Watermoor Church of England Primary School

Watermoor Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 115614 Local Authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 366644 Inspection dates 13–14 July 2011 Reporting inspector Andrew Watters HMI

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills (HMCI) the authority to cause any school to be inspected. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 103 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ian Hartnell Headteacher Matt Fletcher Date of previous school inspection 9 February 2010 School address Watermoor Road Cirencester Gloucestershire GL7 1JR Telephone number 01285 653817 Fax number 01285 654755 Email address admin@watermoor.gloucs.sch.uk

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Age group 4–11 Inspection dates 13–14 July 2011 Inspection number 366644 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 after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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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 .

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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. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to 'Subscribe'. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA T: 0300 123 4234 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 one of Her Majestys Inspectors (HMI). The inspector observed seven lessons and saw all teachers and teaching assistants teaching, either in whole-class sessions or smaller intervention groups. In addition, pupils books and other written work was looked at, some of this with the acting deputy headteacher. The inspector met with groups of pupils, a small group of parents and carers, senior leaders and managers, the Chair and Vice-chair of the Governing Body, the local Anglican minister and other staff. The schools work was observed, including two assemblies and the inspector looked at a range of documentation, including the schools self-evaluation, raising attainment plans, minutes from governing body meetings, assessment information, policies and teachers planning. The inspector reviewed many aspects of the schools work and looked in detail at a number of key areas.

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Introduction

Raising attainment levels and increasing rates of progress in mathematics and English, particularly in writing. The quality of teaching and learning, particularly the use of assessment to inform planning and to ensure sufficient challenge for the higher attaining pupils. The rigour and consistency of monitoring and evaluation by senior leaders and managers.

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Information about the school

Watermoor is a relatively small semi-rural primary school. Nearly all of the pupils are of White British heritage with a small minority from a range of other heritage groups. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is 21% which is slightly above the national average. When you include potentially vulnerable pupils who receive specific targeted intervention because of their needs this increases to 59%. The school runs a breakfast club which is attended regularly by around 24 pupils and seven of the staff. The breakfast club is managed by the governing body and takes place each Tuesday and Thursday in the school hall. The Early Years Foundation Stage class consists of a group of Reception-aged children and a group of Year 1 pupils. The school is part of a collaborative partnership with Bishops Cleeve Primary School. The headteacher at Bishops Cleeve is the executive headteacher of both schools and the deputy headteacher from

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Information about the school

Bishops Cleeve is the acting headteacher at Watermoor. When the school was last inspected in February 2010 it was judged to require special measures. Subsequently, the school was inspected on three occasions. At the last monitoring inspection the school was judged to be making good progress. 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

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majestys Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. In a relatively short period of time the school has achieved great success, made possible by a remarkable journey of sustained improvement. Much of this is due to the highly effective partnership arrangements with Bishops Cleeve Primary and the extremely successful leadership of the acting headteacher. Expectations are high and the schools aspirations for further improvement are commendable. All of the school community have greatly benefited from clear direction and a relentless focus on raising attainment for all pupils. While attainment is average overall, achievement is good and in some year groups, particularly in Years 4, 5 and 6, there is a significant and increasing number of pupils who make outstanding progress. Consistently good quality teaching from some teachers and most teaching

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Main findings

assistants makes a strong contribution to the pupils good achievements. Teaching is never less than satisfactory although some of the pupils work does not always provide sufficient challenge. The schools capacity to improve is good. No stone is left unturned in the pursuit of higher attainment for all pupils. Senior leaders, managers and the governing body have a very accurate view of the schools strengths and weaknesses, which is reflected in the thorough and detailed self-evaluation of the schools performance. The acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher are innovative and creative, seeking and succeeding in finding effective solutions to improving provision and outcomes. Along with the executive headteacher, they successfully embed ambition and drive and secure improvement strongly and consistently well. The school is a lively and thriving community. During a meeting between the inspector

