St Andrew's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

ST. ANDREW’S CE VA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Grandale, Sutton Park, Kingston-upon-Hull

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ST. ANDREW’S CE VA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 17 th – 19 th June 2002

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ST. ANDREW’S CE VA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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ST. ANDREW’S CE VA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and junior school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School Grandale Sutton Park Hull Postcode: HU7 4BL

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Steven Berry

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 1/12/97 St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 4

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Team members

22398 Lynne Wright Registered inspector 1305 Brian Rance Lay inspector 18498 Denise Morris Team inspector 18059 Rajinder Harrison Team inspector

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Team members

Evenlode Associates Ltd 6 Abbey Close Alcester Warwickshire B49 5QW

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This Church of England voluntary aided primary school is situated on the edge of Kingston-upon-Hull and serves an increasingly wide area as many parents choose the school for its strong Christian ethos and values. It is a large school with 457 boys and girls on roll, aged from 3-11, including 78 children in the Nursery class. It has grown rapidly over the last five years but is now becoming a stable school community. The pupils come from a broad cross-section of families, but their social and economic circumstances overall are below those found nationally. Almost all pupils are of white United Kingdom heritage, with a very small number coming from homes where English is not the first language. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is broadly average. The percentage of pupils on the school’s register for special educational needs is well below the national average. The percentage of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

those with a statement is below the national average. The range of special needs is varied, and includes learning and physical difficulties. The attainment of children on entry to the school is below that expected nationally. Almost all the children entering the Reception class have had part-time experience in the Nursery class. The school was commended by the Secretary of State for Education in 2000 for being one of the top fifty most improved schools in the country.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

St. Andrew’s is a very good school with many areas of very significant strength. It richly deserves the high esteem in which the parents and local community hold it. All partners in the school community work extremely hard to raise the aspirations and expectations of their pupils to improve their life chances. Pupils are very enthusiastic about school and work hard to meet their teachers’ high expectations of them. The distinctive nature of this Church school is evident in the excellent relationships to be found at all levels. Systems to ensure that high quality teaching and learning are maintained are excellent. All staff play an effective part in self-evaluation due to excellent team work and the systems in place to support them in their professional development. The headteacher provides outstanding leadership and is very strongly supported by an excellent management team and governing body. It provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The school’s excellent partnership with parents and the community creates a very successful learning environment. • The quality of leadership and management is excellent and the headteacher provides the school with inspirational leadership. • Very good teaching ensures that pupils from all levels of prior attainment make very good progress throughout the school and, as a result, achieve very well in most subjects. • Excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development leads to excellent progress in their personal development. • Excellent provision in the Nursery class promotes very good learning, giving the children a very good start to their school life.

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What could be improved

There are no significant areas for improvement.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Since the school was last inspected in 1997 there has been very good and widespread improvement. Overall, standards have risen and the quality of teaching has improved significantly. The school has made very effective progress in addressing the key issues. A major focus on writing throughout the school has resulted in an improvement in junior pupils’ drafting skills. The impact of the numeracy strategy and more emphasis on teaching of knowledge and recall of number facts has led to above average standards in mathematics in the juniors. Standards of attainment in music and art now match national expectations and sometimes exceed them. Pupils use their research skills, including their use of a much improved library, confidently and effectively. The multicultural dimension of the pupils’ education is rich and varied. Teachers’ planning and assessment systems are very good, enabling work to be more accurately targeted

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 7 to individual need. In addition, provision for information and communication technology has much improved and some of the work is both innovative and exciting. Governors are even more closely involved in day-to-day school life. New curriculum teams and partnerships aid continuity in teaching and learning. The role of the co-ordinators has been enhanced to include monitoring and the analysis of provision in standards, resulting in better planning for, and action towards, improvement. The gradual move towards smaller class sizes has had many benefits and has contributed to improvements in teaching and learning.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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compared with Key

Performance in: all schools similar schools well above average A 1999 2000 2001 2001 above average B English C C D D average C mathematics A B B B below average D science B A A A well below average E

