St Andrew's CofE Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Elizabeth Stanley-Wainwright Headteacher St Andrew’s CofE Primary School Station Road Stanley Ilkeston Derbyshire DE7 6FB

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Short inspection of St Andrew’s CofE Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 22 March 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in June 2011.

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Short inspection of St Andrew’s CofE Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have created a school-wide sense of teamwork with governors, staff, parents and pupils, identifying this as a key strength of the school. Everyone I spoke to during the inspection commented on how this culture makes them feel valued and each appreciates that they have a role to play in making the team stronger and more effective. A very strong sense of community intertwines the school’s commitment to Christian values with practical support for pupils and families during times of need. By way of example, one parent commented that, ’You can come into the school and the headteacher will help you with anything.’ This reputation extends far beyond your immediate locality and many parents make a choice to travel significant distances to place their children at the school. Pupils from Year 6 relish the roles

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Short inspection of St Andrew’s CofE Primary School

of responsibility they undertake and the head girl, head boy and their deputies represent the school with maturity and pride. Pupils are respectful and feel respected, with one telling me that, ‘Everyone cares for your opinion.’ The school’s expectations of duty, respect, tolerance and care help to instil fundamental British values and prepare pupils well for their future life in modern Britain.

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Short inspection of St Andrew’s CofE Primary School

Leaders and governors have acted effectively on the areas for improvement identified at the time of the last inspection. The previous inspection report placed very specific timescales on accelerating the rates of progress for pupils’ writing. Leaders’ actions resulted in improved outcomes at both key stage 1 and 2 within the specified timeframe. Work in books shows that teachers’ marking is now consistent with the school’s policy. However, pupils in key stages 1 and 2 do not get enough opportunities to use, apply or exercise reasoning, particularly in mathematics, and teachers are not precise enough in identifying the next steps in pupils’ learning. As a result, pupils do not fully master or deepen their learning.

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Short inspection of St Andrew’s CofE Primary School

Leaders and governors ensure that all safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. Staff and governors undertake regular training to ensure that their knowledge and practice is current. This is supported by clear and effective policies.

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Short inspection of St Andrew’s CofE Primary School

You and your team know the pupils and their families particularly well and have a very visible presence on the playground at the start and end of each day. Parents value this and comment on the ease with which they can approach any staff member regarding any subject. All agree that bullying and name calling are almost unheard of and, like their children, parents overwhelmingly believe that the staff will address any issues immediately and effectively. Pupils feel safe at the school and know how to keep themselves safe, for example in their use of the internet. Governors have a very good awareness of their safeguarding responsibilities and ensure that leaders are vigilant to signs of extremism, child sexual exploitation and other forms of abuse.

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Inspection findings

 Leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas in need of further improvement. School self- evaluation is based on well-founded evidence, with actions for improvement linked closely to this. Governors are knowledgeable about current priorities and very clear about the importance of their role in holding you to account for improving pupils’ outcomes. They also use the school’s performance management process effectively, setting challenging targets for staff and rewarding achievement while robustly addressing any staff underperformance. The governing body is very well led by the chair, who has a thorough understanding of her role, as well as a clear and ambitious vision for the future.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and were eager to share their views with me at the start of the school day. They particularly value the strong sense of community and the depth to

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Inspection findings

which staff know their children. In the words of one parent, ‘All the staff know all the children; their good points and their bad.’ Staff take their lead from your honest, open and transparent leadership style and this is appreciated by parents, who hold you in the highest regard. Parents are satisfied that their children are challenged to do their best academically and socially, with one saying, ‘I can’t wait for my child to start the school because I know she will thrive.’  Leaders and governors review published information and internal assessment figures about pupils’ performance on a regular basis. They take steps to ensure the accuracy of this information through lesson observations and by scrutinising the work in pupils’ books. You have termly meetings with teachers to review the progress of every child, although staff are quick to spot and address any pupil underachievement. Leaders pay particular attention to the progress and

