All Saints' Church of England Junior School

All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Hessle Inspection report

p.1

117978 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire Local Authority 326728 Inspection number 30–31 March 2009 Inspection dates Alastair Younger 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 464 School (total) The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Hazel Andersen Chair Mr Phil Williamson Headteacher 6 June 2006 Date of previous school inspection Northolme Road School address Hessle HU13 9JD 01482 648082 Telephone number 01482 627653 Fax number

p.1

7–11 Age group 30–31 March 2009 Inspection dates 326728 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: All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Hessle, 30–31 March 2009

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

This is a very large junior school. The area was devastated in the floods of 2007, which caused significant disruption in the lives of pupils and staff. Most pupils come from one of two large council estates in the area. Nearly all are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is currently broadly average but the proportion has more than doubled over the past four years.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Hessle, 30–31 March 2009

p.3

Grade: 2

This is a good and improving school. Over the past four years attainment on entry has been falling and, over the past three years, it has been below average. In the same period, overall standards at the end of Year 6 have been rising and they are now broadly average. Pupils are achieving well. Alongside this, their personal development and well-being are good. This is a happy and thriving school which serves the community well. The vast majority of parents support the view that it is serving their children well by helping them to make good progress while ensuring they receive excellent support, guidance and care under the good leadership and management of the headteacher, staff and governors. The school is well placed to keep improving. Pupils make good progress because they are well taught. This progress is currently evident across the whole of the good curriculum, but last year’s mathematics results were below average.

p.4

Grade: 2

Good management decisions were made to ensure that this is not repeated and pupils’ current work, backed up by assessment data, shows that most pupils are on track to achieve or surpass their mathematics targets at the end of this year. Pupils’ work is accurately marked but the addition of helpful comments to show pupils what they have achieved and how they could do even better, is inconsistently applied. Pupils thoroughly enjoy their lessons because relationships between themselves and with staff are particularly good. Pupils show a strong desire to achieve as well as they can and to behave well. A small minority have greater than average social, emotional and behavioural difficulties but these are extremely well managed by staff to ensure that disruption to learning is kept to a minimum. A very small number of parents express concerns about bullying and misbehaviour, but they are greatly outnumbered by those who feel differently. Inspection evidence supports

p.4

Grade: 2

the view of the majority and all of the many pupils inspectors talked to said they had no worries, loved coming to school, and felt very safe and well looked after. Staff take great care to make learning interesting, for example, by including good practical experiences in science. Pupils are encouraged to talk to each other about their work and they work very well in small groups to help one another improve their work. This arrangement also serves to demonstrate their very good social skills. When individuals need extra support, they are given expert help by skilled teaching assistants. The school has a very well deserved reputation for excellence in gymnastics and the performing arts, with the gymnastics team set to represent Yorkshire in a national competition in the near future. A performance of the ‘Rock Challenge’, which brings together children from different ethnic backgrounds and of different

p.4

Grade: 2

abilities from across the country, was a huge success. Pupils are very proud of their school and their achievements. They participate wholeheartedly in physical activity and understand the benefits of leading healthy lives. They recognise that they are central to the success of the school and work hard to contribute to the improvement of the school community. The progress they make stands them in good stead for future success.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure the marking policy is consistently applied by all teachers, so pupils gain a better understanding of aspects of their work that are good and less good and what they need to do to improve it. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Hessle, 30–31 March 2009

p.4

Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well. Standards are below average on entry but broadly average at the end of Year 6. While the attainment on entry has been falling for four years, standards by the end of Year 6 have been rising. Over the same period, the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities has more than doubled. These pupils are helped to make similar progress to all other pupils by being particularly well supported in their learning. Last year’s national test results showed that standards were above average in English and science but slightly below average for mathematics. Nevertheless, standards in mathematics have risen over each of the past three years. The relative attainment of boys and girls is very similar. During the inspection, pupils were judged to be making at least good progress in most of their lessons. This good achievement is found across the whole curriculum and pupils with particular talents are given

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their well-being are good. Pupils are friendly, open and trusting and are confident that their views are listened to. They attend well and are proud of the fact that the part they play in making this a good school community is fully recognised. In most lessons, pupils are encouraged to work in small groups and to offer help and support to each other. They do this extremely well, demonstrating their very good social awareness and sense of responsibility. Behaviour is good. Exclusions have been high over the past year but very few pupils are involved. A few parents report that bullying is reducing their children’s enjoyment of school. However, the school does everything in its power to prevent any incidents and takes swift action if it occurs. Pupils who talked to inspectors were unanimous in the view that this is a safe and happy school and that bullying is not tolerated.

p.5

Grade: 2

The indignation expressed by pupils when others misbehave is a good indicator of their good moral awareness. The enthusiasm with which so many pupils participate in activities in physical education lessons, playtimes and after-school clubs bears testament to their understanding of how exercise contributes to health. Pupils are acutely aware of their responsibilities for improving the community of the school. They are proud to act as house captains, prefects or members of the influential school council. Pupils are regularly involved in community activities, often facilitated by very close links with the church. The good progress pupils make and their good personal development are strong indicators that they are well prepared for future success.

