St Crispin's School

For use from April 2009 St Crispin's School

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Independent School

DCSF Registration Number 856/6000 Unique Reference Number 120326 URN for registered childcare EY390200 Inspection number 334280 Inspection dates 13–14 May 2009 Reporting inspector Jane Melbourne HMI

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Independent School

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended. The inspection of childcare was conducted under Section 49(2) of the Childcare Act 2006. This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Independent School

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

This inspection was carried out by Ofsted under Section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Purpose and scope of the inspection

The inspection of registered provision 1 was conducted under Section 49(2) of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Information about the school

St. Crispin’s provides sessional care and education for children from two years of age and full-time education for children between the ages of three and 16 years. There is a before and after school facility provided for children of any age, although all senior school pupils have ‘prep’ sessions after school daily. In April 2009, the school acquired the business of The Grange Nursery. Currently, 39 children receive funding for their nursery education in the Early Years Foundation Stage. St. Crispin’s occupies two large adjacent Victorian houses between the Victoria Park and Clarendon Park area of Leicester. Pupils travel from a city-wide catchment and from further afield. The school takes pupils with a wide range of abilities, including some who find it difficult to succeed in larger settings. A significant proportion of the pupils are identified as having specific learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school is

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Information about the school

registered with the Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils (CReSTeD) so that the needs of dyslexic pupils are specifically addressed. Currently, seven pupils have a statement of special educational needs. A number of pupils also speak English as an additional language. There is a significantly higher proportion of boys than girls. The school motto is ‘respice finem’ (‘look to the end’). This focuses the school’s aim to develop good standards for pupils in their personal and academic development by the time they leave the school. The school and the nursery education were both last inspected in October 2006.

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Evaluation of the school

The quality of the school, incorporating the Early Years Foundation Stage, is good. The majority of parents and pupils are overwhelmingly positive about most aspects. The school has maintained the good quality of care and education for nursery children and improved the education for pupils by tackling the points for improvement since the last inspection. The school now meets all of the independent

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Evaluation of the school

1 Schools which provide childcare for children from birth until the term in which they reach their third birthday must register this provision separately with Ofsted. school regulations. Pupils’ welfare, health and safety are given the necessary priority and are of good quality. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is also good. Pupils display positive attitudes towards their work and each other, and over time they make good progress. Their behaviour is also good overall. The school meets its aims and pupils are well supported and prepared for moving on to post-16 education. There is a very happy atmosphere in the before and after school provision, where caring staff demonstrate their knowledge of pupils as individuals.

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Quality of education

The quality of education overall is consistently good. The dedicated staff team have ensured that the school continues to meet pupils’ complex individual needs. Staff are extremely knowledgeable of the specific needs of dyslexic pupils, adapting programmes of study, resources and the pace of learning accordingly. Every pupil at the school has an individual educational plan with individual targets to help them make appropriate levels of progress. Pupils settle well and acknowledge that they do better here than in larger schools. They appreciate the good quality of most of their lessons and the individual support they receive to help them achieve. This has a particularly significant impact on pupils’ progress in core skills and helps those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to cope. They achieve well against national expectations at the end of Key Stage 1, but achievement is often more variable at

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Quality of education

the end of Key Stage 2, due to the wide variety of intake patterns and range of abilities in pupils between Years 3 and 6. From slow and steady progress, as pupils move through the school, progress increases to good. Pupils at Key Stage 3 begin to catch up with national expectations and by the time they leave the school at Year 11, pupils have achieved very well against both local and national expectations for the number of GCSE passes including English and mathematics at Grades A* to C, and successfully gain places at their chosen post-16 destination school or college.

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Quality of education

The curriculum is good because it is well resourced, tailored carefully to develop pupils’ individual needs and it is mostly taught by subject specialists. The programme of study in Years 1 to 9 broadly follows the National Curriculum. The school places strong emphasis on the core skills of literacy and numeracy. Reading and science is taught well across the school. The provision for information and communication technology (ICT) is less successful and cross curricular links have not been considered carefully enough in all subject areas. Pupils rarely use ICT within the classroom. Pupils achieve well in art and particularly enjoy their creative lessons. The curriculum is enhanced by a wide range of curricular and extra-curricular subjects and specialist teaching, for example, in music and French. Some parents expressed their preference for there to be a greater range of curricular opportunities.

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Quality of education

Teaching is good overall and is outstanding when it is tailored specifically to pupils’ individualised learning needs and when it is particularly engaging. More able learners are given appropriate challenge in mathematics and are encouraged to solve mathematical problems and explain their thinking. Most staff have high expectations for standards of work, including presentation, although this is not yet consistent in all subjects. Pupils are given targets to aim for which they can be measured against. Key Stage 2 pupils do not always remember their targets and occasionally these are not challenging enough or sufficiently referred to in the marking of their work. In the best practice, marked work makes clear what pupils are aiming for next and clear guidance is given. Pupils who are struggling are identified early and are given appropriate support. The headteacher monitors this appropriately. Pupils who speak English as an additional language do

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Quality of education

as well as other pupils. While the monitoring and evaluation of teaching has taken place, this has not eradicated a small number of weaker lessons. The school is aware of where improvement is required and has already taken steps to address this.

