St John the Baptist CofE Primary School

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

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Mr John Pibworth Acting Headteacher St John the Baptist C of E Primary School East Avenue Leicester Leicestershire LE2 1TE

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Short inspection of St John the Baptist C of E Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 28 June 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 September 2014.

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Short inspection of St John the Baptist C of E Primary School

Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I have identified some priorities for improvement which I advise the school to address. In light of these priorities, the school’s next inspection will be a full section 5 inspection. There is

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

The school environment is bright and welcoming. Pupils behave well and their attitudes towards learning are positive. Pupils persevere with tasks and are proud of what they have achieved. They are polite, smartly dressed in their school uniform and work well with one another, sharing resources and listening to others’ ideas. Pupils were keen to tell me about their visits out of school, including a visit to a mosque. They said how much they enjoy theme days, especially those linked to Spanish. They also told me how they enjoy learning a musical instrument and making decisions when being part of the school council. During the day, all key stage 2 pupils were observed singing beautifully and after school a number of pupils demonstrated their talents in ballroom dancing.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

In your role as acting headteacher, you are well supported by governors as well as an associate headteacher and school improvement adviser from the local authority. You have recently updated the school improvement plan so that it reflects more succinctly the school’s priorities.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

You and the senior leaders check the quality of teaching and the progress that pupils make regularly. Subject leaders are now able to analyse assessment information in their subject and have an accurate view of the quality of teaching in the school. You are now holding regular meetings with staff so that you are able to identify ways that will help pupils to catch up and make the progress that you expect them to. However, this is yet to be implemented consistently across the school, and some pupils are not making as much progress as they should. This is particularly the case for the most able pupils in mathematics and pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

At the last inspection, leaders were asked to make sure that teachers provide the most able pupils with suitable work that developed their learning and helped them make as much progress as possible, especially in writing and mathematics. Through the introduction of a new mathematics scheme, pupils are now given the chance to apply their knowledge to problem-solving activities, and teachers are questioning pupils to make them think even more. However, teachers are sometimes not providing enough challenge for the most able pupils, so they are not always making the progress they are capable of.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

You were also asked to improve communication with parents and carers. The majority of parents agree that communication is effective and they receive the information they need.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Records are detailed and of a high quality. Leaders and governors place a high importance on safeguarding. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility at St John the Baptist C of E Primary School. It is a standard agenda item for all meetings, including senior leadership team meetings, staff meetings and governors’ meetings.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

You provide staff with relevant and regular training so that they know what to do if they have any concerns. There is a clear process in place for all new staff, including a thorough induction programme. Staff are confident to act and deal with any safeguarding concerns.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

Pupils receive good guidance on how to keep themselves safe. This includes visits from the police, assemblies on how to deal with cyber bullying and regular information about how to stay safe online. The pupils I spoke with said that bullying is not a problem in their school and that any issues are quickly resolved. Pupils told me they feel safe in school and know who to go to if they have a problem. They also told me that they can use the ‘Worry Monsters’ if they are sad and need to speak to someone.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

A significant majority of parents agreed, through Ofsted’s online survey, that their children are safe in school.

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no change to the school’s current overall effectiveness grade of good as a

Governors have a good understanding of safeguarding issues. They have used their knowledge to conduct a safeguarding review, the positive outcomes of which were supported by the local authority’s review of safeguarding practices in your school.

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Inspection findings

 In 2017, the proportion of children in the early years who achieved a good level of development was similar to that seen nationally. This was an increase on the previous two years when this was lower than the national average. Leaders are determined to make sure that standards continue to rise.  In the early years, you and the senior leaders rigorously analyse information about what children can do so you can track their progress more efficiently. Leaders told me that they are working with a partner school to share ideas and improve practice at St John’s. You are making improvements in the learning environment, so that children are able to choose their own resources and work independently.  When we observed teaching in the early years, we saw the children being questioned effectively by the teachers and other adults. Children worked well together for long periods of time, demonstrating resilience and perseverance.

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Inspection findings

 In key stage 1 in 2016 and 2017, some girls did not make as much progress as boys in reading and writing. The proportion of girls achieving the expected standard was below the national average. Leaders now moderate writing assessments between year groups and across key stages so that teachers are aware of the expected standards. Leaders have also introduced a new approach to guided reading, which is starting to have an impact on the progress pupils make.  In 2017 at the end of key stage 2, some pupils did not make enough progress to achieve the expected standard in writing. You have introduced a range of initiatives to support these pupils with their learning. This includes extra teaching and support to help them catch up more quickly. Pupils are now encouraged to ‘edit and polish’ their writing and work towards achieving the success criteria. You are also including writing in topics linked to other curriculum areas that will

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Inspection findings

motivate pupils to write, such as ‘Under the Sea’.  The school’s own assessment information indicates that most pupils are making good progress towards the school’s year group expectations for writing. Pupils told me that the new marking and feedback policy is helping them to understand what they need to do next to improve their writing.  Leadership and staffing changes have meant that communication for parents of pupils with SEN and/or disabilities has not been good enough. Moreover, gaps in the support for these pupils have led to differences in how well they achieve. Not all of these pupils receive the help and support they need to do well. You are starting to put things in place to help improve this area of the school’s work. However, this has not had time to impact on the progress these pupils are making.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that they:  urgently improve the teaching and leadership for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, so that these pupils make good progress and that parents are kept well informed  improve the teaching of mathematics, so that tasks match pupils’ abilities and provide sufficient challenge, particularly for 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 and the director of education for the Diocese of Leicester, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Leicester. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about this inspection

During the inspection, I held meetings with you and the associate headteacher. I also met with the two assistant head teachers and the coordinator for special educational needs. I met with the chair, vice-chair and one other member of the governing body. I visited some classes with you and the associate head teacher to observe teaching and learning. I spoke with pupils and examined samples of pupils’ work. I listened to three pupils from Year 1 reading. I met with members of the school council to discuss behaviour and safeguarding in school. I spoke to the pupils in Year 4 about the work in their English and mathematics books. I observed pupils’ behaviour in class and around the school.

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Information about this inspection

I considered a range of documents. These included the school’s self- evaluation, the school’s improvement plan and information on pupils’ attainment and progress. Safeguarding practices were also reviewed.

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Information about this inspection

I took account of the 85 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire Parent View and the six free-text responses. I also spoke to parents at the beginning of the day and took account of one email and a letter from a parent.

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