All Saints Church of England Junior School

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

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Mr Richard Rhodes Headteacher All Saints Church of England Junior School Westborough Road Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 4AR

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Short inspection of All Saints Church of England Junior School

Following my visit to the school on 2 February 2017, 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 March 2013.

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Short inspection of All Saints Church of England Junior School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have ensured that there is an extremely strong sense of cohesion in the school. You have built an effective team whose members work together to provide high-quality learning opportunities and good support for the pupils. Pupils appreciate the fact that every pupil is well known and that they look after each other. Staff say that you have high expectations for the outcomes of all pupils and that there is real rigour to the new systems you have brought in, since you started in September 2016.

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Short inspection of All Saints Church of England Junior School

You and the senior staff have formed a strong partnership and provide clear direction for the school. You frequently check the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning. You work closely with teachers to plan the precise steps that need to be taken, in order to further improve the quality of teaching and learning.

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Short inspection of All Saints Church of England Junior School

You have empowered more staff to lead in the school, which has increased the school’s capacity for improvement. In the words of one member of staff, ‘We have been reinvigorated.’ You have been effective in developing pupils’ ability to reflect. As a result, pupils have an increased understanding of the beliefs and cultures of other people, both in their own country and across the world. Pupils understand the importance of mutual respect, courtesy and good order. They are courteous and considerate to each other and thoroughly enjoy coming to school. One parent told the inspector, ‘Even when my children are unwell they find an excuse to come in.’ Teaching assistants and teachers work well together to support pupils’ needs. They provide individual support as well as working with groups of pupils in the classroom. This enables pupils to make rapid progress and consequently standards are rising. Your assessments show that current pupils are making stronger progress than

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Short inspection of All Saints Church of England Junior School

pupils have done previously, particularly in writing. Pupils value their time in lessons because they say that staff explain difficult ideas clearly.

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Short inspection of All Saints Church of England Junior School

At the time of the last inspection, inspectors asked leaders: to require pupils to produce high-quality writing across the curriculum; to increase the challenge for learners capable of making more rapid progress; to require pupils to research topics for themselves to develop a deeper understanding of subjects. Inspectors also asked leaders to further strengthen the system for monitoring pupils’ progress, to sustain faster rates of progress for the most able pupils.

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Short inspection of All Saints Church of England Junior School

Leaders have addressed most of these areas successfully so that now:

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Short inspection of All Saints Church of England Junior School

 pupils produce well-written pieces of work for a range of subjects  lessons typically, but not consistently, have a good level of challenge  pupils have good opportunities to find things out for themselves  leaders have detailed knowledge of how pupils are progressing and use this effectively to plan next steps.

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Short inspection of All Saints Church of England Junior School

You are aware that pupils’ writing skills are still not as strong as those in reading and mathematics. There are too few opportunities for pupils to write at length. There are also times when the level of challenge is not sufficiently high, especially for the most able pupils.

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Short inspection of All Saints Church of England Junior School

Safeguarding has a high profile in this school. You are one of the designated leads for safeguarding and, along with the school’s leadership team, you have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Staff are well trained and know who they must refer to if they have a concern about a pupil. Governors are knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures through regular training and updates. You have improved pupils’ attendance well. You take direct action to deal with poor attendance and are prepared to challenge it.

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Short inspection of All Saints Church of England Junior School

You showed me some examples of where staff had acted swiftly and followed the school’s safeguarding procedures appropriately. Leaders work closely and effectively with other professionals to protect pupils. Consequently, you deal with all concerns promptly and are vigilant in pursuing any necessary further action with external agencies. Pupils said that they felt safe at school. You have provided opportunities for pupils to learn about how to stay safe and reduce risk, including when they are online.

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Inspection findings

 The inspection focused on the key lines of enquiry agreed at our first meeting. These included how well different groups of pupils are developing their writing skills, especially the disadvantaged and those with middle prior attainment. Another focus of this inspection was how effective are leaders, at all levels, in monitoring achievement, particularly for the most able pupils. The third line of enquiry focused on how you promote good behaviour and regular attendance for disadvantaged pupils.  Pupils’ progress in writing in the past has not been strong enough. Pupils now make better progress because they are required to write for a range of different purposes across the curriculum. Teachers support pupils’ progress and success in this through a strong focus on grammar, spelling and the key characteristics of different types of writing. While accelerating, pupils’ progress in writing does not yet match their rates of progress in reading and mathematics.

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Inspection findings

 Pupils demonstrate good grammar skills in their writing. There is a successful focus from teachers to ensure that pupils are accurate in their spelling and punctuation. Pupils’ work shows that they are able to use this knowledge to create adventurous and increasingly complex sentences.  Disadvantaged pupils progress well in writing, in addition to making strong progress in reading and mathematics. Staff know these pupils well and understand how best to fill the gaps in their skills and knowledge. Previously, disadvantaged pupils have not made enough progress in writing, but now they make swift progress because of the positive impact of intensified support.  Middle-ability pupils have been a focus for the school. You and the governors have accurately evaluated the school’s strengths and weaknesses. You identified the performance of this group as a high priority. You have tackled the slow progress in writing of these pupils by introducing a new approach to teaching. As

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Inspection findings

a result, this middle-ability group are now making better progress.  The most able pupils undertake work that is usually at a higher level of challenge. However, the expectations from some teachers are still not sufficiently demanding. This means that a proportion of the most able pupils are not progressing quickly enough.  Leaders have adapted the school’s assessment system to closely monitor pupils’ achievement and to reflect recent changes to the national performance measures. You track and monitor pupils’ performance in English and mathematics effectively. Teachers work with each other and other schools, moderating pupils’ work, to ensure that assessments are accurate.  Leaders make sure that teaching across the school is consistently good and this is reflected in the strong progress that pupils make. Leaders maintain a sharp focus on the achievement of pupils, including those from disadvantaged

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Inspection findings

backgrounds. Pupils make good progress overall but leaders recognise that this could be even better in writing. Pupils do not consistently have tasks that ensure that they use and improve the full range of their skills.  Thorough analysis of pupils’ progress means that leaders quickly identify those pupils who need extra help. The pupil premium funding is used effectively to aid eligible pupils’ personal development and to help them to do well if they fall behind.  Pupils are keen to learn and eager to come to school. Overall attendance is above the national average. There is a prompt start to the day and pupils swiftly return to learning after breaktimes. Pupils are quick to get themselves organised in lessons and to focus on to their work. All groups of pupils attend regularly and persistent absence has been significantly reduced, especially for disadvantaged pupils.

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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

 there are more opportunities for pupils to further develop their writing skills  teachers increase their expectations of what all pupils can achieve during lessons, but particularly the most able pupils.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the diocese of Oxford, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Windsor and Maidenhead. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, the two assistant headteachers and the lead teacher for English. I met with the education adviser from the diocese of Oxford and the representative of the local authority. I talked with parents as they collected their children at the end of the school day. You accompanied me as I visited nearly all classes and reviewed a sample of pupils’ work. I evaluated the school’s information about the progress that pupils make from their starting points, documents relating to the work of the governing body and a wide range of documents covering other aspects of the school’s work. Policies and information relating to safeguarding were also evaluated. I evaluated the responses of 55 parents to Ofsted’s online survey Parent View, the 42 responses to the online pupil survey, and the 23 responses to the online staff survey.

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