St Jude's Church of England Junior School

Inspection Report St Jude's Church of England School

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125173 Unique Reference Number Surrey Local Authority 293215 Inspection number 12 March 2007 Inspection date Peter McGregor Reporting inspector

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

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Bagshot Road School address Junior Type of school Englefield Green Voluntary aided School category Egham TW20 0RU 7 °11 Age range of pupils 01784 432180 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01784 477118 Fax number 317 Number on roll (school) Mrs Elizabeth Emmett Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Pat Poulter Headteacher 25 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 293215 12 March 2007 7 °11 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 Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

St Jude's is a large primary school. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average. English is not the first language for a larger than average percentage of the pupils. Pupils come from a very broad range of social backgrounds. Attainment on entry is broadly average, though the spread of ability is very wide. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is similar to the national 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 Jude's Church of England School, 12 March 2007

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Grade: 1

St Jude's is an outstanding school. Pupils make excellent progress, and attain very high standards. Pupils' achievements in national tests taken at age eleven in English, mathematics and science are extremely good and have been for several years. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and those for whom English is an additional language make excellent progress alongside their peers. Pupils are so successful because excellence and enjoyment are at the heart of all that the school does and systems are in place to maximise both. Pupils' well-being and their personal development are outstanding in every aspect. Each day starts with an assembly where all pupils take part in a very meaningful act of worship. The inspiring Christian ethos of the school is palpable as pupils and staff share and enjoy the spiritual, moral, social and cultural basis of life at St Jude's. Each pupil feels a responsibility for the others and this leads to excellent relationships. Most

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Grade: 1

are immersed in school life, involving themselves whole-heartedly in the wide range of activities available out of lessons. Pupils, and their parents, are extremely happy with their progress and appreciate all that the staff do for them. Their understanding of the importance of living healthily and safely and preparing for the next stage in their lives is excellent, as is their behaviour. Teaching is good and a key element in pupils' achievement and their enjoyment of school. Teachers work together as a team, learning from one another. Their relationships with pupils are excellent. A fine balance between a demanding approach and having fun helps pupils learn. Although teaching is often very effective and expectations high, occasionally the pace of lessons slows. A wide range of subjects is very well planned in an excellent curriculum. Extremely good setting arrangements help pupils make progress. The quality of care, guidance and support is exceptional. All staff

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Grade: 1

continually strive to meet the pupils' many needs. Strong links are established with social and health services to respond as well as possible to the requirements of vulnerable pupils. The data and target-setting systems are extremely useful in monitoring pupils' progress and ensuring that appropriate support is provided where needed. Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher, supported by governors, has generated a highly structured and organised environment, where all pupils and staff know that they are greatly valued members of the school community. Teaching and support staff work together as a collaborative professional team. Enjoyment matters as much as achievement in this vibrant and happy community. School leaders have an exceptionally clear view of the school, based on thorough and accurate evaluation of what is taking place. Progress since the last inspection has been excellent, yet leaders are far from complacent. They determinedly follow through their

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Grade: 1

own agenda for continuing development and the school has excellent capacity to improve further. 2 Inspection Report: St Jude's Church of England School, 12 March 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

Although there are no major issues for improvement, the school should take steps to ensure a rapid pace is maintained in all lessons.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' achievements are outstanding. At the age of eleven, pupils' results in English, mathematics and science are exceptionally and consistently high compared with national averages. Pupils do far better than might be expected from their standards when they come into Year 3, and also far beyond what other children with similar backgrounds achieve throughout the country. The school's focus on maximising the number of pupils who achieve high standards in national tests is proving extremely successful, particularly in English. Progress in ICT is good and standards are above average and improving as increased investment in new facilities enables pupils to enhance their understanding. A small number of exceptionally capable pupils, who are working above primary National Curriculum standards, do not always make the progress they could. The pupils' success is built upon good teaching, excellent use of data to inform what

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Grade: 1

should be taught and a school ethos where pleasure in learning, endeavour and a commitment to achievement are given the highest priority.

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Grade: 1

The development of pupils' social, moral, spiritual and cultural understanding is excellent. Pupils know they are safe and look after each other exceptionally well. At break times pupils are lively, 'letting off steam', but they know what conduct is expected at all times. In the dining room, they eat in a civilised manner under the watchful guidance of staff. They put into practice their knowledge of how to be healthy by, for example, walking around the school field at lunchtime and eating nutritious food. Attendance and punctuality are good. Pupils are very involved in the local community and much further afield through 'Proms on the Green' for example, where many pupils from several schools provide entertainment, and through letter writing to a Ugandan school. Pupils' excellent literacy and numeracy skills, confidence and courtesy prepare them very well for the next stage in their lives. Parents remarked how very pleased

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Grade: 1

they are with their children's high self-esteem and how they 'smile every single day!'

