Cringleford CE VA Primary School

PROTECT – INSPECTION

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 1–2 March 2012 Inspection number 380167 Cringleford CofE VA Primary School Inspection report

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PROTECT – INSPECTION

Unique reference number 121113 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 380167 Inspection dates 1–2 March 2012 Lead inspector Nick Butt

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PROTECT – INSPECTION

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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PROTECT – INSPECTION

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 205 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Julia Jones Headteacher Neil Henery Date of previous school inspection 8 January 2007 School address Cantley Lane Cringleford Norwich NR4 6UG Telephone number 01603 454 946 Fax number 01603 454 946 Email address office@cringleford.norfolk.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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PROTECT – INSPECTION

after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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PROTECT – INSPECTION

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. Inspectors observed 14 lessons taught by nine teachers; meetings were held with parents, carers and pupils, three members of the governing body and a wide range of staff. Inspectors took account of the responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work and looked at a wide range of documentation including self-evaluation documents, strategic plans and other development plans. Inspectors scrutinised 164 questionnaires returned by parents and carers and those returned by staff and pupils.

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Information about the school

Cringleford is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The large majority of pupils are White British. Few pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below average. The school meets current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress. The headteacher joined the school in September 2011. There are plans to build a new school on a different site in the coming year.

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Information about the school

A before-school club and an after-school club are run by different independent providers and are subject to separate inspection. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 Cringleford is a good school and the new leadership team has the capacity to improve the school further. Pupils achieve well and standards are above average by the time they leave Year 6. The school is not yet outstanding because there is not enough teaching at the highest level to ensure that pupils’ achievement is outstanding.

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Key findings

 Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and show respect for one another and their teachers. All groups make good progress from their different starting points. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve well because their needs are identified early and good support is provided for them.

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Key findings

 Across the school pupils learn well. The pace of lessons is brisk and pupils say how much they enjoy coming to school. Teachers typically use day-to-day assessment well to modify planning to suit the needs of different ability groups. Just occasionally, more-able pupils are not challenged enough.

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Key findings

 Almost all pupils behave well and say there is no bullying. Staff manage behaviour well and provide good support for pupils whose circumstances may make them vulnerable or more prone to challenging behaviour. Pupils have a good understanding about keeping safe.

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Key findings

 The new headteacher has made a positive impact in a short time, building upon the many strengths inherited from his predecessor. Good leadership of teaching has resulted in consistently good practice, with some outstanding elements. Teachers are keen to improve and the school has already identified opportunities to share best practice. Leaders manage performance well, sustaining and developing good outcomes for pupils. The curriculum is good overall and has a positive impact on pupils’ personal development; the school is identifying ways to make it even more creative and varied for pupils. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  sharing the best practice across the school  ensuring that more-able pupils are always sufficiently challenged.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build on the work to develop an even more creative curriculum by:  developing a consistently wide range of inspiring activities in everyday lessons to enhance pupils’ learning experiences further.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils are keen to take part in lessons and enter willingly into discussions or sharing their work. They collaborate well and work purposefully independently. For example, Year 6 pupils worked productively with a partner to add square numbers together and to record their findings systematically. They made cogent contributions to the subsequent debate about whether there were any patterns in their answers.

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Achievement of pupils

Progress is good across the school. Children join the Reception class with a wide range of skills that are sometimes below those expected, especially in language and communication, and achieve well. There are many opportunities for them to hone their speaking and listening skills, for example within the walls of an excellent role- play castle complete with its own drawbridge and mediaeval costumes. Much jousting and merry-making is had by all. Pupils enter Year 1 with skill levels generally in line with expectations and continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1, so that standards are above average by the end of Year 2. Pupils continue to exceed national expectations in Key Stage 2 and leave Year 6 often two terms ahead of all pupils nationally. The school ensures all pupils achieve equally well, including those known to be eligible to free school meals, so that there are no gaps in performance between any group of pupils and their peers nationally. Teaching assistants make a

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Achievement of pupils

valuable contribution to the good progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. They are well deployed and well trained in supporting different types of special educational need. The wide range of interventions that are tailored to suit different groups of pupils, including those whose circumstances may make them vulnerable or prone to challenging behaviour, work well in accelerating progress. Good quality visual cues and plenty of opportunities for discussion help to include the few pupils who speak English as an additional language so that they also achieve well.

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Achievement of pupils

Almost all parents and carers justifiably believe that their children are making good progress at Cringleford. Attainment in reading is above average in both Year 2 and by the time pupils leave in Year 6. Pupils gain an early understanding of the sounds letters make and apply their skills well when tackling new words. In Key Stage 2 there are good opportunities for pupils to practise higher-order reading skills. For Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Achievement of pupils

example, Year 5 pupils retrieved information from a text to describe the character of Martha in The Secret Garden.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers share clear learning objectives and steps to success with pupils so that they know exactly what they have to do in lessons. They have high expectations of their work and behaviour, and create a culture where pupils are not afraid to ask for help or to make mistakes. They make good use of technology, such as interactive whiteboards and visualisers, to engage and interest pupils. Good behaviour contributes to the strong pace of learning, and excellent relationships mean that lessons are relaxed but purposeful. Teachers give pupils good feedback, both orally and as written comments in their books, to show them how to improve their work. They set challenging targets for pupils, which they aspire to meet and can discuss.

