Crowmarsh Gifford Church of England School

Crowmarsh Gifford CE Primary School Old Reading Road, Crowmarsh-Gifford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8EN

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well across a wide range of subjects and year groups. The quality of their writing in Year 6 is very good and achievement in mathematics is good across the school.  Pupils are proud of the school. They behave well in lessons and around the site. They get on with each other well, feel safe and attendance is high.  There is much good teaching which enables pupils to make good progress. Teaching has been consistently effective over a sustained period of time.  The headteacher provides strong leadership and has ensured that the school and teaching continually improves. She is respected by all members of the school community. Governors support the school well and hold leaders to account for their work.  The school uses its links with a range of churches to ensure that pupils have the opportunity to develop their understanding of spiritual and cultural matters well.  Parents spoken to and who responded to the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

questionnaire on Parent View are very positive about the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although teaching is mostly good, there are a few occasions where it requires improvement.  Although the large majority of pupils make good progress, there are a few who are not improving at a fast enough rate in some year groups.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes. They visited 16 lessons and two assemblies. Three observations were made jointly with the headteacher.  The inspection team held meetings with governors, staff, a parent, pupils and a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspection team observed other work of the school, including the school’s plans for improvement, safeguarding information, assessment records, attendance information and the school’s information on the progress made by pupils.  Account was taken of the responses in 14 questionnaires completed by members of staff and 51 responses to the on-line questionnaire Parent View.

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Inspection team

David Bray, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Marianne Phillips Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school. It has provision for Early Years Foundation Stage children in one Reception class. There is one class per year group.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (extra government funding to support pupils in the care of the local authority or known to be eligible for free school meals) is much lower than the national average. The school spends funding on extra teaching assistant support and intervention sessions. Pupils associated with the local air force base also receive extra support for social development.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school does not have any form of alternative provision.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching further so that it is always good and more is outstanding by:  ensuring that work is matched well to the needs of all pupils and that lessons have sufficient pace  making questioning more effective and challenging  getting pupils to respond to marking in order to improve their work  refining the systems used for lesson observations so that they have a sharper focus on what pupils have achieved in lessons and over time.  Improve the progress of the small group of pupils who make less than expected progress by:  ensuring that teachers are monitoring the progress of these pupils more effectively  making the interventions to accelerate their progress more timely and effective.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 On entry to Reception, children have above average social skills. Their skills in other areas are average. They achieve well in Reception and by the time they enter Year 1 have skills and abilities which are above average.  The teaching of reading through focusing on phonics (the sounds made by letters) is very effective. Almost all pupils achieved the expected level in the most recent test of reading for pupils aged six.  In Key Stage 1, pupils continue to make good progress. Their results in the Key Stage 1 national tests have been above average for several years, demonstrating the sustained progress that has been made in literacy and numeracy.  In Key Stage 2, pupils make good progress. Their achievement in the most recent Key Stage 2 national tests was above average. Pupils in the current Year 6 are making rapid progress in their development of writing skills because of consistently good teaching and feedback to pupils on

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The achievement of pupils is good

how to improve their work.  In other year groups, achievement in mathematics and reading is good. While pupils achieve well in writing overall from their starting points, their performance is not always as good as in Year 6 because of the very effective teaching of writing in Year 6.  There are a few pupils who make less than expected progress because the teaching is not always meeting their needs well enough, or because they have started the school after having attended another school and have not yet caught up in their learning.  The small number of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are making good progress because extra support provided meets their needs. Those known to be eligible for the pupil premium are also making good progress overall, although a few are not making rapid enough progress to catch up in areas where they are behind because interventions have been

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good across the school. Parents who expressed a view on Parent View and pupils spoken to are very positive about teaching.  Almost all lessons are good. In the best lessons pupils are excited and engaged by learning. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, pupils were delighted at how the teacher transformed the story of Humpty Dumpty. They used a well-planned structure to enable them to develop this, and other stories, with a high level of structure and organisation. Consistently good teaching is helping pupils to make rapid progress.  The teaching of mathematics is effective and is enabling pupils to make good progress across the school.  Teachers mark books regularly and well. Despite this, some teachers do not always encourage pupils to respond to their comments by adjusting their work or practising their skills in order to improve.  Most teachers question effectively in order to get feedback on what pupils understand. There are

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The quality of teaching is good

a few occasions where questioning is not sharp enough to deepen learning and where a small number of pupils are not sufficiently challenged because work is too easy for them.  Teaching assistants provide good support to learning. They are well trained and organised. This enables them to have a positive impact on how well pupils learn and achieve.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school site. They play together with respect. They are happy at school, understand how to keep themselves safe and feel confident moving around the school site.  Pupils understand that bullying can take place and that this can be in different ways, such as name calling or cyber bullying. They do not experience this however and any occasional disagreements are dealt with effectively.  The school council is effective in gathering the views of pupils and representing them to adults. The council’s role is respected by pupils in the school.  Pupils respond well to the good range of spiritual opportunities they experience. They understand the values of the school. They are proud of the school and as a result attendance is high.  Parents spoken to during the inspection and who completed the Parent View questionnaire believe that behaviour is good.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership of the school is good. The headteacher provides determined leadership and is respected by all members of the school community. She sets high expectations in all aspects of the school’s work and has had a strong impact on the progress made by the school in recent years.  Leaders have demonstrated they have the ability to further improve the school because of the success of the actions they have taken so far, for example in improving achievement and attendance.  Performance management is used effectively to ensure that teaching is maintained at a good standard. However, lesson observations do not always focus sufficiently on the impact of teaching on outcomes for pupils.  Middle leaders provide effective leadership. They are well organised and have a clear understanding of how to improve further. Writing has been a priority and progress in this area has been good because recent results in national tests have shown improvement. Mathematics

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The leadership and management are good

has been strong across the school for a number of years.  The funding for the pupil premium is having a positive impact on the progress of most eligible pupils. A few pupils are not making sufficient progress. The school is aware of this and has put in intervention activities to support their learning. In the majority of cases these have been effective. In a few they have been too recent or not effective enough.  The school has strong Christian values. They underpin the positive relationships between adults and pupils. Pupils develop a good understanding of right and wrong.  The school demonstrates a strong commitment to equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination and works well with a range of outside agencies.  The local authority has evaluated that the school is performing well and maintains minimal contact.  Arrangements to ensure that pupils are safe and that adults working with them are suitably

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The leadership and management are good

experienced and qualified are thorough and effective.  The governance of the school: – Governors are experienced and provide effective support for the school. They ensure that they receive appropriate professional training to carry out their role and hold leaders to account for their work. Governors have a good understanding of performance management and ensure that an appropriate focus is given to pay progression. Governors are aware of the amount of money received for the pupil premium and are starting to evaluate the effectiveness of the provision on the progress of these pupils. The governors have a good understanding of how well the school is performing and monitor the quality of teaching through asking searching questions about performance.

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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 123133 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 403512

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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 Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 200 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rob Mullan Headteacher Barbara O’Dwyer Date of previous school inspection June 2008 Telephone number 01491 836785 Fax number 01491 836785 Email address head.3200@crowmarsh-gifford.oxon.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

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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School details

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

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