Calow CofE VC Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 8–9 March 2012 Inspection number 378591 Calow CofE VC Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 112876 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 378591 Inspection dates 8–9 March 2012 Lead inspector John Horwood

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

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 207 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Catherine Winter Headteacher Martin Thacker Date of previous school inspection 2 November 2006 School address North Road Chesterfield S44 5BD Telephone number 01246 274370 Fax number 01246 274370 Email address info@calow.derbyshire.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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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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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 with two days' notice. Inspectors used a number of strategies to observe learning. These included lesson observations ranging from 20 to 45 minutes. A total of seven hours was spent observing teaching in 14 lessons taught by eight teachers. Meetings were held with staff, members of the governing body and groups of pupils. Informal discussions also took place with parents, carers and pupils. Inspectors took account of responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work and looked at documents including the school improvement plan, minutes of meetings, the school’s information on pupils’ progress and samples of pupils’ work. The responses to 72 questionnaires from parents and carers, 19 responses from staff and 85 responses from pupils were examined and analysed.

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Information about the school

Calow Primary School is a smaller than average-sized primary school on the outskirts of Chesterfield. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is much lower than that found nationally as are the proportions who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is lower than that found nationally. The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are lower than the national figures as is the proportion of these with a statement of special educational needs.

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Information about the school

The school has achieved the International School full award and UNICEF Rights Respecting School recognition. It meets the current floor standard. 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

 This is a good school. The excellent leadership of the headteacher is recognised by parents, carers, governors, staff and pupils. The good standards of education have been maintained and behaviour is outstanding. The partnership with parents is excellent and the school is now an integral part of the community. The school is not yet outstanding because teaching and achievement are only good at present.  All pupils make good progress. Attainment for pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 is above average in English and mathematics. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because of strong support.  Teaching is generally good and sometimes outstanding. The teaching of linking letters and sounds (phonics) is good, especially in the Early Years Foundation Stage, and there is a secure approach to encouraging improved reading. However, pupils are not always involved in reviewing their own progress and

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Key findings

the marking of their work does not always ensure they know how to improve. Sometimes they do not get enough opportunities for independent and collaborative work in lessons.  Behaviour around the school is outstanding and teachers have high expectations and consistently apply the school systems of sanctions and rewards. Pupils say they feel very safe in school and are taught how to keep safe and healthy. They have positive attitudes to learning and like coming to school.  All leaders have a clear vision for improving the school. Systems to monitor school performance are securely in place and members of the governing body are actively involved. The quality of teaching is monitored regularly and teachers are helped to develop their skills. Management systems are well- established and ensure that the school runs smoothly. The questionnaire results show that parents, carers, staff and pupils are overwhelmingly satisfied with the

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

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?

 Raise attainment by:  ensuring that teachers’ marking of pupils’ work consistently gives guidance on how to improve their work and reach the next steps in their learning and that they have the opportunity to review their own progress  increasing the opportunities in lessons for independent and collaborative activities through open-ended questions.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with below age-expected skills. Children are helped to learn by good teaching and a wide range of good quality and stimulating resources both indoors and outdoors. They make good progress and attainment is broadly average when they move to Year 1. Within Key Stages 1 and 2 pupils continue to make good progress reaching above average attainment in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. Reading skills are broadly average in Key Stage 1 and above average at the end of Key Stage 2. Younger pupils enjoy their phonics lessons where they acquire good skills and knowledge to support their reading and interpretation. In a Reception class lesson the children confidently used their understanding of letters and sounds to quickly read short sentences. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress from their individual starting points. There is no significant difference in the attainment of boys

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Achievement of pupils

and girls. There are no other groups of sufficient size in school to allow comparison. Throughout the school, the progress seen in lessons is good and this is confirmed by the work seen in pupils’ books. The vast majority of parents and carers say their children are making good progress and developing good academic skills and this agrees with inspection observations.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils say they enjoy their learning and this was evident in all lessons. Children enjoyed the ‘show and tell’ activity in Nursery and joined in enthusiastically with a dance session in Reception. A Year 2 information and communication technology lesson was made exciting by starting the lesson on the playground with physical movements which was then linked to programming a computer. A Years 4 and 6 religious education lesson was made enjoyable and effective by including an Islamic workshop provided by the Derby Open Centre.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers have excellent relationships with pupils. Lessons are carried out at a good pace which stimulates learning. The progress tracking system is used well to ensure that activities set are matched to pupils’ abilities. Teaching assistants are well trained to support pupils’ needs and provide good support both in the classroom and during small group work. The progress of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is monitored closely by teachers and the coordinator, and intervention strategies are put in place promptly to support their learning. Teachers mark 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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Quality of teaching

work regularly but do not always give them sufficient guidance on how to improve their work or involve pupils in reviewing their own progress. Within lessons, teachers clearly identify learning objectives and discuss with pupils what they have to do. The questions teachers ask sometimes require only short answers and do not give pupils the opportunity to extend their learning through either independent or collaborative investigation.

