Old Church Church of England C Primary School

Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 25–26 April 2012 Inspection number 377039 Old Church C of E Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 104224 Local authority Walsall Inspection number 377039 Inspection dates 25–26 April 2012 Lead inspector Derek Aitken

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 350 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Bonhomme Headteacher Jeff Perrins Date of previous school inspection 15 July 2008 School address School Street Darlaston Walsall WS10 8DL Telephone number 0121 5686329 Fax number 0121 5265973 Email address postbox@old-church.walsall.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

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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 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.

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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

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. Inspectors visited 18 lessons taught by 14 teachers, and scrutinised pupils’ work. Inspectors listened to pupils reading. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, members of the governing body and staff. Inspectors took account of the responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. They observed the school’s work, and looked at a range of documents, including policies and procedures relating to the safeguarding of pupils, self-evaluation records and assessment information. The inspectors analysed responses to questionnaires from 124 parents and carers, 110 pupils and 22 staff.

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Information about the school

Old Church C of E Primary is larger than most primary schools. Most pupils are of White British heritage, but one fifth of pupils have minority ethnic heritage. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well-below average. While staffing is stable and well established, long-term sick leave affects staffing in Key Stage 1. The school meets the current floor standards, which set the government's minimum expectations for attainment and progress. The school provides for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage through two part-time Nursery classes and two Reception classes. A breakfast club operates on the school site. This is managed by the governing body and was inspected as part of this inspection. The school has Healthy Schools status and holds the Anti-bullying bronze

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Information about the school

award. 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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Key findings

 This is a satisfactory school. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and the school has been successful in improving their literacy skills in Key Stage 2. The school is not yet good because attainment in Key Stage 1 and achievement in mathematics are not high enough and teaching is not consistently good or better. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Key findings

 Pupils achieve satisfactorily and leave Year 6 with attainment that is broadly average. They achieve better in Key Stage 2 than in Key Stage 1, where expectations for their progress are lower and time is used less profitably. Key Stage 2 pupils make better progress in English than in mathematics, where opportunities are missed to extend their skills, for example, in solving problems.

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Key findings

 Teaching has good features, such as focused questioning and brisk pace which rapidly move pupils’ learning on. Teaching quality is more often satisfactory than good or better, because lesson planning, marking in mathematics and oral assessment are not consistently used well to capitalise on pupils’ positive attitudes and ensure they are fully challenged.

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Key findings

 Pupils behave well and are very keen to support each other’s learning in shared activities. Children in Nursery and Reception become independent and develop close relationships with their peers and adults. Pupils and their parents and carers are right to think the school is a safe place.

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Key findings

 The leadership of teaching is firmly established and provides managers at all levels with a clear understanding of how to improve this key skill across the staff. The effectiveness of the work to improve teaching in Key Stage 1 has been reduced by staffing discontinuity. School performance is managed satisfactorily. 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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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ attainment in Key Stage 1 by:  setting challenging targets to raise staff and pupils’ expectations and develop greater accountability for improving pupils’ rates of progress  reviewing the timetable structure to make best use of time to accelerate pupils’ learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ achievement in mathematics by:  increasing opportunities for pupils to use and apply their mathematical skills in problem-solving and investigative tasks  making more consistent use of marking to clarify pupils’ next steps in learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that leaders and managers improve the quality of teaching to good or better so as to raise achievement by:  ensuring all lessons are carefully planned to challenge all groups of pupils  always making good use of whole-class questioning and oral assessment to move pupils’ learning on briskly.

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Achievement of pupils

Children’s skills and abilities on entry to the Early Years Foundation Stage are well below national expectations, particularly in language and communication. They make good progress, especially in the Nursery, where planning is sharply focused on the next steps they need to take to move their learning forward. They quickly overcome any initial reluctance to get involved in activities and steadily develop the language they need to express their ideas, for example, about the lives of frogs. By the end of Reception the gap with national attainment has narrowed but children’s skill levels remain below those expected nationally. These gaps remain throughout Key Stage 1, where the continuity of pupils’ learning has been affected by staff absence and, by the end of Year 2, pupils are typically working six months behind their peers nationally.