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Main findings

and some parents and carers, a parent said that the school really buzzes and everyone is so welcoming and happy. This is shown clearly in the pupils good behaviour and their eagerness to talk about their work, sharing their successes and showing how much they have improved. The pupils are courteous, friendly, good humoured and love showcasing their school, of which they are very proud! One pupil said: We cant wait to come out of special measures because then everyone will know what a good job we are doing. Attendance is above average and punctuality is generally good. Pupils make an increasingly positive contribution to the school and have a voice in decisions which affect their learning. The school council takes its responsibilities seriously and has been influential in promoting the importance of the schools breakfast club and fund raising for charities. Less success has been achieved for the pupils to make a strong

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Main findings

contribution to the wider community, particularly the limited opportunities to understand the issues facing the local community, and where appropriate become involved with community projects. The pupils social and moral development is good, and all pupils have a well-developed sense of justice and fairness. Spiritual and cultural development is less well embedded, both in the curriculum and in the general life of the school. The 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

curriculum, although satisfactory, is not sufficiently broad and balanced. The recent introduction of themes and cross-curricular activities has not yet made a strong impact on raising standards in subjects other than English and mathematics. The quality of leadership, provision and outcomes in the Early Years Foundation Stage are satisfactory and the children make sound progress from their starting points, which are just below what might be expected for their age. The quality of planning and use of assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage are not yet consistently good and these aspects sometimes slow the childrens progress. The school has done remarkably well to come out of special measures as a good school in just over a year. The journey from failure to success is an immense achievement for all associated with the school, and a very good news story for all the pupils who come to the school each day.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils attainment by: ensuring all lessons are consistently good or better further improving teachers planning so that there is a good level of challenge for all pupils in all lessons.  Improve the quality, breadth and balance of the curriculum by: ensuring the whole curriculum is sufficiently adapted to meet the needs and interests of all pupils improving provision and outcomes for cross-curricular activities providing increased opportunities for pupils to make a stronger contribution to the wider community extending pupils knowledge and understanding of the religious, cultural, ethnic and socio-economic characteristics of communities in a local, national and global context.  Improve the quality of provision, leadership and outcomes in the Early Years Foundation Stage by: ensuring all children make good or better progress making better use of assessment information to plan the next steps in childrens

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

learning extending opportunities for children to choose meaningful activities and develop greater independence when working and playing.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils achievement is good and in some cases is exceptional. From a very low baseline the school has successfully raised attainment levels for all groups, with a large majority of pupils attaining the levels expected for their age. The quality of pupils learning and their progress reflects their impressive achievements. In lessons pupils writing is mostly of good quality, demonstrated by the increasing sophistication and complexity of sentences, accurate spelling and good punctuation. Years 4 and 5 pupils wrote with expression, 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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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

sensitivity and maturity about a recent visit to Bristol Zoo. Pupils in Year 6 made excellent progress tackling challenging and demanding calculations involving fractions and percentages. There was great enjoyment in spelling lessons when pupils showed immense enthusiasm for learning to spell new and complex vocabulary, testing each other and even the inspector! Attainment in spelling has risen dramatically in a very short period of time. Over the past year the vast majority of pupils have made at least good progress overall. A majority of the pupils have made excellent progress in mathematics and progress in writing has been outstanding, with three quarters of the pupils making almost two years progress in one year. The unvalidated results of the 2011 Key Stage 2 tests for eleven- year-olds also show good improvement, with a very large majority of pupils reaching the level expected for their age. Almost half the Year 6 pupils attained above average

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

standards in reading, and a quarter did so in mathematics and English overall. The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is good. No groups are disadvantaged. All succeed and make at least good progress because of well-targeted intervention. Boys and girls do equally well in their achievements, and potentially vulnerable pupils make very good gains in key skills. This was shown well during well-focused group activities taught by teaching assistants and teachers, for example when writing stories. Higher attaining pupils achieve very well and many make outstanding progress. Pupils show great enthusiasm for their learning because their work is relevant, challenging and interesting. Year 6 pupils spoke with passion and honesty about how much they appreciate the changes that have been made in their school and how their voice is heard. For example, they researched the costs of new lockers,

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

presented their request to the school council where it was approved, raised money towards the purchase and now greatly enjoy using the lockers, which they realise will in turn be enjoyed by other pupils when they move into Year 6. There is no doubt that pupils enjoy coming to school and feel very safe in school. In nearly all lessons they took part eagerly, working together cooperatively, supporting and helping each other to learn and practise new skills. While many pupils know about the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle, and take regular exercise, eating healthily is not always a priority, particularly at lunchtimes. 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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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning 2

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 2

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

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

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles 3

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community 3

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

The extent to which pupils develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 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?

