Saint Pierre School

Saint Pierre School 16 Leigh Road, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex SS9 1LE

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders and proprietors are not ensuring that the school’s procedures to identify and manage potential hazards and risk are effective.  The proprietors’ views of leadership and management in the school are overgenerous.  Leaders are not rigorous enough in monitoring the school’s compliance with the independent school standards. Some of the independent school standards are not met.  Teachers do not consistently challenge pupils to work at greater depth, which prevents them from making outstanding progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have sustained good teaching, learning and assessment and a good curriculum since the previous inspection.  Pupils’ personal development is promoted exceptionally well.  The teaching of phonics is outstanding, enabling all pupils in Year 1 to reach the expected standard in the phonics check.  Pupils throughout the school make good progress and are well prepared for their secondary education.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. They feel safe and are very happy at school, thoroughly enjoying their learning.  Attendance is above average.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very well developed. They greatly respect the feelings and views of others and maintain excellent relationships with others.  Leaders have ensured that all the requirements for the early years are met. Children’s learning and well-being are good. Compliance with regulatory requirements

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school must take action to meet the requirements of the schedule of the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by making sure that: – senior leaders and proprietors rigorously implement the school’s procedures for assessing and reducing potential risks for all pupils – leaders regularly check that the independent school standards are consistently met across the school.  Improve teaching and learning by ensuring that teachers challenge pupils of all abilities to work at greater depth.

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 The proprietors must ensure the welfare of pupils at the school is safeguarded and promoted by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written risk assessment policy and appropriate action is taken to reduce risks that are identified (paragraph 16, 16(a), 16(b)).  The proprietors must ensure that persons with leadership and management responsibility: – demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently – fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently (paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b)).

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 The proprietors are not ensuring that all of the independent school standards are consistently met. They are not implementing their revised policy for assessing risks for individual pupils.  The leaders’ views of the school’s effectiveness are overgenerous, particularly regarding leadership and management.  In some respects, the school’s view of itself is accurate. Close monitoring of the impact of teaching, assessment and the curriculum on pupils’ outcomes is used effectively to inform clear priorities for development.  Leaders are showing their capacity to improve by successfully moving the overall effectiveness and leadership and management of the school from ‘inadequate’ at the time of the previous inspection to ‘requires improvement’ now. They have also successfully ensured that the early years provision meets statutory requirements and has moved from ‘inadequate’ to ‘good’.  Leadership of teaching is good. Senior and middle leaders, including the early years

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

leader and the special educational needs coordinator, are successfully promoting good teaching. They visit lessons, look at pupils’ work and regularly review the progress pupils are making over time. They are ensuring that all pupils, including children in the Nursery and Reception and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, across the school are making good progress.  Leaders are promoting equality of opportunity well. They have developed a clear plan to improve accessibility for the curriculum and they are ensuring that all pupils make equally good progress from their different starting points. They are successfully eliminating any form of racism or harassment through the promotion of excellent relationships across the school.  The curriculum is broad, balanced and relevant to the needs of all pupils. There is a strong emphasis on developing literacy and numeracy skills. Pupils also have good

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

opportunities to learn a wide range of subjects, including Mandarin, French, music, drama, computing, science, physical education, religious education, history, geography and art.  The curriculum is effectively enriched by good opportunities to participate in drama and music festivals, and sporting events in and out of school. Pupils also have good opportunities to participate in a wide range of clubs such as computing, homework and sports clubs, which are popular.  The curriculum promotes pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, exceptionally well. Pupils benefit greatly from well- thought-out topics on diversity, the identification of extremism, elections and Brexit. The celebration assemblies, the strong house system and prefect system contribute significantly to pupils’ high self-esteem and encourage cooperation, and develop skills of leadership and responsibility effectively.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders are implementing the assessment systems for tracking pupils, including for children in the early years, well and ensuring that teachers use this effectively in their planning.

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Governance

 Both proprietors (one of whom is the headteacher), undertake governance. They ensured that the unmet independent school standards identified at the previous inspection were met at the time of the school’s monitoring inspection in October 2016. However, they have not ensured that leaders have the knowledge and skills to fulfil their responsibilities in ensuring that the independent school standards are consistently met.  Since the previous inspection, governors have used an independent health and safety company to carry out a full audit of health and safety and this enabled them to develop clear policies and carry out appropriate checks including fire safety, which are up to date. Nevertheless, governors have not checked that the most vulnerable pupils are risk assessed, for example when participating in activities, in line with the revised policy on risk assessments.  The proprietors have a realistic view of teaching across the school through visits to