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compared with Key

Results of national tests for eleven year olds show that standards in science have improved over the last three years and in 2001 they remained well above the national average and that for similar schools. In mathematics they remained above average. The school’s overall trend for the past four years remains above the national trend although standards in English fell from average to below average in 2001. Comparisons with this cohort’s results at Key Stage 1 show that pupils made good progress in English, and very good progress in mathematics and science. Inspection evidence shows that standards in the current Year 6 are above average in mathematics and science, broadly average in reading and below average in writing. The school is aware of this and is doing everything it possibly can to improve standards across the board in English. The school’s rigorous planning for improvement and very good teaching are beginning to

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compared with Key

make an impact. Unvalidated results of the 2002 tests reflect this improvement. This cohort contains an above average number of pupils with identified special needs associated with language development. The school’s comprehensive tracking of each pupil shows that all pupils achieve as well as they can. The school sets challenging targets and met them in 2001. When children enter the school their attainment is below that expected nationally as their communication and numeracy skills and knowledge and understanding of the world are limited. Very good teaching ensures that they start in Year 1 with standards that broadly match expectations. Their personal and social skills are above average. At the end of Year 2, standards meet expectations in English, mathematics and science. Pupils’ achievement is good in relation to their starting point and they make good progress in school because of good teaching.

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compared with Key

Throughout the school, pupils make rapid progress in information and communication technology (ICT) and many attain above the standards expected in some aspects of ICT. Standards in other subjects are at least in line with national expectations with particular strengths identified in art, music, geography and design and technology. Pupils with special educational needs also make very good progress, and achieve very well in the light of their difficulties, because of the school’s excellent provision. Gifted and talented pupils, and those with English as an additional language, make similarly very good progress.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Excellent. From the time the children start in the Nursery they love coming to school and participate eagerly in every aspect of school life. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is excellent, both in and out of the classroom. Pupils match the school’s high expectations of them and treat each other and all adults with care and consideration. Personal development Excellent. Pupils work and play together very constructively. They show St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 8 and relationships increased levels of initiative as they move up the school and take their extra responsibilities seriously. All members of the school community treat each other with great care and respect. Attendance Good. There are no unauthorised absences. Punctuality is very good.

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Quality of teaching very good good very good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The quality of teaching is very good overall. English, mathematics and science are taught very well and very careful attention is given to the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum. The teaching of art and design and music are also very good and make a very positive impact on pupils’ learning. The teaching of ICT is improving as teachers’ confidence and expertise is boosted by ongoing training. As a result, pupils make rapid gains in their learning and in the use of ICT in many subjects. Very good use is made of teachers’ individual strengths and interests in lesson planning and in supporting the teaching of colleagues. Teaching meets the needs of all groups of pupils very effectively as work is closely matched to individual needs and interests. Higher attaining pupils are similarly very well provided for and consequently they achieve very well. Pupils with special educational needs are very well

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Teaching of pupils in: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

supported by teachers and classroom assistants and make very good progress. Teachers form excellent relationships with their pupils and they have high expectations of them. Lessons move at a brisk pace, and teachers have a very good understanding of what they are teaching. As a result pupils’ learning is very good and they acquire basic skills very well. There is excellent use of a wide range of classroom management strategies that ensure pupils remain involved in their learning. Consequently, pupils come to school eagerly and with the willingness to learn. They concentrate very hard in their lessons and make very good progress overall.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. The pupils are provided with very rich and varied contexts for learning that match well their interests and experiences. Links across the curriculum are very skilfully planned. Literacy skills are developed extremely well in all curriculum subjects. The range of activities outside lessons is good. The school is innovative in its development of education for global citizenship. Provision for pupils with special educational needs There is excellent provision for pupils with special educational needs and those identified by the school as gifted and talented. Individual education plans are of high quality and form the basis of teachers’ lesson plans. The high quality support given by the co-ordinator and support staff ensures that pupils make very good progress in their learning. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language These pupils speak fluent English and make very good progress alongside

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Aspect Comment

their peers due to teachers’ very detailed lesson planning for all groups of pupils. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Excellent. This dimension of the pupils’ development underpins all the school’s plans and actions. Pupils develop into thoughtful and caring young people with an excellent insight into wider life issues. The school gives them a very clear and firmly-held set of values and beliefs to guide them.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. The school community works within a loving, strong Christian environment. Excellent attention is paid to all aspects of personal safety. Very good assessment and recording procedures are in place for English, St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 9 mathematics and science and are developing effectively in other subjects.

