St Peters CofE Primary School

Inspection Report St Peters CoE Primary School

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134476 Unique Reference Number Birmingham LEA 282584 Inspection number 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 Inspection dates Melvyn Hemmings RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Old Church Road School address Primary Type of school Harborne Voluntary controlled School category B17 0BE 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0121 4642128 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0121 4642128 Fax number 446 Number on roll Mr Mike Lloyd Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Robert Skellern Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282584 2 November 2005 - 3 to 11 3 November 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

St. Peter’s Church of England school is larger than average. It was formed in the summer of 2004 by the amalgamation of an infant and junior school. It serves an area of Birmingham with a broad range of economic and ethnic background. The proportion of pupils who take free school meals is below average. Approximately 30 per cent of pupils come from minority ethnic heritages. Almost all of them speak English fluently. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties is average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Peters CoE Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Grade: 2

The school judges its overall effectiveness to be good and the inspectors agree. It provides a good standard of education for its pupils. There is a good partnership with the community and good support from parents. The school gives good value for money and is well placed to move forward and build on its successful amalgamation. The headteacher and senior management team have successfully led the school through the first year of amalgamation. There is unevenness in the effectiveness of subject leaders, which leads to inconsistencies in provision between the infants and juniors. The school knows itself well and its self- evaluation is mainly accurate. Teaching and learning are good. Consequently, children in Nursery and Reception have a good start to their education and achieve well. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 also progress well and reach good standards in English, mathematics and science. Basic skills of literacy and

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Grade: 2

numeracy are taught well. There is scope for the school to help pupils to develop their skills in writing more effectively. The curriculum is good and enriched by a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Pupils respond positively to their activities and say they like coming to school. Personal development is good and encourages pupils to have healthy lifestyles and play a useful role in the community. Grade: 2

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What the school should do to improve further

• improve pupils’ writing skills by helping them to add more structure to their stories and use punctuation accurately • ensure there is consistency in the effectiveness of middle management by developing a common approach to monitoring and evaluating teaching and learning by subject leaders.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well. When they start school, children show levels of attainment above those expected. They make good progress because of the good quality teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage. By the end of their year in Reception, most of them reach above average standards. Pupils in the rest of the school work hard and they also achieve well. Standards in Year 6 and Year 2 are above average in English, mathematics and science. This is because teaching and learning are well matched to the abilities of different groups of pupils. They are given the opportunity to build upon their previous work. This enables them to use prior knowledge and understanding to support their learning. The school uses its tracking and assessment procedures effectively to check the attainment and progress of pupils. Challenging individual targets are then set to help pupils improve their performance. A good example of this is in the way that pupils

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Grade: 2

with learning difficulties have their individual needs effectively met. As a result, these 2 Inspection Report: St Peters CoE Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 pupils make good progress and achieve well. There is no significant difference in the performance of different year groups. A weaker aspect of pupil performance is the structuring and punctuation of their writing. Grade: 2

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Grade: 2

The school and inspectors both judge personal development to be good. Pupils get on well with each other and with the adults who help them. They enjoy coming to school, which is reflected in the above average attendance figures. Pupils in Year 2 spoke very enthusiastically about how much they enjoy school because ‘it is fun’. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils have many opportunities to think about moral issues. Older pupils speak confidently about the reasons why they are making Christmas parcels to send to children who are not as fortunate as themselves. Behaviour is good throughout the school, both in lessons and during breaks. Pupils make a positive contribution to the wider community. For example, food contributed during a Harvest Festival celebration was recently sent to the homeless. In many subjects, the school provides good opportunities for pupils to learn about

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Grade: 2

their own cultures and some of the other cultures found within our country and the wider world. Pupils speak knowledgably and maturely about the need to live a healthy lifestyle and keep themselves safe. This aspect is promoted effectively through the personal, social and health education programme. Grade: 2

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. This confirms the school’s view. A stimulating range of activities is provided for children in the Foundation Stage, enabling them to make good progress towards reaching their goals. All teachers have very good relationships with the pupils and the majority have high expectations for the pupils’ academic attainment and their behaviour. Discipline is firm but very fair and classrooms are relaxed, happy and generally productive environments. Teachers are confident in their subject knowledge and in using a variety of teaching styles to make the teaching more interesting. They use the computer-generated whiteboards well to enthuse pupils and add excitement to lessons. In good lessons, the pupils’ work was matched well to their different abilities. Teachers’ marking is good and helps the pupils to improve their work. Day-to-day assessment and pupil tracking is used effectively to provide

