St Luke's CofE Primary School

St Luke’s CofE Primary School French’s Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB4 3JZ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Outcomes for pupils 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

 The school’s procedures for ensuring that pupils are safe are not robust. This undermines pupils’ welfare and puts them at risk.  Leaders and governors have not set a culture of high expectations for pupils. Their expectations of how well some groups of pupils can achieve are far too low.  Leaders and governors do not have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They think the school is better than it is.  Governors do not hold leaders to account well enough for the quality of teaching, outcomes, behaviour and pupils’ well-being and safety.  Pupils’ learning is sometimes interrupted by low-level disruption in classrooms. This is because of weaknesses in the quality of teaching.  Leaders and governors have not ensured that all pupils receive the full-time education that they are entitled to.  Attendance is too low and there has been little sign of improvement. Some pupils are persistently absent from school. The use of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

part-time timetables and illegal exclusion reduces attendance even further.  Leadership is weak. It does not provide staff with the clarity they need. Staff are not aware of leaders’ expectations or how the school intends to improve. As a result, leaders do not have sufficient impact on raising standards.  Pupils, particularly some disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, do not make the good progress of which they are capable.  Pupils are not provided with enough opportunities to use and apply their basic English and mathematics skills. This limits the progress they make.  A minority of parents, carers and staff are dissatisfied with the school and are concerned about its leadership.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Early years provision is improving as a result of the support provided by local authority advisers.  The school is welcoming and inclusive. The diverse nature of the school population is celebrated and enjoyed.  St Luke’s is a happy and friendly school. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils’ progress is broadly similar to other pupils nationally by the time they reach Year 6.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 As a matter of urgency, improve safeguarding so that it is fully effective by: – ensuring that the system for reporting child protection concerns is clear and unambiguous – developing suitable systems and processes for identifying, assessing and controlling risks – ensuring that evacuation procedures are adequate to ensure pupils’ safety in the event of an emergency and that staff are fully trained in those procedures.  Improve the quality of leadership and management so that the overall effectiveness of the school is at least good, by ensuring that: – governors hold leaders fully to account for all aspects of the quality of provision – leaders at the highest levels provide staff with clear direction and a convincing vision for the school’s continued development – self-evaluation is analytical and appropriately self-critical so that leaders identify the most important priorities for development – improvement plans focus closely on the priorities for improvement

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– leaders have a demonstrable impact on improving the quality of teaching and raising pupils’ achievement – leaders restore the confidence of parents who are dissatisfied with the school.  Improve attendance so that it is at least in line with the national average and no groups of pupils are disadvantaged with high absence by: – taking firm action to reduce the rate of persistent absence – eliminating the use of unlawful exclusion and part-time timetables.  Improve the quality of teaching and raise outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities, by ensuring that: – staff have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve, how they present their work and how they should behave – all staff have and use good behaviour management skills – pupils are given sufficient opportunities to practise and apply their basic English and mathematics skills – handwriting is taught explicitly so that pupils develop a neat, efficient style.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

External reviews of governance and of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how these aspects of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders have not ensured that the previously good quality of education provided by the school has been maintained and built on. As a result, several aspects of the school now require improvement and leadership is weak. Limited action has been taken to address the areas for improvement identified by the previous inspection and leaders have overseen a decline in standards.  Leaders and governors have allowed an excuse culture to pervade the school. Weaknesses in outcomes, for example, are seen as an unavoidable consequence of the school’s demographic rather than as an area of the school’s performance that requires improvement. This has led to low expectations and underachievement.  Leaders do not have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The school’s self-evaluation document is overly generous, focusing on describing aspects of the school’s provision rather than analysing them. This means that leaders have not

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

identified well enough the areas that need to improve.  The school’s improvement plan is poorly focused. It is an unwieldy document that is not fit for purpose. For example, the actions listed are frequently ill-chosen and do not have a notable impact on improving the school. Although criteria have been set to measure the success of particular actions, these are neither specific nor ambitious.  There is little evidence of leaders’ impact on improving the quality of teaching or on improving pupils’ achievement. Although leaders carry out monitoring activities, such as observing in lessons and scrutinising pupils’ work, these checks do not make the difference that they should. Monitoring activities are not focused and do not drive school improvement. For example, weaknesses seen during one lesson observation are not followed up effectively during subsequent observations.  The school’s pupil premium funding is not spent effectively. The way that the resources

