Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 21–22 June 2012 Inspection number 380973 Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 124750 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 380973 Inspection dates 21–22 June 2012 Lead inspector Norma Ball

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 52 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stuart Ford Headteacher Andrew Bloom Date of previous school inspection 15 January 2009 Shop Street Woodbridge IP13 7HX Telephone number 01728 628397 Fax number 01728 628397 Email address ht.worlingworth@talk21.com Inspection report: Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 21–22 June 2012 2 of 12

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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. 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

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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 Inspection report: Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School21–22 June 2012 3 of 12

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspector visited nine lessons and observed a number of small teaching groups. A total of four teachers were observed. The inspector visited classes to look at displays, observe individual pupils and groups at work, and to listen to pupils reading. Parents and carers were met informally during the inspection. Meetings with the headteacher, teaching staff, members of the governing body and pupils also took place. The inspector scrutinised samples of pupils’ work, teachers’ planning, the school’s systems for tracking pupils’ progress and documentation relating to management, the curriculum and safeguarding. In addition, the inspector noted the responses to questionnaires from 24 parents and carers, 14 staff and 37 pupils.

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Information about the school

Worlingworth is a very small village primary school. Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds. Very few of the small number of pupils from minority ethnic heritages speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is similar to that found nationally. The proportion of pupils supported by School Action Plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average. The school has met the current government’s floor standard which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. There are three mixed-age classes. An arrangement to share the Nursery class with another local school ceased in September 2011. In the Early Years Foundation Stage there is a morning-only Nursery and Reception class. Each afternoon Reception children are taught alongside pupils from Years 1 and 2. The third class is for pupils in Years 3 to

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Information about the school

6. The school holds the national Healthy School and Eco School status.

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Information about the school

The school has been through an extended period of disruption to leadership. The executive headteacher has been in post since September 2011 and is also headteacher of Stradbroke High School. The schools are in partnership and each has its own governing body. The executive headteacher works closely with the deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher of Stradbroke who share responsibilities for the leadership and management of Worlingworth. Inspection report: Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 21–22 June 2012 4 of 12

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Information about the school

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

 In accordance with section 13(3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement.

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Key findings

 The school is not satisfactory because teaching is inadequate and all groups of pupils make too little progress in English. The steps taken to remedy this have not been effective enough. The school has not improved since its last inspection and the development points identified at that time have not been remedied.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ achievement in English is inadequate. Teachers are not using assessment information effectively to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as they can. Pupils with disabilities and those who have special educational needs do not achieve as well as they should because work is not matched carefully to their needs. Across the school there are limited opportunities for pupils to develop key skills, especially in reading and writing.

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Key findings

 The quality of teaching is inadequate in Key Stages 1 and 2, and teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low. Teachers do not focus sufficiently on pupils’ targets in lessons and do not mark pupils’ work carefully to identify how it can be improved or to help pupils understand the next steps in their learning. The teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good and enables Nursery and Reception children to get off to a good start before joining Year 1.

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Key findings

 Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and their behaviour is satisfactory as major disruptions to learning are rare. Attendance is average.

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Key findings

 The leadership of the school is inadequate. Although the new senior leadership team has quickly established sharp priorities to improve the quality of teaching Inspection report: Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 21–22 June 2012 5 of 12

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Key findings

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

and the curriculum, improvements have been constrained by the limited capacity of teachers and governors to take the school forward. The governing body does not oversee school improvement effectively enough and is too dependent on senior leaders.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress by:  ensuring teachers use assessment information to match tasks to pupils’ abilities  improving opportunities for pupils to apply their skills, particularly in reading and writing  ensuring pupils with disabilities and those with special educational needs are provided with work that is carefully adapted for their needs, builds their confidence and improves their achievement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is good or better by:  planning well-paced lessons with clear and succinct introductions and appropriate time allowed for pupils to develop their skills  marking work consistently and setting sharp targets for pupils that identify what they need to learn next.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by:  developing the leadership skills of staff so that they share fully in the responsibility of improving teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement  extending the part played by the governing body in monitoring all areas of the school’s work so they can play a more active part in promoting school improvement.

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Achievement of pupils

Achievement is inadequate overall. Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and understanding broadly at the levels expected nationally for their age. They make a good start to their learning and enter Year 1 with above average attainment. After this positive start, pupils’ achievement in English declines as they move through the school. National test results show that in 2010 and 2011 pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6 in English was below average. Teachers’ assessments, together with the work in pupils’ books and lessons observed during the inspection, show that for the current Year 6 achievement in writing has improved marginally but is still inadequate. Achievement in reading is also inadequate in Years 1 to 6.

