Nettlebed Community School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 13–14 October 2011 Inspection number 380577 Nettlebed Community School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 123037 Local Authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 380577 Inspection dates 13–14 October 2011 Reporting inspector Bogusia Matusiak-Varley

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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 Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 108 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Philip Day Headteacher Bob Worsell Date of previous school inspection 11–12 July 2007 School address High Street Nettlebed Henley-on-Thames Oxfordshire Telephone number 01491 641328 Fax number 01491 641899 Email address Office.2504@nettlebed.oxon.com 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 trainin g, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. They observed 13 lessons taught by six teachers and held meetings with groups of pupils, staff, parents and carers and the Chair of the Governing Body. They observed the school’s work, and looked at teachers’ plans, pupils’ exercise books, records of pupils’ attendance, standards and progress, the school development plan, records on checks of teaching and documents relating to the safeguarding of pupils. They also analysed responses to eight questionnaires completed by staff, 47 by pupils and 45 from parents and carers.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school’s work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.

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Introduction

 The achievement of different groups of pupils, but especially the more capable writers in Years 1 and 2.  The use of information from pupil assessment in teaching in all classes.  How well subject leaders are involved in monitoring teaching and learning.  How well the school promotes community cohesion.

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Information about the school

This is a smaller than average primary school. Almost all of the pupils are of White British heritage with a very small minority being of Traveller background. A very small number of pupils are at the early stages of acquiring English as an additional language. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average overall. Their needs are mostly associated with speech and language difficulties. There is a privately run pre-school on the school’s premises which is managed by a group of parents and carers. This does not form part of the inspection report and will be reported on separately. The school has National Healthy Schools Status and an Activemark.

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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

The school offers an outstanding quality of education for its pupils. Right from the start of Reception, children are given memorable and magical learning experiences which give them a passion for learning. All groups of pupils make outstanding progress and attainment is high in reading, writing, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) by the time they leave school. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, the few who are learning English as an additional language and the small number of Travellers all make excellent progress and have full access to the curriculum. However, pupils’ progress in writing is somewhat slower in Years 1 and 2 than it is in the rest of the school. This is because, on occasions, information from assessment is not properly used in teachers’ planning so that the more-able pupils are not sufficiently challenged. The school has recognised this as an area for development in its excellent self-evaluation.

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Main findings

Pupils have outstandingly positive attitudes to learning. They behave impeccably in and around the school and genuinely care about one another’s welfare. Pupils are excellent ambassadors and make a valuable contribution both to the school community and beyond. The school’s motto, ‘Reach up and reach out’, is reflected in all aspects of school life, especially in the excellent community cohesion. Pupils’ avid participation in choral speaking, choir, sport, arts-related pursuits and drama provides them with exceptionally well-rounded learning experiences. Pupils work very well in teams, both in extra-curricular activities and lessons, and this contributes to their outstanding social development. Pupils show excellent knowledge and understanding of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle which is reflected in the Healthy Schools status and Activemark award; they also engage actively in sustainability issues, particularly gardening and recycling. They have expert knowledge of personal

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Main findings

safety and look out for one another at all times.

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Main findings

The cornerstone of the school’s success is the excellent leadership and management of the headteacher. He and his highly professional staff provide excellent care, guidance and support for pupils whose needs they know very well. Partnership with parents and carers is outstanding. ‘The only complaint I have is that the school is not open 365 days in a year,’ said one delighted parent.

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Main findings

A highly creative curriculum includes whole-school visits to Warburg Nature Reserve and the London Science Museum, as well as visits from parents to talk about their experiences, and these events contribute to pupils’ excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their future economic well-being.