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Quality of teaching

Within the planned curriculum teachers use the cross-curricular approach to teaching and learning effectively to establish clear expectations for the progression of skills and knowledge. Learning about other faiths and cultures is well planned; it has a strong impact on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development as well as their good understanding of the arts. Teachers are good role models and have high expectations of pupils’ academic and social development. The overwhelming majority of pupils and their parents and carers who completed questionnaires say teaching is good.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils come to school with great enthusiasm for their learning. Their attendance is above average and punctuality is good. They build strong supportive relationships enabling them to meet the school’s high expectations and the challenges of learning together. They show mutual respect to all groups of pupils from all backgrounds and cultures. The school council is very pro-active at supporting good behaviour in school. Pupils say they understand about issues such as internet safety because they are given good information during lessons. They have been involved in a wide range of initiatives to promote outstanding behaviour and safety and the school has received several awards in recognition of this. The behaviour seen during the inspection was consistently good and mostly outstanding. There have been no exclusions during recent years and parents and carers who provided written comments raised no concerns over behaviour. All parents and carers who responded

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

to the questionnaires and to the parent view website agreed that there is a good standard of behaviour in the school and that their child feels safe. This was also confirmed by pupils and staff. There is a clear behaviour policy which is consistently applied across the school and pupils know their boundaries. Bullying of any type is extremely rare and when it does occur is associated with physical contact such as in pushing. The school has effective procedures to prevent and deal with such incidents and they do not re-occur. The very few pupils with behavioural difficulties have effective individual education plans which support their development. The school is a very harmonious community. Pupils say they feel safe in school because they know that adults will sort out any problems that arise. To support pupils’ safety the school’s approach to health and safety is excellent. Inspection findings support the

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

prevailing view that behaviour and safety are typically outstanding.

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Leadership and management

Typical comments from parents and carers were ‘The school has a lovely caring atmosphere with excellent leadership and enthusiastic teachers’ and ‘I am extremely 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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Leadership and management

pleased with the high quality education my child receives, there are always lots of exciting things happening in school to inspire the children’. The headteacher has a well-established leadership team and is supported by an experienced and determined governing body. Staff, parents and carers are extremely supportive of the leadership. A member of staff wrote ‘The school has a dedicated team of staff, governors, parents and pupils, which together provide a rich, happy and safe learning environment’. This comment reflects the findings of the inspection team. Middle managers are closely involved in promoting improvement and this has contributed significantly to the improvement in pupils’ behaviour. The governing body provides good support for and challenge to the school. The members visit regularly and have a good understanding of the school and what needs to be done for it to improve further. They have recently developed strategies to improve the monitoring of

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Leadership and management

progress. The headteacher has a clear and determined vision for improving every aspect of pupils’ development. Systems to support this vision are in place but it is too early for these to have a visible sustained impact on achievement. The needs of every pupil are addressed on an individual basis and ensure they all have equal opportunities to succeed. There is no evidence of discrimination of any kind. Leaders at all levels and members of the governing body are involved in ensuring the health and safety of everyone in the school and all safeguarding requirements are met.

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Leadership and management

The school self-evaluation is accurate and the school development plan is focused on supporting all aspects of pupils’ education. The actions identified in the previous inspection have been addressed well. Achievement and teaching have been consolidated as good whilst behaviour has moved from good to outstanding. The partnership with parents, carers and the wider community is now excellent. The school has a good capacity for sustained improvement.

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Leadership and management

Leaders support teachers through a programme of classroom observation and professional development. Teachers say they are well supported and school data confirms that teaching is improving although it has not yet led to outstanding progress. The curriculum is broad and balanced with a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities including music, dance, fencing, golf and faith workshops. All members of the school community are proud of the school and in recent years it has regained its position as an important part of the local community.

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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 Calow CofE VC Primary School, Chesterfield, S44 5BD

Thank you for making us so welcome when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking with you and looking at the work you do. Your school provides you with a good education.

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Inspection of Calow CofE VC Primary School, Chesterfield, S44 5BD

There are things we admired about your school and these are a few of them.  You all make good progress as a result of good teaching.  You behave exceptionally well and are proud of your school.  You get on very well together and enjoy coming to school where you feel safe.  You tell us that any type of bullying is very rare and dealt with quickly and well.  You have an excellent headteacher who you clearly like and respect.  School leaders are ensuring that the school improves.

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Inspection of Calow CofE VC Primary School, Chesterfield, S44 5BD

For the school to improve further and for you to reach higher attainment levels we have asked your headteacher to:  ensure that when teachers mark your work they always tell you how to improve and then talk to you about your work so that you can review your own progress  increase the opportunities you have in lessons to extend your learning, either on your own or with your friends, by investigating the answers to questions.

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Inspection of Calow CofE VC Primary School, Chesterfield, S44 5BD

All of you can help the school to move forward by continuing to work hard. We wish you every success in the future.

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Inspection of Calow CofE VC Primary School, Chesterfield, S44 5BD

John Horwood 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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