St Augustine’s CofE (Voluntary Aided) Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

St Augustine's Church of England (Voluntary Aided) Junior School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

St Augustine's Church of England Junior School is warm and welcoming. Pupils talk positively about the range of learning opportunities they receive. They know that staff have high aspirations for them.

Pupils are motivated by the rewards they can achieve for working and trying hard. They enjoy celebrating these successes in a weekly assembly and earning house points and star badges.

Pupils are well supported in making the transition from infant school, and parents and carers also appreciate this.

Pupils quickly understand the schoo...l rules and what is expected of them. Older pupils act as excellent role models in school and as play leaders at breaktimes. As a result, pupils learn and play well together.

Pupils know that their teachers deal with any incidents swiftly and fairly. Pupils say that bullying is rare and have no doubt that adults would deal with this straightaway if it did happen.

There is plenty for pupils to do and take part in beyond the classroom to broaden their life experiences.

Pupils are enthusiastic about their regular access to forest school and outdoor learning, including reading in the 'book bus'. Every year group learns swimming and has a residential visit. There are also trips to theatres, museums and the beach.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have designed an interesting and ambitious curriculum that builds pupils' knowledge over time. Subject leaders and teachers have good subject knowledge and have all been involved in the curriculum enhancements, training and monitoring. As a result, all staff consistently implement the curriculum as leaders intend.

Teachers regularly check pupils' understanding in reading, writing and mathematics and are skilled at providing timely support to ensure gaps in knowledge are filled and misconceptions addressed. Pupils at risk of falling behind benefit from individual mentor time with their class teacher each week. These strategies mean that pupils achieve well.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are also provided with effective support as learning is suitably adapted to meet their needs.

While pupils can recall detailed knowledge in core subjects, this is not the case in all subjects. This is because the knowledge that staff want pupils to know and remember can be too broad.

Sometimes, staff teach too much, meaning that pupils do not think about and remember the most important content. This also prevents staff from aiming their assessments on the most pertinent knowledge they intend pupils to learn.

Reading is prioritised.

Leaders have recently put in place a systematic phonics programme to support those needing additional reading support. Pupils receive tailored phonics support from well-trained staff and read books matched to the sounds they know. As a result, pupils make strong progress.

Teachers provide regular opportunities for the teaching of reading through 'book talk' activities and through a book club. Pupils are encouraged to read widely and often. These approaches lead to pupils who are fluent and confident readers who understand what they have read.

Pupils are polite. They listen to each other. They are not afraid to voice different opinions, however, and do so respectfully.

Overall, pupils learn in calm and orderly classrooms. Adults successfully support pupils with additional needs, so that they remain fully included in lessons.

Leaders have enriched the curriculum to support pupils' wider development.

In addition to taking part in regular trips and visits, pupils participate in a range of sports and clubs and are encouraged to try activities that they would not normally have access to. Pupils take on leadership roles in the school, such as being on the school council or being a play leader, house captain or eco-warrior. Pupils reflect regularly on the school's values and what these mean to them.

Governors and leaders are very mindful of staff well-being and workload. The staff appreciate this. Staff say that well-being is lived out in practice and is not tokenistic.

Governors are improving the way in which they hold the school to account through effective training and more strategic approaches to monitoring. They are also making effective links with feeder schools.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils feel safe because they have trusted adults whom they know they can talk to. They are taught about how to stay safe when online and what local risks to be aware of. Pupils have a 'worry box' in the classroom that they can use.

Adults are also well trained to identify concerns and know how to report these to leaders. Leaders respond swiftly and with tenacity to concerns. Leaders share information appropriately in order to keep pupils safe.

All checks on adults who work in the school are carried out appropriately, and governors also fulfil their statutory duties in relation to safeguarding.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, some pupils are not able to recall the detailed knowledge leaders intend. This is because in these subjects, leaders and teachers are not explicit enough about the specific knowledge they want pupils to know and remember.

Subject leaders need to ensure that teachers are clear about the precise knowledge needed to be learned in a unit of work in order to meet the curriculum ambition. ? Assessment in foundation subjects needs refining in order for it to be more effective. It does not focus sharply on the most important knowledge that leaders intend pupils to learn.

This means that misconceptions and gaps are not picked up quickly enough. Leaders need to link foundation assessments precisely to the most important content and concepts in the curriculum.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2017.