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Achievement of pupils

Although most parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire are pleased with the progress their children make, the inspection evidence shows that pupils Inspection report: Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 21–22 June 2012 6 of 12

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Achievement of pupils

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

make inadequate progress, especially in reading and writing. This is because the school’s strategies for identifying interesting writing topics for pupils and for developing and extending their vocabulary are not applied with vigour by teachers and are therefore not as effective as they should be. In particular teachers have not developed opportunities for pupils to write as part of themes where different subjects are linked. Pupils’ progress in reading is also inadequate, in part because they do not read to adults regularly. However, lessons in the Early Years Foundation Stage that teach pupils to blend sounds in order to recognise words and develop both their reading and writing skills are effective. Daily sessions on developing these skills in Key Stage 1 is showing early signs of improving attainment in reading to average levels at the end of Year 2. Pupils’ achievement in mathematics is satisfactory overall.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils are enthusiastic about learning and enjoy discussing their ideas, and work best when lessons are interesting and engage them. In the Early Years Foundation Stage an exciting range of well-resourced activities helps children to develop their skills and inspire their imagination. Snack time is used well to extend number skills by counting items of fruit, for example. Although the needs of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are identified, the support provided for them is not well planned or sufficiently flexible to respond as their learning needs change. Work is not well tailored to meet their individual needs in order to improve their progress or confidence. By contrast, teaching resources are adapted soundly for pupils who are learning English as an additional language and, as a result, they make satisfactory progress.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching is inadequate. Expectations of what pupils can achieve are insufficiently high and pupils make too little progress. During the inspection inadequate teaching was seen in several lessons in Key Stages 1 and 2. Although lessons have clear learning objectives, the pace of learning is sometimes too slow and pupils lose interest in their work. Introductions to lessons are often too long and this results in limited time available for pupils to develop their skills. In a literacy lesson for pupils in Key Stage 1, for example, pupils spent the major part of the lesson on the introductory task of identifying words including ‘oy’; this reduced the time available for the main part of the lesson which was to develop their writing skills as part of a project about animals. Tasks were not structured to match the ability of pupils and, as a result, their progress was very limited. Opportunities are also missed to promote

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Quality of teaching

pupils’ personal development and independence in lessons. Writing tasks, although giving pupils more opportunities to be creative, do not often encourage them to be reflective or empathetic, and pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to write at length. There are some common strengths in teaching; for example good relationships underpin a happy learning ethos in most classes, and teachers encourage pupils to assess the quality of their work and what they have understood in the lesson. In the Early Years Foundation Stage teaching is good. As a result, children settle quickly, develop curiosity and independence and their skills and abilities are developed well. Inspection report: Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 21–22 June 2012 7 of 12

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Quality of teaching

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

Pupils’ progress is tracked accurately, but this information is not used with sufficient precision in classes to ensure lessons are pitched at the right level to make sure that pupils’ progress, especially in English, is accelerated. Pupils’ learning targets are largely ineffective because teachers do not refer to them in lessons, so pupils are unclear about how well they are doing or what they need to learn next. Pupils’ work is marked regularly. However, the quality of marking is inconsistent between classes and subjects, and does not comply with the school’s policy of identifying strengths and areas for development in each piece of written work. The quality of support for pupils with disabilities and those with special educational needs is inadequate. Significant opportunities are missed to involve the pupils in whole class activities, include them in discussions and so build their self-esteem. Support for pupils who

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Quality of teaching

speak English as an additional language is satisfactory. Work is tailored carefully to their needs and they receive sound help from teaching assistants to develop their English language skills quickly. Almost all parents and carers and most pupils who replied to the questionnaire think the quality of teaching is good. However, inspection findings show that the teaching in Key Stages 1 and 2 is inadequate overall.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Inspection evidence indicates that overall pupils’ behaviour is satisfactory. A few pupils, parents and carers expressed concerns about behaviour. Attendance has improved and is now average. When asked about their school, one pupil replied for many saying: ‘I really love my school because it’s a happy place and we enjoy learning. It’s small so we know each other.’

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils are keen to learn in most lessons. On a few occasions where the pace of learning is slow, or their work is dull and routine, their attention wanders and they become talkative and distract others from their work. This is why behaviour is not good, overall. However, poor behaviour in lessons is rare. Pupils respect their school code and understand about behaving sensibly and safely in school, on the roads as pedestrians or cyclists and when using the internet. Bullying of any kind, such as name-calling, racist language and aggressive behaviour, is very rare. Pupils feel safe and are confident to confide in adults if they have any concerns about bullying or any other anxieties.

