Cumnor Church of England School (Voluntary Controlled)

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 22–23 February 2012 Inspection number 123146 Cumnor C of E Primary School Inspection report

p.1

Unique reference number 123146 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 380606 Inspection dates 22–23 February 2012 Lead inspector John Earish

p.1

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

p.1

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 209 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jane Millin Headteacher Heather Broom Date of previous school inspection 12–13 September 2006 School address Oxford Road Cumnor OX2 9PQ Telephone number 01865 862337 Fax number 01865 865591 Email address office.3223@cumnor.oxon.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

p.1

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’.

p.2

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.

p.2

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

p.2

Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspectors visited 16 lessons taught by nine teachers, and also made a number of shorter observations. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, staff and representatives of the governing body. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, and looked at monitoring and assessment information and teachers’ planning. They listened to pupils read, and scrutinised pupils’ books. Questionnaires from staff and pupils were analysed, as well as 111 questionnaires received from parents and carers.

p.3

Information about the school

This is an average sized primary school. Most pupils are of White British heritage, with a small number from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs varies from year to year but is lower than the national average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below the national average. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. The school has achieved a number of external accreditations, including Healthy Schools’ status, the Eco School Silver Award and Investors in People.

p.3

Information about the school

The school has been through a period of considerable change since the last inspection, with the appointment of a new headteacher just over three years ago and a number of recent changes to staffing. 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

p.3

Key findings

 In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement. The school is not satisfactory because some teaching is inadequate and not enough is good, achievement is inadequate, and leadership and management are ineffective.

p.4

Key findings

 Standards have declined since the last inspection and pupils’ progress overall is inadequate by the end of Year 6. However, children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make a good start to their education and achieve well.

p.4

Key findings

 Despite some recent improvements in the quality of teaching at Key Stage 2, and evidence that good teaching consistently takes place in the Early Years Foundation Stage, the quality of teaching overall is inadequate over time because pupils do not make enough progress by the time they leave school. Teaching and learning are inadequate at Key Stage 1.

p.4

Key findings

 There are significant weaknesses in leadership and management. Staff do not share a vision for success and they lack confidence in school leadership, resulting in low morale. The governing body does not hold the school to account for its performance sufficiently well. The leadership of teaching and the management of performance are not sufficiently rigorous to improve pupils’ achievement rapidly. The curriculum has been strengthened at Key Stage 2 but it remains inadequate at Key Stage 1, especially in writing and mathematics.

p.4

Key findings

 Most pupils say they enjoy school and feel safe. They attend regularly and behave satisfactorily. Pupils work best when they understand what they must achieve and are given opportunities to explore their own ideas and learn from their mistakes.

p.4

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and eradicate any that is inadequate by ensuring that:  pupils are made fully aware of what they need to learn  work provides appropriate challenge, particularly for middle ability and more able pupils  pupils are involved more in assessing for themselves how well they are doing so they can take on more responsibility for their own learning.

p.5

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ achievement by:  telling pupils clearly how to improve their work  improving the curriculum at Key Stage 1, especially in writing and mathematics.

p.5

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality and effectiveness of leadership and management and rebuild the school’s capacity for sustained improvement by:  ensuring that all staff work together to achieve a shared vision for the school’s success that is supported by all members of the community  holding staff to account for the learning and progress in their classes and areas of responsibility  ensuring the governing body hold senior leaders fully accountable for the school’s performance  strengthening the school’s improvement plan so that it provides a clear focus for action to drive up standards and improve the quality of teaching and learning.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Although there are pupils who do achieve well and enjoy learning, overall, pupils’ achievement is inadequate because learning and progress are not consistently good enough across the school. From starting points that are typically above those expected for their age, most children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Parents and carers agree and are pleased with the progress their children make. They make good progress in their social skills, in their understanding of how letters are linked to sounds (phonics) and in the development of writing and number skills. The majority of children are working securely within Level 1 of the National Curriculum by the start of Year 1, which is a year ahead of the standard expected of five-year-olds. This rate of progress is not, however, maintained across all classes. Attainment has been declining in all subjects for a number of years from well above average to broadly average by the time pupils leave the school. Last year,

p.5

Achievement of pupils

reading was above average at the end of Year 2 and broadly average by Year 6, but pupils’ progress is uneven across classes and their attainment should be higher.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