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

are spent is having limited impact on improving outcomes for disadvantaged pupils.  Parents’ responses to Parent View and inspectors’ conversations with parents indicate a small but significant degree of parental concern about the school. Only about half of parents agreed or strongly agreed that the school is well led and managed. Some parents chose to provide additional free-text comments to explain their concerns.  However, most parents who gave their opinion said that they are happy with the school overall and would recommend it to others. Many parents praised the staff and the important role they play in ensuring that pupils are happy at school. Comments such as, ‘St Luke’s is a warm and friendly school’ and ‘the teachers and teaching assistants are extremely hardworking and caring’ were typical.  The sports premium funding appears to be used effectively in a variety of ways, such as to employ specialist sports coaches to work with pupils during breaktimes. However,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

leaders were unable to provide any evidence to demonstrate the positive impact of how the funding is used.  Recently, a group of leaders, led by the deputy headteacher, has begun work to develop and improve the school’s curriculum. They have thought carefully about how best to encourage a love of learning in pupils and how the curriculum can be used to improve outcomes. Although these changes are in the early stages of development, ‘green shoots’ are starting to appear. Pupils already enjoy and benefit both from educational visits to places of interest and visitors to school to enhance their learning.  St Luke’s is a multicultural school with a diverse population and more than 20 different languages spoken. A high proportion of pupils speak English as an additional language, although few are at the early stages of learning to speak English. Pupils get on very well together and celebrate the range of cultures and ethnicities present in the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

Parents particularly value this as a strength of the school. One parent spoke for many by saying: ‘Parents and children feel part of a lively, diverse and inclusive community.’ This aspect of the school shone through during the inspection.

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Governance of the school

 Governors believe the school is better than it is. They have not ensured that the school has equally high expectations of all pupils, regardless of their background. As a result, outcomes for some groups of pupils are not good enough.  The governing body does not hold leaders to account well enough. They have been too accepting of what they are told and have not provided adequate challenge. This is a school that has serious weaknesses and where safeguarding is ineffective. Governors have failed to recognise these weaknesses.  Governors have not ensured that all pupils receive the full-time education to which they are entitled. They have allowed leaders to repeatedly use unlawful exclusion and part-time timetables as means of managing pupils’ behaviour.  Governors are committed to the school, its pupils, staff and parents. They visit regularly and have formed good relationships with leaders and other staff.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.  The school’s procedures for reporting child protection concerns are not clear or rigorous enough. Staff do not recognise the seniority of the headteacher’s role as the school’s designated safeguarding lead. Systems to record concerns mean that individual members of staff, rather than the designated safeguarding lead, have responsibility for deciding whether a concern requires immediate attention or not. This increases the risk of action not being taken in a timely fashion.  The school’s records show that appropriate action is not always taken in response to concerns raised. For example, records of an incident that caused concern about a pupil’s welfare show that no action was taken other than to monitor the situation. In another example, the headteacher and governors did not recognise the full implications of an allegation that had been brought to their attention.

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Safeguarding

 The school’s arrangements for ensuring the physical safety of pupils are not secure.  The school’s single central record meets statutory requirements.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The quality of teaching has declined and is no longer good. The headteacher has not taken the lead convincingly in this crucial area of the school’s work. Her vision for the school has not been clear enough and this has had a negative impact on the quality of teaching in the school.  Teachers’ and leaders’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low. Issues such as pupils’ socio-economic backgrounds and the higher-than-average proportion of pupils that leave or join the school other than at the usual transition points are used to excuse the slow progress that some pupils make. This was an area for improvement following the previous inspection, but there is little evidence of change.  Some teachers do not manage pupils’ behaviour well enough. Pupils described frequent noise and disruption in their classrooms. They told inspectors how this can be very distracting and makes it difficult for them to concentrate. This poor behaviour

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

management was evident in some classes during the inspection. Where this is the case, pupils achieve less well.  Handwriting is not taught well enough. Pupils’ handwriting is frequently immature, with too few developing a neat, joined style during their time in key stage 2. This, combined with low expectations, means that pupils’ work is frequently untidy and poorly presented.  Pupils are not given enough opportunities to practise and apply the basic English and mathematics skills that they have been taught. For example, pupils have limited opportunities to develop reasoning because they do not apply their mathematics skills, and this slows their progress.  In some classes, misconceptions are not picked up on in a timely manner and acted upon quickly. For example, pupils make frequent spelling errors, often of simple, common words. These errors are not tackled and, as a result, they are repeated and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

become habits that are harder to break.  Relationships between teaching staff and pupils are strong. Classrooms are happy places that pupils enjoy coming to. Staff speak to pupils respectfully and pupils respond respectfully as a result. Where teaching is stronger, routines are well established and pupils respond quickly to requests and instructions.  Teaching assistants support pupils effectively, particularly those who have SEN and/or disabilities. They show good understanding of the needs of the pupils they work with and provide the necessary support to enable pupils to participate fully in their learning.  Pupils are encouraged to be confident. They are taught that making mistakes is an important part of learning. This gives them the confidence and resilience to cope with getting things wrong.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate.  Ineffective procedures for evacuating the building in an emergency potentially put pupils at risk. Procedures have not been thought out well enough to ensure that plans are in place to tackle foreseeable eventualities and ensure that pupils’ welfare is paramount. This was demonstrated clearly when the fire alarm sounded unexpectedly during the inspection. The evacuation was chaotic and demonstrated that leaders and staff are not sufficiently well versed in carrying out efficient and effective evacuation without notice.  Risk assessments are woefully inadequate. Leaders have not identified the range of risks that exist, and unacceptable risks go unchallenged. Appropriate control measures are not considered or put in place to reduce risks to an acceptable level.  Leaders have allowed pupils to go home with their parents as a way of managing their

