Setting

Mr G Morgan Headteacher Cranham Primary School Tetbury Drive Warndon Worcester WR4 9LS

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Primary School

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 20 March 2012, for the time you gave to our ‘phone discussions and for the information which you provided during the inspection. Please thank the Chair of the Governing Body and the staff and pupils who gave their time to speak to me.

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Primary School

As a result of the inspection on 14 September 2010, the school was asked to address the most important areas for improvement which are set out in the annex to this letter.

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Primary School

Having considered all the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time the school has made satisfactory progress in making improvements.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

Although the school has made good progress in addressing the points for improvement from the previous inspection relating to attainment in mathematics, attainment has fallen back in writing.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

The weakness highlighted in the performance of girls in mathematics proved to be specific to the group of pupils who left in 2010. Both boys and girls are now making at least satisfactory progress. Attainment in mathematics improved sharply in 2011 and is broadly in line with the national average for pupils in Year 6. This is confirmed by current data and the standard of pupils’ work observed in lessons. The improvements made in 2011 were achieved through consistent use of practical activities to help underpin pupils’ understanding and a strong focus on developing pupils’ skills in investigating and problem solving. Teachers also ensure that pupils are able to clearly explain their reasoning. The grouping of pupils by ability in Serco Inspections Cedar House 21 William Street Edgbaston Birmingham B15 1LH T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Serco Direct T 0121 683 3888

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Achievement of pupils at the school

January 2012 Page 2 mathematics has a positive impact on learning because teaching is able to concentrate on a narrower range of pupils’ attainment.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

The improvement in mathematics in 2011 was offset by a decline in English. While pupils’ skills in reading were broadly average, attainment in writing was the equivalent of two terms below the national average. Leaders know that there is some way to go to match the national picture in writing and they are taking effective action to accelerate pupils’ progress. Current data and work in pupils’ books show that attainment in writing is steadily improving but is likely to fall short of national expectations.

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The quality of teaching

The school is taking effective action to increase the amount of good teaching. This is a result of well-established systems for monitoring the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning. Monitoring records show that a large majority of teaching is good. Senior leaders regularly conduct joint observations of teaching. Where satisfactory teaching is observed, follow-up visits are made to test the extent to which feedback given to these teachers results in improvement. Pupils appreciate the improvements in teaching mathematics. They say that they enjoy lessons, and particularly those that involve investigations. Teachers generally make effective use of information from their on-going assessments of pupils to ensure that the tasks they provide are suitably challenging. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly but do not always ensure that pupils act on their comments. Pupils from Year 6 who were

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The quality of teaching

interviewed know the targets that they have to achieve. They have a very clear understanding about how the target-setting system works and say that teachers apply it consistently.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school has made good progress in improving pupils’ attendance. This has risen by three percentage points over the past three years and is now above the national average. The improvement is the result of the effective strategies used and consistent implementation of a reward system for promoting good attendance. There are daily checks made on the whereabouts of absentees. The messages given to pupils through weekly celebrations of good attendance are supplemented by the profile given to attendance in newsletters to parents and carers. Despite the school’s best efforts, a very small number of pupils have attendance of less than 80%. Most of these are in Key Stage 1.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils have positive attitudes towards learning and behave well. Instances of unacceptable behaviour such as bullying or racist behaviour are infrequent. The pupils interviewed said that they feel safe in school and that teachers quickly deal with any poor behaviour. The school is rigorous in ensuring the safety of pupils. School leaders ensure that promotion of pupils’ social and moral development has a high priority. January 2012 Page 3

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The quality of leadership and management of the school

Leaders have ensured that areas for improvement from the previous inspection have been tackled successfully but there are still some weaknesses in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The previous report noted that the information transferred from Reception to Year 1 did not provide a sharp enough insight into what children could already do. This is still the case. Arrangements for moderating assessments made in the Early Years Foundation Stage are still not rigorous enough.

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The quality of leadership and management of the school

In contrast, there are effective systems for collecting, analysing and evaluating progress data in Key Stages 1 and 2 and these give a clear picture of strengths and weaknesses in attainment and progress. Current plans, for example in improving pupils’ skills as writers, are informed by this data. The professional development of staff is managed well and is closely linked to the priorities to be addressed.

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The quality of leadership and management of the school

The Chair of the Governing Body visits the school regularly and has a good understanding of its effectiveness. Some members of the governing body are relatively new and have yet to develop the range of skills needed for them to become independent in holding the school to account. Currently, they rely too much on the headteacher for information. The local authority provides useful support, tailored to the school’s needs.

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The quality of leadership and management of the school

I hope that you have found the inspection helpful in promoting improvement in your school. This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website.

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place in September 2010

 Raise attainment in mathematics, to be in line with the national average by 2012, by ensuring that the quality of teaching is consistently good. Take steps to ensure that:  teachers use the information they collect about what pupils know and can do in order to plan lessons that promote good progress  these activities consistently interest, engage and motivate girls.

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place in September 2010

 Take all possible steps to reduce the absence of the very few pupils who do not attend school as often as they should.

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