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Grade: 2

Teachers have good subject knowledge and manage pupils' behaviour very effectively. Teaching assistants work closely with teachers to provide high quality support. Lessons 3 Inspection Report: St Jude's Church of England School, 12 March 2007 are well structured and enjoyable. As a Year 3 pupil said, 'teachers are fair and fun and make work interesting so we enjoy learning'. Expectations are often high but from time to time the pace of work slows and learning is not as rapid as it usually is. Teaching is particularly effective in the smaller classes that result from setting - for mathematics in Years 4 to 6 and for English and science in Year 6. Work is matched carefully to pupils' capabilities and pupils receive greater individual attention. Computer technology in classrooms is often used very effectively to generate interest and promote learning. Assessment is detailed and rigorous. Teachers use data extremely effectively to focus

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Grade: 2

on individual needs. This improves the quality of learning and increases achievement. Very occasionally, not enough is expected of the handful of exceptionally capable pupils.

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Grade: 1

The school's strong focus on English, mathematics and science, and increasingly on ICT skills, has been very successful in terms of pupils' achievement, yet has not affected the excellent curriculum balance. Pupils talked with great pleasure about their pneumatic models and kites made in design and technology lessons, and the visit of the 'Vikings'. Healthy living is promoted through good provision for physical education, including swimming in the school's own outdoor pool, and excellent opportunities for extra-curricular sports. Activities cater for many interests. For example, thirty pupils take part in a before-school judo club and over fifty are learning a musical instrument. Further experiences such as two residential visits, one to France, as well as day visits and personal, social and health education lessons add excellent breadth to the curriculum. Links with infants schools are strong and 'bridging units' give pupils great

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Grade: 1

confidence about their transfer to secondary schools.

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Grade: 1

Parents remarked upon the exceptional quality of care, which enables their children to grow into courteous, confident yet reflective young people. All pupils are taught how to stay safe, using a wide range of initiatives. Pupils said 'they (staff) know the difference between friendship problems and bullying'. They expressed great confidence that if bullying takes place - a very rare occurrence - staff and pupils rally round to resolve the problem, immediately and completely. A member of staff has been appointed to promote healthy eating in the dining hall, and this is proving very successful. Many opportunities are provided for pupils to carry out responsibilities, from library assistants to house captains. Membership of the school council enables pupils to represent their peers, working to make improvements in school life. Data on pupils' achievements is rigorously analysed and interpreted and used most effectively

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Grade: 1

to set aspirational targets, which are reviewed regularly and thoroughly. The high expectations these targets generate are key aspects in the culture of excellent achievement. 4 Inspection Report: St Jude's Church of England School, 12 March 2007

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Grade: 1

Relationships amongst all the staff are outstanding, built on trust and a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities. Leadership is inspirational. Excellent systems underpin the way data is used and vulnerable pupils are supported. These ensure that resources are used where they are most needed. The current focus on peer observation of lessons, including the headteacher as mentor, is proving very successful in improving the consistency of teaching. Administrative and support staff provide excellent help; processes are both efficient and highly effective. The headteacher, all staff and governors have a very clear understanding of the strengths of the school and its future direction. Rigorous analysis of the school's needs has identified priorities for development as further improvements in teaching, better assessment of pupils' ICT skills and increased opportunities for investigative science. They reflect the school

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Grade: 1

ethos of 'no complacency'. Continuing support and training for staff have a high priority. Governors are very effective critical friends and know the school extremely well. Since the last inspection excellent progress has been made in maintaining the school's many strengths and making substantial further improvements. 5 Inspection Report: St Jude's Church of England School, 12 March 2007 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: St Jude's Church of England School, 12 March 2007

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: St Jude's Church of England School, 12 March 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: St Jude's Church of England School, 12 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming me to your school. I very much enjoyed talking to several of you and seeing what was going on. Your school is excellent and you are clearly very happy there. As a result of your hard work and positive attitudes, as well as good teaching, you achieve very high standards. You do exceptionally well in the national tests you take in English, mathematics and science when you are eleven. Your teachers find out what you can and cannot do and use this information to give you excellent support to help you improve. Teachers expect you to do very well and also to enjoy learning, and the way you are arranged in classes and sets helps this to happen. Just occasionally, lessons slow down and we are asking your teachers to expect more of you at these times. Teachers provide you with an excellent range of subjects, clubs and visits to keep you interested and enjoying your work. Enjoyment of learning matters just as much as achievement

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

at St Jude's. You take the responsibilities you are given very seriously and work and play really well together. Your behaviour is excellent and you are very polite. You know it is important to have safe and healthy lives. I enjoyed keeping fit walking round the field with many of you during the lunch break and hearing about the good food you eat. You look out for each other, so if someone is upset or needs help you are there for them. Staff are always there to help you too, and you find them very easy to talk to. Teachers care for you exceptionally well. The headteacher is extremely good at her job. She is given excellent help by all the staff and the governors. The school is very well organised and makes everyone feel welcome. Best wishes, Peter McGregor (Lead inspector) 9 Inspection Report: St Jude's Church of England School, 12 March 2007

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