St John's C of E Primary School

Inspection Report St John's CofE Primary School

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102589 Unique Reference Number Kingston Upon Thames LEA LEA 276739 Inspection number 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 Inspection dates Mark Evans AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Portland Road School address Primary Type of school Kingston Upon Thames Voluntary aided School category KT1 2SG 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 020 8546 7179 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8549 8612 Fax number 242 Number on roll Mrs Jennifer Pearce Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Damian Tucker Headteacher 5 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276739 5 July 2006 - 3 to 11 6 July 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

St. John's Church of England Primary School is a slightly above average sized school. It is oversubscribed; pupils come from a fairly broad range of socio-economic backgrounds. Less than 10% of pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals. Just over a fifth of pupils are from ethnic backgrounds and 12% speak English as an additional language, both of which are above the national averages. Children's starting points in reception are broadly average, with a few children being above average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below the national average. The headteacher started at the school in September 2005 and the chair of governors is also recently appointed.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St John's CofE Primary School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006

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Grade: 2

St. John's Church of England School is a good school with some outstanding features; parents reported unanimously that their children enjoy being there. The ethos of the school is very strong, emphasising good behaviour, neat accurate work and a caring attitude to one another. The quality of relationships amongst the pupils is outstanding; it is as likely that a 5 year old will have friends who are 11, as to have friends from their own class. The pupils are a credit to the school, to their parents, carers and to themselves; they are pleasantly self-confident, mature and polite. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are outstanding; pupils benefit from the self-confidence and security this gives them by learning well. Teaching is good, lessons are often fun and pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. As a result, pupils achieve well and reach above average standards in English, mathematics and science. Staff assiduously

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Grade: 2

collect data about the standards pupils are attaining; however detailed analysis of it is not frequent enough to provide information to focus planning more sharply for the next steps in pupils' learning, to help them to reach even higher standards. The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage are good. The impact of the new leadership team on further improving pupils' achievement is already evident, for example in mathematics. The headteacher and governing body provide outstanding leadership, giving clear vision and direction, at the same time as ensuring that any changes needed are discussed openly and supported carefully. The school's views of its own strengths and areas for development predominantly match those of the inspectors. Nevertheless the inspectors felt that pupils' personal development was even better than the school thought it was. The school provides good value for money. Improvements made since

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Grade: 2

the last inspection, such as the development of an outstanding new outdoor learning area for the youngest pupils, demonstrate that the school's capacity to improve is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Make more effective use of the information resulting from the analysis of assessment data in order to help pupils to make better progress in writing and reach even higher standards in other subjects.

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Grade: 2

The attainment of children entering the school is broadly in line with expectations for their age. They make good progress in relation to their capabilities and attain well by the time they leave the school. Standards are above average in English, mathematics and science. Writing is relatively weaker than the other aspects of English, especially amongst the younger pupils. Most of the pupils meet the targets set for them but assessment data is not analysed frequently enough to modify targets to encourage pupils to aim for even higher standards. This is particularly evident in writing, where younger pupils do less well than they do in other subjects. All pupils achieve well, 2 Inspection Report: St John's CofE Primary School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 including those from ethnic groups, those who have a first language other than English and those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Where there has been particular

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Grade: 2

emphasis within the school, for example in boosting mathematics achievement, it is already clear that there is a positive impact in what the pupils achieve.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. Parents overwhelmingly reported that their children enjoy school greatly, work in harmony with their peers and establish trusting relationships with the teachers; the inspectors agree. Pupils speak warmly of the many activities on offer; clubs, lessons, friends and outings. One child said, 'school is fantastic!' Excellent behaviour is an expectation and is the norm. Pupils quickly develop very good attitudes to learning and treat peers and adults with respect. Their attitude to adopting safe practices and healthy lifestyles are excellent and they do much that teachers suggest. For example, many pupils walk or cycle to school and most follow the guidelines on nutritious packed lunches. All pupils make very positive contributions to the school community. They develop confidence in literacy, numeracy and social skills that contribute very well to their future economic

