Ilmington CofE Primary School

Ilmington CofE Primary School Back Street, Ilmington, Shipston-on-Stour, CV36 4LJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Pupils make exceptionally rapid progress throughout their time in school. Standards are above average by the time children leave the Reception class, and rise to well above average by Year 6.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make very rapid progress because they receive skilled help and guidance at just the right level for their individual needs.  Teaching is of a consistently high standard, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics, where pupils excel. Just occasionally teachers over direct pupils when they are capable of taking more responsibility for shaping their own learning.  Outside expertise is used well to boost pupils’ learning in science, music and physical education.  Pupils’ behaviour is typically exemplary and they support one another extremely well. The school has a vibrant family atmosphere.  Pupils enjoy the many various activities on

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

offer and feel very safe and well cared for.  The headteacher provides very clear, strong leadership but also involves all other staff closely in a relentless quest to continue raising standards.  The governors contribute very effectively to school improvement. Their very thorough checking of teachers’ performance ensures that salary increases are closely linked to pupils’ achievements.  The school develops pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness exceptionally well.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons and saw all the teachers teaching. He also observed pupils' behaviour at playtimes and lunchtimes, talked to them about their views and looked at samples of their work.  Discussions were held with governors, teachers and teaching assistants, and a conversation was held with a representative of the local education authority. In addition to observing the school’s work, the inspector looked at information about pupils’ attainment and progress and documents relating to their safety and behaviour.  The inspector took into account the views expressed in the 30 completed online Parent View questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Peter Kerr, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Ilmington is a small rural primary school serving the village and surrounding area.  Nearly all the pupils are from White British backgrounds and all speak English as their first language.  Very few pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium. This provides additional funding for looked-after children, pupils from families eligible for free school meals and those from families with parents in the armed forces.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is broadly average compared to other primary schools, whether supported at school action, school action plus or through a statement of special educational needs.  The school has a ‘forest-school’ area to help pupils explore the natural environment.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop pupils’ achievement and independence even further by giving them more opportunities to fully express and explore their own interests and ideas in lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children generally start in Reception at the expected level of development for their age group. They make exceptionally rapid progress, and by the end of the year attainment is above average in all areas of learning.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The children quickly become confident and independent learners. They master early reading and writing skills at a rapid pace, especially learning the sounds that letters make, and they enjoy using these in their play. For example, they pretended to be Goldilocks and wrote letters to the three bears apologising for eating baby bear’s porridge.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Rapid progress is sustained throughout Years 1 to 6, so standards are high in English and mathematics by the time pupils leave the school. The proportion of pupils making quicker than average progress from Year 2 to Year 6 is high compared to most primary schools and nearly all pupils make at least nationally-expected progress each year.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make rapid progress compared to similar pupils nationally. They do not all reach the expected level of attainment for their age, but do as well as they can because the support they receive is pitched at just the right level.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The very few pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium also do very well because the support they receive is helping them close gaps in their knowledge and keep abreast of new learning.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Attainment in reading is high because pupils learn basic reading skills early and well, and benefit from plenty of opportunities and encouragement to read widely for pleasure and to support their learning in different subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Progress in writing, which had lagged behind at the last inspection, is now on a par with reading and mathematics. Pupils write enthusiastically and at length because they have interesting things to write about and know exactly what they need to do to improve their work.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Outstanding learning occurs when pupils discuss ideas independently. For example, pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 collaborated very successfully to generate questions they would like to know the answer to about animal life on the Galapagos, having watched a brief video presentation about giant turtles. The questions they came up with were very mature and relevant.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The writing that followed a theatre visit typified the impact that the wide range of pupils’ experiences is having on their progress. For example, pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 wrote reflectively about what character traits they could deduce from an actor’s actions on stage and how to present evidence to support their views.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils’ achievements in mathematics are also high and improving because of the individually tailored support they receive to improve their work, and the wide range and quality of opportunities to apply their mathematical skills in different subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The pace and quality of pupils learning are reduced when they are expected to complete tasks that limit the extent to which they can express and develop their own thoughts and ideas.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is consistently at least good and often outstanding because lessons build steadily and reliably on pupils’ existing skills.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Lessons are most effective when teachers give pupils their head, particularly in group discussions, listen to them talking and guide them towards increasingly interesting and demanding tasks. For example, by taking up what one pupil said about a character being partly good and partly evil, the teacher involved all the Year 3 and Year 4 pupils in considering more complex questions than had been planned. This then led to them using a wide range of skills, including role play and public speaking, to argue which of three main characters from different stories was most evil.