The quality of teaching is good and ranges from outstanding to satisfactory. Teachers make effective use of assessment to inform their planning, drive attainment levels upwards and secure good progress and learning, although this is not as strong in the satisfactory lessons. Every teacher has a detailed knowledge of each pupils attainment and their targets, and most plan activities that match the pupils different starting points to ensure that all make good progress. Good use is made of classroom environments to promote effective learning. There are many displays of good quality exemplars and pupils work, as well as other relevant resources. Teaching assistants make a very strong and positive contribution to raising attainment levels and provide good quality focused intervention for groups of pupils. In the outstanding lessons pupils progress and learning were excellent, teachers subject knowledge was strong, questions were used effectively to

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How effective is the provision?

elicit understanding and challenge the pupils thinking and the pupils worked diligently, with great application and good humour. The curriculum is satisfactory and adequately matched to the pupils interests and aspirations. The curriculum for mathematics and English is good and there is satisfactory provision for cross-curricular activities, including literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology. As yet the broader curriculum has not been sufficiently adapted to match the needs of individuals and groups of pupils across all subjects. There is a good range of after-school clubs with a high take-up rate of 70%. Pupils who attend 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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How effective is the provision?

the breakfast club are well supervised. They enjoy a reasonably healthy breakfast and participate in a satisfactory range of activities before the school day begins. Pupils are cared for effectively and receive good quality guidance and support. Many pupils spoke enthusiastically about how the changes in their school are helping them not only do better in their work but also become better people with a real sense of how they can make a difference in their own lives and for others. The highly effective support for potentially vulnerable groups of pupils has had a very positive impact on pupils attitudes, self-confidence and belief in their abilities. This is a very strong feature of the schools work.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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How effective is the provision?

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective is the provision?

The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships

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How effective is the provision?

The effectiveness of care, guidance and support 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

There is no doubt that the partnership arrangements, under the high quality leadership of the executive headteacher and the highly effective day-to-day leadership of the acting headteacher, have been instrumental in turning the school around in a relatively short period of time. There is a relentless focus on the right of all pupils to receive a high quality of education and to achieve well, regardless of their starting points or particular needs. This vision permeates the school, is communicated well by all leaders and managers and is shown clearly in the academic progress and personal development of each pupil. Monitoring and evaluation are rigorous and systematic. The acting headteacher has high expectations and is supported very effectively by the acting deputy headteacher. Both have successfully articulated their ambition for the school and demonstrated this by the success that has been achieved, driving improvement and securing better standards of

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How effective are leadership and management?

attainment for all pupils. The governing body has become increasingly influential and is rigorously checking the schools performance, holding all senior leaders to account for the pupils welfare and academic development. The Chair of the Governing Body has provided good leadership to secure a budget deficit recovery plan agreed with the local authority and the Vice-chair provides a strong lead in monitoring and evaluating the schools work. The school tackles discrimination firmly and ensures equality is promoted successfully among all groups. Rigorous systems for tracking pupils performance are used very effectively to target intervention where it is most needed and for those pupils who are potentially most vulnerable. The special educational needs coordinator provides good leadership and has established strong and effective partnerships with external agencies and other professionals. Safeguarding procedures are effective and rigorous. Great care is

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How effective are leadership and management?

taken to ensure that the school complies with statutory requirements and that there are well-developed risk assessment systems which are regularly reviewed. Community 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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How effective are leadership and management?

cohesion is promoted satisfactorily. Although the pupils have a good understanding of their own school community there is limited provision for them to extend their knowledge of the religious, ethnic, social and economic characteristics of their community in a local, national and global context.

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How effective are leadership and management?