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Grade: 1

well-being. Attendance is above average. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. A strong Christian ethos pervades the work of the school. Pupils value praise which is earned for good work or for acts of kindness; they readily praise the success of others. They distinguish right from wrong and understand the need to care for those less fortunate than themselves. The newly formed School Council provides an excellent forum for pupils to air their views and to make suggestions about future school development. The pupils respond very positively and with great maturity to this opportunity. Older pupils work as playtime mediators and as 'buddies' who look after those in need of a friend. Staff and pupils alike do all they can to ensure that no-one is left out.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers plan carefully and use a wide range of methods to impart knowledge and encourage new skills. This leads to pupils who are interested in what they are learning and keen to participate in lessons. Much learning takes place within a spirit of fun and laughter; although pupils report that learning '...can't always be fun...', they suggest that teachers do make lessons as interesting as possible. Strong relationships between staff and pupils lead to a supportive atmosphere and to good learning. Pupils who have additional learning needs are usually spotted early, because teachers know their classes well. The good support provided from teachers ensures that these pupils make good progress. 3 Inspection Report: St John's CofE Primary School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 Assessment of pupils' progress is consistent and detailed, leading to the availability of large amounts of information on each pupil. However, the analysis of the data is

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Grade: 2

not undertaken as regularly as it should be. It is also not used as well as it could be to focus planning more sharply, and so to help the pupils reach even higher standards.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Thorough planning and exciting provision in the Foundation Stage ensure that children get off to a flying start. Since the last inspection, staff have worked hard to improve all areas of the curriculum throughout the school; it is broad, balanced and in general meets the needs of the pupils. All subjects support learning in English, mathematics and information and communications technology (ICT) well. Curricular links between subjects are strong, adding greater depth and enjoyment to pupils' understanding. Rapidly improving provision of computers is helping pupils to develop better skills in ICT, which are then used to support their learning in other subjects. There are many other activities available that enrich the curriculum. As well as various sports clubs, there is also an exciting multicultural school orchestra, dance and drama clubs and a weekly litter and conservation club. Pupils also benefit from a

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Grade: 2

range of educational visits to local places of interest and a residential visit to the Isle of Wight in Year 6. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are fully included in all aspects of school life.

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Grade: 2

Provision for care, guidance and support is good. It supports pupils' safety, personal development and well-being, and achievement well. The school is clean, safe and welcoming. Health and safety procedures are effective and reviewed regularly. Staff are well aware of their responsibilities with regard to child protection. They are trained to identify vulnerable children and know what to do when such a need arises. The benefits of healthy eating and regular exercise are promoted well. Sex education is part of the science curriculum and with the help of the local police, pupils are alerted to the dangers of alcohol and substance abuse. There is a strong commitment to the inclusion of all pupils in the work of the school. Those with learning difficulties and disabilities, and pupils in the early stages of learning English are assessed quickly and appropriate support is provided. This enables them to participate in all aspects of learning. Monitoring of pupils' academic progress is

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Grade: 2

satisfactory, but the processes are inefficient and therefore do not always produce the insights into pupils' achievement that they should.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher and governing body set a very clear direction for the school; this is well supported by the senior 4 Inspection Report: St John's CofE Primary School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 management team and other managers within the school. Staff share a common view about the future development of the school, centred on improving standards. The work of the governing body is good. They offer both support and challenge to the school. At weekly meetings, the chair and vice-chair of governors discuss recent events and any implications for the future direction of the school. The school has successfully addressed the issues from the last inspection report. For instance, the outdoor learning environment for the youngest children is now outstanding and assessment procedures are more consistent. Such developments indicate a good capacity to improve further. The school has monitored its performance

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Grade: 2

well, including observing a wide range of lessons. This has helped guide the planning of future developments at the school. For example, the school has already identified the main areas required to further improve the use of assessment. The self-evaluation process, which takes into account the views of parents, pupils and the school council in different ways, has been effective in enabling the school to improve. Effective leadership has ensured that pupils have equal opportunity to learn and to progress. Challenging targets are set and there are outstanding systems and provision for the support of pupils' personal and social development. By successfully addressing pupils' personal needs, behaviour has improved from very good to outstanding. 5 Inspection Report: St John's CofE Primary School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: St John's CofE Primary School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Children I am writing to thank you all for your help recently when Mrs Russell and I inspected St John's. Many of you will have noticed us around the school, maybe in lessons or assemblies, and chatted to us in the playground.After our two days with you, we know that St John's is a good school. We were really impressed by your behaviour. You really do play a big part in making the school such a happy and successful community, for example in the way that you look out for one another in the playground. We also really liked the way that the headteacher has planned to make the school even better, and the way that the governors have made sure the things suggested by the last inspectors have been done. We have suggested two ways that the school can make things even better; both are to do with how your teachers measure what and how quickly you have learned. We think that if the teachers can look carefully at the information they collect, they may find other ways to help groups of

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you learn even more. Also, they may be able to find ways of changing their lesson plans sometimes to help you do even better.I hope that explains a little bit about what we were doing at St John's. We really enjoyed our two days there - thank you. Best wishes, Mark Evans Lead Inspector

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