St Benedict Biscop CofE Primary School

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

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Mrs Helen George St Benedict Biscop CofE (F) Primary School School Road Wombourne Wolverhampton Staffordshire WV5 9DZ

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Primary School

Following my visit with Lindsay Nash, Ofsted Inspector, to your school on 5–6 May 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken since the school’s recent section 5 inspection.

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Primary School

The inspection was the first monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection that took place in September 2015.

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Primary School

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Primary School

Leaders and managers are taking effective action towards the removal of special measures.

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Primary School

The local authority’s statement of action is fit for purpose.

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Primary School

The school’s improvement plan is fit for purpose.

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Primary School

The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers before the next monitoring inspection. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Lichfield and the director of children’s services for Staffordshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took

 Improve the quality of teaching in Years 1 to 6, so that all groups of pupils achieve well, by making sure that all teachers: – challenge the most-able pupils sufficiently – provide effective support for disadvantaged pupils, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs – plan activities that motivate boys and girls to be creative, use their imagination and find out more – acquire the knowledge and skills they require to teach reading, writing, mathematics and the wider subjects in the curriculum – accurately assess what pupils know, understand and can do – check how well pupils are learning during the lesson and adapt activities where necessary – provide the clear guidance that pupils need to improve their work.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took

 Improve leadership and management, including governance, by ensuring that: – leaders regularly check on the progress of different groups of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics in order to identify underachievement and take swift and appropriate action – teachers with leadership responsibilities, for a subject or an aspect of the school’s work, gain the skills required to improve teaching and raise pupils’ achievement – governors receive essential information about the achievement of groups in all classes and gain the skills required to hold all leaders to account.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took

External reviews of governance and the use of pupil premium were recommended .

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Evidence

Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all year groups and looked at pupils’ work in books and on display. Inspectors scrutinised documents and met with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, groups of pupils, parents, teachers, teaching assistants, the chair and vice-chair of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.

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Context

Since the section 5 inspection in September 2015, one teacher has left the school. An assistant headteacher post has been created and the person appointed to this new post teaches the Year 6 class and has responsibility for leading mathematics in the school. Currently, two teachers are absent from work and the Year 1 and Year 5 classes are being taught by temporary teachers. Three new governors have been appointed. At the time of the September section 5 inspection, the current headteacher had been in post for two weeks.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Since September 2015, the school’s leadership has improved considerably. The headteacher’s judgement is spot on and she knows exactly what needs to be done to lift the school out of special measures. In a relatively short space of time, she has gained the confidence and trust of staff and created a team that works hard and wants to succeed. There is still plenty of work to be done to get the school back on track, but leaders are clearly driving improvements forward at pace.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Teachers report that, in the past, they did not always understand why certain decisions were made and did not have a good understanding of what was required from them or the pupils. This has now changed. Middle leaders, teachers and teaching assistants say they are well informed about everything that happens in school and have a voice in shaping decisions and agreeing school policy. At all levels, there is a sense of productive collaboration and consultation. The headteacher and senior staff listen to everyone’s ideas and suggestions, but make sure that their decisions are made in the best interests of the pupils. Indeed, the headteacher has already demonstrated that she will take tough and uncompromising action when necessary.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Staff roles and responsibilities have been clarified, lines of accountability are clear and staff training has been provided. Across the school, teachers display a growing understanding of what is expected from them. Teachers, teaching assistants and pupils are all working harder and with a greater sense of purpose and direction than ever before. Nevertheless, a few staff are anxious about the shift in expectations. They welcome the recent changes and are keen to ‘get things right’ but still need more guidance from senior leaders about the new ways of working that have been introduced this year.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Leaders with specific responsibilities, such as for English, mathematics or special educational needs, are now able to keep a closer eye on pupils’ progress because assessment has improved. As in other schools, leaders recently introduced a new assessment system to track progress and attainment now that national curriculum levels have been removed. It is still early days, but this new system appears to be working well. Leaders have made sure that teachers work together to compare the work in pupils’ books so they can agree on judgements about standards. Staff work with colleagues in school and from other schools, and this is helping to boost confidence and lift expectations. Leaders with particular expertise, such as the mathematics leader, for example, have taught lessons for other staff to watch. However, this is not yet established practice and staff lack sufficient opportunities to learn from highly effective practice and to share aspects of their own work with

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

An external review of governance and the use of pupil premium took place in autumn term 2015 and these have brought benefits. The governing body has carried out an audit of governors’ skills and recruited new governors with expertise in specific areas, such as finance and school improvement. Governors with individual responsibilities – for pupil premium or special educational needs, for instance – are now doing more to fulfil their duties. Governors receive regular reports about the quality of teaching, pupils’ progress and curriculum matters. They meet with staff to ask questions and find out key information about the school’s work and performance. Governors have always been supportive of the school’s work and mindful of welfare matters for staff and pupils. They continue to be attentive to these aspects of their role, but there is now more rigour and ambition evident in the minutes of their recent meetings. This increased rigour and challenge was also

