St Augustine's CofE (Voluntary Aided) Junior School

Inspection of a good school: St Augustine’s Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior School Palmerston Road, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE2 9DH

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Outcome

St Augustine’s Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Augustine’s Church of England Junior School is warm and welcoming. Pupils talk positively about the range of learning opportunities they receive. They know that staff have high aspirations for them. Pupils are motivated by the rewards they can achieve for working and trying hard. They enjoy celebrating these successes in a weekly assembly and earning house points and star badges.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well supported in making the transition from infant school, and parents and carers also appreciate this. Pupils quickly understand the school rules and what is expected of them. Older pupils act as excellent role models in school and as play leaders at breaktimes. As a result, pupils learn and play well together. Pupils know that their teachers deal with any incidents swiftly and fairly. Pupils say that bullying is rare and have no doubt that adults would deal with this straightaway if it did happen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is plenty for pupils to do and take part in beyond the classroom to broaden their life experiences. Pupils are enthusiastic about their regular access to forest school and outdoor learning, including reading in the ‘book bus’. Every year group learns swimming and has a residential visit. There are also trips to theatres, museums and the beach.

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

Leaders have designed an interesting and ambitious curriculum that builds pupils’ knowledge over time. Subject leaders and teachers have good subject knowledge and have all been involved in the curriculum enhancements, training and monitoring. As a result, all staff consistently implement the curriculum as leaders intend.

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

Teachers regularly check pupils’ understanding in reading, writing and mathematics and are skilled at providing timely support to ensure gaps in knowledge are filled and 2 and 3 March 2023

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misconceptions addressed. Pupils at risk of falling behind benefit from individual mentor time with their class teacher each week. These strategies mean that pupils achieve well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are also provided with effective support as learning is suitably adapted to meet their needs.

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While pupils can recall detailed knowledge in core subjects, this is not the case in all subjects. This is because the knowledge that staff want pupils to know and remember can be too broad. Sometimes, staff teach too much, meaning that pupils do not think about and remember the most important content. This also prevents staff from aiming their assessments on the most pertinent knowledge they intend pupils to learn.

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Reading is prioritised. Leaders have recently put in place a systematic phonics programme to support those needing additional reading support. Pupils receive tailored phonics support from well-trained staff and read books matched to the sounds they know. As a result, pupils make strong progress. Teachers provide regular opportunities for the teaching of reading through ‘book talk’ activities and through a book club. Pupils are encouraged to read widely and often. These approaches lead to pupils who are fluent and confident readers who understand what they have read.

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Pupils are polite. They listen to each other. They are not afraid to voice different opinions, however, and do so respectfully. Overall, pupils learn in calm and orderly classrooms. Adults successfully support pupils with additional needs, so that they remain fully included in lessons.

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Leaders have enriched the curriculum to support pupils’ wider development. In addition to taking part in regular trips and visits, pupils participate in a range of sports and clubs and are encouraged to try activities that they would not normally have access to. Pupils take on leadership roles in the school, such as being on the school council or being a play leader, house captain or eco-warrior. Pupils reflect regularly on the school’s values and what these mean to them.

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Governors and leaders are very mindful of staff well-being and workload. The staff appreciate this. Staff say that well-being is lived out in practice and is not tokenistic. Governors are improving the way in which they hold the school to account through effective training and more strategic approaches to monitoring. They are also making effective links with feeder schools.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe because they have trusted adults whom they know they can talk to. They are taught about how to stay safe when online and what local risks to be aware of. Pupils have a ‘worry box’ in the classroom that they can use.

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Safeguarding

Adults are also well trained to identify concerns and know how to report these to leaders. Leaders respond swiftly and with tenacity to concerns. Leaders share information appropriately in order to keep pupils safe. 2 and 3 March 2023

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All checks on adults who work in the school are carried out appropriately, and governors also fulfil their statutory duties in relation to safeguarding.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, some pupils are not able to recall the detailed knowledge leaders intend. This is because in these subjects, leaders and teachers are not explicit enough about the specific knowledge they want pupils to know and remember. Subject leaders need to ensure that teachers are clear about the precise knowledge needed to be learned in a unit of work in order to meet the curriculum ambition.  Assessment in foundation subjects needs refining in order for it to be more effective. It does not focus sharply on the most important knowledge that leaders intend pupils to learn. This means that misconceptions and gaps are not picked up quickly enough. Leaders need to link foundation assessments precisely to the most important content and concepts in the curriculum.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2017.

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How can I feed back my views?

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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 2 and 3 March 2023

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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. 2 and 3 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.staugustinesjuniorschool.co.uk

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Date of previous inspection

4 and 5 July 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 St Augustine’s Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior School received a section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character in March 2017.  The school currently does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher and special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders and teachers.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector spoke to subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils, looked at pupils’ workbooks, and spoke with teachers and support staff. 2 and 3 March 2023

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 The inspector met representatives from the governing body. The inspector also spoke to the local authority school improvement adviser.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation, including minutes of meetings of the governing body, local authority adviser visit reports and the school development plan.  The inspector looked at the arrangements for safeguarding, including the single central record of recruitment checks. The inspector spoke with leaders about the systems and processes to support safeguarding and the safeguarding ethos in the school.  The inspector spoke to parents at school pick-up times.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the 39 free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the 21 responses to the staff survey. There were 13 responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Sara Boyce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 2 and 3 March 2023

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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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