National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools Report

Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary SchoolBartholomew RoadCowleyOxfordOX4 3QHDiocese: Oxford Local authority: Oxfordshire Dates of inspection: 9th October 2014Date of last inspection: 6th July 2010School’s unique reference number: 123139Headteacher: Stephen Dew Inspector’s name and number: Ian Lewis 629

School contextChurch Cowley St James is a larger than average primary school serving the Cowley area of Oxford with approximately 470 children on roll including 60 nursery places. Over half the children are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The number of pupils with specific needs is above average. Since the last inspection there have been major changes in staffing, a large number of the teaching staff having been appointed within the last three years. Most significant are the changes in leadership as, following a period of instability, the present head teacher has been in post since September 2013 and most members of the governing body are new. The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Church Cowley St James as a Church of

England school are good.This is because: Strong and effective leadership by the new head teacher supported by a committed governing body and dedicated staff is enabling the school to flourish and develop as a distinctly Christian school.

The school’s leaders have established strong Christian values which are now the driving force of its daily life and ongoing development.

The school’s caring, Christian ethos embraces all in its community, enabling its pupils to thrive academically and personally.

A strong and beneficial partnership has been formed with the parish church and its community further strengthening the Anglican character of the school.

Areas to improve To ensure that the school’s Christian character continues to strengthen and drive

improvement, implement strategies for the rigorous and regular formal monitoring and evaluation of the impact both of this and of collective worship on the whole of its community.

To enrich its impact on the children, devise and implement strategies to give them regular opportunities to both plan and lead collective worship.

To enrich the children’s knowledge and understanding of Anglican faith and practice, ensure that systems are established in both collective worship and RE for them to

develop an understanding of the Trinity.

The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is good at meeting the needs of all learners

Following a recent period of turbulence within both leadership and staffing, the new headteacher, working in close partnership with governors, parents and children has created within the school a warm and embracing Christian ethos with, at its heart, clear Christian values based directly on Biblical teaching, particularly that of Jesus Christ. As all in the school’s community were closely involved in this process, a palpable sense of ownership has been created, resulting in a common aim to live by the values. This is strongly reflected in the children’s attitudes and behaviour towards each other and the world around them. All in the school’s community speak of the positive influence of the values on its daily life, parents saying with obvious pleasure that their children talk knowledgeably about such values as ‘moral courage’. The children clearly enjoy being at school, this being evidenced both in their comments and attendance data. They say they are confident that they are valued by adults within the school and have a voice which is listened to by the school’s leaders. Within the Christian ethos, inclusion strategies form an important part of the school’s life as it welcomes the more vulnerable and those with a variety of special needs. Through discussion with pupils and staff, in particular the inclusion leader, it is clear that the school is building both the self-confidence and self-esteem of these children and parents speak warmly of how their children’s confidence and self-reliance is growing. Discussion with stakeholders together with scrutiny of documentation gives strong evidence that the school’s inclusiveness and supportive nature is now resulting in improving standards and attainment across the curriculum. The children clearly feel safe and well looked after, both they and their parents saying that problems are generally dealt with quickly and effectively. Pupils also commented enthusiastically on the Star Club which supports the more vulnerable during lunch times saying, ‘If you struggle a bit outside, it’s the place to come’. Both RE and collective worship support and develop the school’s Christian ethos through their emphasis on the core values which, although strongly rooted in Christianity, are common to all within the school. Pupils say how much they enjoy RE, particularly with regard to the exploration of the major faiths, This enthusiasm was particularly evident in the lessons observed in which the children were challenged through targeted and detailed questions posed by the teachers, responding confidently and accurately. The spiritual development of the children is well supported through good opportunities for prayer and reflection throughout the day and by means of reflective times in worship and lessons and also through spaces set aside for reflection in each classroom. This is further supported by displays around the school centred on RE and faith. Through this, pupils are developing their understanding of the purpose and nature of prayer, typical comments being, ‘It’s a way of telling God about your day’ and ‘You can get things off your chest and it sometimes makes you feel a lot better!’. Pupils have been closely involved with the creation of the school prayer which is clearly visible around the buildings and they are given opportunities to write and use their own prayers. This is valued by the children who proudly say, ‘We all made our own prayers from Reception to Year 6, which have been put in a big book’. Discussions with stakeholders gives clear evidence that, through the school’s values and its involvement in parish community schemes such as the creation of a peace garden, the children are developing a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities within the local and global communities, parents in particular commenting with obvious pleasure: ‘Our children are being educated to be responsible citizens.’

