St George's CofE Primary School (VA)

St George’s CofE Primary School (VA) Church Lane, New Mills, High Peak, Derbyshire SK22 4NP

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders, including governors, do not have an accurate view of how well the school is doing. Their view of how well pupils are learning is overgenerous.  The previous inspection asked leaders to improve the quality of the curriculum and to raise achievement, particularly in mathematics. However, the actions they have taken have been unsuccessful.  Subject leaders are not ensuring that pupils receive good teaching. They do not have the skills necessary to identify the factors that are preventing pupils from making good progress.  Governors do not meet their responsibility to hold senior leaders to account for the quality of education the school provides. They have not ensured that the pupil premium is used effectively.  Not enough pupils are making fast enough progress across key stage 2, particularly in mathematics. The most able pupils do not reach the high standards they are capable of.  Disadvantaged pupils underachieve because

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the school does not make effective use of the pupil premium.  Teaching has declined since the previous inspection and is inadequate. Teachers do not plan lessons carefully to ensure that, across the curriculum, pupils benefit from activities which offer just the right amount of challenge.  Pupils are not being provided with sufficient opportunities to practise their basic skills, particularly their mathematical skills, across the curriculum.  The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 is consistently below the national average.  Pupils do not consistently show good attitudes to learning.  Provision for children in the Reception Year requires improvement. The classroom environment, resources and quality of teaching do not promote good learning.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Children in the Nursery make a good start to their education and make good progress.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Their personal needs are very well met.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively.  The school works well with other agencies to keep pupils safe.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Urgently improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that: – leaders have the skills necessary to evaluate accurately the quality of teaching and learning – leaders have the expertise to identify and implement strategies that will quickly raise pupils’ achievement – subject leaders are given high-quality training and support, so that all areas of the school’s provision are well led – governors have the knowledge and skills that enable them to hold the school’s leaders to account – pupils’ skills and knowledge in subjects across the curriculum are developed systematically as they move through the school – the pupil premium is used effectively.  Improve outcomes for all pupils and raise the quality of teaching and learning by: – making sure that teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve – making sure that teachers are clear about what pupils already know and use this

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

knowledge to plan engaging activities that motivate and challenge all pupils, particularly the most able – developing teachers’ and teaching assistants’ skills in the teaching of phonics – developing teachers’ skills in the teaching of English grammar, punctuation and spelling – making sure that handwriting is taught systematically across the school and that teachers raise their expectations of the quality of pupils’ presentation of their work – making sure that teaching assistants are clear about their roles and receive appropriate training to provide effective support to individuals or groups of pupils – making sure that the Reception classroom environment indoors and outdoors, and the provision, fully meets the needs of children in this year group.  Improve pupils’ achievement in mathematics by the end of key stage 2 by: – providing teachers with appropriate training to improve their mathematical subject

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

knowledge and teaching skills – making sure pupils have sufficient opportunities to develop their skills in solving problems and their ability to reason – developing the school’s curriculum to ensure that pupils have regular opportunities to use and apply their mathematical skills in a range of other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

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

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

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

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Senior leaders have not taken effective actions to improve weaknesses in teaching and learning identified at the last inspection. The quality of education has declined and is now inadequate. Senior leaders do not have the capacity to secure the urgently needed improvements.  The headteacher does not have a realistic enough view of how well the school is performing. Her judgements about all aspects of the school’s performance are overgenerous.  Senior leaders do not use the information they collect about the quality of teaching to identify areas for improvement. They do not check that individual staff act on the advice they receive in order to improve. As a result, poor practice continues to act as a barrier to good progress in a number of classes and too many teachers are unaware of what constitutes good learning.  Systems to manage the performance of the headteacher, teachers and other staff are

