St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Chinnor

St Andrew's Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 123126 Local Authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 340286 Inspection dates 6–7 July 2010 Reporting inspector Kerry Rochester

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 275 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Gillian Ambridge Headteacher Wendy Heritage Date of previous school inspection 13 June 2007 School address Station Road Chinnor OX39 4PU Telephone number 01844 351353 Fax number 01844 354745 Email address head.3182@ocnmail.net

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Age group 4–11 Inspection dates 6–7 July 2010 Inspection number 340286 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 rates council children's services, and inspects services for looked 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.

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If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 08456 404045, 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 documentation in any way. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 08456 404045 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors, who visited 22 lessons and observed 12 teaching staff. Separate meetings took place with governors and a group of parents, and inspectors held discussions with members of staff and groups of pupils. The inspection team observed the school's work and looked at a range of evidence, including the systems for assessing and monitoring pupils' progress, the work that pupils had produced in their books, teachers' marking and the questionnaires completed by 120 parents and carers, 100 pupils and 26 members of staff. The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at the following:  how well teaching is challenging all groups of pupils to do well, particularly in Year 2 and Year 4  the contribution made by middle managers to school improvement  the effectiveness of systems to improve the quality of teaching and learning and to

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Introduction

track pupils' progress  the effectiveness of actions taken to address the weakness in writing.

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Information about the school

St Andrew's Church of England Primary School is slightly above average in size. Most pupils come from a White British background, and a very small number come from a range of minority ethnic groups. The percentage of pupils who speak English as an additional language is lower than in most schools. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average, and their needs include moderate learning difficulties and emotional or behavioural problems. The school has gained a number of national accreditations such as Healthy School status and the Active Mark. The school has two autistic resource bases for pupils with severe communication difficulties. Most of these pupils are integrated into classes at some point during the day. The school is in two sections, 100 metres apart. At the time of the inspection, three classes were being taught by temporary teachers. The school has very recently appointed a new headteacher. Since taking up her post, she

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Information about the school

has had to deal with a significant legal issue which has taken up a considerable amount of her time.

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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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Main findings

St Andrew's Church of England Primary School is a satisfactory school. It has several good features, particularly in terms of pupils' personal development. The recently appointed headteacher has been presented with significant challenges. However, she has high aspirations for the pupils and the school's future, and has developed effective systems and procedures that focus sharply on the well-being of both pupils and staff. This has resulted in the creation of a close and purposeful community, where pupils enjoy school and feel safe. This view was supported by an overwhelming majority of parents and carers. As one stated, 'The school has a lovely community feel.' The school has strong links with parents and carers, outside support agencies and the local community. Pupils attend regularly, behave well in lessons and have a good understanding of health and well-being. Children join the school in Reception class skills and understanding that are broadly at the

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Main findings

levels expected for their age, and reach above average standards by the time they leave at the end of Year 6. They make good progress in Reception and in Year 6, but progress throughout the rest of the school fluctuates from year to year and achievement for most pupils, regardless of background or ability, is satisfactory. However, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities often make good progress as a result of well-focused individual support from teaching assistants. In some year groups, particularly Years 2 and 4, too many pupils are making slow progress in writing. The school is working hard to improve this, but teachers do not yet provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to write at length across different subject areas, or to develop basic writing skills during daily literacy lessons. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, but inconsistent. Staff typically make good

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Main findings

use of resources such as modern technology to make learning come alive and involve pupils actively in their learning. In some cases they do not clarify the aims of the lesson and do not check pupils' ongoing progress to make sure they develop their skills and understanding at a consistently good rate. These weaknesses mostly relate to staff not making enough use of assessment information to ensure that all individual needs are met within each lesson. Teachers mark pupils' work regularly, but while their comments usually show what pupils have done well, they are not always helpful in showing pupils how they might improve their work further. The headteacher and governors have a secure view of the school's strengths and weaknesses. Governors are involving themselves more in the school community and are increasing their understanding of the school's performance so that they can hold it fully to account. Satisfactory improvements have been made since the last inspection and the

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Main findings

weaker aspects, such as the arrangements for tracking pupils' progress, have been successfully tackled. The revised tracking system now supports accurate monitoring of pupils' attainment and progress, although subject leaders are not yet sufficiently involved