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Achievement of pupils

Progress improves in Key Stage 2, where expectations for pupils’ progress are stronger. For example, in 2011 the more-able Year 6 class achieved the school’s best results in English for five years. More-able pupils can select adjectives correctly, for example in recreating imaginative ghostly scenarios. By the end of Year 6, attainment is in line with the national average at Level 4, although only a small proportion of pupils achieve the higher Level 5 in mathematics. While most pupils enjoy mathematics and work accurately with basic operations, they are less confident and secure when they attempt to apply their knowledge to problem-solving tasks and to investigating shapes and volumes. 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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Achievement of pupils

Inspection findings do not fully endorse the view of parents and carers that pupils make good progress. However, all groups of pupils make at least sound progress over time in lessons. Consequently, there are no significant variations in the performance of pupils with regard to gender, ethnicity or eligibility for free school meals. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve satisfactorily. On a few occasions, they make good progress as, for example, in a Year 3 English lesson where they created complex sentences using connectives to describe ‘hairy monsters’.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ reading skills in Year 2 are below average. Lower- and middle-attaining pupils read simple language accurately and understand how to segment and blend unfamiliar words correctly. They struggle to draw inferences, express preferences and make comparisons with texts from wider reading. By Year 6, pupils improve their reading skills to attain average standards due to broader exposure to challenging texts where they are required to think imaginatively and interpret meaning, as they were seen to do, for example, in reading and analysing poetry. Their improved reading provides useful support for their written work.

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Quality of teaching

Inspection findings do not fully endorse the view of most parents and carers and pupils that teaching is good, because there is not enough good teaching to enable pupils to achieve their full potential as learners, particularly in Key Stage 1 and in mathematics. Nursery and reception children are keen learners and activities are usually carefully chosen to promote their learning. Occasionally, in the teacher- directed sessions, expected outcomes are not defined sharply enough to inform future planning and move children’s learning on quickly.

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Quality of teaching

In all lessons, teachers’ expectations of pupils’ positive behaviour promote a purposeful climate for learning and secure pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils relate well to the staff, who manage them well, sometimes with an easy humour. Teachers make skilful use of the interactive whiteboard to maintain pupils’ attention and provide them with regular ‘hands-on’ opportunities to test out their ideas. The curriculum is more purposefully developed in Key Stage 2 than in Key Stage 1, where tracking and target-setting are less securely developed and some timetabled activities take up too much time.

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Quality of teaching

Occasionally, teachers make expert use of questions to probe and extend pupils’ thinking and well balanced, challenging work provides good opportunities for pupils to learn briskly and imaginatively. Reading skills are taught well in Key Stage 2. This was demonstrated in an English lesson where pupils focused well on atmospheric, descriptive vocabulary associated with the topic of the highwayman. Other lessons are less sharply planned to ensure consistent challenge for all groups of pupils and the pace of learning sometimes drops. While teachers provide pupils, individually, with useful support and oral feedback, opportunities are sometimes missed to assess and summarise what the class has learnt and refocus groups of pupils on the next 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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Quality of teaching

Teaching assistants work closely with teachers to involve less-able pupils, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs fully in class activities, including oral work. This good practice promotes the pupils’ self-esteem and motivates them to persevere with their work. Teachers make good use of marking to support pupils’ attainment in English to which pupils regularly respond to improve their work but feedback is, by comparison, less effective in mathematics.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ positive attitudes and enjoyment of the wider aspects of school life, for example the good range of extra-curricular opportunities for sport and music, predispose them well for learning, and support their sense of well-being in school. The evident warmth in relationships is nurtured in the Early Years Foundation Stage where staff are adept at modelling good behaviour and in encouraging children to become independent. Consequently, from an early age, almost all pupils behave responsibly and show consideration for each other. They demonstrate increasingly mature attitudes as they move through Key Stage 2, benefiting from some well- planned opportunities in lessons to reflect on issues and develop a moral stance, for example against wrongdoing. Pupils’ behaviour for learning is good. They concentrate and persevere even when not directly supervised by the staff or when the pace of learning drops. They achieve as well as the quality of teaching allows.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Older pupils, in particular, take a clear pride in presenting their work neatly.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Inspection findings are endorsed by the vast majority of parents and carers who believe that their children are safe in school. Pupils agree and consider that the school is a cohesive community, promoted through the house system, school councillors and ‘happy helpers’. They appreciate the work in procuring ‘buddy benches’, supporting play activities and carrying out litter-picking duties. Pupils of different ethnic heritage engage well with each other at work and play. Several parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire expressed some disquiet about pupils’ behaviour in lessons and bullying. Inspectors judged behaviour to be good in lessons and saw no evidence of any disruptive behaviour at playtimes or around school. Inspectors found behaviour over time to be good. They noted that the school has found it necessary to exclude only two pupils for short periods in the last three years. Pupils report that lesson disruption is minimal and is restricted to a