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

not effective. Senior leaders have not ensured that staff have access to regular training to support their professional development. Systems for appraisal are in place but do not hold teachers sufficiently to account for the progress of pupils. As a result, the quality of teaching has declined since the last inspection.  Newly qualified teachers should not be appointed.  Subject leaders have not been provided with appropriate training opportunities to equip them with the skills and confidence to challenge weak practice. They are not playing an effective role in improving the quality of teaching or accelerating pupils’ progress.  The subject leader for English is not ensuring that the quality of teaching of phonics and spelling, punctuation and grammar is improving quickly enough. For example, she is not checking that agreed systems for teaching phonics are being consistently applied across the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 The leader for mathematics has been unable to improve the quality of teaching in mathematics across the school since the last inspection. Consequently, pupils’ progress in mathematics is inadequate.  The curriculum is not planned carefully enough. Pupils’ skills and knowledge in a range of subjects are not systematically developed as they move through the school. This hinders the improvement of their basic skills, particularly in mathematics.  The school does not promote effectively equal opportunities for all groups of pupils. Senior leaders are not tracking carefully enough the progress of groups of pupils with different levels of prior attainment. Consequently, the most able pupils are not being challenged to ensure that enough reach the standards they are capable of.  Senior leaders are not using the pupil premium funding effectively and disadvantaged pupils are underachieving. Additional support provided for disadvantaged pupils is not

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

planned carefully enough to meet their individual needs and is not monitored effectively. As a result, too few of this group of pupils make enough progress.  The school makes effective use of the special needs funding. Teaching assistants provide bespoke support to pupils to address their individual needs. Consequently, this group of pupils makes better progress.  Pupils are respectful and tolerant. Activities, assemblies and lessons which cover different cultures and religions are effective in promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. This helps to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. One pupil said ‘we all get on well together and look out for each other’. This was evident at lunchtime when a young pupil dropped her cutlery and an older pupil acted quickly to help her.  The curriculum makes a positive contribution to pupils’ personal development and successfully promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

example, pupils benefit from strong links with a school in Palestine which gives them an insight into what life is like in a country vastly different to their own. Pupils speak enthusiastically of the good range of lunchtime and after-school clubs including cookery, chess and singing.  Senior leaders have used the physical education and sport premium well to provide professional development for staff and coaching for pupils in a wide range of sports. There is a broad range of extra-curricular clubs, which are well attended. As a result, the funding is improving the quality of provision in this area.  The local authority identified the school to be causing concern in September 2015. Since that time, an extensive package of support has been provided to the school. However, this has been ineffective in securing better leadership, teaching or achievement. The local authority has undertaken regular monitoring visits but its view

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

of the school’s performance is overgenerous as the school is not providing an adequate standard of education for its pupils.

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Governance of the school

 The governors are committed and supportive of the school. However, they do not have an accurate view of the work of the school or how well it is performing. Consequently, they are not providing effective challenge to senior leaders.  Although governors visit the school regularly, they do not systematically check on the implementation of the school improvement plan.  Governors do not check carefully enough how the pupil premium funding is being used to improve the progress and outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. As a result, the funding is not being used effectively and disadvantaged pupils are not making the progress they should.  Governors have a clear understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. The safeguarding governor regularly attends training. This helps to ensure that the school’s safeguarding arrangements are effective.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders take appropriate action if they have any concern over the welfare of a child.  All staff have been trained on safeguarding and child protection, including training to protect pupils from the risks of extremism and radicalisation.  Senior leaders ensure that accurate records are kept of all aspects of safeguarding. This ensures that they have a clear oversight of pupils’ well-being.  The school works effectively with families and a range of external agencies, including social care, the local authority and health professionals, to ensure the well-being of children whose circumstances may make them particularly vulnerable.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 The effectiveness of teaching has declined since the last inspection and is now inadequate.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is too variable across the school. In key stage 2, teaching over time has been inadequate. Typically, teachers in key stage 2 do not use what they know about their pupils’ earlier learning to plan lessons that provide the right level of challenge for all groups of pupils, particularly the most able.  The teaching of mathematics at key stage 2 is inadequate. In too many lessons, time is wasted. For example, all pupils often go through the same work in a lesson introduction which is too easy for some and too hard for others. Pupils frequently complete the same task and the level of challenge for many is insufficient.  The teaching of phonics is not sufficiently effective to ensure that pupils’ knowledge and skills are developed quickly enough. Adults, particularly teaching assistants, lack

