St Paul's CofE Primary School, Kingston Hill

Inspection Report St Paul's CofE Junior School

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102591 Unique Reference Number Kingston Upon Thames LEA LEA 276740 Inspection number 19 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 Inspection dates Christine Canniff AI Reporting inspector

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

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Princes Road School address Junior Type of school Kingston Upon Thames Voluntary aided School category KT2 6AZ 7 to 11 Age range of pupils 020 8549 4555 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8549 4557 Fax number 237 Number on roll Mrs C Offord Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr K Edmonds Headteacher 22 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276740 19 June 2006 - 7 to 11 20 June 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 Paul's Church of England Junior is a popular, average sized school that is regularly oversubscribed. The percentage of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average, but very few are at the early stages of learning English. The school draws most of its pupils from an area of socio-economic advantage. Attainment on entry is above average. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below average. The school holds a third Primary Quality Mark Award, the Football Charter Award and the Artsmark Gold Award for its commitment to the arts. It has been recognised as an 'Investor in People' since 2003.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Paul's CofE Junior School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which gives good value for money. Inspectors agree with the school's evaluation of its own performance. Pupils learn and achieve well because of their good attitudes to learning and the good teaching they receive. Teachers identify pupils' needs carefully and successfully motivate them by planning interesting activities. However, challenge in learning is not consistently high in all lessons. Pupils' personal development is good. Pupils are learning to be considerate and caring people. Relationships are good, creating a happy and orderly community. This is because the school places pupils' personal development and care at the heart of its work. Information from regular assessments is used well to keep track of pupils' progress. Academic guidance gives Year 6 pupils a good understanding of how well they are doing, leading to faster progress in this year. Pupils in other year groups are

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Grade: 2

not always clear about their next steps for improvement. Leadership and management are good. The leadership team has a clear and accurate view of strengths and areas for development. Others with leadership responsibility provide good support. Governors are strongly committed to the school and make an effective contribution. The school has good capacity to improve as is shown by rising standards and its success in improving the use of information and communication technology (ICT) across the curriculum since the last inspection.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that challenge is consistently high in all lessons. • Extend to other year groups the good practice that exists in Year 6 that ensures that pupils know their next steps for improvement.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well and standards are well above average. Pupils make good progress, which accelerates in Year 6 to meet, and sometimes exceed, the challenging targets set by the school. Standards in ICT have risen to be above average because of the improved resources and better planning that enables pupils to use their skills across the curriculum. Pupils have very good basic skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT by the time they leave. The school has sustained high standards since the last inspection and test results have continued to improve. Results of national tests for Year 6 are particularly good in science where three quarters of the pupils achieved the higher level in 2005. Inspection evidence shows that the current Year 6 has made good progress and standards are likely to be similar to the previous year. This is because teachers make good use of assessment data to identify pupils' needs, and plan well

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Grade: 2

to meet them. The school's good support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities enables them to make good progress. Pupils whose first language is not English benefit from 2 Inspection Report: St Paul's CofE Junior School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 the well directed extra help, so that over the course of their time in the school they progress well.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Excellent attendance reflects pupils' enjoyment and positive attitudes. The school has been commended for having the best attendance rate in the borough and among the best in the country. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They behave well and work co-operatively. Pupils say that bullying is rare and is dealt with effectively when it does occur. They say they feel safe and are confident that teachers will listen to their personal concerns. Pupils demonstrate understanding of others' points of view, and show consideration and care for those less fortunate than themselves. In a discussion, pupils showed sensitive understanding of the needs of friends with physical difficulties, and displayed pride in the help that they had given to a school in Uganda. Pupils readily take on responsibility, for example as mentors to younger pupils, as

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Grade: 2

prefects or as members of the school council, and are proud of their contributions to the school community. Pupils clearly understand the importance of diet and exercise in leading a healthy lifestyle. Enthusiastic participation in the 'Walk to School Week' is a good example of this. Good progress in key literacy, numeracy, ICT and teamwork skills contributes to pupils' good preparation for future life.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Pupils enjoy their learning because teachers plan carefully to make lessons interesting and relevant to their needs. An outstanding personal, social and health education (PSHE) lesson in Year 3 demonstrated a highly creative approach. Pupils worked exceptionally well together to develop their understanding of the effects of anger, and how to effectively manage it. Teaching is also good because teachers use a well-chosen range of visual, listening and practical activities to promote learning. Good questioning techniques extend pupils' thinking and help them to demonstrate newly learnt knowledge. Teachers use the school's assessment and tracking systems effectively to plan the development of pupils' skills. As a result, progress is good overall. However, there is some variation in progress in Years 3 to 5 because, in these year groups, the levels of challenge and expectation

