St Augustine's CofE (Voluntary Aided) Junior School

Inspection Report St Augustine's CofE (Aided) Junior School

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110853 Unique Reference Number PETERBOROUGH CITY OF PETERBOROUGH LEA LEA 278534 Inspection number 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 Inspection dates Ms. Sheelagh Barnes LI Reporting inspector

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

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Palmerston Road School address Primary Type of school PE2 9DH Voluntary aided School category 6 to 12 Age range of pupils 01733563566 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01733563566 Fax number 188 Number on roll Mrs.Mary Cleaver Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Stephen Cutts Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278534 10 October 2005 - 6 to 12 11 October 2005 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

This junior school is smaller than most primary schools nationally. It is situated in Peterborough in Cambridgeshire. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is average. There are higher proportions of pupils with special educational needs than nationally and also higher numbers of pupils with statements of their needs. Virtually all of the pupils come from White British backgrounds and speak English as their first language. There are slight variations in the make up of groups of pupils who enter the school year-on-year and some year groups, such as the current and the previous Year 6, have a particularly high proportion of pupils with special educational needs, including a higher than average proportion of pupils with statements. Standards pupils have attained when they start at the school are average overall, when taken over time. However, while the standards on entry of the current

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Description of the school

Year 6 and the previous two cohorts were below average when they started school, the standards of the current Year 5 were above average. At the time of inspection the school was awaiting the appointment, by the diocese, of a new chair of governors. The vice chair was acting chairman at that time.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Augustine's CofE (Aided) Junior School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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Grade: 2

This is an effective school that provides a good quality of education for its pupils. There has been a good level of improvement in recent years and the school is in a good position to continue that improvement. This is due to the effective leadership and management and the clear aims that are shared by all staff. Inspectors' judgements are similar to those the school itself made in its self-evaluation document. Parents and carers are very satisfied with the school and support it strongly. The school provides good value for money. Standards attained in the most recent tests were broadly average. However, more pupils attained the expected level in English than in mathematics demonstrating that standards could be higher in mathematics. Pupils' achievements are good overall, although there are fluctuations between years in the results attained in national tests. These fluctuations are due in the main to differences

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Grade: 2

in attainment on entry to the school by different cohorts and also differing proportions of pupils with special educational needs in some years. The quality of teaching is good but teachers could make better use of marking and set more precise targets for individual pupils to ensure that pupils know what they have done well and what they need to do next to improve. In a minority of lessons tasks and activities do not provide sufficient support for the less able or challenge for the more able. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in line with their academic targets and very good progress in their personal and social development. The provision for these pupils is exceptionally good and as a result, they are enabled to develop fully, socially and emotionally as well as academically. Pupils enjoy school. Their behaviour is good overall and often very good. They are keen to attend and are rarely absent. This is because

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Grade: 2

of the good levels of care the school provides and the interesting curriculum. Pupils say that some of the most enjoyable things about school are the wide range of trips and visits that make learning interesting.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Raise standards in mathematics still further. - Ensure that teachers make full use of assessment information when planning lessons to meet the needs of different groups more fully. - Remind pupils of their individual targets more regularly as they work.

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Grade: 2

Achievement and progress are good overall. Standards are broadly in line with those expected nationally at the end of Year 6 in English and mathematics. This represents good progress for these pupils as standards attained on entry to the school were below average. In the most recent tests, in 2005, more pupils attained the expected level in English than in mathematics. The results of tests in 2004 were above average. These pupils had also made good progress from their starting point at the beginning of Year 3. The results were also an improvement overall since 2003. The school has had an ongoing focus on raising standards in English, which has been successful in improving 2 Inspection Report: St Augustine's CofE (Aided) Junior School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 teachers' confidence and the standards achieved. It is now turning its attention to raising standards further in mathematics. The school has a higher than average

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Grade: 2

proportion of pupils with special educational needs, including those with statements of their need. These pupils also make good progress, due to the excellent provision and support they receive. These and other pupils attain the challenging targets set for them.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Their enjoyment in being at school is reflected in their good and sometimes excellent behaviour in class and around school. Pupils say they recall no incidents of bullying. Attendance levels are good. Pupils place a high value on relationships with each other and adults. The school operates as a harmonious community and pupils say that school is a pleasant and comfortable place. They develop a good understanding of others' feelings, which contributes very successfully to the quality of school life. They are considerate, caring and look after each other. Break times are very sociable occasions, when pupils play well together and enjoy themselves. The school council members and members of the school's 'ECO Council' show a great deal of pride in their achievements and contribution to school life, which is outstanding.