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Aspect Comment

The school has built up a highly effective working partnership with parents. They are fully involved in all aspects of school life and make a very significant contribution to their children’s progress. As part of the school’s excellent approach to inclusion and the high regard placed on each individual, racial equality is promoted extremely effectively throughout the school. St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 10

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Excellent. The leadership of the headteacher is inspirational and his management is thorough and far-sighted. That of the senior managers and co-ordinators is also excellent and, together with the governing body, they make a highly effective team. How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors are highly effective in fulfilling their responsibilities. They are totally involved in all aspects of school life and play a key role in policy decisions. They have an excellent grasp of how well the school is doing and share the headteacher’s vision for further school development. The school’s evaluation of its performance The school is a highly self-evaluative community involving all teachers and managers in monitoring procedures. This enables all partners to have a very clear understanding of where the school is and to plan thoroughly and

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Aspect Comment

effectively for further improvement through individual action plans and the school improvement plan. The strategic use of resources The school has an excellent understanding of the principles of best value and applies them extremely effectively in making the most of all available resources. Carefully managed funding, and an above average budget carry forward have enabled the school to fulfil its vision of small class sizes. This initiative is proving a success. The school has created an extremely attractive and stimulating learning environment.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Parents are pleased with all aspects of the school, but they are especially pleased that their children • like school • are expected to do their best and that the school • provides good teaching • is approachable • is well led and managed Parents raised no serious concerns. Only a very small number mentioned minor matters.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team’s judgements support the parents’ positive views of the school. St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 11

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The school’s excellent partnership with parents and the community creates a very successful

1. It is quite obvious to visitors to the school that the pupils love school and are keen to be involved in every aspect of it. The very hard work of the staff and their commitment to raising standards across the board is also readily apparent. The school has worked hard to create a learning partnership where all partners in the school community are drawn into achieving the school’s overarching aim of helping each child to reach his or her potential.

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The school’s excellent partnership with parents and the community creates a very successful

2. The school’s partnership with parents is extremely strong and parents fully support the school in all aspects of its work to improve the all round standards that their children achieve. Many parents choose to send their children to St. Andrew’s rather than schools nearer to their homes because they place high value on the school’s emphasis on moral and social development. More pupils now come from outside the school’s immediate area than from within it, which is a good measure of parents’ confidence that the school will do its best for their children. The school says it promotes ‘old fashioned values’ and it takes its nickname of ‘the family of St. Andrew’s’ very seriously. The family feeling develops early on, as the headteacher visits every child new to the school at home and begins to build links between home and school. The family atmosphere is evident in the excellent relationships both within the school and between home and school.

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The school’s excellent partnership with parents and the community creates a very successful

3. The large number of parents who attended the pre-inspection parents’ meeting welcome the opportunity to be fully involved in school life. There were over 250 entries to the latest Family Challenge, where parents and relatives write poems, draw picture and cartoons and paint pictures, which are proudly displayed in the school. They also support the school energetically in raising funds for equipment, and for charity. Many parents help in classes, so that individual pupils receive extra support in lessons. They also help on visits and residential trips as well as with regular after school clubs. The local community plays its part in school life as well. Links with local shops and schools, rugby and football clubs and local businesses all broaden and deepen pupils’ knowledge of life outside school, as well as helping to develop aspects of their learning, such as communication skills, through planned video conferencing with the local secondary school.

