The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln

The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln Inspection report

p.1

120561 Unique Reference Number Lincolnshire Local Authority 313672 Inspection number 15–16 September 2008 Inspection dates Roger Sadler Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Junior Type of school Voluntary controlled School category 7–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 186 School (total) The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Nigel Finn Chair Mrs Emma Nugent Headteacher 21 June 2004 Date of previous school inspection Hampton Street School address Lincoln Lincolnshire LN1 1LW 01522 528063 Telephone number 01522 528063 Fax number

p.1

7–11 Age group 15–16 September 2008 Inspection dates 313672 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln, 15–16 September 2008

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

The vast majority of pupils in this school are of White British heritage and most pupils' families speak English as their first language. The proportion eligible for free school meals is average. The percentage of pupils who find learning difficult is above average. The school has recently appointed a new headteacher and acting deputy. The school has received Artsmark Silver Award for its work in art, dance drama and music, the International Schools Award and Eco-Schools Award for its recycling project. The school has also received a Healthy Schools Award and Active Mark for its promotion of healthy diet and exercise. On the school site, an external provider runs a daily pre-school and after-school childcare provision for pupils from this school and neighbouring schools.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln, 15–16 September 2008

p.3

Grade: 2

The quality of education provided to pupils is good. This is due to good leadership and management and good teaching. The new headteacher has made an extremely positive start and has quickly won the confidence of parents, governors, staff and pupils. Care, guidance and support are outstanding. The school's curriculum and pupils' personal development and well-being are good. High quality relationships and outstanding behaviour help pupils to achieve well and enjoy their time in school a great deal. Pupils say they particularly appreciate the welcome they get from their teachers and friends each morning and the efforts staff make to ensure learning is interesting and fun. They also like the school's varied curriculum with its strong emphasis on linking learning in a range of subjects and the wide range of enrichment opportunities and clubs available to them. Most parents regard the school highly. One parent

p.4

Grade: 2

captured the views of many when she wrote, 'The school has a warm and friendly atmosphere. Staff are always helpful and take time to listen to any concerns'. Levels of attendance are satisfactory rather than good because levels of unauthorised absence are too high and some families take holidays in term time. Pupils enter the school with average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. By the end of Year 6, they have made good progress and achieved well and standards are above average. Ambitious targets set by the school for 2009 aim towards maintaining these above average standards in future years. Teachers plan lessons thoroughly so that they meet the learning needs of all pupils, including those capable of doing harder work. Academic guidance is excellent. In all classes, staff regularly assess and carefully analyse each pupil's progress and the school directs extra help to those who are achieving standards below those expected for their ages.

p.4

Grade: 2

The school ensures equal opportunities for all to succeed and works effectively to remove barriers to learning. Pupils who find learning difficult make good progress because they frequently receive carefully tailored support from teachers and teaching assistants. The few pupils who join the school with limited English are given good support and their good progress soon enables them to participate fully and enjoy school. Pastoral care and support are excellent. Older pupils show a strong sense of responsibility and readily help and consider others. The headteacher and leadership team provide strong and clear direction for the work of the school. Monitoring and evaluation are effective and the school has a clear understanding of its strengths and where improvements are needed. The school has brought about many important improvements such as the introduction of an excellent way of ensuring pupils know their

p.4

Grade: 2

learning targets. Consequently many pupils show an impressive understanding of where and how to improve their work in English, mathematics and science. The school has good capacity to continue improving. However, the school is aware that the roles of subject leaders and governors, especially their role in monitoring standards, requires improvement.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the leadership role of subject leaders and governors.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve levels of attendance by working with parents to reduce the level of unauthorised absence. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln, 15–16 September 2008

p.4

Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well and make good progress overall. School records and pupils' work indicate that pupils are well on track to achieve the ambitious targets the school sets for their attainment. Progress in science is very good and by the end of Year 6, pupils develop well above-average skills in this subject. Achievement in reading is good throughout the school and home reading and other homework is well organised so that many parents make an important contribution to the good progress their children make. Pupils' presentation of work is above average because teachers hold high expectations and instil a pride in work. Pupils are helped to develop above average basic skills, such as in spelling, punctuation and grammar not only in English lessons but also in subjects such as science, history and geography. Although standards in mathematics are above average, fewer pupils exceeded levels expected of their ages in mathematics than in

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Since the last inspection, pupils' understanding of the multi-cultural nature of British society is much improved and is now very good. This improved understanding, their good basic skills and their highly developed social skills prepares them well for their next school and adult life beyond. Pupils are exceptionally well behaved and relationships are excellent. They feel safe in school and know exactly what to do if they are unhappy or worried about something. Many enjoy taking part in the many additional clubs and activities and say that they enjoy the exercise and also like to eat healthily. Attendance is similar to the national average. Although most of the pupils attend regularly, a relatively high proportion lose time as a result of term time family holidays. Many pupils make an outstanding contribution to the school and wider

p.5

Grade: 2

community. They frequently raise money for charities. There is an exceptionally wide range of responsibilities pupils can adopt, from being a member of the school council or house captain to helping in the library or acting as a buddy in the playground and many pupils enthusiastically take on responsibilities. The school welcomes and acts on pupils' many ideas, often brought to staff through the school council, and pupils are currently awaiting the installation of their design for one of the terraces in the playground.

