Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.1

Ruth Vince Headteacher St Augustine’s Federated Schools: CofE Primary School Kilburn Park Road Kilburn London NW6 5XA

p.1

Federated Schools: CofE Primary School

Following my visit to your school with Aliki Constantopoulou, Her Majesty’s Inspector, on 30 June 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the monitoring inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

p.1

Federated Schools: CofE Primary School

The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and has taken place because the school received a judgement of requires improvement at its previous section 5 inspection.

p.1

Federated Schools: CofE Primary School

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. I discussed the impact of the pandemic with you and have taken that into account in my evaluation.

p.1

Federated Schools: CofE Primary School

Having considered the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time:

p.1

Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

in order for the school to become a good school.

p.1

Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

The school should take further action to:

p.1

Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 ensure that the curriculum planning for geography, computing, music and languages enables pupils to build their knowledge sequentially and has opportunities for pupils to practise their skills  check that the additional support provided to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is appropriate and supports them to develop their independence over time  make sure all pupils are familiar with how to report concerns they might have, and that all staff are supported to follow up concerns appropriately.

p.1

Context

Since the last inspection in March 2019, there have been a number of changes to the leadership of the school. A new head teacher and two new assistant head teachers were appointed in September 2019. The school formed a federation with the neighbouring secondary school in October 2019. At this point, the governing bodies of both the primary and secondary school amalgamated and a new chair of the governing body was elected.

p.2

Main findings

You and the leadership team have prioritised the issues raised by the previous inspection. With the support of the federation, local authority, and the London Diocesan Board for Schools, you have ensured that there is improved staff stability and leadership capacity. This is supporting the ongoing improvement of the school. Staff who spoke with us said they were supportive of the changes you have made and felt trusted and supported in their roles.

p.2

Main findings

You are ambitious that pupils learn to read well. This starts in the early years, where children have lots of opportunities to practise the sounds they are learning. This helps them become confident readers. Most pupils are learning to read fluently because staff are well trained to identify and address misconceptions. Older pupils talk with enthusiasm about the books they read and their favourite authors. The newly appointed reading leader has been well supported by the local English hub in assessing pupils’ reading. This is improving the identification and support for those who may be falling behind.

p.2

Main findings

To improve pupils’ writing, you have introduced a new programme across the school. Pupils are starting to write more imaginative and complex pieces using the vocabulary, grammar and punctuation they have learned. However, English plans do not yet identify how handwriting should be developed across the school. Staff do not model handwriting consistently and this is limiting the fluency of some pupils’ handwriting.

p.2

Main findings

You have ensured that the curriculum that matches the content and scope of the national curriculum. Leaders have identified the key knowledge pupils need to learn as they move through the school. Some subjects are well organised, giving pupils the opportunity to practise and refine skills before applying them in different contexts. For example, in art, pupils learn how to join different materials together before moving on to designing their own sculptures. This is not yet the case in all subjects. For example, in geography it is not clear how the skills which pupils develop through engaging in fieldwork increase their understanding of geography over time. You had planned to develop the curriculum for computing, music, and languages. However, COVID-19 restrictions have delayed this work. You are developing plans to ensure that these subjects are organised to help pupils to know, remember, and do more.

p.2

Main findings

Following the previous inspection, you have prioritised improving the provision for pupils with SEND. Systems are now in place to make sure pupils’ needs are identified and supported. Leaders are working effectively with external agencies and have improved communication with families. Some pupils with SEND receive appropriate support that is helping them learn the planned curriculum. However, support for other pupils is less-well focused and does not always support them to learn independently.

p.3

Main findings

The recent amalgamation of the primary and secondary school governing bodies has strengthened governance. Governors bring a range of experiences and expertise to their roles. The training they have attended has helped them to question the information they receive from leaders more thoroughly. You, and the governors, have developed clear plans for the further improvement of the school.

p.3

Main findings

The systems you have to keep pupils safe are effective. Pupils told us they felt safe in school. However, during the inspection a small number of pupils expressed concern about how seriously their views on bullying were taken. Leaders should ensure that all pupils know what to do if they are worried and that all staff follow up these concerns.

p.3

Additional support

You have worked closely with the federated secondary school, local authority, and the London Diocesan Board for Schools to ensure that support has been focused on the areas that required improvement. The local authority has commissioned a number of reviews that have complemented your evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This has helped you identify future priorities for improvement.

p.3

Additional support

Senior and subject leaders have benefited from training in developing an understanding of their roles. Professional development provided by the local English hub is helping the improvements in the teaching of phonics. The newly formed governing body has benefited from training. This is helping governors to ask questions about the information they receive and hold leaders to account.

p.3

Evidence

During the inspection, we held meetings with the headteacher; head of federation; assistant headteacher; subject leaders for English, reading, geography and art; the chair of the governing body; a representative of the local authority; a representative of the London Diocesan Board for Schools and three groups of pupils to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection.

p.4

Evidence

We also visited lessons and looked at leaders’ plans and pupils’ work in English, geography and art. We scrutinised safeguarding documentation and considered leaders’ evaluation of the school and priorities for improvement. We considered the 11 parent and 20 staff responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

p.4

Evidence

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the London Diocesan Board for Schools, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Westminster. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

p.4