St Saviour's Church of England Junior School

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

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Nick Bonell Headteacher St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School Elm Grove Westgate-on-Sea Kent CT8 8LD

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Short inspection of St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School

Following my visit to the school on 27 March 2018, 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 2014.

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Short inspection of St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have a clear vision for the school, which successfully promotes pupils’ well-being, strong Christian values and academic achievement. Your quiet determination to bring about further improvement, and the helpful support you provide, mean that staff understand and share your vision. They value the opportunities they are given to develop their professional skills successfully and many are thriving under your leadership. All staff who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire say that they are proud to work at the school.

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Short inspection of St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School

Parents and carers are happy with their children’s education. The vast majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and parents spoken to during the inspection, spoke positively about their child’s progress and school experience. One parent commented, ‘St Saviour’s is a school that truly cares about all the children, it has a great community spirit.’ Many parents commented on how approachable the staff are, led by your evident example. They particularly appreciate that any concerns they may have are dealt with promptly and say that communication between home and school is effective. This feeling is summed up by a family who said, ‘We couldn’t ask for anything more.’

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Short inspection of St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School

Pupils have a strong understanding of the school’s Christian values. These are evident in pupils’ respectful interactions, both with each other and with adults. Pupils talk about how much they enjoy school and are positive about the help they receive from staff. Pupils I spoke with were united in their conviction that everyone is accepted, whatever their differences. Pupils play harmoniously together, and older pupils relish their lunchtime responsibilities. One explained, ‘We’ve got our eyes out to help people.’ Pupils are rightly proud of their many sporting achievements. The school offers a diverse number of sports, and many pupils have the opportunity to take part in wide range of competitions and clubs.

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Short inspection of St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School

Pupils are happy to come to school and this is reflected in pupils’ high attendance figures. Leaders’ careful monitoring and tracking of pupils’ progress ensures that pupils receive timely support when needed. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities achieve particularly well because of the attention the school gives to both their well-being and their academic progress.

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Short inspection of St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School

Governors are ambitious for the school. They are committed to further improvement, and new governors have brought helpful additional skills to the governing body. Governors demonstrate a sound understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and, like you, know the community well. Governors and leaders are keen to support your work to ensure that the curriculum is interesting and wide-ranging, supporting the school’s vision that ‘every pupil can reach their potential’. Governors support you effectively and hold you firmly to account. Diligently, they gather first-hand evidence in order to check the accuracy of the information you provide about pupils’ progress and, helpfully, they regularly review the school’s systems and policies for themselves.

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Short inspection of St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School

Following the previous inspection, you were asked to give pupils frequent opportunities to practise their writing, give pupils more information about how to improve their work, and develop pupils’ interest and curiosity. Evidence in pupils’ books shows that they regularly write at length and enjoy writing for many different purposes. Most pupils are given guidance on how to improve their work. However, in order to ensure a more consistent approach across the school, you are, sensibly, currently undertaking a careful review of the school’s feedback policy and how well teachers implement this. Although the school offers pupils a number of exciting opportunities, you recognise that teachers’ expectations are not as high in subjects other than English and mathematics. This is limiting some pupils’ progress, especially the most able.

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Short inspection of St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School

You and your leadership team ensure that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Recent improvements to record-keeping mean that all records are meticulously maintained. Governors are highly diligent in checking the work of leaders, and they visit the school often to check that safeguarding records are up to date.

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Short inspection of St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School

You ensure that all staff receive appropriate training, including in their duty to prevent extremism and radicalisation. Good-quality induction ensures that newly appointed staff are fully aware of their responsibilities. Staff know pupils very well so they are alert to any concerns, which they follow up quickly. You are tenacious in ensuring that correct and beneficial support is made available to vulnerable pupils and families. You act promptly on information you receive, working closely with the relevant agencies and other professionals to protect pupils effectively.

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Short inspection of St Saviour’s Church of England Junior School

Pupils say that they feel safe. Staff and parents report overwhelmingly that the school keeps pupils safe. Pupils feel confident to talk to staff if they have any concerns and they feel these are resolved satisfactorily. The school equips pupils with the knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe online. Parents are well informed through regular safeguarding updates in newsletters and the school website.

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Inspection findings

 During this inspection, we looked closely at specific aspects of the school’s provision, including: the effectiveness of the teaching of reading; provision for the most able pupils; and how the wider curriculum develops pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding.  You took swift and effective action in response to the dip in pupils’ reading outcomes at the end of key stage 2 last year. You put well-considered improvements in place, particularly in teaching pupils the skills they need to understand their reading. You have ensured a clear approach to the teaching of phonics, including providing effective additional support for individual pupils when needed. Older pupils greatly enjoy the work they do to encourage and support younger pupils’ reading. Leaders have ensured that there is now a helpfully consistent approach to the teaching of reading across the school. As a result, and as indicated by the school’s reliable tracking information, current pupils are

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Inspection findings

making strong progress in reading across all year groups.  The work in pupils’ books shows evidence of suitable challenge for pupils in mathematics and English lessons, particularly for the older pupils. Teachers’ highly targeted approach to the teaching of mathematics, particularly, ensures that work is usually well matched to pupils’ ability, including providing appropriate challenge for the most able pupils. However, tasks set in lessons across the wider curriculum are not consistently pitched high enough to meet the needs of the most able pupils, limiting their progress at times.  The school is developing many interesting opportunities to enliven learning, and pupils talk about them with enthusiasm. They include interesting topics, musical activities, skilled sports coaching, valuable educational visits to the local area and residential trips. However, leaders rightly recognise that further work is needed

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Inspection findings

to consolidate and extend pupils’ learning across subjects other than English and mathematics.

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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

 pupils’ learning in subjects other than English and mathematics is strengthened  the most able pupils are routinely challenged so a higher proportion exceed age- related expectations at the end of key stage 2. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Canterbury, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Kent. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection we visited classrooms together and talked to pupils about their work. I scrutinised a wide range of documentation, including information about pupils’ achievement, leaders’ evaluation of the school’s effectiveness, the school improvement plan, and safeguarding checks, policies and procedures. I met with pupils from Years 3, 4 and 6 and heard them read. Together with middle leaders, I looked at a wide range of pupils’ work. I met with the chair of the governing body and held a telephone call with a representative of the local authority. I considered 23 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire, 23 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and 373 responses to the school’s own pupil survey. I also spoke with a number of parents. Governing body

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