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

in analysing the resulting data or contributing to school improvement. Promising recent developments have not yet had a consistent impact on achievement across the school. Taking all these factors into account, the school demonstrates a satisfactory capacity for sustained further improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in writing throughout the school by: providing regular, high quality opportunities for writing across the curriculum ensuring that all literacy lessons are planned carefully to develop pupils' writing skills.  Strengthen middle leadership by: improving the capacity of middle leaders to analyse performance data and use this information to support further improvement ensuring that middle leaders monitor and evaluate their subject areas consistently well across the school.  Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that: effective use is made of assessment data in all lessons to plan work that is closely matched to pupils' differing ability levels the marking of pupils' work always includes clear comments that help pupils to understand how to improve learning objectives and pupils' success criteria are sharply focused on the precise learning aims for each lesson, and shared with pupils.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

The school's 2009 test results for Year 6 pupils were above average, reflecting good progress made by that particular year group. However, lesson observations, work in pupils' books and an analysis of school data show that learning is of variable quality across the school and pupils, including those pupils now in Year 6, are currently making satisfactory overall progress. Writing remains the weakest area, particularly in Years 2 and 4. The school is starting to tackle this, and in some lessons pupils think things through in groups to develop their communication and writing skills. A good example was seen in a Year 2 lesson, where pupils successfully worked together to share, create and record ideas for writing a story. There are no significant differences in the progress made by boys and girls or pupils from different ethnic groups. Most of the pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from good individual support so that they typically make good progress

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

in lessons. The small number of pupils in the autistic resource base are included in some lessons within the school. This integration promotes their personal, social and emotional development. Whilst their individual needs are not met quite so well, they make satisfactory progress in keeping up with most other pupils. Pupils' positive attitudes to learning contribute significantly to the good relationships seen. Pupils are polite and eager to learn. They thrive on the many opportunities they have to

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

be involved in the running of the school, including the work done through the school council on projects such as constructing their own vegetable garden. All aspects of pupils' personal development are good, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school council takes its role seriously and it leads a range of initiatives, including participating in the recent appointment of the headteacher. Years 5 and 6 pupils develop good entrepreneurial skills through creating their own business plans in projects such as 'The Young Enterprise Project'. One pupil stated, 'It was an experience we will never forget, starting our own business; we raised money by working together.'

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 3

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Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 3

The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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2

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4

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How effective is the provision?

In most of the lessons seen, teachers used effective questioning techniques to draw out conclusions from pupils and make sure they offered opinions. Teachers often use computerised interactive whiteboards ('smart' boards) to engage pupils and present information in an exciting way. In a Year 2 lesson pupils were invited to come and add to a list of adjectives on the smart board during the lesson. This clearly promoted pupils' discussion skills and use of language within the lesson. Some teachers make good use of opportunities for pupils to discuss in pairs and to think about particular ideas, and this also supports the pupils' speaking and listening skills. In the weaker lessons, learning objectives were not always shared with pupils or referred to during the lesson and therefore not helpful to the pupils. Assessment information is not always used well to

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

ensure that teachers pitch tasks at the right level to meet the varying needs and interests of all individuals. Occasionally teachers give explanations that are too long, or do not challenge pupils enough. As a result the pace of learning drops, pupils are not fully engaged and their behaviour is no better than satisfactory. The curriculum promotes the satisfactory development of basic skills. It is enriched through creative partnerships and by numerous clubs, educational visits and visitors, and projects such as 'healthy month'. Pupils benefit from a good range of opportunities through the curriculum to learn about other people's diverse cultures and backgrounds around the world, but few opportunities as yet to engage directly with them. During the current difficulties at the school there has been close cooperation with outside agencies to ensure that pupils' well-being is paramount. The good care, guidance and

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

support provided by the staff reflect the caring nature of the school. Teaching assistants provide good support to meet the specific needs of pupils with behavioural and/or learning difficulties. Appropriate support in the autistic resource base ensures that pupils make steady progress in their learning.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching 3