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The school’s excellent partnership with parents and the community creates a very successful

4. Parents speak knowledgeably about the school because the school provides regular, high quality information about what it is doing and how their children are getting on. All school events are very well attended and parents of all children attended the recent open evening where their evaluations of children’s progress are shared. If parents are unable to come to the school on planned open evenings the school arranges another more convenient date, or goes to them! The school consults with parents on every major change or introduction of a new initiative, such as school milk and a new handwriting scheme, and, later, asks them to evaluate the effects. Almost all parents take these opportunities and are very supportive of everything the school does, recognising the hard work and commitment of the headteacher and his staff in moving the school forward. This sharing of home and school values gives the pupils security and confidence that the

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The school’s excellent partnership with parents and the community creates a very successful

school is doing its best for them and they try hard do their best for themselves, their parents and the school. Teachers are readily available to discuss concerns and parents at the meeting gave many examples of thoughtful ways in which pupils and staff respond to individual circumstances. For example, the death of a child was dealt with very sensitively and supportively, so that the pupils came to terms with it and were able to celebrate that child’s life in letters to her. The school now hosts a bereavement counselling group, which gives tremendous support and comfort to its members. The school extends the same level of loving concern to all its partners, governors, parents, teachers and the headteacher and all look out for each other and give encouragement and help when necessary. St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 12 5. The parents’ main wish is that their children should be happy at school and become caring and

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The school’s excellent partnership with parents and the community creates a very successful

responsible young people with a strong moral code, and they are happy that this is so. Several years ago the school identified a feeling of being in ‘the comfort zone’ where parents were satisfied but could ask more of their children’s academic achievements. They now take vigorous action to involve the parents much more closely in their children’s education. Homework arrangements are excellent, rigorous and understood by everyone. The children know exactly what they have to do and homework diaries pass this information on to parents. Parents say they are pleased to have the opportunity to attend workshops on, for example, the English and mathematics that their children learn, so that they know how best to help them. Many say they enjoy helping with homework and have learnt a lot, such as how to search for information on the Internet. The school’s very thorough system of checking homework returns shows that almost all

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The school’s excellent partnership with parents and the community creates a very successful

pupils complete their homework on time. This is due in no small measure to the parents’ commitment to helping their children achieve more highly. The school also notes where parents, in their enthusiasm, give too much help! The message is clear; the school and parents are working in very close partnership to raise the aspirations of its pupils through helping them to be successful, independent, happy learners with high expectations of themselves. As a result the school is an oasis of calmness, excellent behaviour and manners where children develop confidently into good citizens.

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The quality of leadership and management is excellent and the headteacher provides the school

6. The headteacher provides exemplary leadership. His clear vision, commitment and energy, and the excellent working partnership with other groups of managers in the school community inspire teamwork of the highest order. The headteacher’s vision pushes forward the boundaries of the school into the outside world and pupils are being prepared for citizenship of a global community. This is done through a very strong commitment to developing every aspect of the individual child, so that they grow up with a keen awareness of the society in which they live and their responsibilities to it. He personifies the school ethos of loving care and a child’s right to grow up securely and be successful. To this end he has built up a very hard-working and committed team of governors and staff who are constantly looking to give the pupils the best possible start to life. They share his clearly expressed vision of excellence for the school and, with his support, are

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The quality of leadership and management is excellent and the headteacher provides the school

beginning to form and share their own. He has embraced the technological age wholeheartedly and the school is at the forefront of video conferencing, so that pupils can widen their horizons by communicating directly with people all over the world.

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The quality of leadership and management is excellent and the headteacher provides the school

7. The school has just come to the end of a transition period where the headteacher’s and the governors’ dream of smaller classes has become a reality. In order to promote higher standards the school has been restructured into three phases with low average class sizes. The names of the phases, such as The Early Learning Academy and The Department of Excellence, reflect the school’s aspirations for its pupils and signal to them the school’s high expectations of them. This restructuring requires very careful financial management and determination to ensure the initiative continues into the foreseeable future. The benefits at the end of the first year are becoming clear. The pupils say that they know their classmates very well, so they are able to care for them and support them. Teachers can get on with promoting learning very effectively, as, for example, marking and classroom management are less burdensome. Despite this relentless move towards

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The quality of leadership and management is excellent and the headteacher provides the school

excellence the pupils are not put under undue pressure; they are given time and space to enjoy being children.