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 What prevented some good lessons from being outstanding was when teachers gave pupils too much instruction and guidance, rather than encouraging them to fully express and explore their own ideas.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers and teaching assistants work together very effectively in each classroom so that pupils at all ability levels have maximum adult support and encouragement.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers have all responded very well to the key issues raised at the previous inspection. They provide a wide range of opportunities for pupils to write at length and in different subjects and give them regular feedback through marking on how to improve their work. This has had a significant impact on raising standards in writing and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is very effective. Their needs are accurately identified and help and guidance provided so they can participate in all activities and make as much progress as possible. The support is modified in the light of the regular accurate checking of their progress, to make sure it is always having the desired impact.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Similar individualised high-quality support is provided for pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium so that they also are fully included in all activities and make rapid progress.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The wide range of learning experiences provided for pupils includes direct teaching by specialists in some subjects such as science, music and physical education. The pupils say they really appreciate these lessons. Excellent use is made of the forest-school area to foster pupils’ independence and extend their experience and knowledge of the natural world.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Parents and carers say they are very confident that their children are safe, and that behaviour is good. Pupils’ often exemplary behaviour and their detailed knowledge of how to stay safe confirm that these views are justified.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The forest-school area is used very well to help children learn how to assess and manage risks when taking part in outdoor activities. This they do very competently.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have an excellent understanding of all types of bullying. They say that bullying rarely occurs in school, if ever, and they recognise the possible risks from cyber-bullying when using the internet.  The link with a culturally diverse school in Coventry has helped enormously to broaden the pupils’ perspectives. They talked enthusiastically and with respect about the different cultures, languages and religions that they encountered during exchange visits.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The pupils put their heart and soul into everything they do. They listen attentively in lessons, stick at their work until it is completed and collaborate with each other extremely effectively. Consistently high attendance each year testifies to their enjoyment of school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The pupils are very reflective. They have a strong sense of right and wrong, and of the equal worth of each individual. The way the older pupils look after the younger ones throughout the day makes the school feel like an extended family, for example at family-style lunches.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The excellent relationships that pupils have with each other and their great enthusiasm for learning lead to very effective collaboration in lessons, which in turn enriches and accelerates their learning.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leadership and management are highly effective because the governing body, school leaders, and staff are all dedicated to maintaining high standards. There is no complacency in the school and everyone pulls together to continually improve the quality of pupils’ education and their achievements.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school continually extends and enriches the range of learning opportunities on offer. Pupils spoke enthusiastically, for example, of what they had learned about life for children in Africa through their link with a school in Kenya. Much of the pupils’ work is based on topics that interest them and motivate them to learn more about subjects such as history and geography.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Outdoor learning opportunities for Reception children have been improved temporarily by imaginative use of the forest-school area. A new purpose-built Reception-class, including a covered outdoor area, will form part of a forthcoming building project.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Equality of opportunity is central to the school’s policies and procedures. Leaders ensure that all pupils facing barriers to learning, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, do as well as they can and are not discriminated against. The management of support for these pupils is exemplary.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 All aspects of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are very strongly promoted. The pupils are encouraged to be aware of each other’s needs and to learn as much as they can about the different cultures that make up wider society.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher continually challenges teachers to improve their performance, and they respond with renewed effort and enthusiasm. They are allocated to the classes where they can make the best use of their expertise, and all teachers are held to account for the progress their pupils make.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupil premium funds are spent on one-to-one support for eligible pupils to identify and close gaps in their knowledge and skills. The school has good plans in hand to check that the intervention is having the required impact and adjust the support if necessary.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is highly effective in holding the school to account and helping it to improve. It keeps a close eye on the budget, challenging school leaders to justify expenditure in terms of the impact it has on pupils’ achievements and personal development. Its members’ skills are regularly updated through training and brought to bear in managing staff performance, so that salary increases are linked to pupils’ achievement, which in turn is checked against performance in similar schools nationally. The governing body also checks that pupil premium money is spent wisely on the pupils for whom it is intended. Requirements relating to safeguarding pupils are fully met, with exemplary procedures for ensuring the safe recruitment of staff.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 125637 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 403579

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School details

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

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School details

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 108 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Reverend Chris Goble Headteacher Sally Naish Date of previous school inspection 16 May 2008 Telephone number 01608 682212 Fax number 01608 682212 Email address jbeard@ilmington.warwickshire.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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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School details

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School details

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

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