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

A significant amount of the headteacher's time has been taken up with a significant legal issue and this has inevitably had an impact on the work of the wider management team and the progress being made by the school. Nevertheless, she is beginning to establish her vision and create a climate for improvement, and the middle management team are now taking greater responsibility for monitoring the quality of provision and standards. New systems are in place to track pupils' progress, although the headteacher is aware that a lack of rigour in applying them has meant that pupils' progress remains too variable across the school. The governing body fulfils its statutory duties in relation to safeguarding requirements and has ensured that the school has clear policies, strategies and procedures in place for the safety and welfare of the pupils. Governors have a good relationship with the new headteacher and together they are beginning to challenge and tackle the identified

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How effective are leadership and management?

weaknesses across the school. The school has appropriate policies and procedures to promote equality of opportunity and community cohesion, but has not yet fully evaluated their impact on pupils' performance and experiences. Despite being faced with significant challenges the school has demonstrated that it is capable of maintaining the momentum of improvement.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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3

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children's attainment on entry to the reception class is broadly in line with national expectations. They get off to a good start and they enjoy coming to school because effective teaching helps them to make good progress across all the areas of learning. Good induction procedures ensure that children are well prepared for starting school, and the resulting links with parents and carers are maintained well throughout the year. The Early Years Foundation Stage is led and managed well to ensure that children operate in a safe and caring environment. The children behave well and learn to play and share together. The staff provide a good balance of activities between those chosen by the children and those initiated by adults. The warm, friendly, secure and stimulating environment provides lots of opportunities for children to explore. The caring ethos and relationships the staff have with the children help them to grow and develop confident

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Early Years Foundation Stage

speaking and listening skills. For example, as seen in one lesson where a child explained to the teacher that she had made a mistake when following her instructions to make play dough. The outdoor area features a good range of resources and is used effectively to support the children's learning. Planning is thorough and appropriately identifies individual pupils who may be struggling in order to ensure they make good progress. Staff make effective use of ongoing assessments to plan and prepare appropriate activities, but occasionally miss opportunities to document the progress children are making.

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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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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

Most of the parents and carers are pleased with what the school has to offer and are happy with their children's overall experience. A very large majority feel that their children enjoy school, are kept safe, are taught how to lead a healthy lifestyle, and are well prepared for the future. A small number of parents expressed concerns to do with the school site. The inspectors looked into their concerns, and judged that the school is aware of these issues and has clear plans in place to address them.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at St Andrew's Church of England Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 120 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 275 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 66 55 46 38 8 7 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 61 51 54 45 2 2 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My school informs me about my child's progress 49 41 60 50 10 8 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child is making enough progress at this school 51 43 59 49 9 8 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The teaching is good at this school 64 53 49 41 7 6 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps me to support my child's learning 46 38 64 53 7 6 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 54 45 60 50 5 4 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 54 45 59 49 4 3 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 58 48 53 44 8 7 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 43 36 64 53 8 7 3 3

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 39 33 67 56 8 7 2 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 58 48 50 42 10 8 1 1

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 61 51 51 43 6 5 2 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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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.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

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

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above is for the period 1 September to 31 December 2009 and is the most recently published data available (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). Please note that the sample of schools inspected during the autumn term 2009 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Secondary school figures include those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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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

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on 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 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. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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4PU

On behalf of the team, thank you very much for your help and cooperation when we inspected your school. We were very impressed by how friendly and helpful you were and all the inspectors said how much they enjoyed talking to you about your life in school. It was a delight and a privilege to visit your school. You clearly enjoy school, behave well and get along together. You told us that you understand the importance of being healthy and also feel safe in school because adults take good care of you. Your school council really enjoy their role and feel very proud of the projects they undertake to help improve your school. Your headteacher is working really hard to make sure that your school, which is currently satisfactory, becomes even better. It already has lots of good features but she, together with the staff and governors are determined to make things even better for you. We have asked the school to do three things to improve your education further:

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4PU

 improve lessons by making sure that the activities set for you are always at the right level ? neither too hard nor too easy ? and that teachers' marking and the feedback they give you always show you clearly what you are aiming for and what to do next to improve your work  provide you with more opportunities to practise and develop your writing skills across the curriculum  make sure that the management team look more closely at your achievement and think carefully about how they could help to improve it further. I hope you will play your part by continuing to work hard and do your best. I wish you every success in the future.

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www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please

telephone 08456 404045, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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