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The quality of leadership and management is excellent and the headteacher provides the school

8. In keeping with the school ethos of care there is a very strong commitment to developing the potential of every staff member. This is achieved through a continuous and rigorous process of self-evaluation through the appraisal of all individual staff members and in the monitoring of standards, teaching and learning across the curriculum. The effectiveness of the school’s staff development plan shines through in the way in which staff confidently and eagerly take on new responsibilities. The senior management team of four very experienced teachers does an St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 13 excellent job, supporting the headteacher and the work of the school most effectively. Their key strength is total teamwork and the headteacher delegates the management of the phases very well, encouraging them to develop their own initiatives. They enjoy the challenge and are well prepared for promotion should they seek it.

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The quality of leadership and management is excellent and the headteacher provides the school

9. New and less experienced teachers are given excellent support through the school’s mentoring system so that they quickly become part of ‘the St. Andrew’s family’. They are encouraged to take on additional responsibilities, such as shadow co-ordinators, quite early. They feel they are challenged and developed very effectively and such is the spirit of the school that they want to take on these extra roles in order to make a full contribution to the school’s vision. Subject co- ordinators have been empowered and enabled to lead their areas of responsibility and they do an excellent job. They have real ownership of the very significant progress made in their areas. Each has a very clear picture of what is happening and works very hard to maintain an accurate overview through monitoring of staff and pupils’ work. Their action plans are impressive in their awareness of school development, and these plans enable all teachers to see where improvements

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The quality of leadership and management is excellent and the headteacher provides the school

and developments need to be made. This supports each teacher very effectively in curriculum and lesson planning.

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The quality of leadership and management is excellent and the headteacher provides the school

10. The governing body is impressive in its support of the school. It, too, has a very clear view of the school and work very quickly and effectively to address any issues that arise. Class partnerships give the governors a true picture of what is really going on as the children all write to ‘their’ governor regularly and comment openly on their views. The governors show their respect for the pupils by writing back to each individual. Co-ordinator partnerships are successful in giving governors an overview of development in each aspect of the school’s work and teachers feel both appreciated and supported.

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The quality of leadership and management is excellent and the headteacher provides the school

11. The headteacher is passionate about the school and is very energetic in promoting all that it stands for. However, he is the first to point out that it is not ‘his’ school; it is shared between all partners and they all play a management role. His great strength is his ability to form them into an excellent team all working towards a common and clearly stated aim.

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils from all levels of prior attainment make very good

progress in their learning and achieve high standards in mathematics and science.

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils from all levels of prior attainment make very good

12. The very positive learning environment in the school fosters the pupils’ enjoyment of learning most successfully. They are very keen to come to school, as improving attendance figures show, and, when interviewed, could not suggest anything they would want to change. They acknowledge how hard the teachers work to give them interesting educational experiences to help them get on so that they ‘will cope well at college’. Pupils at all stages say that they like to learn new things and that the teachers make work fun. All pupils are encouraged and expected to take responsibility for their work, within a secure and loving environment, which helps them to make very positive relationships with each other and with all the adults in the school community. This contributes considerably to the overall very good progress made by all groups of pupils. Very effective assessment procedures enable the teachers to plan activities that challenge and extend

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils from all levels of prior attainment make very good

the learning of all pupils, whatever their prior ability, and to provide extra support where it is most needed. Classroom and other displays are outstanding and celebrate recent learning as well as giving information to remind the children of approaches to learning. The interactive displays illustrate very clearly the richness of the curriculum. They also show that pupils across the school produce high quality work in many curriculum areas.