A number of parents and carers wrote expressing their concerns about the decline in the school’s performance. Inspectors found there is a legacy of underachievement that has still to be addressed. Inspection evidence shows that recent improvements to the quality of teaching at Key Stage 2 are enabling pupils to make accelerated progress and to catch up some of the work they have missed, but more remains to be done. Achievement and progress at Key Stage 1 remain inadequate. This was evident, for example, during a Key Stage 1 mathematics lesson where pupils did not understand the task that was set and were unable to read the instructions because the vocabulary was too difficult. In a literacy session, the pupils were asked to write about a special key. Expectations were low, the pace was very slow and pupils spent most of the time drawing so produced very little written work. As a consequence, pupils made inadequate progress in both lessons. Raising the quality of writing at

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Key Stage 1 was identified as an area for improvement at the last inspection, and has not been sufficiently addressed.

p.6

Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make satisfactory progress overall. The school uses a range of intervention and support strategies for these pupils which are proving to be effective in supporting learning and narrowing the gap between their performance and that of other pupils.

p.6

Quality of teaching

While teaching is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in parts of Key Stage 2, too much is inadequate at Key Stage 1. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage benefit from well structured routines. The adults are particularly good at using opportunities well to develop children’s vocabulary, reading and numeracy skills. For example, children were challenged to divide a bag of seed into five equal portions. They enthusiastically tried out different ideas and the teacher skilfully introduced mathematical vocabulary such as ‘capacity’, ‘more than’, ‘less than’ and ‘empty’. Children are offered good opportunities for talking together and adults use questions well to find out what children know in order to extend their understanding and vocabulary.

p.6

Quality of teaching

Weaknesses in teaching occur when tasks are not sufficiently clearly explained or well matched to the pupils’ varying needs. For example, Year 2 pupils did not understand the terms ‘orientation’, ‘visualise’ and ‘systematic’ when tackling a problem involving squares and triangles. As a result, pupils were not sufficiently challenged because they could not access the learning without individual explanation. Pupils’ work shows evidence of inadequate teaching over time in Years 1 and 2, with insufficient challenge for middle ability and more able pupils. Work shows that insufficient attention has been given in the planned curriculum to developing writing and problem solving skills and this has a detrimental impact on pupils’ progress and achievement.

p.6

Quality of teaching

In the better lessons in Key Stage 2, teachers provide clear explanations and involve pupils in assessing their own learning, and marking shows them how to improve their work. These pupils rightly say that lessons are ‘not too easy and not too difficult’. Teachers have increased the opportunities for them to solve problems and use their initiative, making learning both enjoyable and challenging. For example, during a good Year 5 mathematics lesson, pupils were solving problems involving parallel lines. They found this helpful because, as pupils commented, ‘It makes you think about what you are doing and use the things you already understand to work out the answer… and it certainly helps you to remember for next time’. However, this level of challenge and involvement of pupils is not sufficiently consistent across the school.

p.6

Quality of teaching

Pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural skills are developed satisfactorily in lessons. They are encouraged to understand the consequences of their actions on themselves and others and the differences between right and wrong. As a result, pupils usually happily collaborate together, take turns, and help and support each other.

p.7

Quality of teaching

Most parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire believed that their children are taught well at the school. Although there are strengths in some aspects of teaching and in some phases, the inspection found the quality of teaching and learning is too variable and teaching is inadequate overall.

p.7

Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attitudes to learning and behaviour over time are satisfactory and attendance is above average. Children behave well in the Early Years Foundation Stage, because they enjoy school and relationships are strong. They settle quickly and feel very safe, secure and excited about coming to school. Inspectors found that the school is generally calm. Even when teaching does not challenge and engage pupils fully, low- level disruption only occasionally occurs. Pupils were adamant that bullying of any type was infrequent and any instances are dealt with well by their teachers. They appreciate that staff really care for them and they know who to go to for help and support. However, the parents’ and carers’ questionnaire responses are more mixed, with around a fifth having some concerns about behaviour in some lessons. In response, the inspectors interviewed a random sample of pupils from across the school. Pupils reported that attitudes to learning were generally positive and lessons

p.7

Behaviour and safety of pupils

were usually orderly and purposeful. They say they feel safe and well cared for. A large group of the oldest pupils sought out the inspectors to tell them how behaviour has improved and how happy they are at school.

