St Augustine's CofE Academy

Inspection of St Augustine’s C of E Academy Pipehay Lane, Draycott-in-the-Clay, Ashbourne, Derbyshire DE6 5BY

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Rebecca Walker. This school is part of Staffordshire University Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, James Capper, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mary Walker.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected St Augustine’s C of E Academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged St Augustine’s C of E (C) First School to be outstanding, before it opened as an academy.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 23 and 24 April 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

At St Augustine’s, pupils flourish. The school ensures that all pupils are nurtured and supported to become responsible and caring citizens. Pupils develop self-confidence and an awareness of local and national issues. They talk with pride about how they raised money to build toilets in Mombasa, Kenya and how they collected food for the local foodbank. Pupils understand that their actions make a difference to the world.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), rise to these expectations. Pupils achieve well and are a credit to the school. Their behaviour is exemplary. Pupils are polite, have excellent manners and work hard. In lessons, pupils are resilient. If they find learning challenging, they have strategies to help them before asking a teacher, such as ‘brain, buddy, boss’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of ‘love, hope and friendship’ are shared, understood and lived by all. Pupils talk about how they are ‘one big family’ and the ‘school is like a warm hug’. Pupils are safe here. They know that if they have concerns, they can go to any member of staff for help and they will always be listened to.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is ambitious. It builds logically across all year groups, starting in the early years. In most subjects, leaders have identified what they want pupils to learn and when. Teachers use a range of assessment strategies to check what pupils already know. Opportunities to recap and recall previous learning are built into lessons. This helps pupils to consolidate their learning. However, in a few subjects the curriculum is less well developed. This means that pupils are not able to remember or apply key learning as well as in other subjects.

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better?

Pupils with SEND thrive here. All staff have been expertly trained to meet the individual needs of the pupils. Any additional needs are quickly identified and effective help is put in place to support their learning. Activities are carefully adapted so that pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

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better?

The school has made reading a top priority. Leaders have carefully thought about the books, stories and nursery rhymes that they want pupils to know and love, starting from Nursery. Pupils show a love of reading and appreciate story time at the end of each day. Children start learning to read as soon as they start in Reception. Staff are well-trained in the school’s approach and ensure that pupil errors and misconceptions are corrected quickly. Pupils enjoy taking home reading books that help them to practise their reading. As one pupil said, ‘We read this book to help us become more fluent.’

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better?

Pupils’ personal development is exceptional and is at the heart of everything the school does. Leaders have thought carefully about the character traits they want to develop in pupils. All pupils benefit from the school’s ‘50 things to do before you’re 23 and 24 April 2024

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9’ programme, where all activities have been carefully chosen to develop pupils’ talents and interests. These include cook a Sunday roast, hold a scary beast, learn first aid and go cloud gazing. The school also works closely with the community. Pupils work with a charity that supports elderly people to come into school and have a walk, tea and cake with the pupils. This helps pupils to recognise the positive impact they have on people in the community.

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There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere around the school. Pupils are taught the importance of good behaviour right from the moment they start in Nursery. Children learn to follow routines, develop their independence and become a good friend. This continues as they move through the school. Pupils are adamant that any form of discrimination is not tolerated. They learn about differences and show great empathy. One pupil said, ‘All children are included here. It doesn’t matter who you are, or where you are from, you’re welcome here.’

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Staff are immensely proud to work at the school. They appreciate the consideration that leaders, including from the trust, give to staff workload and well-being. The support across the federation and from the trust is integral to the school’s success. Staff work collaboratively to get and give expert guidance and support to other colleagues. Staff morale is very high.

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Governors and trustees know the school well. The local governing body performs its delegated responsibilities diligently, while trustees ensure that leaders are effectively held to account. Parents are very positive about the school and the education that their children receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not identified the precise knowledge that pupils should learn and when. This means that in these subjects, new learning does not build on what the pupils already know. The school should ensure that, in all subjects, the important knowledge that pupils should learn from Nursery to Year 4 is clearly identified so that pupils learn consistently well across the curriculum.

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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. 23 and 24 April 2024

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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’ is used to mean pupils with SEND; pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 23 and 24 April 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Lichfield. A statutory inspection of Anglican and Methodist schools was carried out in December 2019. These inspections are normally carried out every five years.  St Augustine’s C of E Academy school converted to become an academy school and joined Staffordshire University Academies Trust in April 2018.  The headteacher is the executive headteacher of four schools in the trust.  The school provides a before- and after-school club on site.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 23 and 24 April 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other leaders. They held discussions with the chair of the trustees and the chair of the local governing body.  The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer and the deputy chief executive officer from the multi-academy trust and the chair of the local academy committee.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke to pupils during lesson visits. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. The inspectors spoke to staff about behaviour and about their workload in the school.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for parents, pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Eve Morris, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Ed Leighton Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 April 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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