St Peter’s Anglican / Methodist VC Primary

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of St Peter's Anglican/Methodist VC Primary

Following my visit to the school on 8 March 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in October 2013.

This school continues to be good. Despite some recent turbulence in the leadership team, the good quality of education has been maintained in the school since the previous inspection. This is because you work in an open and collegiate way and demonstrate determination to ensure that the school continues to improve while you are acting headteacher.

You are passio...nate about the quality of education and care that pupils at the school receive. In addition, you have extremely high expectations of yourself and the team and are determined to provide pupils with the very best education. Indeed, an officer from the local authority told me that, in their opinion, you are doing a 'phenomenal' job and have 'not lost the momentum in moving the school forward'.

The dedication and commitment of your team were summed up eloquently by the following statement from a parent: 'The school inspires the pupils to reach their full potential.' Consequently, pupils who attend your school receive high-quality teaching, achieve well and make good progress in their reading, writing and mathematics. You are ably supported by the acting deputy headteacher and staff, who share your vision for the school to become the very best.

You, your senior leaders and the governing body have a clear knowledge and understanding of the school's strengths and are fully aware of what needs to improve. For example, you know that achievement needs to improve further in reading and writing, especially for the middle-attaining boys. In addition, you understand the need to share the good practice which exists in the school, to improve the quality of teaching further.

Pupils receive a rich and varied curriculum which is enhanced by the extra-curricular opportunities you provide, such as music, drama and sports. Pupils acquire a love of learning, and regularly attend school. They behave well in lessons and during playtimes and lunchtimes.

Staff are strong role models for pupils. Pupils welcome the chance to take on additional responsibilities in school. They talk with enthusiasm about being a librarian or a member of the school council.

These opportunities provide pupils with important attributes for life, such as the ability to participate in democratic decision-making and to show respect for others. You and the staff provide an environment, throughout the school, that palpably nurtures pupils, especially those who are vulnerable. For example, pupils spoke to me about the many benefits of the school's nurture room, where they welcome the opportunity to talk and share their anxieties.

Most parents are extremely happy with the quality of education and care that their children receive. 'The school is an excellent environment for children to grow and learn', 'my child is aspirational about the future and this is directly related to what she has gained from this school' and 'the school works tirelessly to promote and extend the strengths of each individual' are just some of the many positive comments received by parents. At the beginning of the inspection, we agreed on the key lines of enquiry to be considered during the day.

These included: how the school ensures that pupils are safe; the effectiveness of senior leaders and subject leaders in improving pupils' progress, particularly in phonics, reading and writing; and the effectiveness of leaders, including governors, in allaying concerns of parents. These key lines of enquiry are considered below, under 'safeguarding' and 'inspection findings'. Safeguarding is effective.

You, other staff and governors take your safeguarding responsibilities seriously. All safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of a high quality. Staff and governors receive appropriate child protection training, including in the 'Prevent' duty.

Staff know the procedures and are confident in the action to take should they have concerns about a pupil. The online referral system is well organised and records information carefully. This means that designated safeguarding staff are able to take appropriate and timely action to keep pupils safe.

The school's systems to check that staff are suitable people to work with children meet requirements. Leaders and governors understand the importance of safer recruitment. Staff form tremendously positive and trusting relationships with pupils.

The many pupils I spoke to during the inspection, and those who responded to the online questionnaire, report that they are happy and feel safe in school. Indeed, pupils feel that they are able to share any worries or concerns that they may have with an adult and that they will be sorted quickly. Nearly all pupils comment that there is no bullying in the school.

The very few pupils who commented that bullying sometimes happens are adamant that teachers are really good at resolving it. This means that pupils enjoy their time at school, and all stated that they would recommend the school to a friend moving to the area. Parents are confident that their children are kept safe and are extremely well looked after while in school.