p.7

Leadership and management

Leaders and managers at all levels have failed to arrest the decline in standards over the last three years. Strategic planning for monitoring and evaluating the work of the school has not been systematic or detailed enough. As a consequence, improvement since the last inspection is inadequate and staff morale is low. Just under half of the staff who responded to the staff questionnaire lacked confidence in the leadership of the school. There is no shared vision for the school’s success or for working as a team that all members of the community can support. Consequently, there has been a marked and steady deterioration in attainment and progress. As a result of these failings, the school is unable to demonstrate the capacity to improve.

p.7

Leadership and management

There is no deputy headteacher and the senior management team is depleted due to maternity leave. This means the headteacher and Key Stage 2 coordinator are carrying considerable responsibilities. Despite some recent success at Key Stage 2, the impact of the monitoring of teaching and learning and the professional development of staff has not been sufficient to address the school’s weaknesses. For example, some new subject managers are determinedly addressing weakness in their subjects. However, they have not yet been given sufficient time and do not have sufficient experience or expertise in monitoring the quality of teaching and learning to hold teachers to account fully for the progress pupils are making in their subjects. The new self evaluation and improvement plan has correctly identified the areas for action in order to bring about rapid improvement but has yet to be completed. This means that it cannot be shared amongst staff and used to guide improvement.

p.7

Leadership and management

Enrichment activities extend pupils’ learning, including a good range of visits, visitors and residential experiences that pupils really enjoy. Links between the different areas of learning are developing so that skills learned in numeracy, literacy and information and communication technology are starting to be practised in other lessons. However, much of the work aimed at addressing weaknesses in these subjects, for example by developing computation skills, increasing opportunities for writing throughout the planned curriculum and for problem solving in mathematics and science, are recent and have yet to have an impact on pupils’ attainment, especially at Key Stage 1, where the overall curriculum remains inadequate. However, the curriculum does satisfactorily promote pupils’ moral and social development, reflected in their behaviour in and around the school and their willingness to help and support each other. Pupils’ cultural and spiritual development is promoted well,

p.8

Leadership and management

for example through the links with schools from Finland, Belgium and Italy. As a result, pupils are open to new ideas and are developing a greater awareness of the cultural diversity within the United Kingdom and beyond.

p.8

Leadership and management

The governing body has sought information and asked for reviews of the school’s performance. However, the governing body’s approach to challenging leaders and holding them to account for the quality of provision and outcomes is not sufficiently rigorous or well developed, and so is not effective. Arrangements for safeguarding pupils comply with current requirements. The school actively tackles discrimination but there is little evidence of improvement in the outcomes or experiences of different groups of pupils, especially at Key Stage 1. Consequently the school does not promote equality of opportunity effectively enough to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as they can.

p.8

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.

p.9

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

p.9

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.

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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

p.9

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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

main findings from the inspection of their school.

p.11

Inspection of Cumnor C of E Primary School, Cumnor OX2 9PQ

Thank you for being so welcoming and helpful when we visited your school recently. We enjoyed looking at your work, seeing you in lessons and talking to so many of you. Thank you too to those who completed questionnaires. We were pleased to hear that you like your school and enjoy helping each other. The children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress and thoroughly enjoy the activities that are organised for them. Pupils in Key Stage 2 are catching up some of the work they have missed.

p.11

Inspection of Cumnor C of E Primary School, Cumnor OX2 9PQ

While there are some positive things happening, overall the school is not doing a good enough job. This is why the inspection team judged that the school needs ‘special measures’. This means your school will receive extra help and will be visited each term by an inspection team to check how much progress is being made to improve matters.

p.11

Inspection of Cumnor C of E Primary School, Cumnor OX2 9PQ

There are times when some of you do not do as well as you could. So we have asked the school to make sure that your work is never too easy or too hard and to involve you more in assessing for yourselves how well you are doing. We have asked teachers to tell you clearly how to improve. These things will help you become more responsible for your own learning; you can help by listening carefully and thinking hard about how to improve. We have also asked the school to make sure that you get plenty of opportunities to improve writing and problem solving, especially in Years 1 and 2.

p.11

Inspection of Cumnor C of E Primary School, Cumnor OX2 9PQ

We have asked all the adults to play their part by working together to agree upon ways to improve your school. We want improvement plans to be clearer. We have asked the school to keep a close check on how each teacher and leader is doing.

p.11

Inspection of Cumnor C of E Primary School, Cumnor OX2 9PQ

John Earish 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 .

p.11