All Saints CofE Primary School

All Saints CofE Junior School Inspection report

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101787 Unique Reference Number Croydon Local Authority 307807 Inspection number 8 °9 October 2007 Inspection dates Peter Thrussell 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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Junior Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 7 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 208 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Peter Stanton Chair Mrs Susan Skidmore Headteacher 24 November 2003 Date of previous school inspection Upper Beulah Hill School address Upper Norwood London SE19 3LG 020 8771 9439 Telephone number 020 8771 4843 Fax number

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7-11 Age group 8 °9 October 2007 Inspection dates 307807 Inspection number .

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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

All Saints is a two form entry junior school. It shares its headteacher, senior managers and governing body in federation with the adjoining infant school. There have been many staff changes in recent years. The school is in an area of relatively high social deprivation, which is ethnically and culturally diverse. A high proportion of pupils are from Black British Caribbean or African backgrounds. A higher than average proportion has English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is higher than the national average. This inspection took place at the same time as that in All Saints Infant School.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Junior School, 8 °9 October 2007

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Grade: 3

All Saints CofE Junior School is a satisfactory school. In recent years, there has been considerable disruption to the staffing and leadership of the school, resulting in pupils' underachievement, particularly in writing and mathematics. Achievement has improved and is now satisfactory. The school has taken much care in its recent appointments and now has a more settled teaching staff and management team. New teachers have quickly built up good relationships with their classes. Along with the school's more consistent approach to managing pupils, these relationships are effectively contributing to satisfactory, and improving, behaviour and better attitudes to learning. Consequently, pupils now make satisfactory progress in their learning. The school makes good use of assessment to monitor pupils' progress term by term. It identifies where pupils are not making the expected progress and provides additional support to help them

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Grade: 3

catch up. This has been particularly successful for older pupils, where there has been a legacy of underachievement. They recall that '...it helps us because of a different sort of teaching and it gives us more time with an adult'. Many have made considerable headway. By Year 6, standards in English and science are average, although the school has identified writing, particularly of more able pupils, to be a weaker area throughout the school. Standards in mathematics are below average. The English and mathematics targets for the current Year 6 are suitably challenging, given their starting points in Year 3, and the great majority of pupils are on track to meet them. Teaching is satisfactory. Teachers make satisfactory use of assessment information to plan activities for different ability groups within their classes. However, day-to-day assessment is not used well enough to identify where individual pupils may be struggling or finding the work

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Grade: 3

too easy, so slowing their progress. The use of constructive marking and individual targets for improvement is inconsistent, often leaving pupils uncertain of how they could improve their work and do even better. Pupils with learning difficulties or at an early stage of learning English receive adequate additional support. However, general classroom teaching, including the support given by teaching assistants in lessons, does not always fully consider these particular needs and the ways in which these groups could learn more effectively. The school provides a good level of pastoral care for its pupils. Pupils feel safe at school. They say they are well looked after and can turn to an adult if they feel worried. However, academic support and guidance are satisfactory. Leaders have clearly identified appropriate areas in their action plans for continuing improvement, following two years of intensive support from the

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Grade: 3

local authority. With its new management structure, the school is taking further action, especially with regard to raising achievement and standards in writing and mathematics. However, there is not yet a whole school improvement plan that gives clear details of its priorities and how it is going to achieve them. The school has been sufficiently accurate in the evaluation of its performance and has a satisfactory capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ In order to improve teaching and learning and raise achievement and standards in English and mathematics, ensure that school improvement planning is detailed, shared and rigorously monitored. ■ Raise the quality of teaching and learning by making full use of day-to-day assessment to plan lessons that fully meet the particular learning needs of all pupils. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Junior School, 8 °9 October 2007 A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Overall standards by the end of Year 6 are average and achievement satisfactory. The provisional results of 2007 tests show an improvement over the previous year. In mathematics, they show an increase in the proportion achieving the higher level, although the proportion achieving the expected level remains below average. Past weaknesses in teaching and learning, with many staff changes, have resulted in progress being variable throughout the school for all groups of pupils. With better monitoring procedures and additional support for underachieving pupils, progress is now satisfactory and becoming more even throughout the school. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities and those who are at any early stage of learning English make similar satisfactory progress. The school accurately identified a weakness in writing, particular by more able pupils. A more structured approach to writing is encouraging pupils to produce

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Grade: 3

work of better quality and content, with a use of wider and more interesting vocabulary. An emphasis on problem solving, with more opportunities for pupils to talk through their work and explain their reasoning, has started to raise standards in mathematics, particularly of more able pupils.