p.5

Grade: 2

Lessons proceed at a fast pace and pupils rise well to teachers' high expectations. All teachers make very effective use of information and communication technology to aid learning. Pupils are given frequent chances to speak to partners or in small groups. This helps them to develop their speaking and listening skills, which, in turn, helps to support their enjoyment of learning and their progress in all subjects. Behaviour is expertly managed and classrooms are stimulating and well organised, encouraging pupils to want to learn. When the class is working in groups, skilled teaching assistants often make an important contribution to pupils' good achievement, especially to those who find learning difficult. However, teaching assistants are sometimes less effectively deployed when the teacher is teaching the full class. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln,

p.5

Grade: 2

The curriculum is adapted well to meet pupils' needs and interests. There is an appropriately strong focus on the development of pupils' basic skills in reading, writing, mathematics and science, resulting in their good achievement in these subjects. Provision for the needs of more able pupils is mostly good. For example, teachers carefully plan additional, more demanding activities during lessons. However, chances are sometimes missed during the introductions to lessons to provide extra support for these pupils. The curriculum is well modified to meet the learning needs of those at the early stages of learning English and is carefully tailored to include the needs of those who find learning harder. This means that all groups of pupils make good progress. The social and health education programme is well planned and makes a strong contribution to pupils' good personal development. Teachers ensure pupils understand common

p.6

Grade: 2

values such as the importance of getting along together and an awareness of individual rights and responsibilities. Pupils learn about voting and democracy during, for example, Campaign Week which is held before the elections for the school council. The range of additional activities outside the school day is exceptionally wide and pupils can, for example, gain experience of games such as badminton, tennis and volleyball and join the school orchestra and samba band. Pupils in Years 4 and 6 also undertake residential trips and all classes visit local places of interest. Close links with community organisations and the schools International Award work help pupils to learn about the wider world.

p.6

Grade: 1

This school looks after its pupils exceptionally well. Pupils like their teachers and say they are very approachable. Pupils know that their welfare is given the highest priority and one example is the provision of worry boxes or bubble boards in each classroom. Close links with a wide range of health and other professionals and external agencies help the school to provide all pupils with strong support. This high standard of care underpins pupils' good personal development and creates a calm and happy environment for learning. Procedures for safeguarding pupils' health and safety, child protection and the management of racist incidents are thorough and effective. Pupils' academic development is meticulously monitored and assessment information is used to identify pupils at risk of not doing their best so that they can be given appropriate support. The standard of educational guidance is consistently very

p.6

Grade: 1

high and pupils understand how to use their learning targets in reading, writing, mathematics and science to help them progress.

p.6

Grade: 2

The headteacher and senior leaders work together well as an effective team. Staff training and guidance are good and careful follow up checks by senior leaders ensure that staff adopt a consistently effective approach to such matters as how pupils' work is marked. Subject leaders make a satisfactory contribution to improving their subjects. Appropriately, the new headteacher is working with them to extend their role to include greater responsibility for monitoring standards in their subjects. Throughout the school, communication with parents is regular and most parents feel that they are kept well informed about the teaching and learning planned 6 of 11 Inspection Report: The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln, 15–16 September 2008 for each term and the contribution that they might make. The role of governors is satisfactory and improving. Following a recent review of their role a useful training programme for governors

p.6

Grade: 2

has been arranged. They are working with the headteacher to improve the way they check on the standards of the school and on progress in the school improvement plan. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln, 15–16 September 2008 .

p.7

Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln, 15–16 September 2008

p.8

Inspection judgements

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

p.9

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? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

p.9

Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

p.9

Achievement and standards

1 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: The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln, 15–16 September 2008

p.9

learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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

p.10

learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.10

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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln, 15–16 September 2008

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

17 September 2008 Dear Children Inspection of the St Faith and St Martin CofE Junior School, Lincoln, LN1 1LW Thank you for making Mrs Smith and me so welcome when we came to inspect your school. A special thanks to those who met Mrs Smith at lunchtime on the first day of the inspection. We are pleased that you enjoy school so much. We thoroughly enjoyed talking with you and your teachers and watching you learn. We think your school is a good school. It is run well and is giving you a good education. Adults provide good teaching so that you make good progress. You are being well prepared for life at your next school. I am pleased yours is such a happy and interesting school and that you and your parents are pleased with it. We were very impressed at how many of you know your learning targets so early in the school year and we could see how much these are helping you get better at reading, writing, mathematics and science.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You know how to act safely. You clearly understand what is right and what is wrong, show consideration for others and are very friendly to each other. You should be proud of your excellent behaviour and manners. Those of you who need extra help with your learning make good progress because the school helps you learn. There are many things that your headteacher, the staff and the governors want to improve because they want your school to get even better! We agree with them that there are two important things that need to be done first.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Help those who lead subjects and governors carry out their role better.

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Ensure that levels of attendance improve by working with some parents to reduce the level of absence. With very best wishes for the future, Roger Sadler Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: The St Faith and St Martin Church of England Junior School, Lincoln, 15–16 September 2008

p.11