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Quality of education

Through regular assessment, staff have a good insight into each pupils’ strengths and weaknesses. They identify pupils’ needs quickly and plan any necessary support accordingly. Staff are pro-active in ensuring that pupils experiencing difficulties of any kind get the help they need and links with other professionals are strong. The information gained from assessment is beginning to be used more widely to influence the tailoring of the curriculum and in particular the planning. This was underdeveloped at the last inspection and staff have worked hard to address this.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are confident to share their feelings and opinions. Moral issues are covered substantially in whole school assemblies and through the curriculum. From an early age, pupils develop a keenness to learn and are suitably motivated. Pupils willingly take on special responsibilities and make a positive contribution to the school community, for example as monitors and house captains. They respect the adults in school and each other. There are only minor incidences of bullying and the pupils believe that this is dealt with swiftly and effectively by the school. Pupils mainly work together harmoniously and this is evident when they are given opportunities to work in groups and support each other. This contributes effectively to their economic well- being, which is further enhanced by their progress in basic skills. The school

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

welcomes families from all backgrounds and actively seeks to promote inclusion in every aspect of school life. The school successfully ensures that the curriculum is sufficiently appealing and relevant to all, particularly in the light of the current disproportionate mix of genders. Boys and girls are encouraged to take advantage of all of the extra-curricular activities on offer. Pupils have a good understanding of other cultures and communities. Community cohesion has been strengthened with a variety of links with other local schools and colleges and pupils enjoy participating in team sports.

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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils

Expectations, including those for pupils’ behaviour, are made clear and pupils understand these. Behaviour is well managed throughout the school, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage, and is good and sometimes outstanding. With a very small percentage of authorised absences and no unauthorised absences, attendance is consistently very good and well above the national picture. The majority of pupils claim to really enjoy school.

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Welfare, health and safety of the pupils

The school makes good provision for pupils’ welfare, health and safety, including in the Early Years Foundation Stage. All of the required policies and procedures are in place, including thorough risk assessments. Essential record keeping and staff training is up-to-date. Fire safety is given high priority. The incidence of accidents, formal sanctions and bullying are very low. Pupils therefore feel very safe and say they are confident to talk to adults about any worries they may have. Lessons, such as science, ensure that pupils have a good understanding of how to stay healthy. They are encouraged to bring healthy snacks and packed lunches, exercise daily in the grounds and participate in sport at least three times each week. Physical education lessons ensure staff build on pupils’ existing skills and allow them to progress well physically. Pupils from Year 3 upwards have weekly swimming lessons where they make good progress, and the annual gala is popular with pupils. There is

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Welfare, health and safety of the pupils

a reasonably good range of extra-curricular physical activities. The school is fully inclusive and meets the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act. It has a three-year-plan in place, which was a requirement of the last inspection.

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Suitability of the proprietor and staff

The school complies with the regulations for the appointment of staff. All applicants, including non-teaching staff, are checked with the Criminal Records Bureau and their references and qualifications are corroborated. All the required information is kept on a single central record, which is easily accessible to the responsible authorities. Staff ensure that their training is up-to-date in this area and in the area of child protection.

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School’s premises and accommodation

The accommodation is suitably maintained and fit for purpose. All space is utilised reasonably well and the environment is orderly, ensuring that pupils can access resources easily. Space is restricted in the science room with the larger classes and here the accommodation is of poor quality. The enclosed outdoor space provides a safe environment. It is used mainly for physical activity rather than extending children’s learning and choice in the Early Years Foundation Stage. This impacts on the quality of the education for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The use of local sports facilities at Leicester University and Aylestone Leisure Centre is highly beneficial to pupils’ physical development. Washrooms meet regulations, although there is little privacy in the toilets for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. There is a suitable room and facilities to deal with pupils who become ill, but this is

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Provision of information for parents, carers and others

The school works hard to involve parents as partners in their children’s learning, although it has yet to establish this with all of the families recently transferred from The Grange Nursery. The school provides all of the necessary regulatory information for parents. This includes a good quality report of their children’s progress twice yearly and they are also invited to meet with any member of staff as and when required. A minority of parents felt that they were not sufficiently informed of their child’s progress. Parents receive an informative ‘Welcome Pack’ which supplements the school prospectus. They also periodically receive newsletters, which provide some curriculum information. Some parents feel that the information does not always directly relate to the age of their child and so much is irrelevant to them. The details of pupils’ academic performance across the school are incorporated into the

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Provision of information for parents, carers and others

end of year newsletter. This enables parents to compare school results to national norms. The majority of parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and are happy with the standard of education and the levels of support their children are receiving.

