St Benedict Biscop CofE Primary School

Inspection of St Benedict Biscop CofE Primary School School Road, Wombourne, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire WV5 9DZ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 12–13 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Benedict Biscop is a friendly and welcoming school. Pupils are happy here. They develop friendships, trust and respect through the school’s Christian ethos and values. Pupils earn ‘values’ badges for good behaviour, attendance or achievement. They wear these with pride. Leaders have high expectations of what pupils can achieve, academically and personally.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They show genuine care for each other. At playtime and lunchtime, pupils include everyone in their games. Pupils enjoy attending the wide range of clubs and societies such as Lego club, choir, mindfulness sessions and sports teams. The school has achieved a Gold School Sports award.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They say that bullying rarely happens. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and caring. As one pupil summarised, ‘Everyone gets on well together.’ Pupils are respectful and tolerant of different faiths and ways of life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school works hard to develop pupils’ confidence and independence. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons are well structured. In ‘forest school’ activities and nurture groups, pupils develop resilience from a very young age. Older pupils relish their different roles, such as school council members or playground pals.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are a credit to the school. They bring to life the school’s motto, ‘Learning and growing together in Christian friendship’.

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better?

The headteacher and trust leaders are ambitious. They want pupils to achieve as well as they can. Staff, parents, carers and pupils recognise the many recent improvements.

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better?

In the early years, children are confident and articulate. Children learn new words every day. Well-established routines help children to behave well, listen and concentrate. They are well prepared to start Year 1.

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better?

In mathematics and English, curriculum plans help teachers know what to teach and when. Skilled subject leaders help teachers to break down knowledge and skills into manageable chunks. They consider what pupils need to learn next based on what they already know. They then adapt their planning. In mathematics, for example, pupils were struggling with arithmetic and reasoning. Teachers now include regular arithmetic sessions and opportunities for problem solving. These are helping pupils to fill the gaps in their knowledge and skills. Most pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2. However, some pupils are capable of achieving even more. 12–13 September 2019

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Teachers do not always use information about what pupils know and can do well enough to plan learning that is right for different pupils. For example, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) sometimes struggle to complete their work because it is not quite right for them. The most able pupils sometimes complete work that is too easy for them. When this happens, some pupils struggle to concentrate. This means that they do not achieve as well as they could.

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Most pupils are fluent readers by the end of key stage 2. They love to read at home and school. In class, pupils read high-quality books. Teachers make links from these to other subjects. For example, pupils reading ‘Stig of the Dump’ were also studying the Stone Age in history. If pupils struggle to pass the phonics screening check by the end of Year 2, they have intensive support in Year 3 to catch up.

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The history subject leader supports teachers to map out the knowledge and skills pupils need to learn each year. Teachers then summarise the knowledge, skills and vocabulary pupils will be learning in each topic. Teachers, pupils and parents find this helpful. Teachers are refining the curriculum further. For example, they know that pupils need to understand chronology better. This approach is also in place in geography, science and religious education (RE).

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In other subjects, the curriculum plans are not as well developed. In some cases, this is because subject leaders are new to their posts. They have not had time to have an impact on the curriculum. Some of the other subject leaders need more support to develop their work. In art, for example, the subject leader has mapped out what pupils need to learn in each year group for some skills. Pupils in Year 1 learn to blend colours with paint. By Year 5, pupils have learned a range of painting techniques such as stippling and hatching. This is a good start but needs further development.

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In PSHE, pupils learn about healthy relationships, democracy, rights and responsibilities. Visits to different places broaden pupils’ horizons. Pupils enjoyed singing in the ‘Young Voices’ celebration at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.

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The headteacher and trust leaders provide effective support for teachers and leaders to develop their skills. Teachers feel well supported. Staff are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The headteacher is the designated safeguarding lead. She makes sure that staff receive regular training and updates. Staff are caring and watch out for signs of abuse or neglect. Leaders are aware of the potential risks to children in the area or online. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in PSHE lessons. When new risks arise, for example through the inappropriate use of social media, teachers make sure pupils and parents are aware. Leaders carry out thorough checks on new members of staff, volunteers or contractors working in school. 12–13 September 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In subjects other than mathematics, English and history, the curriculum is not currently sufficiently well planned and sequenced. Teachers need further support to understand how to sequence learning in each subject, building on what pupils already know and can do. Subject leaders need to provide support for teachers about how to do this effectively in their subject.  Leadership is not consistently strong across the school. The headteacher and leaders from the trust model high-quality leadership. Recently appointed leaders bring many strengths, but they have not yet had time to have an impact in their subject or phase. Senior leaders should provide support, building on existing strengths of current leaders, and establish clear expectations of the impact of leaders’ work.  Teachers do not always use assessment information sufficiently precisely to meet the needs of all pupils effectively. Pupils with SEND do not always receive the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

support they need to achieve their potential. Equally, the most able pupils’ needs are not always addressed effectively by the sequence of learning. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that all teachers know how to assess pupils’ learning effectively in lessons and adapt their teaching or the learning activities to focus on what pupils need to learn next.

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How can I feed back my views?

to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 12–13 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111661 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.st-benedictbiscop.staffs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is a Church of England faith school. It is attached to the Diocese of Lichfield.  The school became a sponsored academy as part of the St Bartholomew’s Church of England Trust on 1 December 2016.  The current chair of the local governing board (LGB) was appointed by the trust in January 2019.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, the CEO of the trust and the head of school improvement of the trust.  The lead inspector met with the chair and vice-chair of the board of trustees. The chair of the LGB also met with the lead inspector.  The assistant headteacher and the governor with responsibility for curriculum met with the team inspector. 12–13 September 2019

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 The lead inspector checked the records of employment checks and other safeguarding documentation. Inspectors spoke to staff about safeguarding and to pupils about how they learn to keep themselves safe.  The lead inspector reviewed the school’s self-evaluation document, school improvement plan and minutes of governing body meetings.  The team inspector met with the early years leader and reviewed the welfare requirements for the early years.  A meeting was held with the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo).  The team inspector spoke to parents at the start of the school day. Seventy-one responses to Parent View were considered, along with a large number of free-text responses.  Nine responses to the staff survey were considered. The lead inspector met with a newly qualified teacher (NQT).  There were no responses to the pupil survey. However, inspectors spoke to pupils in lessons and at break and lunchtimes about what it is like to be a pupil at this

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school.  Meetings were held with the leaders of English, mathematics, art and history as part of deep dives into the curriculum. Other curriculum activities included lesson visits, work scrutiny, listening to pupils read, and meeting with pupils and teachers.

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Inspection team

Jane Spilsbury, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Usha Devi Ofsted Inspector 12–13 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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