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

the required subject knowledge and skills in the teaching of phonics. For example, when a pupil selected the wrong letter to match a sound, the teaching assistant simply took the wrong letter from the child and gave her the correct one. As a result, the pupil was left confused because the misconception was not addressed appropriately.  The assessment of pupils’ work is weak. As a result, teachers are unclear about what pupils can do and the progress they are making. Consequently, pupils of all abilities, particularly the most able, are sometimes not provided with suitably challenging work which extends their thinking. For example, pupils frequently complete mundane commercial worksheets. This often involves pupils practising skills they already have.  The support provided by teaching assistants for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is often good. For example, one pupil was well supported to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

play a game which developed her skills of recall. As a result, these pupils make consistent progress as they move through the school. However, the impact of the support of other teaching assistants on pupils’ learning in lessons is often unclear. For example, they often watch what the teacher is doing in whole-class sessions but are not actively involved in supporting pupils’ learning.  The teaching of English grammar, spelling and punctuation is weak. For example, simple errors such as using capital letters in the middle of words are not corrected in pupils’ books. In 2016, at the end of Year 6, less than half of the pupils met the expected standard. As a result, pupils’ technical skills limit the quality of their writing.  Teachers do not have high enough expectations of the quality of the presentation of pupils’ work. Handwriting is not taught consistently throughout the school. Consequently, pupils’ recorded work is not of a good standard in a range of subjects.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Pupils are not given regular opportunities to practise their mathematical skills in a range of subjects, including in their topic work. This hinders their progress in this subject.  There is some effective teaching in the early years and key stage 1. Where learning is effective, pupils are provided with interesting tasks. For example, in key stage 1, pupils were excited as they observed large snails and described them using similes. In some classes, teachers use questioning more skilfully to deepen pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement. In some lessons, particularly in key stage 2, pupils do not display positive attitudes to learning and this slows down their progress.  Pupils report that they feel safe in all areas of the school. Pupils are confident that any concern will be taken seriously and dealt with swiftly. Most parents and carers who communicated with the inspector indicated that they felt their children were safe at school.  Pupils understand that bullying can take many forms. For example, they understand about racist and homophobic bullying. Pupils say that bullying is extremely rare and that any incident will be dealt with promptly by senior leaders.  Pupils do not demonstrate pride in their work. Pupils’ workbooks are untidy and handwriting is sometimes scruffy.  Pupils are compliant but not confident learners. They are not regularly encouraged to

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Personal development and welfare

take responsibility for their own learning. Some pupils lose concentration very quickly and as a result do not make as much progress as they are capable of. Pupils do not display a genuine love of learning.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils’ behaviour and consequently good learning does not take place.  Pupils are usually polite, courteous and well mannered around the school and at social times. For example, in the dining hall behaviour was calm and sensible, and pupils were considerate of each other when playing outside.  Most pupils say that they enjoy coming to school. However, attendance is below the national average. Leaders are alert to cases where the attendance of individuals or groups falls and have introduced a range of systems to address these. There is evidence of some recent improvement but senior leaders are aware that there is more to do.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 The quality of work in pupils’ books, learning observed and assessment information provided by the school all confirm that pupils currently in the school are not making the progress of which they are capable because teaching is inadequate.  Outcomes for pupils are stronger in the early years and key stage 1 than in key stage 2. Pupils’ achievement in key stage 2 is inadequate. Since the previous inspection, standards of attainment at the end of key stage 2 in mathematics have declined. In 2016, the proportion of pupils reaching the new expected standard at the end of Year 6 was less than one third.  Many teachers do not have a secure subject knowledge of mathematics. Consequently, pupils’ thinking is not extended well enough for them to gain a deep understanding of mathematics. Their ability to reason mathematically is underdeveloped and they are not provided with sufficient opportunities to apply their basic skills in solving problems

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

in mathematics across the curriculum. As a result, pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.  In the 2016 national assessments, the proportion of pupils reaching the new expected standard at the end of key stage 2 in reading and writing was broadly in line with the national average. However, progress for pupils in these subjects is not good enough. This is because teaching does not reflect high enough expectations or offer sufficient challenge. Pupils’ work is not planned well enough to take into account the full range of abilities. The most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, consistently underachieve and do not make the progress of which they are capable.  At the end of key stage 1 in the 2016 national assessments, pupils’ attainment in reading and mathematics at the expected level was broadly in line with the national average and above in writing. The proportion of pupils working at greater depth in