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Leadership and management

Leadership and management are inadequate. Those responsible for improving the quality of teaching in English and mathematics, as well as managing the provision for pupils with disabilities or those with special educational needs, have not brought about improvement quickly enough. The new headteacher and senior staff have undertaken an incisive analysis of the school’s situation and have identified important priorities to improve pupils’ achievement and drive the school forward. Senior leaders are working closely with those who have management responsibilities, to improve their skills and efficiency in leading their subjects or areas of responsibility and to Inspection report: Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 21–22 June 2012 8 of 12

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Leadership and management

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

help accelerate improvements. In English the monitoring of attainment and progress in reading and writing has been neglected, and pupils’ underachievement has continued without effective steps taken to address the issue. The management of support for pupils with disabilities or special educational needs is now improving with support from senior leaders, but planning is weak. It does not lead to consistent and effective support for pupils, because teaching and learning are not monitored well enough to identify weaknesses and take steps to deal with them.

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Leadership and management

The use of assessment information to track progress has improved. However the quality of teaching and its impact on learning remains a high priority. Senior leaders observe lessons regularly. Areas for improvement are identified and shared with teachers, but teachers in Key Stages 1 and 2 have been slow to respond and too much teaching remains inadequate. Some governors have only recently been appointed and are still developing their skills and an understanding of their roles. The governing body is dependent on senior staff and does not systematically check all areas of the work of the school. Development points from the previous inspection have not been addressed effectively and remain key weaknesses that inhibit pupils’ achievement. All these shortcomings mean that the school’s capacity to improve is inadequate.

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Leadership and management

Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and are supported by clear policies and procedures. Although leaders seek to provide an inclusive environment in which all pupils are treated fairly, pupils’ underachievement means that they do not develop their skills as well as other pupils nationally and are disadvantaged as they move to secondary school. There are good links with Stradbroke High School and other local schools. Senior pupils from the High School, for example, visit regularly to help develop the school grounds with the gardening club. The curriculum provides an improving range of learning opportunities. The teaching of physical education, French, history and geography has been enhanced by specialist teachers from the High School. Links between subjects are developing but are not yet effective enough to extend pupils’ core skills, especially in writing. Senior staff have been instrumental

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Leadership and management

in providing a small but interesting range of lunchtime clubs. The curriculum makes a sound contribution to pupils’ spiritual and cultural development, and pupils enjoy finding out about other faiths and cultures.

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Leadership and management

The range and quality of information available to parents have been improved and parents receive two written reports and a good range of regular information about school activities. Regular tea and chat afternoons, play sessions for small children and a monthly open forum for parents and carers have been introduced. The large majority of parents and carers who replied to the questionnaire were positive in their appreciation of the school and, in particular, the improvements brought about by the new leadership team. One parent, typical of many wrote: ‘Now we have a partnership with Stradbroke High School things really are going from strength to strength. My son really enjoys school and looks forward to starting his day. The changes within the school have been noticeable and I really hope they continue.’ Inspection report: Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 21–22 June 2012 9 of 12

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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. Inspection report: Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 21–22 June 2012 10 of 12

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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. Inspection report: Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 21–22 June 2012 11 of 12

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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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Primary School, Woodbridge IP13 7HX

Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school. I enjoyed seeing you work in lessons and hearing some of you read. I learnt about your views by talking to you and reading the questionnaires some of you completed.

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Primary School, Woodbridge IP13 7HX

As a result of the inspection, I have judged that your school is not providing you with an acceptable standard of education and needs what inspectors call ‘special measures’. This means that other inspectors will visit the school regularly to check that it is improving. Some important things about the school are not good enough. I have talked about this with your headteacher and the governing body, and have identified three things for them to focus on:

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Primary School, Woodbridge IP13 7HX

 To help you make better progress in English, I have asked the teachers to find more ways of developing your skills, especially in reading and writing.  Also, to make sure your lessons are interesting and you learn a lot, I have asked teachers to make sure they always plan lively work that makes you think and work hard. When they mark your work and set targets for you I have asked your teachers to make it clear what you need to learn next.  I have asked that your lessons are checked carefully to make sure that teaching is consistently good and you are all making good progress. I have also asked the governing body to learn all they can about your school so they can help your headteacher with his plans to improve the quality of your education.

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Primary School, Woodbridge IP13 7HX

You can all help by working hard in your lessons and always being kind and considerate to each other. I wish you every success for the future.

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Primary School, Woodbridge IP13 7HX

Norma Ball Lead inspector Inspection report: Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 21–22 June 2012 12 of 12

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Primary School, Woodbridge IP13 7HX

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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