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Quality of teaching

The impact of the planned curriculum is good. Teachers use their detailed knowledge of pupils to plan work that they know will interest them and meet their needs. On rare occasions more-able pupils are not challenged sufficiently from the start of lessons and have to complete easier work before being given a more challenging extension task. High-quality displays of pupils’ work celebrate their achievements and promote equality, showing that all pupils are valued. In the Reception class and Year 1, questions children have raised about their topic are posted on the walls so that they help to shape their learning. These include ‘Why do princesses wear crowns?’ and ‘Why does space have shooting stars?’ Pupils’ enjoyment of learning was evident in a good Spanish lesson when Year 4 pupils entered into an extended dialogue in Spanish with their teacher.

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Quality of teaching

Almost all parents and carers, as well as the pupils themselves, rightly consider that teaching is good. Teaching has a positive impact on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, giving them plenty of opportunities to work together, reflect upon their learning and consider moral dilemmas. Pupils said how much they enjoyed a series of life-skills lessons from a local pastor, and how this taught them to know their own strengths and accept others’ differences.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Behaviour over time is good. Pupils confirm this, as do the overwhelming majority of parents and carers. Where any pupil presents particularly challenging behaviour this is managed well by staff, and steps are taken to help the pupil receive all the support necessary to improve. Pupils say there is no bullying in the school, including cyber- bullying and prejudice-based bullying related to special educational need or disability. Almost all parents and carers and pupils rightly confirm that pupils are safe at Cringleford. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe and what to do when facing dangers such as fire, potential drowning, or traffic. They understand about the dangers of smoking and drugs. Pupils’ great enjoyment of school is evident Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

in their above-average attendance and good punctuality.

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Leadership and management

The governing body and headteacher have ensured a very smooth transition of leadership. From an existing position of strength the school has improved further under its new leadership, which has the full support of staff and parents and carers alike. The headteacher has improved the use of technology and the virtual learning environment. A new tracking system is enabling all staff to take responsibility for measuring the progress pupils make. The role of subject leaders has been refined and professional development used successfully to build leadership capacity within the school. The new headteacher has managed a very complex programme for the building of a totally new school while at the same time strengthening the school’s senior leadership team. All the issues from the previous inspection have been successfully tackled, including improving marking and the quality of feedback to teachers about their work.

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Leadership and management

Self-evaluation is accurate. The school sets challenging targets for pupils’ attainment and meets or exceeds them. Strategic plans focus on the right priorities for improvement and the headteacher has carried out a careful evaluation of progress to date, ensuring that the school is on track to meet all its targets. The governing body, which itself has new leadership, knows the school well, is energetic in its support and provides a good level of challenge. Members of the governing body ensure that all safeguarding arrangements are rigorously applied, and that the recruitment of staff is managed robustly, meeting all safety requirements.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum has a greater level of enrichment this year, especially through themed days and weeks, such as ‘Circus Week’, when a Big Top arrived at the school, and ‘Book Week’. It is broad and balanced and includes a range of special events that create memorable experiences for pupils. The school is ambitious to broaden its scope and increase its creativity further to make it an outstanding curriculum. The curriculum contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There are strong links with a school in France and Spain and parents and carers share their culture and traditions, such as Chinese New Year, with pupils. Pupils enjoy numerous opportunities to compete in sports and the school has a strong tradition of music, with many pupils learning to play musical instruments.

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Leadership and management

Equality is at the heart of all the school does. Its clear set of values makes clear the uniqueness of each individual pupil and their right to have a good education and become a well-rounded person. The school is successful in achieving its aims because of the good quality teaching and the careful way in which pupils’ progress is tracked. In addition, discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Cringleford CofE VA Primary School, Norwich, NR4 6UG

Thank you for making us welcome when we visited your school recently and for sharing your views with us both in person and through the questionnaires that some of you filled in. We agree with you that Cringleford is a good school. Good teaching ensures that you make good progress in your work and do better than most pupils nationally in English and mathematics. Your behaviour is good and teachers make learning interesting and enjoyable for you. The school is led and managed well by the new headteacher and his team.

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Inspection of Cringleford CofE VA Primary School, Norwich, NR4 6UG

For the school to improve even more we have asked your teachers to:

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Inspection of Cringleford CofE VA Primary School, Norwich, NR4 6UG

 share the things they do really well  make sure all of you have work to do that challenges you  make the curriculum even more exciting.

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Inspection of Cringleford CofE VA Primary School, Norwich, NR4 6UG

You all can help by working hard and telling your teachers what you particularly enjoy about learning.

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Inspection of Cringleford CofE VA Primary School, Norwich, NR4 6UG

Thank you once again for your help and best wishes for the future.

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Inspection of Cringleford CofE VA Primary School, Norwich, NR4 6UG

Nick Butt Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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