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Procedures for handling complaints

The school’s policy and procedures meet requirements. Some parents are unaware of the policy. There has been one formal complaint in the previous academic year.

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Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

Provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good and ensures good outcomes for children. A warm welcome from familiar staff means that children usually settle easily; especially important with the recent influx of children from another local provider. Children typically form strong relationships with staff and peers. They soon learn the routines and respond positively to praise and encouragement. Expectations are clear and children are supported well, consequently their behaviour is consistently good. The early learning goals for the Early Years Foundation Stage form the basis of the curriculum, with an appropriate balance of adult-directed and child-initiated activities. Staff make regular observations of children to inform their assessment. They are adopting a new scheme to facilitate children’s learning and this ensures good levels of communication between all the ‘key-workers’, who take particular responsibility for a group of children and their learning. This work is at an

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Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

early stage but is encouraging the new and established staff teams to work closely together, using a common system of planning and assessing children. Staff recognise the importance of their observations of children linking to their overall development and tailoring the provision to what children need to learn next. Effective planning of the learning environment, therefore, increasingly relates to children’s individual needs and their next steps.

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Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

There is an excellent range of resources for all areas of the curriculum, except that opportunities for outdoor learning are more limited. However, this is part of the school’s current development plan. Currently, staff compensate for this by taking the children outside regularly; daily if possible. There is an appropriate focus on developing children’s communication, language and literacy skills, including their awareness of the sounds of letters, in which they are making good progress. This is enhanced by the use of up-to-date technology, which children use confidently. By the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage, most children achieve the levels expected for their age in all areas of learning and they are suitably prepared for the next stage of their education. The children’s good achievement in the Early Years Foundation Stage is, in part, due to the favourable staffing ratios and high quality

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Effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

individual support which is given to each child. Leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good overall. The school has not yet begun to work closely with parents of the new intake but is planning for this. The provision for children’s welfare is good because all policies for the children’s welfare and safety are implemented effectively, including regular risk assessments. However, the toilets used by the youngest children afford little privacy. The school has already identified the necessity to improve this.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets all of the Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2003 as amended.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school’s registered provision for childcare meets the requirements of the Childcare Act 2006.

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What the school could do to improve further

While not required by regulations, the school might wish to consider the following points for development.

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School

 Monitor target setting, the marking of pupils’ work and presentation in books more closely to ensure greater consistency across the school.  Improve the quality of opportunities for learning in information and communication technology.  Improve further the facilities for pupils who are ill so they are more welcoming.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

 Ensure the school fully embraces the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage by providing a choice of learning opportunities outside as well as inside on an ongoing basis.  With regard to the recent intake of children and business transfer of The Grange Nursery, ensure that systems for daily routines, planning, observing children’s learning, assessment and communicating with parents across the Early Years Foundation Stage work effectively and are consistently used by all staff.  Improve the privacy in the toilets used by the Early Years Foundation Stage children.

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Inspection Judgement Recording Form

outstanding good satisfactory inadequate

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The quality of education

Overall quality of education √ How well the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of pupils √

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The quality of education

How effective teaching and assessment are in meeting the full range of pupils’ needs √

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The quality of education

How well pupils make progress in their learning √

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Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

Quality of provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development √

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Welfare, health and safety of pupils

The overall welfare, health and safety of pupils √

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The quality of the Early Years Foundation Stage provision

How effectively are children in the Early Years Foundation Stage helped to learn and develop? √ How well do children achieve in the Early Years Foundation Stage relative to their starting points and capabilities? √ How good are the personal development and well-being of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage? √ What is the quality of welfare, health and safety of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage? √ How effectively is the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage led and managed? √ What is the overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage including, where relevant, the quality of childcare? √

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School details

Name of school St Crispin's School DCSF number 856/6000 Unique reference number 120326 EY URN EY390200 Type of school Non-selective day school Status Independent Date school opened 1 January 2001 Age range of pupils 2–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number on roll (full-time pupils) Boys: 73 Girls: 30 Total: 103 Number on roll (part-time pupils) Boys: 29 Girls: 26 Total: 55 Number of pupils aged 0-3 in registered childcare provision Boys: 13 Girls: 14 Total: 27 Number of pupils with a statement of special educational need Boys: 6 Girls: 1 Total: 7 Annual fees (day pupils) £7,791 Annual fees (childcare) Up to £5,880 Address of school 6 St Mary’s Road Leicester Leicestershire LE2 1XA Telephone number 01162 707648 Fax number 01162 707648 Email address enquiries@stcrispins.co.uk Headteacher Mrs Denise Lofthouse Proprietor Mrs Denise Lofthouse Reporting inspector Jane Melbourne HMI Dates of inspection 13–14 May 2009

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