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Personal development and welfare

behaviour. This has happened without pupils being formally excluded. Such practice is unlawful and does not support pupils’ welfare.  A small number of pupils do not receive the full-time education that they are entitled to. Leaders are too quick to allow pupils to follow a part-time timetable. They do not ensure that the use of such measures is exceptional and limited to very short periods of time.  Rates of attendance have been below the national average for the last three years and remain so. A small proportion of pupils are persistently absent and not enough is done to improve their attendance.  Pupils are friendly and welcoming. They are confident and lively, and were keen to talk to inspectors about their school. Pupils work well together, in groups and in pairs, and are supportive of each other. Pupils enjoy having ‘learning buddies’ and say that, ‘they help you if you’re struggling’.  Pupils feel safe at school, and their parents also feel that they are safe. Pupils know

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Personal development and welfare

about bullying and that it is more than just, ‘sometimes people just don’t get on’. They know that they should tell an adult if they are ever bullied and they have faith that staff could sort things out quickly if bullying did occur.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Where teaching is weaker, low-level disruption affects learning. For example, high noise levels while pupils are trying to get their work done affects their concentration. Issues such as talking while the teaching is speaking persist because teachers do not have high enough expectations of how pupils should behave.  Pupils generally behave sensibly and follow the school’s rules. This was exemplified very clearly during the extended fire drill. Despite having to wait for more than an hour for the ‘all clear’, pupils remained quiet and sensible throughout.  The school’s records show that the number of incidents of poor behaviour are reducing over time.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Overall, disadvantaged pupils make similar progress to other pupils in the school. However, the school’s assessment information shows that in some classes disadvantaged pupils are making less progress than the school expects of pupils generally. This is because leaders’ expectations of this group are not high enough.  Similarly, as a group, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities do not do as well as they should. Although some pupils make good progress, this is not the case for the group as a whole. Too few pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their individual starting points.  Pupils do not make good progress in English and mathematics throughout the school. The school’s assessment information and the work in pupils’ exercise books show that progress in some classes is much better than in others. Leaders do not take effective action to address issues when pupils do not make the progress they should.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 There is limited evidence of the progress pupils make in subjects other than English and mathematics. Although it is clear that pupils learn about the full range of subjects in the national curriculum, it is less clear how well their knowledge of subjects such as history and music is developing.  Published assessment information shows that, overall, outcomes remain broadly similar to the national average. For example, in the 2017 national tests, pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics was average overall.  Assessment information and the work in pupils’ books indicate that a small proportion of current pupils are making good progress from their individual starting points.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Leadership of the early years is underdeveloped. For example, assessment information is not used effectively to improve outcomes or the quality of provision. However, support has been put in place by the local authority and there is clear evidence that this is improving the quality of early years leadership.  The quality of teaching in early years is not as good as it should be. As a result, children do not make the rapid progress they should during their time in the Reception Year. Again, the quality of teaching in the early years is improving because of the local authority’s support.  The early years outdoor area is shared with pre-school provision that is not part of the school. The space is relatively small, and this shared use means that children do not benefit from the area as much as they should. The outdoor area is not used as well as it could be to provide meaningful learning opportunities for Reception Year children.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Children enjoy coming to school. Generally, they follow the rules and the instructions they are given by adults. Children enjoy playing with their friends and taking part in their learning activities. Staff know the children well and take appropriate actions to ensure their safety.

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address office@stlukes.cambs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3–4 December 2014

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Information about this school

 The former headteacher left the school in August 2015. The school’s inclusion coordinator acted in the role for a term before the current headteacher joined the school in January 2016.  There have been several changes of teaching staff since the previous inspection. The current deputy headteacher joined the school in October 2017.  The school meets current floor standards. These are the minimum standards, set by the government, for pupils’ progress and attainment.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching and learning over time. For example, inspectors observed parts of 11 lessons, spending time in each of the school’s seven classes.  Inspectors looked closely at the work in pupils’ exercise books. They listened to pupils read and talked to them about their work. Inspectors looked at a range of the school’s documents, including assessment information.  Inspectors checked the school’s single central record of pre-employment checks and other documentation concerned with the safer recruitment of staff and volunteers.  Meetings were held with leaders, governors, a representative of the local authority and a group of pupils. A representative of the local authority was present throughout the second day of the inspection and a representative of the diocese for the second afternoon.  Inspectors spoke with pupils throughout the inspection and with parents as they

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Information about this inspection

brought their children to school. Inspectors considered 49 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and 43 additional free-text comments. Inspectors also took note of 10 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and 31 responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Wendy Varney, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Warboys 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

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

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

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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