Send CofE Primary School

St Bede’s Church of England Aided Junior School Bush Lane, Send, Woking GU23 7HP

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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

 This school has significantly improved since the last inspection and now provides a good education for its pupils.  The executive headteacher provides strong leadership, supported by highly able leaders. Leaders have very high expectations of all staff and inspire them to give their best for the pupils. This has led to an improvement in the quality of teaching and good outcomes for pupils.  Achievement is good. From their different starting points pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics and, consequently, a large proportion of pupils are working at the standards expected for their age.  Teachers make effective use of assessment information to plan lessons which build on pupils’ prior knowledge and understanding.  Pupils’ behaviour is typically good and they participate well in lessons. They are taught to be respectful and to understand what is right and wrong. Values, such as kindness, empathy and

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This is a good school

forgiveness, are embedded throughout the school and pupils are considerate towards each other and adults.  Governors are extremely knowledgeable and skilled. They hold leaders to account for the high expectations they have for pupils at the school.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe is highly effective.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils are not consistently given opportunities to apply their English and mathematical skills so that they can deepen their understanding. This is known as ‘mastery’.  Attitudes to learning are generally positive, but are not yet excellent. A small number of pupils are not as confident, resilient and self-assured as others.  A small number of parents do not feel well informed about their child’s educational journey and the changes within the school.  The proportion of pupils exceeding expected progress is not above that seen nationally.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Leaders should further improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so it becomes outstanding over time by: sharing good practice so that all teaching has the same impact on pupils’ progress as the very best in the school continuing to promote highly positive learning behaviours so that pupils become increasingly self- assured and consistently demonstrate excellent attitudes towards learning providing pupils with opportunities to apply what they know in a range of ways in English and mathematics in order that their understanding of concepts is deepened ensuring that the proportion of pupils who make more than expected progress increases, particularly those who are disadvantaged, so that more pupils reach the highest standards of achievement and gaps in pupils’ knowledge are eradicated.  Leaders and those responsible for governance should: continue to seek ways to communicate and work in partnership with parents so that they feel well

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

informed about their child’s education and the school’s journey build on the strong start to curriculum development by ensuring that pupils’ enjoyment and intrinsic love of learning are ignited.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 There is a shared vision across the school of high expectations which are communicated and understood. Leaders’ expectations and ambition for pupils’ achievement are very high. The vast majority of staff share this vision. Pupils also know that they are expected to work hard and feel challenged in their learning.  Most staff feel improvements are tangible and rapid since the arrival of the executive headteacher. They say that their ideas are welcomed, including when planning for the future, which makes them feel valued. This is having a positive impact on raising standards and improving teaching.  School leaders have brought about rapid change because they know the strengths and weaknesses of the school and use this information to precisely target areas for improvement. Leaders have lost no time in addressing the school’s weaknesses and making the changes needed. The executive headteacher is determined to drive forward improvements and has faced transition and challenges with determination

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and resilience because she puts the needs of pupils first. One parent has observed that: ‘The new head has made a lot of changes and many of these seem to have created more stability in the school.’  Leaders have improved the quality of teaching across the school because they have carefully planned training and support linked to rigorous management of staff performance. Training and development are used very well to provide staff with the necessary skills to improve their practice. Leaders use a wide range of information to validate their views about the quality of teaching. When required, they have taken necessary action to secure better teaching for pupils.  Staff, including teaching assistants, are given opportunities to grow professionally. Most express how much they have been challenged and supported by senior leaders who have high expectations of them. One member of staff expressed how much she has learned since the arrival of the executive

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

headteacher. Overall, staff feel that senior leaders have been instrumental in forging the rapid improvements across the school.  Assessment procedures are in place to track the curriculum introduced in 2014. Leaders have established robust tracking systems and, as a result, this is already being used systematically by staff to bring about improvements in outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils. Leaders have ensured that judgements about how well pupils are doing are secure through internal and, importantly, external moderation.  Additional government funding given to the school, including pupil premium and sports funding, is allocated well to support the needs of pupils. As a result, the progress that pupils make has improved and disadvantaged pupils’ attainment is rising because rates of progress have escalated. Governors and leaders have the highest expectations for disadvantaged pupils currently at the school. Leaders ensure

