Sir John Offley CofE (VC) Primary School

Sir John Offley CofE (VC) Primary School Izaak Walton Way, Madeley, Crewe, CW3 9PJ

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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.  Pupils achieve well. They make good progress as they move through the school, continuing an upward trend in recent years.  Pupils behave very well and they attend school regularly. They are polite and show respect for each other and for the adults in the school.  They love writing and mathematics and work hard at topic work. They develop an enjoyment of reading and books.  Teaching is consistently good. Teachers plan carefully for the needs of every child whatever their age or ability. They ask challenging questions that make pupils think and help them learn  Teachers’ enthusiasm for teaching is shown in their responsiveness to the measures taken to improve the school and their own practice.  The headteacher and the governing body have been successful in improving the school by raising the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. They know what needs to be done to improve it further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although it is improving steadily, progress is not yet outstanding.  Most teaching is good rather than outstanding.  Sometimes opportunities are missed to enable pupils to learn from each other’s work.  The use information technology to support pupils’ learning is underdeveloped.  There are some inconsistencies in marking.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited parts of 10 lessons and looked at work in pupils’ books. She listened to children read, visited an assembly and observed playtime activities.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, two members of the governing body, key staff and with pupils. A telephone call was made to a representative of the local authority.  Documents looked at included the school’s self-evaluation summary, information on pupils’ progress, the most recent report from the local authority and documents relating to safeguarding, school management and the curriculum.  Parents’ views were taken into account through the 22 responses to the Ofsted online survey (Parent View), meeting parents on the playground and the school’s two most recent surveys of parents’ views. The school’s most recent surveys of pupils’ views were also taken into account and staff completed a questionnaire for the inspector.

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Inspection team

Mary Le Breuilly, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than an average-sized primary school.  Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds.  A higher than average proportion of pupils is known to be eligible for pupil premium funding (additional funding provided by the government to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care and the children of service families).  The proportion of pupils who are supported through school action is much higher than average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average.  The school exceeds the government’s current floor standards that set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  There is a before- and after-school care facility on the school site but it is not covered by the governing body.  Pupils in the school do not attend any alternative provision.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build on the improvements the school has already made so that teaching and progress become outstanding. In particular:  make sure that all marking is of the same standard as the outstanding marking seen in some books  develop the thoughtful and relevant use of information technology to support children’s learning in and beyond school  find more opportunities for children to reflect on each other’s work as well as their own so they can learn from each other.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment has improved since the last inspection. Although attainment overall was average in both English and mathematics in the most recent Key Stage 2 results, it has been improving in both subjects year on year to the extent that it was on the 2012 list of the 100 most improved schools in England. The school’s data suggest that this trend will continue.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are now making good progress from their different starting points. Most pupils make the expected progress and many are now exceeding this. Progress has improved consistently year on year for the last three years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement in reading is good. In the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 the systematic teaching of letters and the sounds (phonics) helps most pupils to learn to read quickly and accurately. Phonics tests show that by the end of Year 1 pupils’ reading is better than the national average. The school has encouraged reading through the provision of a new library and visits from an author, and pupils across the school develop a love of reading from an early age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ progress in writing is improving and is now good. Children are taught the technical aspects of writing and they use technical language from a very early age. This helps their progression in writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in mathematics. They enjoy mathematics and many of them say it is their favourite subject.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children in the Early Years and Foundation Stage make good progress. They get on well with each other and adults act as good role models. Children learn both indoors and outside and have many opportunities to develop their communication skills and physical dexterity and to use their imagination.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. Staff identify their needs accurately and give them the support they need to achieve well. They are fully involved in all parts of school life.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium make good progress in general so that attainment gaps compared with other groups of pupils are narrowing. Additional funding provides small group support and special programmes of work to help pupils to catch up. It also funds the nurture group, which promotes the emotional well-being of these pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching is supporting pupils’ good progress in their learning. Planning of lessons is careful and detailed so that pupils make progress whatever their age group or capabilities. Effective resources are deployed to support learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lessons are usually well-paced. However, teachers sometimes talk for too long and on occasion one or two pupils dominate, for example by answering the teacher’s questions, so that other pupils remain a little too passive.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Relationships between pupils and staff are very positive and supportive. Teachers give pupils good encouragement. Pupils say that their teachers are always there to help if they get stuck and do not understand.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make sure that pupils are clear about what they are trying to achieve in every lesson and give them precise targets to aim for in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their own work and to think about how well they have done. As a result they are very focused on their next steps in learning. However, they do not often have opportunities to reflect on one another’s work so that opportunities are missed for pupils to learn from each other.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Some outstanding marking in books provides thoughtful feedback, encourages pupils and helps them understand exactly how to improve. Although all the marking seen was good, not all of it was as helpful in these respects. Assessment in the foundation subjects lacks the rigour of English, mathematics and science so it is more difficult to establish how much progress is being made or to identify underachievement.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The use of information technology to support pupils’ learning is underdeveloped.