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

reading and mathematics was below the national average but above in writing. Pupils do not make consistently good progress across all subjects throughout key stage 1.  Pupils are not developing a good understanding of sounds or how to apply them to the reading of unfamiliar words. Consequently, not enough pupils are achieving success in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Pupils are not developing a love of reading.  Disadvantaged pupils in key stages 1 and 2 do not make consistently good progress. This is because the school is not using the pupil premium funding effectively to support them. Leaders do not carefully monitor the impact of additional support and adjust this quickly enough if it is not helping pupils to catch up.  Opportunities for pupils to read in school vary between different classes. The most able pupils are not challenged to read books of an appropriate level of difficulty in order to

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

develop their reading skills fully.  The progress made by pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is consistent across the school. Senior leaders are highly inclusive in their approach and ensure that the academic and personal needs of these pupils are met. The support they are given is well matched to their specific needs. Consequently, many of these pupils are making better rates of progress than other pupils in the school.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Since September 2016, the leadership of the early years has been shared between two members of staff. Although they are determined to improve the quality of provision for children in the Reception Year, this is not happening quickly enough and as a result the early years provision requires improvement. The provision in the Nursery is much stronger than provision in the Reception class.  Generally, children enter the Nursery with skills below those typical for their age. This is particularly so in relation to their communication and personal and social development. They get off to a flying start in the Nursery because the teacher skilfully assesses what the children can already do and plans exciting and focused activities to address any gaps in their learning and move them on to their next steps. For example, disadvantaged children are being well supported and are achieving as well as others. As a result, children make good or better progress during their time in the Nursery.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Children in the Nursery enjoy an exciting and vibrant learning environment both indoors and outdoors, with access to a wide range of high-quality resources. For example, children were excitedly building a stable outdoors and recorded on a chalk board that they needed more bricks. The teaching assistant skilfully provided the narrative for this activity and successfully engaged every child.  However, this strong start is not maintained as children move into the Reception Year. This is because the Reception children are taught with the Year 1 pupils and too much of their learning takes place when the whole class is taught together. As a result, the Reception children often lose focus because the work is not planned well enough to meet their needs and they are not able to be actively involved in their learning.  The classroom environment for the Reception children is not appropriately resourced to

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Early years provision Requires improvement

enable them to explore, investigate or share their learning through well-planned play, indoors and outdoors. As a result, their rate of learning slows. Senior leaders and governors are not ensuring that this matter is being addressed swiftly enough to improve the provision for these very young children.  In 2016, the proportion of children who reached the expected levels in their learning by the end of their time in the Reception class was higher than in previous years and was in line with the national average. However, the better performance of girls masks the poorer performance of boys. This, as well as the slower progress made by pupils in the Reception Year, means that some children are not well prepared for Year 1.  Children are well cared for and their behaviour is generally good. Controlled access to the Nursery classroom and regular paediatric training for all staff contribute effectively

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Early years provision Requires improvement

to ensuring that children are kept safe. Parents who spoke with the inspector agreed that their children are safe and well cared for.  The Nursery teacher places a high priority on involving parents in their children’s learning. For example, the entrance lounge encourages parents to help their children to self-register each morning using the woodland animal display and share a story together before the day starts. Parents of children in the Nursery make valuable contributions to their children’s learning journals through sharing information about what they have been doing at home to support their children’s learning.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address headteacher@st- georgescofe.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 1 November 2011

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Information about this school

 The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  St George’s is smaller than the average primary school.  The majority of pupils are White British, with an increasing number from minority backgrounds and a very few who are at early stages of learning English.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority, is above average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.  The proportion of pupils entering or leaving the school at times other than the usual times is above average.  The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed lessons in every class. All of these observations took place with school leaders.  The inspector looked at pupils’ work in a range of subjects.  The inspector talked with pupils and asked them about their work and what it is like to be a pupil at St George’s. The inspector also observed pupils at breaktimes and at lunchtime, and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders, four representatives of the governing body and two representatives of the local authority.  The inspector spoke to parents at the beginning of the school day. The inspector also considered the 15 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire Parent View.  Three responses to the staff questionnaire were considered, as well as 12 pupils’ responses to their questionnaire.  The inspector considered a range of documentation including: the school’s self- evaluation; the school improvement plan; the school’s most recent information on

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Information about this inspection

pupils’ achievement; and information relating to teaching, performance management, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Dorothy Bathgate, lead inspector Her Majesty’s 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

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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, 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.gov.uk/ofsted

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