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Grade: 3

Pupils' personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are satisfactory. Pupils enjoy coming to school, particularly when they do exciting lessons such as art and history. However, in some lessons there is a lack of vitality and pupils wait to be told what to do rather than see for themselves what needs to be done. Most pupils behave sensibly. However, a few are not sufficiently aware that their inappropriate actions can spoil the learning and enjoyment of others. Attendance has improved and is now just below the national average. Nevertheless, a significant number of pupils are late each morning. Although latecomers often disrupt the early morning assembly, pupils are respectful during the time for quiet reflection. In class, pupils work well together, pleased when learning from each other as 'talking partners'. They appreciate the many different backgrounds and cultures

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Grade: 3

of their classmates. Pupils know how to lead healthy and safe lives. In particular, they enthusiastically participate in activities run by the outside sports professionals. However, some are reluctant to eat the salads and vegetables offered in the healthy school lunches. They carry out tasks around the school responsibly and are proud when elected to be school councillors. There is scope for the school council to take more of a role in running its own meetings and making decisions. Pupils have adequate skills in literacy and numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT), preparing them satisfactorily for their later life and learning.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teachers organise classrooms and resources well. The use of interactive whiteboards to enliven learning is starting to have a positive impact. Teachers 5 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Junior School, 8 °9 October 2007 manage behaviour satisfactorily so that most pupils quickly settle to their lessons. Some more productive lessons were seen, particularly in mathematics, where pupils were actively involved in their learning through practical activities, for example when investigating place value by moving digits on a board and searching for ways to classify two-dimensional shapes. Teachers make clear the purpose of lessons, so that pupils know what they are aiming for in their learning. However, teachers are not yet involving pupils sufficiently in evaluating their own learning. In some lessons, paired discussions are proving successful in clarifying ideas, but there is lack of

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Grade: 3

opportunity for pupils to discuss and comment on how they or their classmates are progressing in their work.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is appropriately based on developing pupils' literacy and numeracy skills. Many pupils are taken out of lessons to be given specific support to improve their literacy and mathematical skills. This is proving successful in accelerating progress. Other subjects are covered satisfactorily and different skills developed, but there are few opportunities for pupils to use and develop these skills across the curriculum, to make learning more purposeful and interesting. Since the last inspection, the school has improved the resources in ICT. Pupils have sufficient opportunities to use computers and develop satisfactory ICT skills. However, some teachers are more adept than others at incorporating these skills into pupils' learning in different subjects. A satisfactory number of trips and visitors to school brings learning to life, also contributing to pupils' personal development with knowledge about keeping healthy and safe.

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Grade: 3

There is a satisfactory range of after-school clubs that support pupils' social and physical development.

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Grade: 3

Child protection and health and safety procedures are clear and checks are made to ensure that any risks to pupils are minimised. The school has responded positively to the very low attendance in the last year by carefully checking patterns of absence and working hard to promote better attendance. The school has developed satisfactory relationships with parents and appropriate support is given to children and their families through effective liaison with external agencies. Assessment information is used to track the progress that pupils are making as they move through the school. However, this information is not used well enough to set individual learning targets, to ensure that all pupils make the best progress possible.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher and deputy know the children and their families well and effectively promote the caring ethos of the school. A new leadership and management structure was put into place at the beginning of this term. The revisions to the structure are enabling greater consistency of provision for pupils, building on their education in Key Stage 1. Aspects of monitoring work have not been in place long enough to have a real impact on raising standards. New leaders are developing their roles and providing useful guidance for their colleagues, but the full impact of their work has yet to be seen. The school does not have a clear whole school improvement plan. This detracts from the guidance needed by the many new staff on the focus of the school's 6 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Junior School, 8 °9 October 2007 work. It does not provide governors with a sharp tool for monitoring school improvement.

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Grade: 3

Governors, nevertheless, provide a satisfactory level of support and strategic planning. They work well with senior staff and are committed to driving the school forward and raising standards. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Junior School, 8 °9 October 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Junior School, 8 °9 October 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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 3 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 3 The behaviour of learners 3 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?

3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Junior School, 8 °9 October 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Junior School, 8 °9 October 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

16 October 2007 Dear Children Inspection of All Saints CofE Junior School,London,SE19 3LG Thank you for making us welcome and for helping us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you about your work and finding out what you think about school. All Saints CofE Junior is a satisfactory school. These are the things we liked best about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your behaviour is improving and you get on well with each other in lessons.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your school is a safe place and you are well looked after.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You enjoy the opportunities you have for different sports and this is helping you to keep physically active. ■ You appreciate the extra help you are given to help you catch up in your writing and mathematics. These are the things that we think should be better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your teachers need to check carefully how well you are doing in lessons so that the work they plan is just right for each one of you. Some of your work needs to be harder so that you are challenged to think more. This will help you to do better, particularly in writing and mathematics. ■ All the people who run your school should make a big plan of what they want to do to make the school even better. They need to check that everything is being done properly. Thank you again. Yours sincerely Peter Thrussell Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints CofE Junior School, 8 °9 October 2007

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