St Giles CofE Primary School

Inspection Report St Giles CofE Primary School

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123503 Unique Reference Number Shropshire LEA 281493 Inspection number 12 October 2005 to 13 October 2005 Inspection dates Mark Sims HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Portland Crescent School address Primary Type of school Shrewsbury Voluntary controlled School category Shropshire SY2 5NJ 5 to 11 Age range of pupils 01743 356579 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01743 356579 Fax number 304 Number on roll Rev P Williams Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jane Crouch Headteacher 10 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281493 12 October 2005 - 5 to 11 13 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of schools with two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Saint Giles is a large primary school set in Shrewsbury. Less than 5% of children are from minority ethnic groups, none of whom are at the early stages of learning English as an additional language. The proportion of children who have learning difficulties and disabilities or who are claiming free school meals is well below average. Children start in the Reception class with good standards. The teaching staff is stable. The school has been awarded Green Flag Eco status.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Giles CofE Primary School, 12 October 2005 to 13 October 2005

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school. Children get off to a good start in the Foundation Stage and reach high standards by the time they leave at 11. They make very good progress in English, mathematics and science. Higher attaining children and those with additional learning needs also do particularly well. The quality of teaching is good with much that is outstanding. That said, occasionally, work is not always matched to children’s needs and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills are not taught consistently. This is a very inclusive school. Care, guidance and support for pupils are also of the highest order. All pupils are looked after very well. Personal development is excellent. The pupils enjoy coming to school. The curriculum and range of extra-curricular activities meet the needs and interests of pupils very effectively. Leadership and management are excellent. The headteacher has an accurate view of

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Grade: 1

the strengths and weaknesses of the school. She encourages a team approach to leadership with success. The governing body is very supportive of the work of the school but needs to establish closer links with subject leaders. The school has made significant improvements since the last inspection and has the capacity to go on to make further improvements. It gives very good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• raise the quality of teaching by ensuring work is consistently matched to pupils’ needs and ICT skills are taught and assessed more effectively • develop closer links between the governing body and subject leaders.

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Grade: 1

Overall, standards are well above average in English, mathematics and science by the time pupils leave school at the age of 11. Children start well in the Foundation Stage where their achievement is good. The most recent test results indicate that standards are rising in Year 2 and Year 6 with the brightest pupils doing particularly well. This is because the school has concentrated on challenging these pupils to reach the highest possible standards especially in English and science where results are exceptional. Standards are not quite so high in ICT where pupil’s work is not so closely assessed. Progress made by all pupils, including the few who are lower attaining, is outstanding. This is achieved by providing the pupils with good teaching and a wide range of interesting and enjoyable work. The support for pupils with additional learning needs is a notable strength. The school has successfully got all pupils to improve their writing

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Grade: 1

by setting demanding goals for them to reach. Pupils also receive considerable support 2 Inspection Report: St Giles CofE Primary School, 12 October 2005 to 13 October 2005 and encouragement from home which has contributed to their achievement. Their own attitude to learning is exemplary. Grade: 1

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Grade: 1

Personal development is outstanding. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are keen and eager learners. They develop very good relationships with each other and the adults who work with them. Their attendance is good. Social and moral development is excellent. Behaviour is outstanding; for example pupils in Year 6 were mature and sensible, participating in an Open Door Day at Shrewsbury Abbey alongside children from other local schools. Pupils make an excellent contribution to the local area and further afield as they raise monies for charities and world disasters. Cultural development is good and promoted well through visitors to the school who work with the children. Pupils learn about their own cultures as well as other cultures, here and in other parts of the world. Spiritual development is also good and pupils can reflect on world issues. During a PSHE lesson in Year 5, pupils wrote sensitively about their wishes. One pupil said ‘I wish that earthquakes didn't happen’.