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good, which is why pupils are making good progress. The quality of teaching seen ranged from outstanding to satisfactory. This tallies closely with the school’s view, gained from regular monitoring and evaluation by senior staff. The best teaching is characterised by high expectations and the use of teaching styles which engage pupils in a wide variety of learning tasks closely matched to the range of ability found in each class. Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge, which enables them to teach confidently. Good 5 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Hessle, 30–31 March 2009 relationships with pupils and very good strategies for managing pupils’ behaviour contribute enormously to the fact that lessons are rarely interrupted and that safe and happy pupils can concentrate on learning. Teachers’ extensive and accurate knowledge of pupils’ prior learning

p.5

Grade: 2

ensures that the tasks they set are achievable if pupils work hard. Great care is taken to make clear to pupils what they are expected to learn in each lesson and teachers carefully check what has been learned. Work is carefully marked but a few teachers do not add sufficient comments to reassure pupils about what they are getting right or to help them to improve their work.

p.6

Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is very well enriched by a wide range of good quality, popular and well attended out-of-class activities. The curriculum meets all requirements and has a positive impact on the good progress being made by pupils in their learning and personal development. There is a good focus on promoting the basic numeracy and literacy skills of pupils and their confidence in using computers. In response to last year’s low results in mathematics, the curriculum was reviewed to identify how numeracy could be promoted more effectively in other lessons, for example, by getting pupils to measure ingredients for themselves when preparing food, rather than this being done by assistants. Good progress is being made in developing an exciting skills-based curriculum in which pupils are helped to make links between subjects as they study a theme. This is helping them to realise that what they learn in one subject can

p.6

Grade: 2

often be used to help them learn in another. The school is aware that there is greater potential for using its generous and stimulating outdoor areas for promoting learning than is presently being realised.

p.6

Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support for pupils are outstanding. This contributes enormously to pupils’ enjoyment of school and to their safety and reassures their parents. Assessments are accurate and rigorous and the very effective use of the data provided has been a key factor in school improvement. Arrangements to check pupils’ progress are well understood by all staff and any pupils identified as not making the progress expected of them are quickly offered extra support to help them catch up. Skilled support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities enables them to be fully involved in all activities in and out of the classroom. This support sometimes includes the involvement of professionals and therapists from other agencies with whom the school works very closely. Procedures to ensure the safety and care of pupils are fully in place and rigorously followed by all staff. Pupils know who they can turn to for

p.6

Grade: 1

advice, confident that they will be listened to. The school is kept spotlessly clean and well maintained.

p.6

Grade: 2

Leadership, management and governance are good. The senior management team, comprising the headteacher, deputy headteacher and administration staff is well established and ensures that the school runs very smoothly and effectively. It plays a prominent role in setting an agenda for change and improvement and ensuring that this is supported through an extensive programme of continuing professional development and performance management. The senior 6 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Hessle, 30–31 March 2009 leadership team, consisting of senior teaching staff, is playing an increasingly effective role in helping to raise standards. School self-evaluation is good. Subject leaders make a considerable contribution to this through their monitoring of teaching and pupils’ work. The headteacher makes himself very accessible to pupils, parents and staff and this contact helps him to maintain

p.6

Grade: 2

a perceptive and broad overview of the school and its effectiveness. In a recent ‘Accreditation For Inclusion’ assessment, the school gained an exceptionally high score demonstrating the excellence of its promotion of equality of opportunity. Staff are very efficiently deployed and resources, particularly the library and computers, are very well used. Pupils are strongly encouraged to take books and other resources home to help extend their learning. The school makes a good contribution to community cohesion. Despite the severity of the flooding of the area in 2007, the school closed only briefly and played a central part in helping those in the community who had lost their homes and possessions and opened its doors to community clubs and organisations who had likewise lost their premises. The school continues to offer a ‘drop in’ service to parents who may be suffering personal problems. As a church

p.7

Grade: 2

school, there are very strong links with the local and broader church community and visits are also undertaken to the places of worship of other faiths. Last year’s ‘Rock Challenge’ theme was ‘Abolition of the Slave Trade’, which provided a wonderful opportunity for pupils to further their understanding of history and the problems faced by divided communities. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Hessle, 30–31 March 2009 .

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: All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Hessle, 30–31 March 2009

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? 3 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: All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Hessle, 30–31 March 2009

p.9

learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 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 1 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: All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Hessle, 30–31 March 2009

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

1 April 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Hessle, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU13 9JD Your school is a good school. Because of your friendliness and your enthusiasm for telling us about yourselves and the school, we spent a lot of time talking to you and these conversations greatly helped us to make our judgements about the school. In the case of All Saints, we felt that you are all making good progress in lessons because you are being well taught. Your behaviour is good and you are keen to try your hardest to achieve success. It was good to see that you come to school whenever you can and get on well with each other. You have a good timetable and there are lots of fun and energetic activities for you to get involved in after school and at lunchtimes. We were also very reassured to see what a safe and caring school All Saints is! None of this happens by chance. Your school is well led and managed by people who care for

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you and want to help you to achieve as much as possible in life. We see if there are any ways in which the school could improve. We suggest the school could get even better if some of you were given more advice about how you could improve your work if all the teachers added helpful comments in your books when they mark your work. It was a great pleasure to inspect your school. Good luck for the future to all of you. All the best Alastair Younger Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, Hessle, 30–31 March 2009

p.11