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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

The governance of the school is good. Governors fulfil all the statutory requirements and are regular visitors to the school, although the recently appointed subject governors do not yet have sufficient information to ask probing questions about the progress of different groups of pupils at classroom level. The school has maintained high levels of attainment over time and has successfully improved in all areas since the last inspection, especially in the quality of teaching. This, together with united staff support for the headteacher’s vision for the school, shows an outstanding capacity to sustain improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment in writing in Years 1 and 2 by ensuring that information from assessment is continually used to plan tasks that meet the needs of all pupils but especially of the more capable pupils.  Ensure governors receive sufficient information to help them assess progress at class level.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 1

Children in Reception are on track to exceed the expectations for their age in all areas of learning. They make rapid progress which continues throughout the school, especially in speaking and listening, reading and using numbers as labels for counting. Learning in this school is characterised by pupils listening attentively to their teachers and then having opportunities to solve problems in groups. This contributes to their excellent social skills. Pupils in Year 6 attain consistently high levels in national tests because the class teacher ensures that all pupils give of their best in lessons. There are no differences between boys’ and girls’ achievement because the topics studied appeal to both genders. All pupils are clear about the benefits of the school’s approach to marking and realise how this helps them to improve. Pupils with special educational needs make outstanding progress due to the commitment and professionalism of the high quality of interventions of support staff.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 1

In an excellent Year 5/6 literacy lesson, pupils worked hard at improving their sentences to create effect. When one pupil stated, ‘The wind howled relentlessly like a werewolf’, his peers applauded his efforts. In a good Year 3/4 literacy lesson, pupils knew how to improve their sentences using a seven step approach which included changing the word order and adding exciting adjectives. In an excellent Year 2 history lesson, the attention paid by pupils to the class teacher’s precious book of family mementoes was electrifying; they were developing both empathy and their understanding of chronology. Pupils marvel at the wonders of nature and mankind’s achievement in the world of technology and their excellent links with schools both in Europe and Africa contribute to their outstanding knowledge of communities beyond their own.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 1

Attendance is above average and the systems implemented to improve attendance are paying dividends. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and

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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

those from Traveller backgrounds achieve as well as their peers. Relationships throughout the school are excellent. ‘The best thing about this school is that the teachers really help us get better at learning,’ said one Traveller pupil, rightly proud of his successes. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for secondary school due to their excellent study skills and high levels of attainment.

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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

Taking into account: Pupils’ attainment 1 The quality of pupils’ learning and their progress The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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contribute to their future economic well-being

Taking into account: Pupils’ attendance 1

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How effective is the provision?

Teaching is rigorous and exacting, but fun. Regular marking enables all pupils to learn from their mistakes. Pupils thrive in lessons because of the many exciting learning opportunities offered by an outstanding curriculum. There is a ‘wow factor’ that starts off every new topic and pupils say that they never know what they are going to find when they come into school. It could be a giant’s footsteps linked to problem solving in mathematics or preparation for enterprise weeks when pupils sell harvest produce to help local and global charities. Pilots, artists, environmentalists and authors are just a few of the visitors that enhance the curriculum. A very wide range of exceptionally well-attended extra-curricular clubs fuel pupils’ love of learning. Consistent checks on learning are used well in lessons to assess pupils’ understanding.

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How effective is the provision?

Expertly led by the headteacher, staff have devised a curriculum which is tailor-made to the school and the locality, where learning about the local community is integral to all activities. In lessons, excellent links are made with literacy, numeracy and ICT and consequently pupils enjoy writing because there is a genuine need to write.

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How effective is the provision?

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

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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

The care, guidance and support of pupils are outstanding. Teachers value pupils’ uniqueness and every opportunity is taken to build their confidence and self-esteem. Pupils say that they can go to any of their teachers for help because their doors are always open.

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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

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher and staff form a formidable team. All staff play their part in contributing to school improvement and staff morale is very high. The headteacher pursues every opportunity to give pupils the best start in life and uses parents’ and carers’ expertise to build a learning community. Staff welcome performance management because they want to be as effective as possible. They are involved in monitoring teaching and learn from one another. The leadership and management of the special educational needs provision and the Early Years Foundation Stage are exemplary. Data on pupils’ performance are regularly analysed and any problems are immediately acted upon. Equality of opportunity underpins all aspects of school life, and this is further enhanced by the teaching of tolerance and respect for others together with a firm stance on any form of discrimination. Pupils have foreign pen pals and everything possible is done to ensure that pupils understand their place in

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How effective are leadership and management?

the wider world. The school is at the heart of the local community and pupils have excellent links with senior citizens, local charities and the Women’s Institute.