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

that the pupil premium is targeted effectively to support these pupils through a range of initiatives, but they know that still more work needs to be done to ensure that more disadvantaged pupils reach the highest levels of attainment. Effective use of sports funding has had a highly positive impact on pupils’ enthusiasm to participate in sport.  The curriculum is increasingly broad and balanced, inclusive and enriched. There are rich streams of evidence of how the school develops pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. For example, pupils participate in an ‘international week’ when they learn about the culture and faiths of different countries. Pupils are taught to value others and how to be responsible and prepared for the future in modern Britain. For example, in a well-crafted and engaging English lesson, pupils developed a clear understanding of the plight of homeless people while studying ‘Mr Stink’ by David Walliams. Pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

eloquently expressed empathetic values relating to this social issue.  Pupils have access to specialist teachers in French and physical education which has impacted strongly on the progress that pupils make. In a Year 5 art lesson, pupils were able to recall the names of impressionist artists, such as Sisley, and the techniques they used. Pupils used Monet’s work as a starting point from which to base their own pictures. Pupils were absorbed and, as a result, their art was of high quality. Leaders have made a compelling start to developing the curriculum but continue to have high aspirations to develop pupils’ enjoyment and enthusiasm for learning further.  Parents’ views about the school are varied. While most parents are positive about the improvements within the school, their child’s happiness, care and behaviour, and the approachability of leaders, a small number do not share these views. Some parents are concerned about the progress their children are

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

making. One parent wrote: ‘Information on my child’s progress could be more detailed and more specific.’ A few parents feel that the school does not expect pupils to behave well and incidents of bullying are not dealt with effectively. Inspectors found that these concerns are not well founded, and that the school provides a good standard of education and pupils are well cared for. Although the school works hard to work in partnership with parents, more needs to be done to fully engage parental support through even better communication about their children’s progress and the changes within the school.  The local authority has supported the school since the last inspection and ensured that actions taken by leaders have had an impact on pupils. School leaders have welcomed this support and challenge, and acted on advice given to them. The local authority expresses confidence in the executive headteacher’s

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

‘tireless pursuit’ of better standards for pupils in the school. School leaders and governors are outward looking, and keen to share practice and learn from others. The school has joined in partnerships with local schools to support improvement and validate the work of the school. This work has strengthened the school’s ability to improve.  The governance of the school Governors are extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the school because the school’s leaders are transparent in the information that they share. Governors are focused on school improvement and observe the impact of leaders’ actions first-hand. Records are meticulous and evidence the extent to which governors hold leaders to account. Governors are visible and available to staff and parents. The governing body checks that systems to manage staff performance are implemented and that staff well-being is a priority. Governors challenge leaders at all levels and each other to drill down on priorities for the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Consequently, they impact positively on pupils’ lives.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. School leaders have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality. Thorough checks are made on staff and other adults who work at the school. All staff and governors receive important training relating to safeguarding, and staff in particular receive updates and information regarding child protection and welfare of pupils on a very regular basis. Staff who are new to the school receive helpful and timely induction to ensure that pupils are protected from harm. Commendably, governors are acutely aware of their responsibilities and, as a result, ensure that they keep abreast of any updates to legislation so that these can be implemented immediately. They monitor safeguarding procedures very well. Consequently, pupils say they feel safe and looked after and the vast majority of parents also feel that their children are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Leaders have rightly focused on improving the quality of teaching across the school. They have taken the action necessary to secure good or better teaching. Subsequently, adults share high hopes for pupils’ lives and the focus on improving and embedding pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding is a key priority throughout the school.  Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong across the curriculum and consistently good in all year groups. There are examples of highly effective teaching, especially in upper key stage 2. This effective teaching provides pupils with equality of opportunity as they progress through the school and helps the vast majority of pupils to sustain concentration in lessons.  The very best lessons facilitate high levels of pupil engagement. Pupils’ needs are precisely met and learning is finely tuned to enable pupils to make rapid progress. Teachers’ subject knowledge is imparted

