All Saints Church of England Aided Junior School

All Saints Church of England Aided Junior School Inspection report

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116358 Unique Reference Number Hampshire Local Authority 326370 Inspection number 23 September 2008 Inspection date Derek Watts 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 aided School category 7–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 419 School (total) The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Mildred Stocks Chair Mrs Alison Wyld Headteacher 2 November 2005 Date of previous school inspection Leawood Road School address Fleet GU51 5AJ 01252 615428 Telephone number 01252 812767 Fax number

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7–11 Age group 23 September 2008 Inspection date 326370 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. 2 of 9 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Aided Junior School, 23 September 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following aspects:

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Introduction

■ How well the school was improving pupils' writing, particularly more able boys.

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Introduction

■ How well the school was improving its provision for information and communication technology (ICT). Evidence was gathered from lesson observations and a scrutiny of pupils' work and school documentation. Parents' questionnaires and discussions with pupils, governors and staff also contributed to the judgements. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation form, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

About 90% of pupils in this larger than average junior school come from a White British background. Less than 2% of the pupil population speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is lower than average. The nature of these include moderate learning difficulties and behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is also below average. An information communication and technology (ICT) subject survey was carried out in May 2008 by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors (HMI). The current headteacher was appointed in January 2008 and the deputy headteacher in September 2008. In partnership with a private company, the school provides a breakfast club and after school care for pupils at the junior school and the nearby infant school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Aided Junior School, 23 September 2008

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Grade: 2

All Saints Church of England Junior is a good school. There are outstanding aspects to its work. The very high quality care, guidance and support, and a very positive school atmosphere, lead to excellent personal development and well-being for pupils. Pupils achieve well overall because of good teaching and an exciting curriculum. Parents hold very positive views about the school and the vast majority are extremely pleased with both the care and education provided. Typical comments from the parents' questionnaire were, 'Delighted with All Saints', 'Very good teaching', 'This is a very good school', 'Very happy with my child's education', 'The school has gone beyond my expectations,' 'Happy and caring environment' and 'Proud to be part of the school community'. Community cohesion is promoted well. In partnership with a private company, the school provides extended before- and after-school provision. There are good links with church. Signposting for parents is a good

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Grade: 2

initiative. It provides workshops and guidance on how parents can support their children's learning. Parents feel more confident and their good support has a positive impact on their children's learning. Pupils enter the school with above average attainment. National data shows that pupils make outstanding progress in English, mathematics and science because the provision is particularly good in these areas. By the end of Year 6, standards are exceptionally high in these subjects. A range of successful strategies is used to raise achievement in writing particularly for more able boys. These include drama, speed writing and selecting topics which appeal to boys. The gap between boys' and girls' performance has been narrowed and the school has demonstrated a good capacity to improve. The HMI subject survey found that standards in ICT were above average but pupils' progress was only satisfactory because of shortcomings in provision. The

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Grade: 2

relatively new headteacher and new leader of ICT have responded swiftly to the findings. Planning for ICT has improved particularly for the more able who now have consistently more challenging work. Technology is being used more widely to support pupils' learning. There are well thought out plans for further improvements including a new computer suite to provide better opportunities for whole class teaching of ICT skills. It is too soon for recent changes to have had a full impact on achievement and standards, which are lower than those in English and mathematics. Good leadership and management are key factors contributing to the school's success. The headteacher provides very good leadership and educational direction and shares this effectively with all staff. The new deputy brings good experience to the school and leads by example in the classroom. Some key subject leaders are recent to their posts. They are enthusiastic and

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Grade: 2

their roles are developing well through coaching, support and training. The school's performance is systematically and thoroughly reviewed. The quality of the school's evaluation is outstanding. As a result, senior leaders, staff and governors have an accurate view of what the school does well and what is needed to bring about improvement. Teamwork among the staff is strong. There is 'can do' culture and an enthusiastic commitment to change and improvement. Governors are well informed about the school's performance. They provide good support and constructive challenge. Pupils make good progress because of effective teaching. There are examples of outstanding practice. Teachers make the purpose of lessons extremely clear at the start of the lesson so pupils know what they are expected to learn. Pupils are attentive when listening to teachers' 4 of 9 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Aided Junior School, 23 September 2008

