Diseworth Church of England Primary School

Age group 4–10 Inspection date(s) 2–3 May 2012 Inspection number 379960 Diseworth Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 120127 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 379960 Inspection dates 2–3 May 2012 Lead inspector Sue Hall

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

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–10 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 35 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sarah Gascoigne Headteacher Alison Woffindin Date of previous school inspection 25 April 2007 School address Grimesgate Derby DE74 2QD Telephone number 01332 810208 Fax number 01332 853880 Email address admin@diseworth.leics.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 thi nk 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. The inspector observed two teachers and three teaching assistants in eight lessons. She also heard six pupils of mixed ages and abilities read individually and observed an activity featuring the teaching of letters and the sounds they make. The inspector held meetings with groups of pupils, with senior leaders and with representatives of the governing body. She looked at data about achievement across the school and examined samples of pupils’ recent work. The inspector scrutinised documents, including self-evaluation information, the school improvement plan, minutes of governing body meetings and a sample of whole-school policies. She examined evidence regarding the safeguarding of pupils. The inspector analysed 24 questionnaires received from parents and carers, six from members of staff and 18 from pupils.

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Information about the school

This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school. Pupils leave the school at the end of Year 5. The large majority of pupils are of White British background with a very small number speaking English as an additional language. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action or with a statement of special educational needs is higher than seen in many schools. Most of these pupils have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, or speech, language and communication difficulties. Recently, more pupils than is often seen have entered or left the school other than at the usual time. There is provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage from the age of four. Before-school and after-school care is managed by the school and included within

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Information about the school

this report. Since the previous inspection there have been changes of teaching staff. The school holds the Healthy Schools 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 good school. It is not outstanding because there is not enough consistency in the planning and organisation of lessons or in the quality of writing, particularly for boys. All the parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaire are pleased with what the school provides for their children. The staff work closely together as a team and are well supported by an effective governing body.

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Key findings

 The achievement of pupils is good overall. The very small cohorts make direct year-on-year comparisons difficult. When they leave school at the end of Year 5, their standards in reading and mathematics are above national averages. Pupils like reading and do so confidently. Most also enjoy solving mathematical problems. Standards in writing have been below those in other subjects for several years, particularly for the boys. Their work is often very untidy and the content and quality limited.

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Key findings

 Teaching is good and is strongest in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. The teaching of mathematics is good throughout the school and pupils are taught in ability groups which meet their different needs well. In a minority of lessons, planning does not identify exactly what those of different ages and abilities are to learn. This does not focus adults or pupils well enough on the development of specific skills or ensure challenge for those of different abilities.

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Key findings

 The behaviour and safety of pupils are good and many have positive attitudes to their learning. Most get on well together and have a good understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management of the school are good as is the capacity for further improvement. There is a shared focus on improving teaching and the management of performance to further raise attainment. The school has accurately identified the weakness in writing but such issues have not yet been addressed fully. 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 standards in writing by;  providing activities that motivate all pupils, and especially the boys, to enable them to write accurately, imaginatively, at length and in depth  improving the presentation of pupils’ work, especially in Key Stage 2.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teaching is consistently good or better by:  improving the planning of lessons to make clear what pupils are to learn and do in all activities  ensuring that the level of challenge in tasks matches the needs of groups of pupils of different ages and abilities in all lessons.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter the school with a broad range of skills which overall are in line with the expectations for their age. In the Reception year children work alongside those in Key Stage 1 in separate activities planned by the teacher and supervised by a teaching assistant. They make good progress in all areas of learning.

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Achievement of pupils

In Key Stage 1 pupils achieve well. This was illustrated when writing about the characters from the story of ‘Where the Wild Things are’. Pupils identified what the characters might say, then added their own text in speech bubbles and extended this through further descriptive language. Boys and girls achieve equally well. They are keen to demonstrate what good readers they are and attainment in reading by the end of Key Stage 1 is above average.

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Achievement of pupils

In Key Stage 2 pupils generally make good progress but this is more variable and often better for the girls than boys. When they leave the school, pupils’ standards in reading are above average. Progress is also good in mathematics, as illustrated when older pupils explored cubic shapes and enjoyed finding out the pattern used from a base of 3, 4 and 5. Progress in writing is more limited. The sample of recent work shows untidy presentation and a limited amount and quality of work produced in pupils’ books although ‘special’ pieces of writing such as ‘Letters to an unknown soldier’ are of much better quality.

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Achievement of pupils

Several pupils join the school other than at the usual time and make good overall progress, as do the very small number of pupils speaking English as an additional language. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make similar progress although at times the behaviour of a small number impacts negatively on their progress. Across the school parents and carers are pleased with the 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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Achievement of pupils

pupils make and how this has a positive impact on their personal development.