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Grade: 2

They have been responsible for raising funds to buy playground equipment, for example, which adds significantly to the quality of playtimes. Pupils have a deep understanding of environmental issues and are actively promoting recycling. They have good understanding of healthy lifestyles, including healthy eating and keeping fit.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good overall and leads to pupils making good gains in their learning. Relationships are good between staff and pupils and teachers have high expectations of pupils' behaviour, which are fully met. Every effort is made to make lessons interesting and fun and, as a result, pupils have good attitudes to their work. Assessment is good and is used well overall, such as when setting pupils for English and mathematics. Careful individual targets are set for pupils with special educational needs and these are followed through effectively by teachers and support staff alike. As a result, these pupils make consistently good gains in their academic progress in relation to their starting levels, and their self-esteem is high. Individual targets are set for all pupils in English and mathematics, but sometimes these are too general. In some lessons teachers ensure these targets are available for pupils to see as they work

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Grade: 2

but in other lessons they do not. Teachers do not often remind pupils of their personal objectives when they start to write, for example. In general, lessons build effectively on previous learning and skills, and in most, tasks are appropriately challenging. 3 Inspection Report: St Augustine's CofE (Aided) Junior School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 However, in a minority of lessons, more could be done to ensure that work is pitched at different levels for the range of pupils' abilities. Marking is good overall and often gives pupils good information on what they need to do to improve, but there is some inconsistency across the school in the information it provides to pupils.

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Grade: 2

Learners of all ages follow an interesting curriculum and experience a wide range of learning activities. The school is working out ways of making learning interesting and relevant by developing approaches to learning which combine different subjects, such as in Year 6 where research into food and diet in the Second World War effectively combines work in science, history and food technology. The school has paid much attention to enriching the curriculum, enabling pupils to achieve high levels of personal development and enjoyment in learning, through a varied range of visits, visitors and themed weeks such as Book Week, Arts Week and opportunities to perform at The Globe Theatre. There is a strong focus on developing healthy lifestyles and on supporting the physical and emotional development of all pupils. Support for pupils with special educational needs is outstanding and these pupils are enabled to flourish

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Grade: 2

and have good self-esteem. There is a good range of clubs taking place out of school hours which are well attended and broaden pupils' interests and learning effectively.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support for pupils is good overall. The school shows exceptionally high levels of care for all pupils' personal development. All staff consider the emotional well-being of pupils to be as important as caring for their physical needs and this is evident in their work. Staff have created an environment in which all pupils are safe, secure and feel comfortable. Pupils are given ample opportunity to raise personal issues, confidentially if they need to, and they know that there is someone to help should they be in need. Pupils' health and safety is promoted effectively. They are taught about healthy lifestyles, including a healthy diet and being aware of the dangers of drugs. Staff are fully aware of the safety of pupils. Child protection procedures and all aspects relating to pupils' safety, including swimming pool safety, are fully in place. The school acknowledges that more use could be made of assessment data of pupils'

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Grade: 2

academic progress and the information gained from marking work to guide pupils on how to improve.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good and this has led to good improvement in many aspects of school life since the previous inspection, including the standards pupils achieve. The school's quality of self-evaluation of its own performance is good and is used effectively to plan for further improvement. For 4 Inspection Report: St Augustine's CofE (Aided) Junior School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 example, the analysis of results in English led to a whole school focus on the subject. As a result, teachers are confident and pupils' achievement in the subject is good. A significant emphasis on developing provision for pupils' personal development and enriching the curriculum has had a positive impact on standards in these aspects of school life. The school takes the views of parents, pupils and other stakeholders very seriously and has sought parents' views through questionnaires and pupils' views

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Grade: 2

through the school council and the eco-council, as well as in class discussions. These views are carefully considered and translated into action. One example of action following consultation is that senior management are currently actively monitoring the provision of homework across the school, following parental comments on the different practice in some classes. The governing body are supportive of the school and some, such as the special needs governor, visit the school regularly to liaise with staff. Statutory requirements are met and most policies are fully in place. Currently the school is awaiting the confirmation of a new chair of governors by the diocese. 5 Inspection Report: St Augustine's CofE (Aided) Junior School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005 .

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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 Augustine's CofE (Aided) Junior School, 10 October 2005 to 11 October 2005

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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 3 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 2 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 1 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 3 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

Thank you for welcoming us to your school and helping us to find out all about it. We thought you were very friendly and helpful. What we liked most about your school: - We think your behaviour is good and that you try hard with your work. - We think your teachers work hard and teach you well. - The headteacher and all of the other adults take good care of you. Those of you who need extra help are looked after exceptionally well. - School teaches you a lot about taking responsibility and learning to become good members of the community. - You are taught a lot of interesting things and have a good opportunity to take part in clubs and trips, which you say are some of the best things about the school. - Your headteacher knows a lot about your school and how to make it even better. He takes notice of what you say and what your parents tell him. What we have asked your school to do now: - We have asked your teachers

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to carry on working hard to help you to become even better at mathematics. - When your teachers plan lessons we have asked them to take more account of what some groups of you already know and find easy and what others of you still find hard, so that you can all work at exactly the right pace. - We have asked teachers to remind you of your individual targets when you are doing your work, so you know just what each one of you needs to work on to improve. We enjoyed visiting your school and wish you well for the future.

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