Comments such as 'very warm, welcoming and nurturing', 'very caring and patient' and 'the school looks after my children well' demonstrate how the staff are committed to keeping pupils safe and secure. Inspection findings ? The teaching of phonics and early reading is strong, particularly in the early years. This is because teachers have high expectations of children both in the teaching of phonics and when children use their knowledge of phonics in their writing.

For example, children were able to write independently about a hungry caterpillar, demonstrating correct pencil grip and letter formation. This strong practice in the early years ensures that children have the necessary skills in reading as they move into Year 1. As a result of improved practice, there has been a year-on-year improvement in the outcomes of the phonics screening check for the last three years.

While in 2017 they remained slightly below the national average, current evidence shows the upward trajectory is set to continue. ? The focus that the school places on reading is demonstrable. The quality of reading books around the school, particularly in the library, clearly reflects the importance leaders place on ensuring that pupils acquire the skills necessary to become fluent readers.

The increasing range of books available is helping to motivate pupils to extend their reading, particularly boys. High-quality information books on a wide range of topics, such as space, history and sport, sit alongside an extensive range of fiction. Pupils of all ages were able to talk about their preferred type of book and favourite authors.

For example, Roald Dahl, JK Rowling and David Walliams were firm favourites of pupils of all ages, boys and girls. ? Parents appreciate the support and guidance they receive from the school to support their children in phonics and reading. For example, an evening event held recently for parents, explaining the school's approach to teaching phonics and early reading, was well attended.

Parents and pupils told me that pupils are fully aware that they are expected to read on a daily basis. As a result, there is a strong culture of reading, and pupils have clearly developed a love of reading. The impact of this approach is clearly reflected in published outcomes in reading at key stages 1 and 2.

In 2017, the numbers of pupils achieving the expected level in reading, and those working at greater depth in both key stages 1 and 2, were higher than the national average. However, the outcomes for middle-attaining pupils, especially boys, need to improve as they do not make the same good progress as their peers. ? The teaching of writing is good overall.

In many classes, teachers' expectations are consistently high and pupils make strong progress over time. You have worked hard to improve pupils' handwriting and presentation skills, which was an area identified as requiring improvement at the previous inspection. The introduction of the presentation contract is paying dividends.

Pupils know that untidy and poorly presented work is not acceptable. Books viewed during the inspection show pupils take pride in their work. Most pupils now write with good stamina and with an increased level of accuracy and detail.

For example, Year 4 pupils' writing on 'Stig of the Dump' was of high quality, demonstrating pupils' increasing skills in powerful vocabulary choices and accurate spelling. Nevertheless, you know this aspect remains a key area of development, particularly for your middle-attaining boys. ? Overall, parents are confident that you, your leaders and governors quickly tackle any concerns that they may have about the quality of education and care that their children receive.

Indeed, parents I spoke to were extremely complimentary about your leadership, openness and transparency. The text messages support this view. For example, 'the school is great, they address any concerns or worries I have', 'the school goes above and beyond to help children and families' and 'any concerns I've had have been dealt with straight away'.

Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? they make further improvements in reading and writing so that pupils, especially the middle-attaining boys, make the best possible progress ? they share the good practice that is in school to improve the quality of teaching and learning further. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Bristol, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for South Gloucestershire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

Yours sincerely Jen Southall Her Majesty's Inspector Information about the inspection I met with you and your acting deputy headteacher. Together, we talked about the improvements which have been made since the previous inspection. We carried out a 'learning walk' through every class.

I also held discussions with five governors, including the chair of the governing body, met with subject leaders and held a telephone conversation with an education adviser from the local authority. I talked informally to pupils and heard them read. I looked at a wide range of documentation, including the school's evaluation of its own performance and information relating to pupils' current achievement and progress.

I also checked the effectiveness of the school's safeguarding arrangements and attendance information. I spoke to parents at the start of the day and also took into account the 39 responses to the online survey 'Parent View' and considered 39 additional text messages received from parents. I also evaluated the 12 responses to the staff questionnaire and the 11 received to the pupil questionnaire.