All Saints Interchurch Academy

Inspection of a good school: All Saints Interchurch Academy County Road, March, Cambridgeshire PE15 8ND

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Outcome

All Saints Interchurch Academy continues to be a good school. However, the inspector has some concerns that standards may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they feel a part of a family at this school. Staff place pupils’ well-being at the heart of all they do. They ensure that pupils are happy and well cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to learn. They behave well and are polite and courteous. The headteacher sets high expectations for pupils’ conduct. Pupils say that bullying happens only rarely and that it is dealt with quickly should it occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a delightful atmosphere at breaktimes, when older and younger pupils play together happily. Pupils feel at ease in the school and are eager to do well. They like their work, especially in mathematics, although they say it is sometimes too easy. Pupils are keen to talk about their learning with visitors. They enjoy celebrating each other’s success in lessons. Older pupils say that they enjoy reading, but younger pupils are not such eager readers due to a lack of interesting books.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff willingly go the extra mile to raise pupils’ aspirations and to give them memorable experiences. For example, during the inspection, older pupils visited a local theatre to perform a version of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ as part of a Shakespeare festival. Pupils are very positive about this experience. They feel that it helps them to become more confident.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders are determined to prepare children well socially for the next stage of their education. This is evident in all aspects of the school’s work. Staff model the school’s strong values in their interactions with each other and with pupils. Pupils are respectful. They take good care of each other. 5–6 November 2019

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Staff place a high priority on supporting pupils’ personal development, taking good account of the needs of the local community. Activities such as the annual pilgrimage to Walsingham are carefully planned to help pupils reflect on their lives and to appreciate their place in the wider world.

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Teachers work hard to bring subjects alive, but the curriculum is not well enough planned to help pupils develop their skills rapidly in all subjects. The curriculum is strongest in reading. Leaders make sure that their chosen phonics programme is taught effectively. This helps pupils to learn quickly. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check is improving and in 2019 was above the national average. Pupils who are falling behind are given good support to help them catch up. However, in key stage 1, there are too few high-quality reading books to help pupils, especially the most able, develop a love of reading.

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In mathematics, pupils make good progress in most aspects of the subject because the school has identified clearly what should be taught in each year. There is, however, too little focus on teaching problem-solving and reasoning. Consequently, not enough of the most able pupils reach the higher standards they are capable of by the end of Year 6.

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Beyond English and mathematics, curriculum leaders have not had enough opportunities to develop their subjects. Planning follows the national curriculum, but leaders have not considered carefully enough the order in which pupils will learn new things so that skills and knowledge are taught at the right time and in the right order. Pupils sometimes learn disconnected facts which they do not remember over time. Consequently, pupils only have a limited recall of previous learning in subjects such as science or history.

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Leaders and staff understand the challenges faced by pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They put effective plans in place to meet their differing needs.

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Children are safe and happy in the Reception class. Staff ensure that children have plenty of opportunities to learn early number and reading skills. Children enjoy rhymes and stories, and they learn their phonics quickly.

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Teamwork across the school is strong. While leaders are committed to school improvement and know what needs to be done, changes have not been made soon enough. Staff do not have enough opportunity to see and share good practice, especially in curriculum development.

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Staff say that leaders support them well in managing their time. However, curriculum leaders do not play a full part in supporting school improvement. They have too few opportunities to support and challenge their colleagues to make sure that teaching improves quickly.

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Parents are very positive about the school. Many make complimentary comments such as: ‘The school is seen as a family, where all are welcome.’ Parents willingly support the school by, for example, running the successful forest school and gardening club. 5–6 November 2019

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The headteacher and governors ensure that pupils’ safety is given the highest priority. Staff are trained regularly so that they are up to date with leaders’ safeguarding expectations. Any concerns about an individual pupil are followed up swiftly.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how they can keep themselves safe and are encouraged to help each other. For example, a recent initiative by the junior travel ambassadors has equipped pupils with reflective badges to keep them safer when they walk home.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not planned well enough to help pupils to acquire new skills or knowledge quickly in all subjects. Leaders need to ensure that, across the curriculum, careful planning enables pupils to build on their prior learning, within lessons and over time. Additionally, curriculum leaders need to support and challenge their colleagues to make sure that planned improvements are being implemented consistently and have the desired effect.  The most able pupils do not reach the higher standards they are capable of in reading and mathematics. In reading, a lack of high-quality reading books holds pupils back. In mathematics, teachers need to ensure that the reasoning and problem-solving aspects of the curriculum are given more of a focus so that the most able pupils are challenged and deepen their learning more quickly.  Since becoming a standalone academy, the school has worked very much in isolation

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

from others. Leaders need to establish stronger links with other schools and organisations to support them with further developing the curriculum, and to enable staff to see and share good practice.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school to be good in 23–24 May 2011. 5–6 November 2019

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How can I feed back my views?

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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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. 5–6 November 2019

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 February 2016

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Information about this school

 This average-sized school is a standalone academy that serves both the local Anglican and Catholic community.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, other senior leaders, curriculum leaders and other staff. The inspector also met with a trustee and representatives of the governing body.  The inspector spoke to pupils to gather their views of school. Pupils were heard reading their books to members of staff.  During the inspection, the inspector focused on the subjects of reading, mathematics and science. The inspector observed lessons in these subjects, either with the headteacher or curriculum leaders. Meetings were also held with teachers, curriculum leaders and pupils. A range of pupils’ work was looked at in these subjects.  The inspector considered the school’s approaches to safeguarding by talking to staff and pupils and reviewing documentation. Other school documents were scrutinised including planning and monitoring documents; the school development plan; and records relating to behaviour and attendance.

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 The inspector looked at the 38 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 38 responses to Ofsted’s free-text system. Additionally, the inspector considered the 19 responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Mike Capper, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 5–6 November 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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