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils from all levels of prior attainment make very good

13. Lessons are planned very carefully and, since staff and year groups in particular work very closely in teams, effective strategies are discussed and shared beneficially. In a very good Year 5 geography lesson the geography co-ordinator allowed his passion for the subject to infuse his teaching about the development of Scunthorpe. His impressive knowledge was backed up by personal family anecdotes which made the lesson content more meaningful to the pupils. He St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 14 made sure that all the pupils were fully involved, whether individually or in small groups. He encouraged them to use their speaking skills in developing a persuasive argument as to why Scunthorpe should or should not be the site of a new theme park. Careful questioning challenged the most able and supported those that lacked confidence to express their own views. The pupils worked with urgency and enjoyment. They made very good progress and produced work of good

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils from all levels of prior attainment make very good

quality. Similarly high quality and even excellent lessons were seen many times, in different classes across a range of subjects.

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils from all levels of prior attainment make very good

14. Teachers expect the pupils to pay attention and work hard. Pupils live up to these high expectations and, because the work is interesting, varied and relevant, they concentrate well over long periods. In a Year 2 design and technology lesson the pupils were invited to think about how a pulley system might be operating the vertical movements of ‘Incy Wincy Spider’. The pupils were challenged very well because the teacher’s planning clearly identified the thinking skills he wanted them to develop. As a result, the learning moved on at a lively pace and the pupils were enthusiastically involved in making their own toys as they applied these skills to attain good standards of work.

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils from all levels of prior attainment make very good

15. The school has identified improvement in English standards as a major focus of its work and teachers are doing all they can to bring this about. Standards are rising every year to meet increasing targets, although standards in the present Year 6 are below average in speaking and writing. This cohort had low prior attainment on entry to the school and contains an above average number of pupils with special educational needs. Every lesson has the development of speaking skills as one of its main objectives and these are skilfully developed through a wide variety of interesting ways, including drama, debates, explanations, discussions, question and answer sessions and conversations. The provision for the development of literacy skills across the curriculum is excellent. Pupils write sensitive and thoughtful prayers on the computer, presenting them in a range of styles. To commemorate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee they wrote poems,

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils from all levels of prior attainment make very good

letters and descriptive pieces. Science and physical education have been linked in the creation of sports posters linking the impact of sport on the body. In design and technology the pupils use literacy skills to develop ideas, write instructions and lists, such as when they design and make pencil cases. They undertake independent research confidently and effectively to find out about, for example the seashore, fashion in the ‘50s’ and buildings. Work on the walls broadly matches national expectations, and is often of high quality because it has been drafted and restructured with the very good support of the teachers. When this careful structure is missing, as when pupils’ write their own stories, then spelling and writing are below expectations.

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils from all levels of prior attainment make very good

16. The school has implemented the National Numeracy Strategy very effectively and the focus on mental mathematics, and the extra time devoted to it, is bringing about good improvement. Very good teaching ensures that pupils enjoy mathematics lessons and they take care to work out answers accurately, explaining them and their methods logically. Their mathematical knowledge, skills and understanding are applied across a very good range of contexts, such as costing the redesigning of the playground. This gives them a very good understanding of the key mathematical processes and gives purpose to what they learn.

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Very good teaching ensures that pupils from all levels of prior attainment make very good

17. As pupils move through the infant classes they acquire a wider knowledge of the world around them. In Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 knowledgeable and skilful teaching ensures that they increasingly plan and structure their own investigations, so that in Year 6 they offer full descriptions of science processes, such as how to separate complex mixtures using a variety of techniques, and of more abstract concepts, such as photosynthesis. They use scientific knowledge effectively to construct, record and interpret the results of their own investigations, quantifying their observations accurately and deciding on timescales.

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Excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development leads to

excellent progress in their personal development. St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 15 18. A strong Christian ethos and very close links with the Church, permeate all aspects of school life, promoting a very distinctive atmosphere in which all are highly valued. This has a significant and overwhelming impact on pupils’ behaviour and enthusiasm for school.

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Excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development leads to

19. The school is very successful in promoting social skills through collaborative working in classrooms, and through the excellent rôle models provided by staff. These enable pupils to benefit from a caring and supportive school community. They in turn form very close relationships with each other and are highly sensitive of the needs of pupils with particular problems. They treat each other kindly and fairly at all times. Many aspects of the school’s teaching promote a respect for their own and the wider environment. The school is exceptionally tidy. A Year 4 class took on different roles in the school community to explain to a ‘prospective parent’ why he should send his child to St. Andrew’s. Their prepared talks all showed a clear understanding and appreciation of how the school worked and how it succeeded through team effort. They talk naturally and affectionately of the family of St. Andrew’s because it has real meaning for them.

