Queniborough Church of England Primary School

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

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Mrs Joy Hardy Headteacher Queniborough Church of England Primary School Coppice Lane Queniborough Leicester Leicestershire LE7 3DR

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Short inspection of Queniborough Church of England Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 2 October 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 October 2014.

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Short inspection of Queniborough Church of England Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Queniborough Church of England Primary School

Queniborough is a welcoming school. It helps pupils of all abilities and backgrounds to succeed. Pupils achieve well and are well prepared for their secondary schools. You and other leaders make careful checks on the quality of teaching and learning, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. These give you an accurate view of the school’s strengths and how it can be further improved. You ensure that staff receive high-quality training and support to help them improve their practice.

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Short inspection of Queniborough Church of England Primary School

Successes since the previous inspection include:

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Short inspection of Queniborough Church of England Primary School

 ensuring that pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics are at least in line with the national averages  improving the quality of teaching and learning in science and computing  increasing the numbers of pupils, from all groups, who enjoy the wide range of extra-curricular activities  establishing links with schools in Ethiopia and Mauritius to increase pupils’ awareness of lives in developing countries.

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Short inspection of Queniborough Church of England Primary School

Pupils told me that they enjoy school. They say that Queniborough is a friendly school. During our visits to lessons and the playground, we saw examples of pupils helping and supporting one another. They readily accept that some of their peers require careful support, and sensible adjustments to the curriculum, so that they too can thrive at Queniborough. Pupils appreciate the range of outdoor equipment that they play on at breaktimes. They also value other outdoor areas, such as the Reflection Garden, where they can go if they want some quiet time.

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Short inspection of Queniborough Church of England Primary School

Parents and carers who shared their views are mostly very happy with Queniborough. The great majority would recommend the school to others. However, of 63 written comments made by parents, around 20 identified areas where they judge improvements would be helpful. These areas included how leaders respond to parental concerns and the quality of the information they receive about their children’s progress. Improving parental satisfaction with these aspects of school leadership is a next step for the school.

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Short inspection of Queniborough Church of England Primary School

When the school was last inspected, leaders were asked to give pupils more opportunities to write across the full range of subjects. There has been some success addressing this issue. Pupils are now regularly applying their writing skills across the curriculum and the quality of written work in their topic books has improved. However, the proportion of pupils who reach greater depth in writing is lower than it is in the other subjects. Increasing the proportion of pupils who attain high standards in writing is a next step for the school.

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Short inspection of Queniborough Church of England Primary School

The previous inspection also recommended that subject leaders play a greater part in improving outcomes for pupils. In response, most subject leaders have joined local curriculum groups. In these groups, they share ideas and learn from colleagues in other schools. These meetings have strengthened their leadership skills and their subject knowledge. Most subject leaders do now confidently lead staff development sessions to promote best practice. However, the impact of their leadership on improving teaching and learning is not always clear. Senior leaders and governors evaluating accurately the impact of all subject leaders is another next step.

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Short inspection of Queniborough Church of England Primary School

Senior leaders are continuing a review of the school’s curriculum which began in the last school year. The school’s website captures many examples of how the current curriculum is enriched by events such as ‘The Robin Hood Survival Day’ and ‘Victorian Afternoon Tea’. Leaders are determined that the revised curriculum will continue to inspire pupils and be fun. However, there could be greater clarity about the knowledge and skills that pupils gain from their topic work. A further next step for the school is for leaders to determine, for each subject, what pupils are expected to learn and remember from the topics they study.

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Short inspection of Queniborough Church of England Primary School

The arrangements for safeguarding pupils are fit for purpose. Staff receive training and updates on safeguarding throughout the school year. This ensures that staff are alert to any signs that indicate pupils may be at risk of harm. There are effective links with local agencies so that vulnerable pupils receive appropriate support. The designated safeguarding leader is persistent in pressing for this support when she judges that other agencies are not acting promptly to ensure the well-being of children. The school’s work with children on the autistic spectrum is held in high regard locally.

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Short inspection of Queniborough Church of England Primary School

Pupils told me that they receive helpful guidance to help them understand the potential risks they may encounter when they are walking or cycling, approached by strangers or using digital technologies. They have great respect for the adults who work in the school. They would readily seek help with any issues at school, or at home, that are upsetting them.

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Inspection findings

 Improving pupils’ progress in reading was a priority in the last school year. To meet this aim, teachers: – improved the quality of books in each classroom library to encourage pupils to read more regularly – choose books to read and discuss with pupils that they know their pupils will love – provide 15 minutes each day for pupils to read their own books – check closely how regularly pupils read outside school. The subject leader has worked alongside colleagues to improve their confidence and expertise when teaching reading. Pupils say that reading lessons are fun. Many of them buy their own copies of the books they read in lessons because they enjoy reading them again and again. The unconfirmed information about pupils’ progress and attainment in reading in the 2018 assessments shows that pupils made better progress this year than last, and attained above-average standards.  Teaching and learning in mathematics are strengths of the school. Nevertheless,

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Inspection findings

senior leaders are ambitious and wish to raise pupils’ achievement in the subject still further. They have introduced an approach to teaching mathematics which ensures that pupils study each topic in more depth than before. Pupils now spend more time exploring mathematical concepts – rather than moving quickly on to new topics. This is giving pupils a deeper understanding of the concepts they study. My visits to lessons also highlighted how teachers ensure that pupils understand, and use, a wide range of mathematical vocabulary. Teachers insist that pupils use this vocabulary, in full sentences, when they share their ideas in mathematics lessons.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils in the school is well below average. Senior leaders use the funding provided to support this group effectively. They check carefully how well each individual disadvantaged pupil is learning. They consider if factors, such as attendance and behaviour, are holding pupils back.

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Inspection findings

The additional help for disadvantaged pupils includes extra teaching sessions, counselling, speech and language therapy and attendance at breakfast and after- school clubs. Disadvantaged pupils throughout the school make good progress. The great majority of disadvantaged pupils are now attending regularly.

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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

 their completed curriculum review identifies what pupils are expected to learn and remember in each subject  there are accurate evaluations of the impact of subject leaders on the quality of teaching and learning  increased proportions of pupils attain the higher standard in writing at the end of the Reception Year, Year 2 and Year 6.  a greater proportion of parents judge that senior leaders respond well to concerns they raise and agree that leaders provide helpful information about their children’s progress.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the diocese of Leicester, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Leicestershire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection, I met with you and the deputy headteacher. I also held meetings with the subject leaders for English and mathematics. I met with three governors. I spoke with a group of pupils and with others I met in classes and around the school. I spoke with parents as they brought their children to school in the morning.

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Information about the inspection

Together with you, I paid a visit to each class to see the learning taking place. I looked at work in pupils’ books and heard pupils read. I read a range of documents, including information about the progress that pupils make, the pupil premium spending and the school development plan. I also read documents relating to safeguarding.

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Information about the inspection

I considered the 67 responses to the online survey, Parent View, including the 63 free-text comments. I also considered the 13 responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupils’ online survey.

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