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

apparent during a meeting between inspectors and governors.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The school has been issued with an academy order and the governing body is exploring possible future arrangements.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

In all classes, pupils are now getting more work done. Much of it is set out carefully and pupils’ handwriting is legible and tidy. When planning work, teachers set different tasks for different ability groups, but sometimes pupils can do their work quite easily and are not moved on to new learning for some time. During this inspection, for example, key stage 2 pupils who were learning about fractions clearly understood how to subtract fractions with the same denominator but still had to plough through lots of the same sort of calculations before being allowed to move on to more demanding work. Some pupils just ran out of time to get onto the more worthwhile work, while some of the most-able pupils who finished quickly sat and waited for instructions about what to do next. Across the school, many pupils display a heavy reliance on instructions from adults. At times, they carry out unnecessary tasks that keep them busy rather than help them learn.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

The support provided to disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability is increasingly effective. For a start, there is now a greater awareness – from staff and governors – of these pupils and their needs. Just recently, the special educational needs leader carried out an audit of teaching assistants’ skills and knowledge in order to identify training needs and improve the quality of support available to pupils. Teachers track these pupils’ progress with more attention than they used to and leaders and governors are kept informed. In fact, the systematic tracking of progress made by different groups of pupils has improved significantly. Paperwork is very detailed and helpful. However, monitoring of the day-to-day impact of the extra support provided for pupils in class is still underdeveloped.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Teachers’ understanding of the requirements of the current national curriculum has improved, but is still variable. In some year groups, it is excellent; in others, it is less secure. Consequently, the quality of teaching varies from class to class. This was evident during observations made during this inspection and from checks on pupils’ books, with some particularly effective practice seen in Year 2 and Year 6. For instance, in a mathematics session for Year 6 pupils, the teacher had the knowledge, understanding and confidence to use pupils’ responses, mistakes and misconceptions to inform her teaching as she went along. She responded instantly to pupils’ needs and knew exactly what to do to plug gaps in their understanding and build their confidence and competence. Her teaching built carefully and precisely on each small step in pupils’ understanding. This is not the case in all classes. In some classes, pupils repeat work they have already tackled successfully

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

and at a higher level before. Most of the time, pupils accept this without question because they are obedient and have positive attitudes to school. However, on occasions when work is repeated unnecessarily, they ‘tune out’ and chat quietly to one another when the teacher is talking.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Everyone at the school has put effort and imagination into making learning more meaningful and relevant for the pupils. Leaders plan to develop a forest school area in the extensive school grounds and everyone is excited and inspired by this project. The number and range of school trips have increased and this has also generated interest and enthusiasm for learning.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

A whole-school policy for marking has been introduced and this is bringing benefits. All work is marked regularly and the feedback to pupils is helpful. As mentioned earlier, a key problem still to be tackled is to make sure that new work builds sequentially and progressively on pupils’ previous work. The temporary teaching arrangements that are currently operating in Years 1 and 5 are not ideal. The numerous changes and disruption to routines are hindering consistency and improvement. Parents spoken to during this inspection also expressed concern about this aspect of the school. While some circumstances are beyond the control of the school leadership, this will be a key focus area for future monitoring inspections.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

The section 5 inspection report noted that pupils’ conduct around the school was good. This continues to be the case. Pupils are kept safe, and feel safe, in school. In key stage 2, however, some pupils in Year 5 have found it hard to cope with the temporary teaching arrangements and show quiet disrespect in class. They look away from the teacher, gaze out of the window or chat to one another when they should be paying attention. These are bad habits which hinder their learning.

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Outcomes for pupils

Staff are aware and accept that standards are not where they ought to be and display an ambition to solve this problem quickly. The school’s assessment information shows that the proportions of pupils working at or above age-related expectations are rising. Inspectors’ checks on work in books found that the school’s judgements about pupils’ academic performance are increasingly accurate. Inspectors’ conversations with staff revealed that teachers feel more confident in their judgements because leaders are giving them the support and guidance they need. Long-serving and newly appointed staff report that they are not afraid to seek advice if they are unsure about anything. They think there is now a more evaluative and ambitious culture within the school. Inspection evidence supports this view.

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External support

External support is proving to be effective. The local authority’s education improvement adviser has made regular visits to the school and has a well-informed view of the school’s current performance. The local authority has provided support for the leadership of English, mathematics and special educational needs, and has helped to broker supportive partnerships with other schools. The school has received help and advice from a consultant headteacher, who has made five visits to the school. In addition, the school’s governors have forged productive links with other schools.

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