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Grade: 2

informative instructions and explanations. Teachers use questioning effectively to challenge pupils' thinking and to check their understanding. Pupils respond enthusiastically and many are articulate speakers. Tasks are well matched to pupils' abilities so pupils are challenged well and they make good gains in their learning. Just occasionally, the pace of the lesson is too slow and progress declines. Teaching assistants are well deployed. They make a valuable contribution to learning, particularly for those pupils who need additional support with language and literacy. An outstanding curriculum promotes good pupil achievement and makes an excellent contribution to their personal development. Very strong emphasis is placed on literacy, numeracy and science. There are good links between subjects, which add enjoyment, meaning and relevance to pupils' learning. For example, in Year 5 pupils used drama to gain an understanding of what

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Grade: 2

it was like to be a child factory worker in Victorian Times. Thoughts, views and feelings were discussed and this enabled pupils to write a diary of their experience using powerful adjectives. In art, they created a Victorian floral border for photographs using watercolours. ICT was used effectively to present Victorian population data. This was converted into suitable graphs. The quality of artwork on display is high, particularly textile collages. Pupils have good opportunities to learn musical instruments such as brass, flute, guitar, oboe and violin. The school choir and orchestra perform successfully locally and at national festivals. A very good range of clubs, visits and visitors enhance pupils learning and enjoyment. A recent Year 6 residential trip to the Isle of Wight successfully provided interesting outdoor activities and developed pupils' geographical, problem-solving and teambuilding skills. Attractive grounds, including an outdoor

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Grade: 2

Gambian classroom, with tropical plants enhance the learning environment. Pastoral care is outstanding and there are highly effective procedures to safeguard pupils. Systems to assess and monitor pupils' attainment and progress are very effective and enable appropriate support to be provided for any pupil falling behind. Pupils have specific learning targets, so they know what they are working on to improve. They are developing skills in reviewing their own and other's performance well. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. A productive partnership with a school in Gambia provides pupils with an understanding of the global community. Pupils are extremely courteous, friendly and considerate. They thoroughly enjoy school. This is shown by their well above average attendance and their enthusiastic participation in all activities. High expectations by staff and excellent relationships lead to behaviour which is often exemplary. The very few pupils with challenging

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Grade: 2

behaviour are well managed and supported by staff. Pupils adopt healthy lifestyles and show an excellent understanding of the importance of healthy eating, exercising regularly and keeping safe. They thrive on the responsibilities given. Year 6 'Guardian Angels' help and support younger pupils. Those on the school council have promoted the importance of recycling material. All pupils have opportunities to prepare a meal and entertain a special guest for lunch. Pupils contribute well to the wider community by raising funds for well-known charities. Pupils are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education and for the future. By the time they leave, pupils possess very good literacy and numeracy skills, their personal and social skills are extremely well developed and they are very well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Fully implement the planning to improve provision and raise achievement and standards in ICT to the high performance of English, mathematics and science. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Aided Junior School, 23 September 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Aided Junior School, 23 September 2008

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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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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

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Achievement and standards

2 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 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Aided Junior School, 23 September 2008

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learners?

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

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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?

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Aided Junior School, 23 September 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

06 October 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of All Saints Church of England Aided Junior School,Fleet,GU51 5AJ Thank you so much for welcoming me into your school and showing me your work. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and would like to tell you what I found. Yours is a good school and one you can be very proud of. There are some outstanding features. These are strengths of the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You all thoroughly enjoy school and your attendance is outstanding.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The school is a very caring, welcoming and a pleasant place to be.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your behaviour is outstanding in lessons and around the school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make exceptionally good progress in English, mathematics and science.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are taught well, which is why you are making good progress.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You show an excellent understanding of healthy lifestyles and keeping safe.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ An outstanding range of learning activities are provided for you, including clubs, visitors and visits. ■ Art and music activities are particularly good.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The school is very well led by your headteacher and she receives good support from other senior staff. ■ Staff take excellent care of you and give you outstanding support.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your parents give the school good support and are very pleased with the care and education provided. There is one area that could make the school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You could make even more progress in ICT and your headteacher and staff are working hard to make this happen. Thank you to the four kind Year 5 pupils who prepared a wonderful lunch of shepherd's pie and apple scone for me. I enjoyed your company and the meal was delicious. I wish you all the very best for the future and keep up the good work. Yours sincerely Derek Watts Lead Inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Aided Junior School, 23 September 2008

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