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How effective are leadership and management?

Parents, carers and governors are involved with the school development plan and parents and carers are exceptionally pleased with what the school offers. Partnerships are highly productive, especially with pre-school settings, local secondary schools and cluster groups. Governors are very supportive. They have a good knowledge of all aspects of school life, and are conscientious in ensuring the implementation of robust safeguarding procedures.

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How effective are leadership and management?

These are the grades for leadership and management

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driving improvement

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

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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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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children’s attainment on entry is broadly average. As they make such excellent progress, they exceed expectations in all areas of learning. Teaching is outstanding, with very well-planned learning opportunities both indoors and outdoors and a strong emphasis on teaching basic skills through play and tasks which stimulate the senses. For example, when children were learning about the mathematical concepts of long and short, they rolled out clay snakes and compared their length. Children thrive because they are supported in taking risks by ever-watchful staff. Highly creative learning opportunities, such as matching instrumental sounds to Cinderella’s daily activities, kept children highly focused for over 20 minutes. The assessments of children’s learning are accurate, and a strong emphasis is placed upon enjoyable ways of learning how to read. Parents and carers are delighted with the information they receive from staff about children’s learning.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of provision in the 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

Parents and carers are highly supportive of the school. A very small minority commented on aspects of bad behaviour and on the lack of progress of pupils who struggle with learning and, they believe, are not getting the correct levels of support. Inspectors found no evidence to support parents’ and carers’ concerns. All pupils, regardless of ability, were very well supported in their learning and behaviour was found to be exemplary.

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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 Nettlebed Community 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 45 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 108 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 39 87 6 13 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 30 67 14 31 1 2 0 0 The school informs me about my child’s progress 19 42 24 53 0 0 0 0 My child is making enough progress at this school 22 49 21 47 0 0 0 0 The teaching is good at this school 32 71 13 29 0 0 0 0 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 27 60 17 38 0 0 0 0 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 28 62 16 36 0 0 0 0 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) 27 60 13 29 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child’s particular needs 23 51 18 40 0 0 0 0 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 22 49 19 42 0 0 0 0 The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 27 60 16 36 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 27 60 18 40 0 0 0 0 Overall, I am happy with my child’s experience at this school 35 78 10 22 0 0 0 0

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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. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 43 47 10 0 Primary schools 6 46 42 6 Secondary schools 14 36 41 9

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 15 42 41 3 Special schools 30 48 19 3 Pupil referral units 14 50 31 5

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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 08 April 2011 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.  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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Inspection of Nettlebed Community School, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 5DA

Thank you for all the help you gave us when we visited your school. You attend an outstanding school and we were very impressed by your consistently excellent progress in speaking and listening, reading and mathematics. You impressed us by how exceptionally well you get on with one another and how much you know about different cultures. You told us that you love coming to school and how happy you are because you have excellent relationships with your teachers. You said that even when Mr Worsell has to tell you off he still leaves you ‘feeling good about yourself’.

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Inspection of Nettlebed Community School, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 5DA

You are exceptionally well looked after by a dedicated, hard-working and professional team of teachers who know you all very well and are very supportive. The teaching in your school is excellent and your teachers make lessons really interesting. You know about healthy eating and you tend your garden very well, and we liked your mini-enterprise projects. You know the value of money and certainly know how to make a profit. You are exceptionally kind and welcoming and we were very impressed by your excellent behaviour and your good attendance. Your school is well managed by your governors who support Mr Worsell in his efforts to give you the very best education.

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Inspection of Nettlebed Community School, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 5DA

Some of you in the infants do not do quite so well with your writing because sometimes the work that you get is a bit too easy for you. You can help by asking your teachers to give you more challenging tasks if you think you can do them. Your teachers are generally really good at using the marks they give you to make sure that your work is right for you.

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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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