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

extremely well, subject-specific language is pervasive and starting points capture pupils’ imagination and motivate them. School leaders know that opportunities to share the very best practice need to be facilitated so that all pupils have access to the very best quality of teaching.  Teachers know the needs of the pupils well and tasks are accurately targeted to meet pupils’ varying abilities and challenge them. They assess pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding in all subject areas and use this information to plan lessons that will help them to further develop these skills. Pupils are given detailed targets so that they know and understand how to achieve more highly.  The most able pupils are challenged to continually stretch themselves and think more deeply. They apply what they know in a range of ways and say that teachers provide them with more and more difficult activities. They verbalise that work is rarely too easy.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Reading is given high priority in the school. Leaders ensure that pupils have a firm grasp of phonics (the sounds that letters make) as the foundation for segmenting words and spelling more precisely. Pupils who find reading more difficult receive additional support and, as a result, read confidently. Daily guided reading sessions concentrate on the acquisition of reading skills such as inference, retrieval, comprehension and prediction. Pupils clearly understand the relationship between reading and improving their writing. For example, pupils told inspectors that they ‘magpie’ unusual words, such as ‘talisman’, to help them write more exciting stories.  Teaching is impacting strongly on pupils’ writing skills which are also taught through other curriculum subjects. Pupils’ work demonstrates that handwriting is improving and pupils are taking increasing pride in their work. Pupils in lower key stage 2 commonly use embedded clauses within a main clause and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

sentence structure becomes increasing complex as pupils move through the school.  Pupils commonly write sentences using the correct punctuation and even unfamiliar words are spelled with accuracy. An older pupil wrote: ‘Eerily, the same woman from the reception stood eye to eye with Brad; her eyes were tinged with red and her skin looked metallic.’ Sometimes too much time is spent in lessons practising skills rather than encouraging pupils to apply what they know in a range of ways.  Pupils who fall behind are supported well to quickly make progress and catch up with their peers. Pupils value that teachers ‘help them with tricky learning’. Additional staff help pupils to learn in a variety of ways and do it well, including pupils who are most able. Pupils are encouraged to use a range of useful resources and prompts to help them work more on their own for sustained periods of time.  Class teachers provide pupils with continual verbal and written feedback about how well they are doing

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

during lessons. This immediately has an impact on the ability of each pupil to make progress within a short space of time. Pupils value this information and say that they like to know how well they are doing and how to improve.  Highly effective questioning by all adults enables them to check what pupils know and understand, and intervene quickly to make certain that misconceptions do not develop. Adults give pupils sufficient time to think about their responses and draw on what they know from a range of subjects.  The school works hard to provide parents with information about their child’s learning and how well they are doing, and to ensure that homework is appropriate. Leaders are currently seeking ways to improve this further.  Pupils are quick to grasp new skills in mathematics and can talk assuredly about the strategies they use to work out calculations and solve problems. The school’s drive to improve the quality of mathematics is

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

paying dividends. Pupils’ work clearly evidences that they are making good progress.  There is inconsistent evidence, however, that pupils of all abilities are given enough opportunity to develop a deep understanding in mathematics, known as ‘mastery’, thereby ensuring rapid progress and raising attainment to the highest levels. Nonetheless, pupils commonly use reasoning skills to explain mathematical concepts both orally and in their work, such as in response to a teacher’s question: ‘When in real life would you need to round measures?

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils feel safe in school. One pupil summarised this by saying, ‘It just feels good so you feel safe.’ Pupils say that teachers are focused on keeping pupils healthy and safe, for example through monthly fire drills which embed routine. Pupils were able to list a range of ways that they are taught to be safe, including ‘stranger danger’, cycling safety and during anti-bullying week.  Pupils enjoy responsibilities that are given to them and are proud of their roles. Eco-warriors are highly proactive and enthusiastic and have led an assembly for key stage 1 pupils and school governors, which helps younger pupils to understand environmental responsibility.  Pupils’ views are valued. They contribute towards the school improvement plan and the values which underpin the ethos of the school. These values, which include learning how to respect and embrace the