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The quality of teaching is good

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

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are thoughtful about their own lessons and are always looking for ways to improve them. They act on feedback and advice and on the training they receive.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching across different subjects makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Visitors to school help improve children’s cultural understanding. For example the recent celebration of Chinese New Year was supported by visitors who explained the customs around the festival.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Teachers, pupils and parents generally agree that behaviour in and around school is good. Pupils are courteous and respond well to reminders about behaviour from adults. They move to and from different parts of the school in a quiet and orderly way. They play energetically when outdoors and try to sort out any minor disagreements themselves before asking an adult to intervene. Records show individual cases of pupils who have improved their behaviour and conduct significantly with help from the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show very positive attitudes to learning. Because they want to learn they respond to instructions quickly. Teachers are quick to notice any pupils who are distracted and they have good strategies for bringing pupils back to their work in a firm but gentle manner.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say they feel safe in school. In a discussion with pupils, they were able to talk about their understanding of the different forms of bullying and how to keep themselves safe when using the internet, for example. They reported that bullying and any incidents of unacceptable behaviour are rare and are quickly dealt with when they occur.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 They feel that the adults in school will listen to them if they have a concern and are confident in approaching staff when they have a problem.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 There are strong relationships between adults and pupils and good care and support are seen in all classes. The very good role models provided by members of staff help children to develop positive personal and social skills.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is high and the majority of pupils are punctual, showing that pupils are really happy to be in school and learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school pays very good attention to equality of opportunity by keeping a very close eye on the progress and well-being of every child, whatever their circumstances.

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The leadership and management are good

 Progress and teaching have improved since the previous inspection as a result of strong leadership and good teamwork. There is a clear vision for the school. Staff questionnaires show that they know what is expected of them and are well supported in carrying out their role and in improving their performance.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have an accurate understanding of how well the school is performing, and they plan for improvement accordingly. Pupils’ progress is tracked systematically through the collection of data and meetings are held each term with staff to discuss teachers’ assessments and to check if pupils are doing well enough.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, senior staff and the local authority undertake regular observations of teaching. This has helped to bring about improvements because any issues identified are followed through effectively, but some aspects of teaching, such as marking, remain inconsistent.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers have benefited from opportunities to undertake training and to work with leading practitioners from the local authority.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers are appraised for their performance and against targets, which include how much progress pupils make and the standards they reach. Training for staff is closely linked to their individual needs and to the school’s priorities.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s curriculum is based on developing pupils’ skills in science and foundation subjects alongside well planned progression in the core skills in English and mathematics. Pupils have the main decision about what theme should be used for teachers to base their learning around, for example Rain Forests, and this has improved the way they view their learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The adults at the school work well together in the best interest of the all the pupils. They promote equal opportunity and ensure that there is no discrimination. The safeguarding of pupils meets requirements and almost all parents believe that their children are safe at school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The majority of parents are very supportive of the school and almost all feel that teachers are doing a good job. They are happy with the progress their children are making.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance is outstanding. Governors have an excellent understanding of how well pupils are achieving, of the effectiveness of the teaching and of how well the school is performing in relation to other schools across the country. They visit the school frequently and, through well focused checks, find out for themselves how well the school is working. They provide both support and challenge appropriately, hold the headteacher to account for key decisions and back her in making improvements. They keep a close eye on the performance of staff and make sure that progressions in salary are justified. They understand how the pupil premium funding is spent and check on how effectively it is used. They fulfil their statutory requirement to ensure the health and safety of pupils and 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 124289 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 406229

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 149 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Margaret Baines Headteacher Sally-Anne Ward-Scott Date of previous school inspection 10 February 2011 Telephone number 01782 750301 Fax number 01782 752127 Email address headteacher@sirjohnoffley.staffs.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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