willingly to the teachers’ instructions and questions. They clearly welcome the way staff value their ideas and views. There is very rarely any disruption to learning in lessons.  During reading lessons, for example, pupils confidently express their ideas about story characters and share them with adults and fellow pupils. This supportive cooperation between pupils and adults enriches learning.  Pupils are polite to visitors to the school and are keen to play their part in promoting the school’s welcoming atmosphere. They say, ‘We have lots of friends here.’ Without prompting, they also express their appreciation of the way pupils, from widely varying backgrounds, mix so happily together.  Most pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time. However, despite the school more strongly stressing the importance of good attendance than in the past, there is still too much absence by a

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Behaviour

minority of pupils. This leads to the overall rate of attendance remaining below average.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ progress has improved since the previous inspection and is now good.   Better progress is because school leaders have developed staff training and shared staff expertise more fully to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning. As a result, pupils across the range of abilities and needs make similarly good progress from their differing starting points. For example, this has improved the teaching of phonics (letters and sounds), which was reflected in the better scores in the 2015 Year 1 phonic screening checks.   The pupils’ improved progress in developing their reading skills is demonstrated by their ability to understand information in different subjects, and in their confidence to read and then talk about characters in their stories.   Leaders promote effective teamwork in gathering and sharing information about pupils’ skills and progress. This ensures that teachers have a more accurate understanding of pupils’ individual needs and

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Outcomes for pupils are good

are supporting them well at an earlier stage to quicken their progress. As a result, from varying levels of skill for their age, children make good progress in the Reception class. Pupils continue to make good progress as they move through the school.  The school’s checks on pupils’ developing skills, and inspection observations of pupils’ work in lessons and in books, show good progress in reading and writing.  There is an improving picture in mathematics as pupils advance their mental arithmetic skills. However, the proportion of pupils making really rapid progress is not yet rising quickly enough in all year groups. At times, this is because pupils’ difficulty in recalling number facts quickly enough still reduces their confidence when faced with problems in mathematics.  Pupils arriving later than the normal time of entry from other schools, and often from other countries, are well supported and make good progress. This is especially the case for pupils who speak English as an

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Outcomes for pupils are good

additional language. The school records show these pupils make increasingly rapid progress during their time in this school.  Staff have strengthened the way they question pupils and now, for example, challenge boys and girls and the most-able pupils to equally good effect. This ensures that all pupils make particularly good progress in developing their speaking, listening and vocabulary skills. For example, during a lesson in Year 2, pupils thoughtfully explained why they used words such as ‘disrespectful’ and ‘precious’ when writing about Goldilocks.  Pupils demonstrate good skills in music, singing and drama and are confident speaking and singing aloud in their annual Shakespeare performance in which they show the skills and confidence to do well in the next stage of their education.  By the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment is broadly average overall. However, in other year groups in the school, pupils’ abilities to quickly recall number facts, and their handwriting skills, are sometimes weak. At

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Outcomes for pupils are good

times, overall levels of attainment are also constrained because some pupils who have entered at a later stage in their schooling have not experienced the same foundation in learning as their classmates.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs have their needs met effectively in lessons. They are well supported by teachers and by teaching assistants and make similarly good progress to other pupils.  Disadvantaged pupils in receipt of pupil premium support, including several arriving from other schools and speaking English as an additional language, are well supported. They progress at least as well and sometimes better than other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. This is because early checks on these pupils’ skills enable staff to build on previous learning and this is quickening their progress.

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Early years provision is good

 The leadership and management of the provision in the Reception class are good. The teacher and teaching assistants work well together and ‘go the extra mile’ in helping children to settle quickly and confidently.   Staff have a friendly and open approach helping to promote supportive relationships with parents to boost the children’s confidence during their part-time start of school.   Adults provide well-planned support combined with carefully arranged stimulating learning equipment to motivate the children in starting and continuing effective learning.   So far this term, for example, very young children are quickly responding well to carefully planned and consistent routines and expectations. These are already helping them to behave and learn well. Children quickly develop personal and social skills at school, for example, sitting and talking sociably at home-time until their parents arrive to collect them 

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Early years provision is good

 Children’s skills on entering Reception vary significantly. Over time, their skills have been lower than is typical for their age, particularly in personal and language development.   The school’s work to promote the children’s personal development and well-being is good. All staff are diligent in keeping children safe and fully meet their statutory obligations regarding safeguarding the children. For example, adults carefully supervise the children as they readily engage in learning and move from one activity to another in and out of doors. This boosts the children’s self-confidence in learning and playing together. As a result, they behave well and quickly learn to appreciate and enjoy school.   Children extend and develop their skills across a suitable range of interesting activities. For example, children develop their language and number skills and enjoyment of learning well during snack times

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Early years provision is good

when, ‘quiet as a mouse’, they take turns counting how many there are in a circle.   Children continue their good learning outdoors in the small, but interesting and safely supervised, learning area. On occasion, there are too few resources for children to develop their early writing skills when learning outdoors.   Teaching, learning and assessment are good overall, with staff excelling in identifying and supporting the children’s individual pastoral and emotional needs.   All groups of children, particularly the high number who enter speaking very little English, have their skills and needs addressed carefully and effectively. This represents an improved feature because of the staff’s successful efforts to improve their teaching of phonics and early reading skills. The skills and understanding of boys and girls are now equally well developed, reflecting the leaders’ continued drive to bring improvement. 

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Early years provision is good

 Staff check and record the children’s developing skills accurately. They share information regularly with parents and use the information well to provide children with relevant activities in all areas of learning.   Leaders ensure that additional funding for disadvantaged children is used well to support their identified needs. Extra adult support is provided, for example, to boost those children’s speaking skills. As a result, children across the range of abilities, including disabled children and those with special educational needs, make good progress and enjoy their learning.   This year, an average proportion of children reached a good level of development across the areas of learning at the end of their year in Reception. This was an improvement on previous years and shows that they made good progress from their often widely varying starting points. They were well placed to continue learning in Year 1.

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School details

Unique reference number 109148 Local authority Bristol Inspection number 10002448

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School details

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

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School details

School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 181 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Hawkins Headteacher/Principal/Teacher in charge Stuart McClelland Telephone number 01179030434 Website www.stmichaelsonthemount.bristol.sch.uk Email address St.michael.p@bristol.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 24–25 September 2013

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils attending the school are from minority ethnic backgrounds.  About half of the pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority) is above average.  An above-average proportion of pupils join or leave the school other than at the normal times.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  During the inspection, children in the school’s early years provision were continuing their start at school on a part-time basis in the Reception class.

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Information about this school

 The school provides its own breakfast club.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 18 lessons and saw the work of nine teachers. They were accompanied by the headteacher or deputy headteacher during most of these visits to lessons.  A wide range of documents was scrutinised, including records relating to behaviour and attendance, safeguarding procedures and the school’s analysis of how well it is improving. The inspectors examined the school’s systems for checking progress and records of checks on the quality of teaching.  Inspectors talked to individual pupils and to specific groups of pupils about the school and their work. Inspectors also listened to individual pupils read and attended an assembly and a school meeting about mathematics with parents. The inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work across a range of subjects and classes.  The inspectors held meetings with members of the governing body. They also held meetings with school staff, mainly senior and middle leaders. An inspector also met with members of the school council. The

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Information about this inspection

lead inspector met with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors took account of the views expressed in the 39 online responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire. The inspectors gathered the views of several parents during informal meetings at the school during the inspection.  The inspectors considered the school’s use of the primary PE and sport funding and the pupil premium.

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Inspection team

Alex Baxter, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Sarah O’Donnell 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

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

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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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