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

small number of pupils with challenging behaviour which is mostly managed well by the staff so that these individual pupils are better able to manage their behaviour. They say that there are a few occasions when pupils use verbal abuse to annoy and intimidate each other, but they are not threatened by this as they feel resourceful enough to deal with it. Pupils are aware of other forms of bullying but inspectors found no evidence that they have experienced them in school. The small breakfast club provides pupils with a settled and satisfactory start to the school day. Pupils’ attendance is usually above average and has climbed sharply this year after a chicken-pox epidemic reduced rates last year. 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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Leadership and management

School self-evaluation is accurate in its diagnosis of key strengths and areas for development. The school has appropriate, well-considered structures in place to monitor key aspects of provision, especially teaching, and devise new initiatives, for example through working parties, to profit from the helpful professional development provided and improve outcomes for pupils. These procedures ensure that pupils regularly achieve nationally expected levels by the end of Year 6 and, especially, improve their literacy skills, for example, writing in Key Stage 2. Leaders have worked successfully to increase the proportion of Year 6 pupils achieving the higher Level 5 in English. Leadership has been less successful in Key Stage 1 due to discontinuity in staffing, an imbalance in the morning timetable structure and assessment and target-setting procedures which have not always been challenging enough. There has been sustained improvement in pupils’ attainment in English

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Leadership and management

arising from better teaching of the subject in Key Stage 2. Pupils’ behaviour for learning is positive and attendance has improved to be above average. Despite the setback of staffing difficulties in Key Stage 1, the school’s track record indicates that it has the capacity for further improvement.

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Leadership and management

The school promotes equal opportunity in learning and ensures that no group or individual underachieves. Relationships are very positive; there is no discrimination. The curriculum fosters pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development satisfactorily. Moral and social development is promoted well and pupils enjoy artistic and musical pursuits, but they have limited opportunities to acquaint themselves with other contemporary global cultures.

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Leadership and management

The governing body under new leadership has implemented useful plans to gain a better first-hand understanding of provision and to hold leaders more firmly to account for pupils’ achievement. The school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet current requirements.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

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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 to 31 December 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.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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

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Common terminology used by inspectors

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

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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

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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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.

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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.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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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.

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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.

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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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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.

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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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WS10 8DL

I would like to thank you for your help when the inspection team visited your school and for sharing your views with us, including through the questionnaires you completed. Yours is a satisfactory school with some very positive features.

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WS10 8DL

 Children make good progress in Nursery and Reception.  You enjoy school and the good relationships you have with each other and the staff support your learning well in lessons.  You behave well, are keen to learn, concentrate hard and keep trying even when you find some work more difficult.  You make satisfactory progress overall in your learning and, by the end of Year 6, you reach broadly average standards.

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WS10 8DL

We have asked the staff to do a number of things to help you make faster progress.

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WS10 8DL

 Review the Key Stage 1 timetable and set more challenging targets for the progress of Year 1 and Year 2 pupils.  Give you more chances to use and apply your mathematical skills, for example in solving problems, and make better use of marking to help you improve.  We want your school’s leaders to make all teaching at least good by making sure all lessons are carefully planned and questioning is well used to move your learning on.

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WS10 8DL

You can help by continuing to work hard, especially in mathematics, and by continuing to attend regularly.

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WS10 8DL

Derek Aitken 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 .

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