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Personal development and welfare

diversity of society, are embedded within the daily life of the school. During this inspection, the school assembly focused on kindness, the importance of each child as an individual, and respect for their uniqueness.  All year groups are represented on the school council and pupils are encouraged to express or write down any concerns they might have so that staff can quickly resolve any issues that might arise. Pupils have a clear understanding about the importance of staying healthy through exercise and by eating healthily. Pupils were observed eating fruit at breaktimes and spoke positively to inspectors about their enjoyment of sport and physical education.  The vast majority of pupils have good attitudes to learning. Most pupils of all ages engage well in lessons, confidently participate, share ideas and answer questions, because the learning culture is safe and trusting. One pupil explained to the inspector that it was good to share ideas so that pupils of all

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Personal development and welfare

abilities get a ‘push’ in their learning. They are resilient when feedback is given to them by staff on how to improve their work. Despite emerging strengths in this area, a small minority of pupils have yet to develop these positive attitudes and lack core skills such as perseverance, resilience and an intrinsic desire to learn. This impacts on the progress that these pupils make.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. A small number of parents expressed concerns about the impact of some pupils’ behaviour on their child’s ability to learn and concentrate. However, pupils’ behaviour is typically good when they are learning in the classroom and when they are playing together at breaktime.  Pupils are polite, thoughtful, courteous, smiling and welcoming. The vast majority concentrate well in lessons and participate confidently. Pupils are able to eloquently talk about what they are learning and about their positive feelings for the school. In particular, they told inspectors that behaviour has improved, staff sort out any issues and supervision on the playground is good.  Incidents of bullying and use of derogatory language are exceptionally rare. Any issues are tackled by leaders so that pupils are able to understand what is right and wrong. Pupils are helped to think about and learn about important virtues such as understanding, respect and tolerance towards others. Pupils

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Behaviour

say that bullying does not happen, but if pupils struggle with friendships, then adults quickly help them to sort things out.  Staff understand and consistently apply the school’s expectations regarding appropriate behaviour and conduct. As a result, pupils know what is expected of them and respond to guidance from staff extremely well. Staff know pupils’ needs and develop positive relationships with them. As a result, pupils are more able to access learning.  As a result of the effective implementation of behaviour strategies by staff and promotion of fundamental British values, the number of behaviour incidents has dramatically fallen and there have been no fixed- term exclusions this year.  Pupils arrive at school on time and are ready to learn. Pupils’ attendance is above the national average for primary schools and very few pupils miss too many days of school. The school has high expectations

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Behaviour

and works closely with parents and other professionals to ensure that pupils’ attendance is good.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Leaders are ambitious for pupils, including those who are most able and those who are disadvantaged. They feel passionately that pupils who have special educational needs or disability should achieve well, not only in comparison to pupils with similar starting points but also relative to other pupils in the school. Teachers are held to account for the progress that pupils make.  Support for pupils who have special educational needs or disability has a significant impact and pupils are making strong progress. Each pupil’s achievement and progress is examined by leaders to ensure that they are receiving the best possible support. The range of special educational needs and disabilities are too varied to make any meaningful statistical comparisons regarding trends over time. Because of the high level of extra help they receive, pupils are well supported to make effective transitions as they move through the school.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Leaders and all adults understand performance information well and use this to prioritise actions that improve pupils’ attainment. Current assessment systems, introduced by school leaders, are rigorous. Information about how well pupils are doing is checked frequently to ensure that pupils at risk from falling behind are identified quickly and support is put in place.  Historically, pupils have entered the school with levels of achievement above the national average. This is now reversed and starting points are now agreed, secure and validated across the primary phase. This provides staff with a firm foundation on which to build learning that meets the needs of pupils.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The school’s own performance information and evidence in pupils’ work indicate that the school will continue to meet these

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Outcomes for pupils are good

expectations.  Pupils attain more highly that the national average in reading and writing, and a high proportion of pupils reach the highest levels of attainment. A high proportion of current pupils are working at expected levels for pupils of their age. Some pupils are exceeding these levels. This is because all adults have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Historically, a high proportion of pupils have reached the highest levels across reading, writing and mathematics. In order that this continues, more pupils need to make more than expected progress to reach the increased challenge of the new curriculum.  Pupils have not always made the good progress they are capable of because the quality of teaching in the past has not been consistently good. Conversely, current pupils, including the most able and disadvantaged, make strong progress from their various starting points. This is clearly visible in pupils’