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Governance

classrooms and scrutiny of data, and are using this to inform priorities. They are ensuring that the leadership of teaching is good and are managing the headteacher’s performance appropriately by setting objectives based on priorities for development and checking performance against these.  Governors are ensuring that staffing levels are sufficient and they have successfully addressed the shortcomings in the accommodation identified at the previous inspection to ensure the health and safety of pupils.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  All required policies to promote the welfare and safety of pupils, including an updated and effectively implemented policy on safeguarding, are in place. However, the risk assessment policy is not implemented effectively.  Staff maintain high levels of supervision and actively join in with pupils in their activities to ensure they feel safe, as seen during the school’s annual sports day event in the local park.  Leaders work closely with parents to ensure that pupils are safe.  Leaders carry out all required checks on the suitability of staff and visitors to work with pupils.  The premises and accommodation are secure and provide a safe environment.  Leaders have ensured that the learning and welfare requirements of the early years foundation stage are met.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 The school’s information on the progress pupils are making over time, outcomes of leaders’ visits to lessons and pupils’ work show that good teaching and learning have been maintained since the previous inspection.  The teaching of phonics enables all pupils to use phonics well to develop their reading and spelling.  The teaching of basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics across the school is good. Staff track and record pupils’ progress in reading well. They encourage pupils to present their work neatly and to extend their use of punctuation, grammar and spelling in their writing throughout the school. Staff also use opportunities to deepen pupils’ reasoning and problem-solving skills in mathematics by ensuring that they apply these skills to real- life contexts such as budgeting.  Teachers adapt their teaching well and provide additional homework for older pupils who extend their studies in preparation for secondary education.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 In all lessons seen over time and during the inspection, teaching assistants provided good support for pupils’ learning. They clarify pupils’ misconceptions, focus on the meaning of specialist vocabulary and model answers to questions effectively, providing useful examples.  Teachers use resources well to develop learning. In a mathematics lesson, for example, pupils used flat and solid shapes and nets to deepen their understanding of the properties of shapes. Children in the early years used outdoor equipment safely to enhance their physical and creative development.  Staff maintain excellent relationships with pupils and manage their behaviour effectively. Pupils focus well on their learning, follow instructions, listen very carefully and concentrate consistently well throughout lessons.  Teachers make good use of the school’s system of assessment in their planning to ensure that pupils make progress and that learning tasks are usually matched to pupils’ different

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

abilities.  Teachers are implementing the school’s marking policy effectively so that pupils know how to improve their work. However, sometimes opportunities to ensure that different pupils work at greater depth are limited.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils have excellent relationships with others. They listen carefully and respect one another’s views. They are very respectful towards adults and are polite and courteous to visitors.  Pupils take full advantage of the many opportunities for reflection, including during assemblies, where they enthusiastically celebrate the achievements of others. They have excellent attitudes to school and always take care with the presentation of their work, which they enthusiastically complete. They wear their uniform with pride.  Pupils work extremely well together and are eager to take responsibility in school. Pupils appreciate diversity and show a deepening awareness of different cultures and traditions in the celebration of different world festivals and understanding of different religions.  Pupils know right from wrong and have a very good understanding of how to stay safe, as

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Personal development and welfare

seen when they were sending electronic mail safely and securely to one another.  Pupils say there is no bullying in school and if it did occur, it would be managed effectively by staff. Incidents of bullying are rare and parents and staff agree that when it occurs, it is successfully dealt with.  Staff know their pupils exceptionally well and provide very good support for their needs. They maintain strong links with parents and communicate with them often. In discussion, parents praised the quality of care provided for their children by staff. Staff ensure that pupils benefit from good support and guidance on transfer to secondary education.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding, in lessons and around school, which is confirmed by the views of parents, staff and pupils.  Pupils have a very good understanding of the contribution that behaviour makes to their learning and progress.  The school’s records show that exclusions are very rare and observations around the school over time show that pupils respond very positively to the system of rewards and sanctions.  Attendance since the previous inspection continues to be above average and is promoted well.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 The school’s information about the progress pupils make over time, pupils’ work and outcomes of lesson visits show that pupils make good progress from their different starting points. Most are working at the level expected for their ages and some are working at greater depth. This is reflected in the above-average performance of pupils in the Year 6 national tests in recent years and currently. Some pupils who could work at greater depth are not encouraged sufficiently to do so.  Children in the early years make good progress in all areas of learning from their broadly average starting points. They make strong progress in phonics which prepares them well for Year 1, where they rapidly build on their skills.  Pupils in Year 1 make outstanding progress in phonics. All reach, and many exceed, the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check.  Accurate teachers’ assessments show that throughout key stage 1, pupils make good

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Outcomes for pupils Good

progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils read widely and often. In discussions with inspectors, they said how much they enjoyed reading in school and at home.  Pupils at key stage 2 continue to make good and sometimes outstanding progress across a range of different subjects, including art, geography, history, computing, science, music, drama and physical education.  Members of the school choir make outstanding progress in singing, as seen when they performed for the whole school, singing in parts to celebrate the achievement of current Year 6 pupils.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including those with education, health and care plans, make good progress from their starting points. Staff carefully formulate individual targets based on pupils’ prior learning and use effective strategies, breaking down tasks into small achievable steps to enable the pupils to make

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Outcomes for pupils Good

good progress.  The most able pupils make good progress and some of them make outstanding progress, as seen in the examples of detailed and perceptive work based on research. They spoke with enthusiasm about their extended pieces of project work and said that teachers always challenge them to deepen their thinking further.