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Excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development leads to

The team points system is valued by all, and ensures that pupils have a clear aim as they work to achieve success. The very positive ethos ensures that pupils enjoy coming to school and have very positive attitudes to all aspects of its work.

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Excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development leads to

20. Excellent whole-school assemblies play a vital part in the development of spiritual awareness. The strong commitment staff towards helping every part of each individual to grow is evident. Many planned occasions offer the pupils time for reflection, both on their own lives and the lives and cultures of others, and these ensure that pupils develop empathy and understanding of other faiths and cultures. Human feelings are examined and celebrated and the pupils are encouraged strongly to look beyond their own to consider how others feel. For example, the pupils put their own Remembrance Crosses in a school garden. The fountain in the hall and quiet areas in classrooms offer space for personal reflection. These are crystallised in moving and sensitive poems, prayers and other writings. The pupils are given many opportunities to explore their own values and beliefs, and because they are required to think about others, pupils quickly learn to

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Excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development leads to

respect each other and respond very positively to adults.

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Excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development leads to

21. The pupils are taught to be responsible for their own actions right from the start through the school’s firmly held and clearly stated moral code, following the lead of the adults. They are polite and courteous at all times. Pupils show high levels of care for people as well as for their surroundings. High quality personal development is a result of the planned opportunities to help pupils understand right from wrong, and of the very supportive ethos within the school. This ensures that they are confident and fair in expressing their views, as they can understand other viewpoints. A developing sense of support for others is fostered through the monitor system in which older pupils take responsibility for many tasks around the school. At lunchtime, for example, groups of pupils ensure the system runs extremely smoothly and that this is an enjoyable social occasion. They need no supervision as they want to do their best for the school and

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Excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development leads to

themselves at all times. Pupils across the school benefit from the many extra-curricular activities that help to develop their own social and moral values.

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Excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development leads to

22. The many planned, high quality opportunities to develop cultural awareness enable pupils to learn about their own local cultural traditions in and around Hull, and also to learn about other non- western and European cultures. In many subjects they are taught about their own heritage and times past. For example, during a history lesson, pupils showed excellent empathy as they studied the lives of children who were evacuated during the Second World War. They were able to crystallise their own feelings about the lives of these children due to the high quality teaching they received. Exceptional displays around the school show evidence of a wide range of cultural understanding. For example, in art pupils have painted sunflowers in the style of van Gogh. They play musical instruments, such as steel drums, from a wide range of countries. Recently Year 3 pupils have started to Email pupils in a school in Nigeria and are exploring how their lives are

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Excellent provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development leads to

similar and different to their own. Video conferencing is broadening their horizons dramatically as they talk to people in other parts of this country and the world. This excellent provision helps the St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 16 pupils to respect all groups of people and helps them to develop a wide understanding of their own and other cultures and societies.

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children a very good start to their school life

23. Children in the Nursery class enjoy coming to school and thrive in the very positive ethos and rich learning environment provided. Extremely close links with parents and very thorough and analytical assessments of individual children’s progress ensure that all staff know the children very well. This ensures that that all activities are tailored to meet their individual needs and interests. The teaching of language and literacy is excellent, and the children make very good progress as they learn about letters and sounds through a variety of games. The use of puppets as an aid to communication is a very powerful tool and ensures that the children have fun while they learn. The classroom provides a very rich language environment and ensures that there is always a very strong focus on the development of speaking. This promotes very good development in the children’s speaking skills, so that many children ask and answer questions sensibly and chat

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children a very good start to their school life

happily about what they are doing. St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 17 24. The attractive displays and theme corners provide a stimulating backdrop to the school day and promote high levels of interest and enquiry. For example, an interactive display of items needed for a summer beach holiday was used very well, particularly by children playing with a camera and pretending to take photographs of each other. Another display of farm animals made by the children showed very good evidence of their developing knowledge and understanding of the wider world. Excellent art work shows how children are encouraged to observe closely the work of artists such as Lowry and van Gogh. They observe the natural world closely as they undertake high quality paintings of daffodils, using pastels, paint, crayon and collage. Their sensory skills are developed imaginatively and the children derive much pleasure from handling, for example, cold,

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children a very good start to their school life

cooked spaghetti and rice, jelly and cornflour and water mixtures.