These are the grades for leadership and management

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement

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How effective are leadership and management?

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

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities met

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of the school's engagement with parents and carers 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion 3

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How effective are leadership and management?

The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money 2

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The Early Years Foundation Stage Reception class provides a satisfactory start to the childrens time at the school. The children make sound progress in their learning, and play well together. Most of the children are settled and take part willingly in activities, although this is less secure when they play and work independently without direct adult supervision. The learning environment is bright and cheerful with many interesting and colourful displays which engage the childrens imagination and curiosity. Childrens progress is tracked carefully and assessments are used satisfactorily to plan the next steps in their learning. There are occasional opportunities for the children to exercise choice although this is not a strong feature of their learning. Routines are well established and children generally behave sensibly although on some occasions need gentle reminders to look after resources more carefully. The children are very caring towards each other and this is

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Early Years Foundation Stage

shown well by the high level of acceptance and care shown towards new members of the class. The class teacher has worked hard to ensure effective support for all children in Reception as well as the Year 1 pupils who are taught in the same class. The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory and has made a satisfactory contribution to provision and outcomes. 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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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

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Early Years Foundation Stage

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

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Early Years Foundation Stage

The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 3

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Early Years Foundation Stage

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

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Views of parents and carers

Parental questionnaires are not normally distributed for monitoring inspections conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005, unless inspectors have specific reasons to request to do so. Nevertheless the school carries out regular surveys of parents and carers views and there was a high response to the most recent survey. Just over 60% of the parents and carers responded and gave an overwhelmingly positive endorsement of the schools actions and performance in relation to their childrens life and work at the school. A small group of parents and carers who met with the inspector were full of praise for the way in which the school has been transformed since the partnership arrangements were introduced. They were also exceptionally appreciative of the way the school embraces and welcomes new pupils and provides information about how well their children are doing academically. Responses to parents surveys have increased consistently, from 29% in May

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Views of parents and carers

2010 to 60% in March 2011. The parents and carers who responded to the schools questionnaires show overwhelming support for the school. When asked do you feel that the school meets your childs needs 98% agreed that it does. The school responds well to the views of parents and carers, for example when parents and carers said that they would like to see more opportunities for their children to visit places of interest, the school reviewed its existing approach and introduced a wider range of educational trips, including a residential stay for the older pupils.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire

Parental questionnaires are not normally distributed for inspections conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005, unless inspectors have specific reasons to request that the school does so.

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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 are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 December 2010 and 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. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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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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1JR

I am really pleased to tell you that your school has done extremely well in this inspection and has come out of special measures. This means that it no longer needs inspectors to visit each term and is now a good school. I am very grateful to all of you who came and spoke to me during the inspection and told me how much you enjoy coming to school, and enjoy your lessons. You are rightly proud of your school and all the good things that are happening. Here are some of the things that your school is doing really well: making sure you are safe and well looked after giving you interesting and challenging work making you better readers, writers and mathematicians keeping a very careful eye on how well each of you is doing and making sure you are happy at school listening carefully to your views and opinions and giving you opportunities to get involved in making decisions about some of the things that the school provides, like the lockers

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1JR

that have just been bought. Although your school is now doing really well these are the things we have asked the senior leaders and the governing body to improve even further: the standard of work that you produce so that even more of you achieve your targets and the levels you are working towards the challenge provided for you so that all your lessons make you work very hard and help you build on what you can already do well the activities you are asked to do in the themes and topics you study so that they all give you a chance to show how well you can do Provide more opportunities for you to get involved in your local community and find out more about life in the United Kingdom and the world Make lessons in the Reception class even more fun and interesting. I know that all of you will want to help your teachers, senior leaders and the governing body to make these improvements. You can do this by continuing to work hard, doing

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1JR

your best at all times and making sure you stay as enthusiastic, good humoured and positive as you are now. Thank you for making me so welcome on this inspection and on all the other times I have visited your school. I will take away many happy memories of my visits to Watermoor and I wish you every success for the rest of your time in the school and for the future.

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1JR

Andrew Watters Her Majestys Inspector 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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