Parwich Primary School

Parwich Primary School Parwich, Ashbourne, DE6 1QJ

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  As a result of good teaching pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics throughout the school.  Children make a good start to school life in Reception. They make good progress and attainment is above average at the end of their Reception Year.  The teaching of early reading is outstanding. A well-above-average percentage of pupils reached the expected level for their age in the newly introduced national reading test for Year 1 pupils.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress due to effective teaching and the skilful support they receive.  Pupils’ good behaviour ensures that lessons flow fluently with minimal disruption. Pupils appreciate the help and support they get from their teachers and other staff. They feel safe in school and free from all forms of bullying.  The headteacher shows good leadership and gets everyone working together and expecting

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the very best from pupils. Teachers eagerly take on responsibility and do this well.  The governing body knows the school well and shows a high level of commitment. Working closely with the headteacher, it has been instrumental in improving both teaching and achievement since the last inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not yet strong enough to lead to outstanding achievement, and the targets set for improving teachers’ performance do not focus enough on improving teaching skills to the highest level.  Pupils do not yet have good, regular opportunities to sharpen their literacy and numeracy skills when working in subjects other than English and mathematics.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons, two of which were seen jointly with the headteacher. Two sessions on phonics (the teaching of letters and their sounds) were also observed.  Meetings were held with staff, two governors and groups of pupils. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at documents relating to pupils’ progress and attainment, and the way in which the school evaluates its own performance. Pupils’ work in books and the most recent report from the local authority were looked at carefully, and documents relating to safeguarding were also considered.  Account was taken of the 15 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and the eight staff questionnaires that were completed.

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Inspection team

Lois Furness, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 In this much smaller than average primary school almost all pupils are White British.  A below-average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium. In this school it provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  No pupils are educated through alternative provision away from the school site.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is well below average, but the proportion supported at school action plus or through a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There are two mixed-year classes: one for Reception and Years 1 and 2, and the other for Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. In the mornings there are three classes when pupils from Years 2 and 3 are taught together for English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching and accelerate pupils’ progress by:  increasing the proportion of outstanding lessons and ensuring the targets set for teachers are based on moving good teaching to outstanding  giving pupils regular opportunities to practise their literacy and numeracy skills independently in subjects such as science, history and geography  insisting on a consistently high quality and quantity of pupils’ written work, backed up by giving pupils plenty of time to work independently or with a partner  ensuring that marking comments always show pupils clearly how to improve their work, and that they have time to follow the guidance and make those improvements.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement has moved from satisfactory to good since the last inspection. This is a result of improved teaching and more careful use of assessment information to ensure that tasks match the age and the ability of pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter Reception with skills, knowledge and understanding that are broadly typical for their age. Staff plan carefully to give children good opportunities to develop their learning. This ensures that children make good progress, particularly in developing their key literacy, communication and mathematical skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 School data on pupils’ progress and the work seen in lessons and books show that good progress is made by almost all pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. Attainment throughout the school is rising. In all year groups most pupils are working at least at age-related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Approximately half of the pupils in each year group are working above these levels, especially in reading.   Reading is taught effectively across the school. Reception children learn well how to link letters and the sounds that they make (phonics). Pupils continue to use these skills when reading on their own. They develop very quickly a fluent style and a great enthusiasm for reading. Year 1 pupils did exceptionally well in the national reading test.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Although national test data suggest that boys were not attaining as highly as girls and their progress was slower, observations and the work in pupils’ books show that this is no longer the case. Staff have worked hard to engage boys in their learning through the use of boy-friendly topics and books such as the ‘Horrid Henry’ series. These strategies have been successful and boys are now progressing as well as girls, reflecting the school’s commitment to ensuring that all pupils have an equal opportunity to succeed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because of the well-targeted extra support they receive. The small number of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium also receive effective help and guidance when it is needed. Test results and progress data show that this support helps pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals to do as well as others in the school. Consequently, the gap between the attainment of this group and the national average is narrowing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most of the teaching is good, but not enough is outstanding to ensure that pupils make the rapid and sustained progress necessary to raise standards further.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils make the best progress when they are encouraged to work things out for themselves or collaborate with a partner to solve problems. However, teachers do not always allow enough time for this to happen, limiting what can be achieved. The work in pupils’ books show teachers do not consistently have high expectations of the quality and quantity of work produced in a lesson.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Children in Reception enjoy stimulating activities, both inside and outdoors. They have plenty of chance to play, explore and follow their own interests. Well-planned activities ensure they learn early reading, writing and numeracy skills systematically. Booklets that show what children have been learning are shared with parents regularly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are well prepared and their detailed planning clearly identifies the learning aims for each lesson, as well as different activities, for all groups of pupils. This ensures that all pupils are making better progress since the last inspection and have suitably challenging work. Pupils know their targets and say that these are useful in helping them to know the next steps in their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In all of the lessons observed, teachers asked probing questions at the right level for the range of abilities within the class. For example, in a Years 5 and 6 mathematics lesson where pupils discussed the properties of three-dimensional shapes, more-able pupils were asked to explain where there were parallel lines within the shape.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Another strength of teaching is the use of good examples of writing. When asked to describe a fruit without using its name, pupils in Years 2, 3 and 4 were shown a good piece of descriptive writing which enabled them to identify the ‘mystery’ fruit. Various resources, including music, were used well in this lesson to promote pupils’ use of their imagination.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of phonics is outstanding. The sessions observed were lively and interesting and pupils were highly motivated by the teaching. Good subject knowledge ensured all pupils developed the skill of blending letters together to read unfamiliar words such as ‘roast’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants make a strong contribution to pupils’ good learning during lessons. They work with individuals and small groups, and are particularly effective in supporting pupils who are at risk of falling behind.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils understand the marking system and say it helps them to know what they have done well and how to improve their work. Teachers usually make comments that guide pupils to specific improvements, particularly in English, but do not always make sure that pupils respond to the useful comments made.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The good behaviour and safety reported in the previous report have been maintained. Pupils say that they enjoy school and their lessons are interesting. Staff say behaviour is good, and pupils and parents agree. Pupils do not always get enough chance to develop their independence by working without direct adult supervision.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Reception age children settle well into school because of the positive relationships established with adults and with older pupils. They enjoy their learning as they work and play happily with their classmates.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are considerate, polite and friendly at all times. In lessons, they show positive attitudes to their teachers, their learning and each other. Pupils always try their best and listen carefully to their teachers. A friendly and welcoming atmosphere pervades the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe and all parents who completed the online Parent View survey agree. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, and say the posters that remind them about internet safety are particularly useful.  Pupils have a clear understanding of bullying and its different forms, including persistent name- calling, physical bullying and cyber bullying. They know what action to take should bullying occur. Older pupils talked about how they have been taught to ‘make the right choices’ and be kind to each other through their interesting Friday ‘dilemma’ discussions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are keen to come to school and arrive on time. Attendance is now above average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has established a clear vision for the school which is shared by all staff and governors. All have a strong commitment to taking the school to the ‘next level’ and staff morale is high.