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Outcomes for pupils are good

work in English and mathematics. This is because teaching is consistently good over time and assessment information is used carefully to ensure that pupils build on what they know.  The proportion of pupils making more than expected progress is variable. Nonetheless, there is evidence in books that pupils working below the expected levels are supported to reach expected standards for their age because learning is well planned. In some classes and in some subjects, over half of pupils have made these rapid gains in their learning. More needs to be done to bring uniformity to these high rates of progress. This will elevate the number of pupils who reach the highest levels of achievement, and further eradicate gaps in learning that have resulted from poor teaching in the past.  The most able pupils are challenged because work is closely matched to their needs across all subjects. For instance, most-able pupils write at length and use a range of complex sentences, enhanced by rich

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Outcomes for pupils are good

vocabulary and precise punctuation. Their work is increasingly sophisticated. Leaders have targeted this group of pupils to make more than expected progress and, consequently, the most able pupils make good progress from already high starting points.  Disadvantaged pupils achieve well and are making good progress from their variable starting points. This is because of the effective support they receive as individuals within class. Numbers in each class vary greatly and are often too small to make statistical comparisons of how well disadvantaged pupils achieve year on year. A significant number of disadvantaged pupils have special educational needs or disability. Pupils’ work evidences the strong progress that disadvantaged pupils are currently making in school from their various starting points. This demonstrates the school’s commitment to equality of opportunity.  Pupils are increasingly well prepared for the next stage in their education. One parents expressed this by

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Outcomes for pupils are good

saying of their child: ‘ Importantly, they are being prepared for secondary school. It is visible at home how independent she has become, a lot of which has been encouraged at school.’ Some parents expressed concern that their children are not making enough progress. While this was the case in the past, pupils are currently making strong gains in their learning.

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School details

Unique reference number 125218 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 10012261

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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

Type of school Junior School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 209 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Martin Digby Executive headteacher Susan Sayers Telephone number 01483 223464 Website www.stbedes-junior.surrey.sch.uk Email address head@stbedes-junior.surrey.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 6–7 March 2014

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Pupil numbers have fallen since the time of the previous inspection in 2014.  The large majority of pupils come from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is well below average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is half the national average. The distribution of pupils varies greatly between year groups. The pupil premium is additional government funding for particular groups, such as pupils eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability who are supported by the school is above the national average. The proportion who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is also above the national average.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school is part of a hard federation known as ‘The Federation of Send Church of England Schools’ with Send First School. The headteacher is executive headteacher of both schools.  The executive headteacher was appointed in January 2015.  Since the time of the previous inspection, there has been significant staff turnover, including at leadership level.  In September 2016, the school will merge with Send First School to form ‘Send Church of England Primary School’. The first school will close and the junior school will be expanded.  The school will move into a new building, cited within the grounds of the first school, in January 2017. This is a priority school’s building project which is funded through the Education Funding Agency.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 18 lessons. The interim deputy headteacher joined inspectors in a number of lessons.  Inspectors observed pupils in assembly.  Inspectors heard pupils read and looked at their work across a range of subjects.  Inspectors spoke to pupils on the playground and during lessons. They met with a group of pupils more formally to gather their views.  Meetings were held with the executive headteacher and the interim deputy headteacher, assistant headteachers, a range of middle leaders including those responsible for subjects and government funding, staff members with a range of responsibilities, four members of the governing body and designated safeguarding leads.  A representative from the local authority was spoken to by inspectors by telephone.  Inspectors spoke to a number of parents and grandparents at the start and end of the school day. They also considered the views expressed in 41 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and

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Information about this inspection

29 comments made by parents, also online.  Responses to the staff questionnaire were also taken into account.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including the school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness and the school improvement plan.  Inspectors reviewed the checks made on staff about their suitability to work with children.

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Inspection team

Abigail Birch, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Paul Shaughnessy 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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