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Grade: 1

The school promotes healthy eating and physical exercise very well. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 spoke very positively of the need to eat healthily. School lunches are attractively presented and include excellent healthy options. Grade 1

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Well planned activities maintain pupil’s interest and involvement although occasionally work is not always matched to pupil’s needs. English teaching is outstanding. An emphasis on writing skills, together with marking which pin points what pupils need to do to improve has led to outstanding progress. Pupils speak and listen very well because teachers use expressive language and have high expectations. That said, teachers do not always expect the same high standards in ICT compared to English and mathematics. The teaching of ICT occasionally focuses too much on the activity and not enough on the skills to be learnt. Assessment is good and used well to plan work that is matched to pupils’ needs. Marking is thorough in English and mathematics but topic work is not marked as rigorously. As a result of the school’s inclusive approach pupil’s individual needs are generally met well. Higher attaining pupils are given challenging work to do, which

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Grade: 2

they enjoy. The provision for pupils with additional learning needs is outstanding, as 3 Inspection Report: St Giles CofE Primary School, 12 October 2005 to 13 October 2005 is the progress they make. Teaching assistants are very effective because they are very committed and have been well trained. Leaders monitor teaching well. The headteacher knows the strengths of teaching well and improvements have been made through training and teachers’ own desire to improve. Grade 2

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Grade: 1

The curriculum provides well for pupils and ensures that learning is exciting and fun. Improvements since the last inspection have resulted in an outstanding curriculum. The work that children do in the Reception class ensures that they get off to a good start and it successfully builds on pupil’s previous experiences. In Years 1 to 6 the curriculum fulfils the requirements of the National Curriculum very well with a strong focus on literacy and numeracy. The school also provides a wide range of experiences in many other curriculum areas, particularly in PE. Cross-curricular themes are very strong. Pupils have many chances to speak and develop their views. They have the opportunity to practise different forms of writing, which supports their outstanding progress in English in Years 3 to 6. A wide range of visitors and visits is used to make learning interesting and exciting and assists all pupils including boys, and children with additional learning needs to

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Grade: 1

The school provides an outstanding supportive environment where pupils feel safe and secure. Relationships between all teaching and non-teaching staff and pupils are strong. Pupils are appreciated as individuals and they say they are very happy at school. Pupils with additional learning needs are carefully nurtured. The school works well with parents, who are overwhelmingly supportive. This is an important contribution to pupil’s progress and personal development. Parents have confidence in teachers and appreciate the high level of care. The school has very effective anti-bullying procedures and responds quickly to incidents. Pupil’s work is assessed regularly and information is used well by class teachers to plan activities and targets. The school knows how each pupil is progressing. Focus groups to extend higher attaining pupils are very successful. Procedures for child protection are very well implemented. An outstanding programme

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Grade: 1

for personal and health education ensures that pupils know how to stay healthy and safe. Grade 1 4 Inspection Report: St Giles CofE Primary School, 12 October 2005 to 13 October 2005

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher’s clear vision, and endeavour to promote best practice, has ensured a strong focus on driving up standards further. She knows the strengths and weaknesses of the school very well and has identified clearly priorities for development, because her observation of teaching is rigorous. There is a strong commitment to pupil’s personal development and well-being, and this has a strong influence on raising standards. The governing body gives good support to the school. It knows the strengths of the school well and members show commitment through their involvement and initiatives such as governor of the month. Its own self-evaluation has identified that there should be closer links with the subject coordinators so it can offer greater challenge to the school. The headteacher has successfully created a shared leadership team. Leaders are fully supported in their role to take responsibilities and are given every opportunity for

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Grade: 1

further professional development. They work well as a team to produce a range of exemplary material to share within the school. The school has successfully implemented improvements since the last inspection and is well placed to improve further. Grade: 1 5 Inspection Report: St Giles CofE Primary School, 12 October 2005 to 13 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 Giles CofE Primary School, 12 October 2005 to 13 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 1 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 1 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 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 1 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 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 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 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 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 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

Saint Giles Church of England Primary School Portland Crescent Shrewsbury Shropshire SY2 5NJ 14 October 2005 Dear Children, We are writing to say how much we enjoyed our visit to your school and to thank you for telling us about your school. We thought you might like to know what we have said about Saint Giles. We think you go to an outstanding school. There are many things your school does well. your headteacher and other leaders run the school very well you do very well in your work, especially in English, mathematics and science you have told us you are very happy in school and feel safe and well looked after; we agree with you your behaviour in school and out on trips is a credit to the school your parents and carers think very highly of the school and they give you a lot of help and support at home you have an exciting and varied programme of activities which makes your learning fun and challenging

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your teachers give you good lessons, which are exciting and enjoyable you are very sensitive to the needs of other people. There are a just few things we have suggested to the headteacher which could help the school improve further. your teachers could give you more opportunities to become more skilled at using computers and check how well you have learnt the skills your Governors could check more closely how well you are doing and if the work you do is too easy or too hard. We very much enjoyed our time in your school and wish you every success in your future. Yours sincerely, Mark Sims HMI

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