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Grade: 2

are not consistently high in all lessons. Support assistants contribute significantly to the learning of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, and to that of pupils whose first language is not English. There are some examples of very good marking. 3 Inspection Report: St Paul's CofE Junior School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 Teachers write encouraging comments to motivate pupils, but do not always make sufficiently clear how pupils can make their work even better.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a broad and interesting curriculum that is enhanced by the teaching of French. Teachers plan thoughtfully to provide activities that pupils enjoy and that meet their differing needs. Links between subjects enhance pupils' learning. The school's regular themed weeks, such as 'Tudor Week' offer good opportunities to cover a particular topic in depth and for pupils to use their skills across the curriculum. Provision for ICT is good and pupils regularly practise their skills, making good use of these to support work in other subjects. The school is strongly committed to developing pupils' interest and skills in the arts. It provides many exciting and valuable opportunities for pupils to take part in performances. A very good range of visitors to the school and visits to places of interest enriches the curriculum and pupils' experience. The good range of extra-curricular clubs adds much to pupils' enjoyment, skills and personal development.

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Grade: 2

The school provides very good pastoral care for its pupils. Staff share a high level of commitment to pupils' well-being and security. Health and safety procedures are good and all requirements for child protection are met. Procedures are known and well-understood by all staff. The school works closely with feeder schools to ensure it is well prepared to meet the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. Records of their individual targets and progress are diligently kept. The school develops pupils' understanding of health and safety issues well. School meals have improved and there are many opportunities for pupils to take part in physical activities. Academic support and guidance are good. Progress is monitored effectively and the school ensures that pupils who might not reach their targets are helped. Year 6 pupils have a good knowledge of their own targets and understanding of how to improve,

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Grade: 2

and this contributes to the more rapid progress they make. However, pupils' understanding of this is not consistent in other year groups.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher and deputy share a clear vision for the school that is effectively focused on the pursuit of high standards. They have created a good, professional team who work well together. The contribution of staff working in all roles and at all levels is valued. The co-ordinators for English, mathematics and science play a full and effective role in leading and developing their subjects. The school has understandably focused strongly on the development of these 4 Inspection Report: St Paul's CofE Junior School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 subjects, but is now committed to making leadership equally strong in all others. Governors are strongly committed to the school and make an effective contribution. Their expertise in such areas as financial management is frequently of great value to the school. Although less confident in challenging the school on educational matters,

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Grade: 2

they always require it to explain its plans and policies. The school has well organised procedures to ensure rigorous monitoring of teaching and learning and thorough analysis of its national tests results. The guidance of local authority advisers in analysing its performance and identifying areas for improvement is greatly valued by the school. The views of pupils and parents are regularly sought through surveys, although some parents think this should be carried out more frequently. Overall, the steps taken give the school an accurate view of its quality of provision and effectiveness. Standards have improved steadily since the last inspection. This track record shows that the school has a good capacity for continued improvement. 5 Inspection Report: St Paul's CofE Junior School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June 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 Paul's CofE Junior School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June 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 NA 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 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 1 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 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 We recently visited your school to see how you were getting on. Thank you for making us feel welcome. We enjoyed meeting you, your teachers and other staff. Everyone was friendly and helpful, and this made it easy for us to do our job. I am writing this letter to tell you what we found out about your school. We found St Paul's to be a good school. There are many things that we liked and think are good. You do well in your learning. This is because your teachers are good at checking where you need help and making sure that you get it. Teachers try hard to make work interesting. Your behaviour is good and this greatly helps your teachers in making sure that lessons work well. We were impressed with the care you show to others, such as by being mentors to pupils in Year 3, and the help you give to a school in Uganda. You said that you enjoy coming to school and like the many interesting activities that your teachers plan for you. Your head teacher leads the school well

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and all the people working there take good care of you. We have asked the school to try to do some things even better. We would like your teachers to give some of you work that is more challenging and to give you a better idea of what to do next in order to progress. We are confident that you will continue to enjoy your school and we wish you well in the future. Yours sincerely Christine Canniff Lead Inspector

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