All Saints CofE Junior School

Inspection of All Saints CofE Junior School Westborough Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 4AR

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Inspection dates: 9 and 10 February 2022

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Inadequate Previous inspection grade Good 9 and 10 February 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not get a decent education. Struggling readers do not get the help they need. Staff do not ensure that pupils learn knowledge and skills in the right order. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not well supported.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Despite this, pupils are happy coming to school. They get on well and enjoy playing together. Pupils know the importance of being a good friend. Their positive attitudes towards others reflect the school’s ambition for pupils to ‘love all our neighbours’. As one pupil commented, ‘It is important to be kind and respect other people’s thoughts.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the new behaviour system which guides them to be ‘ready, respectful and safe’. As one pupil commented, ‘Staff encourage us to behave and to ask for help.’ This means that pupils have trusted adults they know will listen to them if they have concerns. Although they say that bullying occasionally happens, pupils are confident that staff will swiftly resolve any issues.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the range of opportunities that are available to them. This includes a broad range of clubs. They like the different leadership opportunities such as ‘eco- warriors’ and school councillors. Pupils take their work seriously to encourage the reduction of food waste.

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better?

Following a period of leadership turbulence, the acting headteacher has identified significant weaknesses in the quality of education. Staff value his determination that they will work as a team as they begin work to improve the school. However, he took up his post this term, and it is too soon to see any real impact.

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better?

The teaching of reading is weak. Teachers read a wide range of books to expose pupils to texts they might not read independently. This includes books that promote important issues, such as how to manage worries. However, staff have not been trained to teach early reading. They do not use a phonics programme to support the large number of struggling readers in Year 3 and 4. Reading books are not accurately matched to the sounds that pupils have learned. The reading curriculum is not coherently sequenced. This means that pupils do not build on reading skills they have learned before.

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better?

The curriculum for mathematics is better developed. However, staff do not follow the plans closely. In the mixed-age classes, they teach the older year group’s curriculum to all pupils. They do not adapt their teaching well enough to support or challenge pupils. Consequently, pupils do not learn well enough. 9 and 10 February 2022

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Many subject leaders are new to their role. They are not equipped with the necessary skills to develop their subject. Leaders have not ensured that curriculum thinking is always well sequenced. They have not identified the important knowledge and skills for pupils to learn and remember.

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Staff often teach the same content to all pupils without checking what pupils have previously learned. They do not always follow the school’s plans, so pupils sometimes experience disconnected lessons. Consequently, pupils are not building on what they have been taught before, and find it hard to recall what they have learned.

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The provision for pupils with SEND does not meet their needs. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has a clear understanding of pupils’ needs, but support plans are weak. Staff do not adapt their teaching well enough. Sometimes, the extra individual adult support is effective, but this is inconsistent. As a result, pupils with SEND are not learning well.

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Leaders are successful in promoting equality and diversity. They ensure that books reflect the school community and a range of role models are studied. Pupils show respect for others’ beliefs. As one pupil commented, ‘Everyone is welcome, whatever you look like, whatever you believe.’

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Leaders’ new behaviour approach is having a positive impact on pupils’ attitudes in lessons. Pupils understand that they are expected to concentrate, and so incidents of disruptive behaviour have decreased.

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Governors have not taken effective action to ensure that there have been significant improvements in pupils’ learning. They do not have the required knowledge to hold leaders to account to improve the quality of education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. This includes learning about road safety, managing positive relationships and how to keep safe online.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive training to help them understand their roles and responsibilities. They know the signs to be alert to, so as to protect pupils from risk of harm. Staff are confident about reporting concerns. Record-keeping shows that leaders act swiftly in partnership with external agencies, when required. Leaders know about potential local safeguarding risks to be aware of.

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Safeguarding

Governors actively assure themselves that safeguarding is effective. They check staff understanding and ensure that comprehensive safer recruitment checks are completed. 9 and 10 February 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The teaching of early reading has not been a priority. This means that too many pupils do not get off to a good start in learning to read. Leaders should ensure that staff are expertly trained, that books are well matched to sounds pupils have learned and that weaker readers have the time and practice to support them to keep up. Leaders should also ensure that the broader reading curriculum is well sequenced.  The curriculum is not well ordered and staff do not closely follow plans. This means that pupils are not always building learning over time. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum and the way it is taught enable pupils to sequentially build their knowledge and skills.  Many subject leaders are new to their role. They do not have the skills or understanding to improve their subject. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders are trained and supported to develop the curriculum in their subject and,

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

in turn, to help staff implement it effectively.  The school does not meet the needs of pupils with SEND. This means that these pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that staff receive training to adapt their teaching, so that pupils with SEND learn well in all subjects.  Governors knew aspects of the school needed to improve, but did not act swiftly to bring this about. As a result, leaders have not been challenged enough and substantial improvements have not been secured. Governors should ensure that they improve their understanding of the curriculum so that they can hold leaders to account effectively. 9 and 10 February 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 are the school and you are 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. 9 and 10 February 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211359 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The acting headteacher started in his post in January 2022. The previous headteacher left in December 2021.  The SENCo started in her role in September 2021. The mathematics and English leads started in their roles in January 2022.  Almost all governors have joined the governing body since the previous inspection.  In the summer term of 2021, leaders changed the class structure from single year groups to mixed-age classes of Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6.  This school is a voluntary-controlled Church of England school in the Diocese of Oxford. Its last section 48 inspection took place in June 2015.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision. 9 and 10 February 2022

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.  In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the acting headteacher, the SENCo and other school staff.  The lead inspector also met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body, and spoke to two representatives from the local authority.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, English, history and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also looked at curriculum planning and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors spoke with staff and pupils. They met with the designated safeguarding leads to review their knowledge, records and actions, and also reviewed information about the safer recruitment of staff.  To make wider judgements, inspectors spoke to staff and groups of pupils from different year groups, and observed behaviour in classrooms and at playtime.  The views of staff, including responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey, were

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Information about this inspection

considered.  The responses to Ofsted Parent View, including written responses, were also taken into account.

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Inspection team

Laurie Anderson, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mo Galway Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 February 2022

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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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