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children a very good start to their school life

25. The children in the Nursery have very positive attitudes to learning and their behaviour is excellent. This is due to the high expectations of staff, and their very clear understanding of the needs of children of this age. The very strong relationships in the class ensure that all children feel valued and have many opportunities to express their own needs. All staff work hard to promote the children’s personal, social and emotional development. They set a very good example as they work together to create a warm and supportive environment, where all are treated with fairness and respect. The children very quickly learn very good social skills, helping each other where help is needed and co-operating closely in work and play as, for example, when they treat ‘pets’ in the imaginary play area of the ‘vet’s’.

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children a very good start to their school life

26. The high quality expertise and close working partnership of the staff helps children to develop confidence and maturity. The very well organised group activities provide high quality social experiences for children, enabling them to develop their skills in all areas of learning. For example, during the inspection children were undertaking a study of mini-beasts. They were enthralled at the way magnifying glasses helped them to see more clearly. The wide range of different experiences planned for this topic ensured that children of all abilities were interested and made very good gains in their understanding, as well as in the skills of using simple tools to increase their knowledge of ladybirds, spiders and other small animals.

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children a very good start to their school life

27. The best possible use is made of the external environment and visits to local places of interest to enrich children’s lives. The imminent visit to a local farm caused high levels of excitement during the inspection week, and children made many suggestions about what they might see when they arrived.

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children a very good start to their school life

28. The very high quality of the provision enables children to make very good progress during their time in the nursery class.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

There are no significant areas for improvement.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

There are no key issues for action. St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 18

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 28 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 20

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor Number 4 10 11 3 0 0 0 Percentage 14% 36% 39% 11% 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than three percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 39 418 Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 49 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6 Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1 4 Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 1 52

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils Number of pupils with English as an additional language 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 53 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 18

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Authorised absence Unauthorised absence

% % School data 4.9 School data 0.1 National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 19

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 20 41 61

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 16 18 20 level 2 and above Girls 36 39 38 Total 52 57 58 Percentage of pupils School 85 (84) 93 (86) 95 (95) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 16 19 19 level 2 and above Girls 37 39 38 Total 53 58 57 Percentage of pupils School 87 (84) 95 (95) 93 (91) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 27 29 56

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National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 20 25 27 level 4 and above Girls 23 24 27 Total 43 49 54 Percentage of pupils School 77 (79) 88 (82) 96 (93) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

Numbers of pupils at NC Boys 18 26 27 level 4 and above Girls 23 27 28 Total 41 53 55 Percentage of pupils School 73 (75) 95 (98) 98 (93) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 20 St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 21

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0 Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0 Black – other 0 Black – other 0 0 Indian 0 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 416 White 0 0 Any other minority ethnic group 2 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y6

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 21 Financial year 2001 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 19.9:1 Average class size 20.8 £ Education support staff: YR – Y7 Total income 909073 Total number of education support staff 9 Total expenditure 854164 Total aggregate hours worked per week 251 Expenditure per pupil 2010 Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 89738 Number of pupils per qualified teacher 39 Total number of education support staff 3 Total aggregate hours worked per week 78 Number of pupils per FTE adult 10 FTE means full-time equivalent.

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 10 Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 12

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0 Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0 St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 22 Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) FTE means full-time equivalent. St. Andrew’s CE VA Primary School - 23

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Percentage of responses in each category

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 64 33 3 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 69 30 0 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 54 40 5 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 60 33 5 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 75 20 3 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 79 20 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 68 30 2 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 78 21 1 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 67 31 2 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 56 36 3 0 5

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