Clifton upon Teme Primary School

Clifton-upon-Teme Primary School Pound Lane, Clifton-on-Teme, Worcester, WR6 6DH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is good school.  Pupils are treated with respect and as individuals in an atmosphere of care and support.  Pupils of all abilities and backgrounds achieve well and are prepared well for the next stage in their education.  Since the last inspection, high-quality leadership, management and governance have ensured that the school has improved rapidly.  Good training and better targets for teachers to improve their work have resulted in teaching now being good overall, with some that is outstanding.  Pupils enjoy school and feel entirely safe. They get on very well with their teachers and each other, and their behaviour is outstanding. This has a very positive effect on their learning and progress in lessons.  Pupils’ standards in reading are particularly good. The initiatives introduced since the last inspection have been successful in promoting a greater enthusiasm for reading.  Pupils find the wide range of subjects, after-

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school and lunchtime activities interesting and exciting, and this encourages them to do their best.  Attendance has improved and is now above average, which supports the view of parents and pupils that school is enjoyable.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Staff do not always check regularly enough in class that work is demanding enough for all pupils to make good progress.  The marking of pupils’ work does not always show them clearly how to improve it.  Teachers sometimes miss opportunities to develop pupils’ independence so they can learn and explore without direct supervision.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons, heard pupils reading, and observed pupils working in small groups with support staff. Two lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  The inspector held meetings with staff, two governors and a group of pupils, and spoke with parents. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Plans for school improvement were studied by the inspector, as was information about pupils’ progress and achievement. Governing body documentation, school policies and attendance figures were also carefully looked at.  The inspector took into account the 10 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, that were available at the time of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Keith Shannon, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to eligible for the pupil premium is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding given to schools for pupils who are known to eligible for free school meals, looked after by the local authority, or come from families who have a parent serving overseas in the armed forces.  All pupils are White British.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is average, as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make teaching and achievement outstanding by ensuring that:  the work set in lessons is always demanding for all of the pupils  the high-quality marking seen in some books is extended across all subjects and year groups  pupils have more chances to think for themselves and discover new ideas.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with knowledge and understanding that are broadly typical for their age. Staff plan carefully to give children good opportunities to develop a wide range of skills. This ensures that the majority of children make good progress, particularly in developing their key literacy, communication and mathematical skills.  School data on pupils’ progress and the work seen in lessons and books show that strong progress is made by most pupils, especially in their final two years at the school.  Parents, carers and pupils say that progress is good. There are no longer any marked variations in the achievement of boys and girls. This improvement, especially in mathematics, has been due to the extra support and training of staff given to the teaching of mathematics, arranged through the use of the pupil premium funding. These boys, and other eligible pupils, have benefited

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The achievement of pupils is good

significantly from individual and small group work, with reading being a priority.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive good quality help and guidance, and achieve well as a result. Additional funding to provide adult support for smaller groups has been effective in promoting their success in learning.  Pupils enjoy reading. Younger pupils are taught well how to link letters and sounds to help them understand and say unfamiliar words. They develop well as readers. By Year 6 most pupils read with fluency and confidence.  In writing pupils show good skills in the use of grammar and punctuation, and in speaking with the inspector they were able to show confidence and express ideas well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers develop good relationships with pupils, and have high expectations in terms of work and behaviour. Activities are generally clearly explained before they start.  In the best taught lessons, no time is wasted. Immediately on arrival pupils are given brief introductions and then focus on learning. As problems are solved, pupils are asked to explain to others how they reached this point. Teachers ask well-chosen questions to make pupils think, discuss with one another, and come to conclusions. The topics in most lessons are both interesting to the pupils and demanding.  Teachers do not always make the most of opportunities to encourage pupils to learn without direct help, and do not always make full use of the information they receive about pupils’ progress to plan work at exactly the right level of difficulty. However, they work very well with teaching assistants, who very ably support those with additional educational needs.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark work regularly. In the very best examples they make detailed comments to show pupils how well they are doing and what is needed to make their work better. Some encourage pupils to enter a written dialogue to test their understanding. These questions are often stimulating in that they encourage thinking before a written response in reply.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation is consistently good or better. Very good shared planning by the class teacher and the teaching assistant ensures that children are given a good balance of activities, some led by adults and others chosen by the children themselves.  Across the school, teachers make a significant contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This is especially effective in the way adults regularly give pupils time to reflect upon their learning and understanding.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Throughout the school, outstanding behaviour contributes considerably to the quality of learning.  Pupils have a very good and clear understanding of the different forms bullying can take, including verbal, physical and cyber-bullying. They told the inspector that they feel very safe in school and that any of the adults help if they need it. Those pupils interviewed could report no incidents of bullying.  The school is able to arrange many trips, including overseas, mainly because staff are sure that pupils will behave impeccably. Parents, especially those who spoke with the inspector, are confident of their child’s safety whilst they are under school supervision.  Attendance has improved further since the last inspection and is now above average. This reflects the fact that pupils really enjoy their school life.  This school is very much at the heart of the community. Local residents welcome school activities

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

in their community, particularly because of the consistently outstanding behaviour displayed.  Pupils from the school council play a strong role in school life. For example, they help plan for fundraising charity events, ensure that staff know about pupils’ concerns, and carry out their duties conscientiously.

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The leadership and management are good

 Clear leadership and thorough management systems have supported school leaders and governors in their insistence on higher standards since the last inspection.  The quality of teaching has been raised by using lesson observations and careful checking of pupils’ work to identify aspects of weaker practice. Clear performance targets have been set for teachers. High-quality coaching and attendance at appropriate courses have helped teachers to improve their practice.  The way subjects are taught provides pupils with a wide range of memorable experiences. Teachers work well to ensure that topics weave subjects together in interesting ways, and teaching methods cross over year groups.  With many classes being taught across two year groups, leaders have worked hard to make sure that lessons are planned carefully to cater for ages and all ability groups. In some cases this is not yet fully effective, and the more-able pupils in particular occasionally lose out.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s success in promoting equality of opportunity for all pupils and ensuring that there is no discrimination is demonstrated by the way in which pupils whose circumstances make them potentially vulnerable achieve at least as well as other groups.  The majority of parents and carers who responded to the Parent View survey, or, who spoke to the inspector, expressed high levels of satisfaction with the school’s performance, including the way in which it responds to any concerns. They feel that it gives them valuable information about their children’s progress.  The local authority provides appropriately ‘light touch’ support for this good school, and is keen to show how it has progressed significantly since the time of the last inspection. It has provided advice and support, creating opportunities for staff to view good practice.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is keen to support the leaders, and has the very best interests of the

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The leadership and management are good

children at the centre of all it does. Since the previous inspection the governors have received good training, and are now very clear in their questioning and understanding of school finances and performance at all levels. They are more confident about judging the quality of teaching, and so are more able to ensure that staff promotion and pay rises are linked closely to their performance. The governors are fully aware of how pupil premium money is used, and what effect it has. They are also better placed to judge pupils’ achievement against the context of similar school nationally. Safeguarding is given a suitably high priority, and the governors ensure that the school complies with all current requirements for safeguarding and child protection.

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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 116669 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 401613

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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 78 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Pamela Wojciechowski Headteacher Deborah Mitchell Date of previous school inspection 8 February 2010 Telephone number 01886 812258 Fax number 01886 812258 Email address head@clifton-upon-teme.worcs.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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