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Early years provision Good

 The deputy headteacher provides good leadership for the early years. The statutory requirements are met and the shortcomings identified at the previous inspection have been addressed successfully. There are now more opportunities for outdoor learning and new resources, such as the sand pit and new tricycles, promote learning and progress, especially in creative and physical development.  Leaders in the Nursery and Reception are sustaining the warm, welcoming and supportive environment identified at the previous inspection. As a result, children are happy, well prepared for school and eager to learn.  Staff are vigilant in ensuring children’s safety and well-being in school and on educational visits. Full and up-to-date risk assessments are in place for all activities, such as when children visited a theatre in London, and for all areas of the early years provision. Children stay safe and move safely around the school.

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Early years provision Good

 Staff supervise children well and join in with them in their learning activities. They maintain a fine balance between teacher-directed and free-choice activities. This enables children to develop curiosity and imagination in learning.  Parents are very pleased with the provision. In discussion, all said their children are very safe and happy in school and are making excellent progress, especially in reading and in their self-confidence.  Staff assess children’s progress over time accurately and teachers regularly keep parents well informed about the progress their children are making. Parents have good opportunities to provide information about each aspect of their child’s learning from entry into the Nursery to the end of Reception through an online system for tracking and recording children’s progress.  Children enter the Nursery with levels of development in line with age-related expectations. By the end of Reception, most children have achieved a good level of

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Early years provision Good

development in all areas of learning, with many exceeding this. This includes children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and the most able children.  Teachers use their good knowledge of the children to plan individual and small-group activities to captivate their interests.  Good teaching of phonics is enabling children to develop good literacy skills, especially in reading, which prepares them well for Year 1.  The older children can write simple sentences, for example about the sea, using phonics well. The younger children can use a range of different media including chalk, paint and crayons to produce interesting pictures.  Children behave well and staff maintain excellent relationships with them. Children persevere in their activities, cooperating and sharing well with one another.  The children display a sense of wonder and curiosity in their activities and have very good

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Early years provision Good

attitudes to learning. Children listen to and respect the views of others.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Proprietor Kurt Davies and Chris Perkins

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School details

Website http://www.saintpierreschool.net

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School details

Email address info@saintpierreschool.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7–9 July 2015

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Information about this school

 Saint Pierre is an independent day preparatory school for boys and girls aged between two and 11 years old. There are currently 122 pupils on roll, including 35 children in the early years, 24 of whom are in the Nursery and attend on a part-time basis. Thirty-one of these children receive government funding for three- and four-year-olds.  The school is situated in a large, detached, Victorian house in Leigh-on-Sea. Its facilities include a multi-purpose hall. The school uses local sports venues.  The school aims to ‘work effectively in collaboration with parents and pupils to ensure each individual child is enabled to develop their true potential to the full in all areas of the curriculum’.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average.  Pupils come from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds that reflect those of the local areas. No pupils speak English as an additional language.

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provider.  The school was inspected in July 2015, when its overall effectiveness was judged to be inadequate as the school failed to meet some of the independent school standards relating to: the welfare, health and safety of pupils; premises and accommodation; the provision of information; the quality of leadership and management; and the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage. The proprietor was required to produce an action plan and received a progress monitoring inspection in October 2016, which found that the school had taken the necessary action to meet the independent school standards inspected at that time.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited lessons and activities across the school, including the school’s annual sports event and assemblies. Most of these were joint visits with senior leaders.  Inspectors heard children read, looked at samples of pupils’ work and the information about the progress pupils are making, including the progress of children in the early years provision.  Meetings were held with the proprietors and senior and middle leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide variety of evidence, including: the school’s website; safeguarding policies and procedures; risk assessments and external audits of health and safety; behaviour logs and attendance figures; the school’s self-evaluation document and school improvement plan; and evidence of the monitoring of teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils and parents to seek their views. They also held

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Information about this inspection

telephone discussions with the local authority to seek its views.  Inspectors took account of the 31 responses, including 12 text responses, to Parent View. They also looked at the responses in the 10 questionnaire returns from staff.

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Inspection team

Declan McCarthy, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sue Cox 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

Parent View 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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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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