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Inspection findings

achievements of the most able and pupils who have special educational needs or disability and this ensures that these pupils achieve well by the end of key stage 2. Leaders also demand that support, such as that provided by the pupil premium, is used effectively to improve academic and social outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Teaching assistants and other adults in school are well directed and their particular skills and talents are used efficiently to promote pupils’ learning.  Children enter the early years with levels of development broadly typical for their age. They come to the school from an increasingly wide range of pre-school settings and arrangements are in place to support their transition to the school. However, the school has not been active enough in building closer links with these settings in order to know children’s interests and needs at an earlier stage. Parents are encouraged to spend time in class at the start of each day and this

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Inspection findings

helps to build strong relationships with staff, while also supporting parents who are new to the school or to education.  In 2014, a lower than average proportion of children left the early years having achieved good levels of development. Since then, outcomes have improved, with a higher than average proportion reaching good levels of development in 2015, and current work suggesting that children are making strong progress. During our visit to the early years, the outdoor provision was being used to good effect to promote particular areas of development that have been less strong in the past, such as children’s personal, social and emotional development, and their understanding of the world. The children worked in excited collaboration with each other on a range of Easter-themed activities which promoted their reading, writing and skills in phonics (letters and the sounds that they make). Each child also had the opportunity to

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Inspection findings

work with a teaching assistant to give and receive foot washing as a means of experiencing and better understanding the Easter story. Their focus was on The Last Supper, recalling the occasion when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet as a sign of his desire to serve them.  Pupils make good progress in phonics in Year 1, with a much higher proportion than average achieving the required standard in the national phonics screening check. By the end of key stage 1, pupils’ attainment is broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics. You have rightly identified that too few pupils achieve at the highest levels and have taken steps to address this. These actions are appropriate and quite clearly focused on providing the best possible education for these pupils. Pupils make increasingly strong progress in key stage 2, and in 2015, the progress pupils made placed the school in the top 10% of schools nationally for progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Inspection findings

However, current assessment information suggests that pupils’ attainment will not be as strong this year, even though all possible steps are being taken to increase achievement. This is because the level of needs in the current Year 6 are greater than was the case in 2015.  Pupils’ books in both key stages 1 and 2 are very well presented. Pupils clearly take pride in their work and achievements. However, teachers’ feedback to pupils is not precise enough about the next steps needed in pupils’ learning and this means that misconceptions are not eliminated quickly. Additionally, teachers do not provide pupils with enough opportunities to use and apply the skills they learn, especially in mathematics. Pupils are not challenged to use reasoning and logic to solve problems, or to justify and check their ideas and calculations. As a result, pupils of all abilities have not fully secured or mastered their learning and skills.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils behave well around the school and at different times of the day. They are given, and highly prize, increasingly responsible roles as they progress through the school. By Year 6, pupils have a range of responsibilities, including leading the school’s learning during regular ‘Wow Weeks’, covering topics such as science and cultural awareness. The inspection took place during Easter ‘Wow Week’ and pupils played a significant role in planning, organising and delivering learning opportunities for others. Year 6 pupils had consulted, planned and shared activities with other year groups, and were leading elements of learning such as collective worship on the day of the inspection and aspects of the school’s Easter service at the local church.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 teachers identify and communicate the next steps in pupils’ learning with greater precision to ensure that pupils fully understand how they can improve their work further  pupils are given more opportunities to use reasoning and apply their skills, particularly in mathematics, to ensure that they fully understand and master their learning  the range of partnership work carried out by the school is extended, particularly before children enter the early years, to prepare effectively for meeting the needs and interests of children when they join the school. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Derby, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Derbyshire County Council. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met you, three governors, parents, pupils from Year 6 and a senior education advisor from the local authority. I considered the responses of 25 parents on Parent View and nine responses to the staff survey. We visited all classes in the school, spending a short time in each, and looked at a sample of pupils’ work together. I looked at a range of documents including an evaluation of the school’s performance and plans for further improvement, information on how the pupil premium is spent and a number of policy documents, including those relating to child protection and special educational needs.

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