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Quality of teaching

Staff have good relationships with pupils and the younger children are very keen to please and do well in their work. In the Early Years Foundation Stage children learn about letters and the sounds they make and enjoy using the outdoor learning area. These activities help develop their social skills well. Parents and carers believe teaching is good because staff recognise the needs of individuals.

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Quality of teaching

Staff have success in raising the self-esteem of pupils who find learning difficult. A lot of work has gone into developing independent learning and confidence in problem- solving activities, especially in mathematics where tasks are challenging for mixed- age groups. This was well illustrated when a group ranging in age from Year 1 to Year 5 made good progress in multiplying two or three digit numbers, because pupils were clear about what they had to do. All staff make good use of probing questions to encourage further ideas. Teachers are also confident enough to stand back from activities when older pupils initially struggle to see the relationship between numbers and encourage them to persevere and find things out for themselves.

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Quality of teaching

The quality of lesson planning is, however, very variable and sometimes not effective enough in providing a secure structure to support the progressive development of writing skills, especially in Key Stage 2. This is because staff do not always make clear in planning or the introductions to lessons exactly what pupils have to do. This leads to confusion and pupils do not understand, for example, how one day’s writing about Punch and Judy is different from the previous day’s work.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The typical behaviour of most pupils is good over time and has a positive impact on their learning. Most say they like school and think they are well looked after. Playtimes and lunchtimes are pleasant experiences where pupils of different ages get on well together. With very small year groups pupils are used to working and playing with different ages, which helps develop their social and moral understanding well. In whole-school assemblies they think about differences in this ‘Wonderful World’ and decide what they most need are friends and love, and that ‘it’s ok to be different’.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

In the inspection questionnaire parents and carers indicate they think behaviour is good and they have few concerns about bullying. In the pupils’ questionnaire a few older pupils indicated there is occasionally some misbehaviour. During the inspection a small number of younger pupils struggled to share equipment and a few older boys with identified behavioural, emotional and social difficulties were at times unwilling to co-operate with adults. The school has good strategies to cope with incidents and staff have undertaken additional training in managing behaviour. Pupils recognise that bullying is not tolerated and all say they would feel comfortable asking an adult for help if they had worries. They have an understanding of what cyber-bullying is. 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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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils enjoy the before- and after-school activities including baking sessions. Attendance at school is above national averages

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Leadership and management

The headteacher and small staff team share numerous responsibilities, including class teaching and subject leadership. Professional development opportunities and performance management have had a positive impact on the management of behaviour. The school has improved the tracking of individual progress and has a secure picture of how each pupil is progressing. This has had a positive impact on improving achievement in reading and mathematics, and on the quality of teaching in Key Stage 1. The curriculum is good because it is broad and balanced. This meets pupils’ needs and promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well, including through celebrations and events. Parents and carers are pleased with the range of learning activities available.

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Leadership and management

The school works successfully to ensure equality of opportunity and tackle discrimination. School self-evaluation procedures are generally good. The headteacher’s evaluations of lessons observed during the inspection were accurate and identified the areas for improvement. School development planning places a clear focus upon the quality of writing, but progress towards improvement in this area has not been rapid. Staff regularly discuss areas for improvement together, but to some extent the formal monitoring and evaluation of the work of the school lacks rigour and has not focused enough on planning and the sampling of recent work.

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Leadership and management

Governance of the school is good with effective leadership. Governors are well informed, particularly through detailed headteacher reports and a programme of governor visits. The governing body takes its responsibilities seriously, including that of acting as a critical friend. They are alert to safeguarding requirements which are fully met.

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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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Inspection of Diseworth Church of England Primary School, Derby, DE74

Thank you very much for making me feel so welcome when I visited your school recently. I enjoyed talking to you and listening to your ideas, especially when chatting to groups of you, hearing readers and looking at your questionnaires. I liked visiting your lessons and particularly enjoyed watching how pupils in Key Stage 1 improved their writing by using speech bubbles. I also enjoyed chatting to you at lunchtime and think you are lucky to have so much space to play in outside.

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Inspection of Diseworth Church of England Primary School, Derby, DE74

The school provides you with a good education. These are the things I liked best.

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Inspection of Diseworth Church of England Primary School, Derby, DE74

 The standards you reach by the end of Year 5 are above average and most of you make good progress particularly in reading and mathematics.  The quality of teaching is good especially in mathematics and for the younger boys and girls.  Your behaviour is usually good and you know how to keep safe.  The leadership of the school is good and all the staff care for you well.

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Inspection of Diseworth Church of England Primary School, Derby, DE74

These are the things I have asked your school to do to make it even better.

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Inspection of Diseworth Church of England Primary School, Derby, DE74

 Help you improve the quality of your writing and the presentation of your work.  Make sure that teachers plan lessons really carefully so that it is clear to everyone exactly what has to be done to improve standards.

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Inspection of Diseworth Church of England Primary School, Derby, DE74

Sue Hall 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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