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Grade: 2

challenging tasks and targets for the pupils, although this is not yet a consistent feature in every lesson. 3 Inspection Report: St Peters CoE Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 Teaching assistants are well deployed and make a positive contribution to helping the pupils achieve their targets. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are well supported in class and so make good progress and achieve well. Grade: 2

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Grade: 2

The school provides a well planned, varied and stimulating curriculum which matches the needs of its pupils. This confirms the view of the school. The curriculum makes pupils’ studies relevant by linking subjects and incorporating interesting visits and visitors into the topics planned. There are clear strengths in the curriculum. These include provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, work in information and communication technology, music, and art and design. The curriculum includes a comprehensive programme for pupils’ personal development, including sex and drugs education and how to keep healthy and safe. Pupils speak positively about the very good range of extra-curricular activities, which are much appreciated by the pupils and their parents. The school has a strong music tradition and provides a wide range of opportunities for children to learn a variety of musical instruments. All pupils from Years 2 to 6 enjoy residential experiences to Bell Heath,

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Grade: 2

Bockleton Study Centre and the Lake District. There are good links with St. Peter’s Church, the local rugby club and the community, which help to enhance pupils’ wider life experiences and develop self-confidence. Grade: 2

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Grade: 2

The school judges its care and guidance to be outstanding. Inspectors judge this to be good as each pupil is treated as an individual and progress is tracked well as they move through the school. However, this information is not used as well as it could be when planning tasks to suit the different abilities within a few classes. Clear systems are in place resulting in all adults showing a high level of commitment and competence in promoting the health and safety of pupils. Records which show the specific needs of pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities are used well as a basis for very effective support from specialist teachers and teaching assistants. In addition, the school makes good use of the information received from external services, such as the Pupil and School Support Service, to provide a full picture of each pupil’s needs. Grade: 2 4 Inspection Report: St Peters CoE Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Grade: 2

The quality of leadership and management and the school’s capacity to improve are good. The headteacher knows the school well. He is a very good leader, inspiring the loyalty of staff and the affection of pupils. The two deputy headteachers have played an important role in supporting the headteacher in developing a strong sense of teamwork amongst staff since the amalgamation. As a result, there is a shared commitment to raising standards and enabling all pupils to achieve to their full capability. Senior managers know the strengths and weaknesses of the school well, as is shown in their self- evaluation. This has enabled them to correctly identify areas for development, such as standards of writing. The role of subject leaders is not sufficiently developed. This leads to inconsistencies in how different subjects are led. There is a good focus on promoting the pupils’ personal and social development as

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Grade: 2

well as their academic skills. This is reflected in the very good ethos apparent throughout the school. The headteacher has developed rigorous assessment systems to track how well all pupils are making progress towards achieving their challenging targets. There is a systematic programme to monitor teaching and learning. This identifies teachers’ strengths and areas for development. However, it does not always follow up areas of concern and indicate when improvement is to be made. The governing body carries out its role diligently. It is very supportive of the school and is moving towards developing its role as critical friend. Grade: 2 5 Inspection Report: St Peters CoE Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 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 Peters CoE Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 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 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 NA 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 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 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 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

St Peter’s Church of England Primary School Old Church Road Harborne Birmingham B17 0BE 4 November 2005 Dear Pupils Thank you very much for welcoming us to your school this week. We really enjoyed talking to you and finding out about all the things that you do. Your friendliness, good behaviour and the way that you work so well with one another is a credit to you all. We would like to let you know what we thought about your school. What we liked about your school: The school really cares for all of you and looks after you very well. Your behaviour is good and you work very hard in lessons. You have told us that you enjoy coming to school and that you especially like the chance to join the many clubs your school provides. You also really enjoy going on the residential visits, such as to the Lake District. Your teachers make sure you do well and make good progress in your work. You are also able to take part in many exciting musical activities and learn to play a variety of

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

musical instruments. How we think your school could make things even better for you: Help you to make your writing better, so that your stories and poems are even more interesting. Help the teachers who are in charge of subjects to be even better in planning the activities and lessons that you enjoy. Best wishes Melvyn Hemmings Lead Inspector

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