The impact of collective worship on the school community is good

SIAMS report October 2014 Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School, Cowley, Oxford OX4 3QH

NS 09 2013 SIAMS Inspection School Report

Collective worship occupies an important place within the life of the school, both affirming and strengthening its core Christian values through distinctly Christian teachings, particularly those of Jesus Christ. The moral content of worship, being common to all the major faiths, includes all in the school’s community whatever their faith, if any. Pupils frequently use the word ‘worship’ and say that they enjoy this part of each day particularly when taking an active part. This was clearly evidenced in the whole school act of worship observed which was attended by all staff and children. Pupils took an active part through drama, discussion, prayer and singing and clearly all felt warmly included. The children are given some opportunities to lead collective worship within their class groups. However, opportunities enabling the regular planning and leading of collective worship by them are insufficient. Planning for collective worship, led by the co-ordinator, is based principally on the school’s core Christian values together with other Christian values as appropriate with reference also to the church’s year. Added to this the principal festivals of the major faiths are included as and when appropriate. Discussion with parents, staff and children gives clear evidence that such regard for faiths other than Christianity strongly highlight the welcoming and inclusive nature of this school. All teachers are involved in this process through their phase teams and, through in-house support and training, regularly lead worship themselves. The views and comments of both pupils and parents are regularly sought and these are subsequently used to inform the next stages of planning. However, regular and rigorous formal monitoring and evaluation of both the quality and impact of collective worship by the school’s leaders to inform future planning is insufficient. Discussion with parents gives evidence that they enjoy attending worship on occasions such as festivals and that through this they feel included but current opportunities for them to take part on a regular basis are insufficient. A recently strengthened partnership with the parish church and its clergy has resulted in the vicar regularly leading worship in the school and this, together with pupils visiting the church for the purpose of both curriculum and worship, is developing their knowledge and understanding of Anglican tradition and practice. However, the concept of the Trinity has not been explored in any depth resulting in the pupils’ knowledge and understanding of this being insufficient. The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church

school is goodSince being appointed, the head teacher, working in close partnership with governors, staff, parents and children, has created a vision for the school based on firm Christian values which now drives the school’s development and improvement. Concomitant with this the school has re-established its former motto: ‘Strength to do Right’ in order to underline its purpose. The impact of the Christian ethos on the school’s community is clearly evidenced in the attitudes and behaviour of the children and in the excellent example set by adults and the care they show to all. Stakeholders speak enthusiastically regarding the strong community spirit within the school, parents warmly welcoming the community room in which they can meet for coffee in the mornings after bringing their children to school. The head teacher, governors and staff strongly promote the Christian values by which the school lives, the values in particular being widely published. Classrooms reflect the school’s status through displays linked to RE and worship and through the prominent position of crosses in each room, discussion with pupils, parents and staff giving evidence that this supports the children’s understanding of the school’s Christian character. Both RE and collective worship meet current requirements. The current website, however, contains insufficient reference to the school’s Anglican character. Parents are very appreciative of the ‘open door’ nature of the school commenting ‘There are no barriers’ and ‘We are confident about offering opinions and know we are listened to”. Through this they say that they now feel ‘part of the

SIAMS report October 2014 Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School, Cowley, Oxford OX4 3QH

NS 09 2013 SIAMS Inspection School Report

management process’. The school actively seeks the views of stakeholders in order to effect continuing improvement. However, regular, rigorous and formal monitoring and evaluation by the leadership regarding the impact of the Christian ethos on both the community and overall standards and attainment to inform strategic planning is insufficient. Staff and governors benefit from targeted professional and personal development including that provided by the diocese which further strengthens the school’s Anglican character. Evidence from discussion with the school’s leaders also shows that its Christian nature also plays a prominent part in the appointment process. Strong and beneficial links now established with the parish church have resulted in the children being involved in schemes to benefit the wider community. Good links have also been made with outside organisations such as Balliol College giving the children the valuable opportunities to become part of events such as the Christmas celebration. Through these partnerships they are actively developing their understanding of their responsibilities within the world around them.

SIAMS report October 2014 Church Cowley St James Church of England Primary School, Cowley, Oxford OX4 3QH

NS 09 2013 SIAMS Inspection School Report