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The leadership and management are good

 Frequent and accurate checks on the quality of teaching and the progress of pupils give leaders a realistic view of the school’s strengths and what needs to be done to improve. Self-evaluation is accurate and the school improvement plan sets out the right priorities to drive improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Training for staff is closely linked to school’s priorities, and pay rises are linked appropriately to the effectiveness of teaching. However, the targets set for staff are not focused sharply enough on moving teaching from good to outstanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents have positive opinions of the school’s work, as indicated by the online questionnaire returns. They appreciate the opportunities to meet with each other and with staff at the Parents’ Forum, to share ideas and to discuss their children’s learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The range of subjects taught is wide and interesting, and enables pupils to achieve well. Good links between subjects add meaning and relevance to learning. Pupils appreciate the good range of clubs and the educational visits provided. As yet, however, they do not have enough regular opportunities to practise their literacy and numeracy skills in different subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 The use of pupil premium funding has been well planned and allocated. Additional resources and support have been successful in helping eligible pupils who are at risk of falling behind in literacy and numeracy to succeed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides appropriately ‘light touch’ support for this good school, and the termly record of visit forms show how the school has progressed since the time of the last inspection. The local authority has provided good advice and created opportunities for staff to view good practice and share ideas with other local schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors bring a broad range of expertise to the school. They have a good understanding of the school’s performance and the quality of teaching. Governors have a clear overview of pupils’ attainment and progress and how these compare to similar schools nationally. Leaders are held to account by governors asking challenging questions. Governors are up to date with recent issues relating to the performance management of staff. They check how the pupil premium funding is spent and the impact these actions have on pupils’ achievement. The governors make sure that safeguarding procedures and practices meet national requirements. Over the past two years governors have received training in aspects of finance, data analysis and preparing for inspection.

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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 112604 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 401286

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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 43 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lynne Goldsworthy Headteacher Caroline Rodgers Date of previous school inspection 10 December 2009 Telephone number 01335 390245 Fax number 01335 390245 Email address headteacher@parwich.derbyshire.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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