Langley Fitzurse Church of England Primary School

Langley Fitzurse Church of England Primary School Middle Common, Kington Langley, Chippenham, SN15 5NN

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Until this school year the quality of teaching did not ensure that pupils reached the standards at the end of Year 6 that results at the end of Year 2 indicated were possible.  The rates of progress pupils have made in Years 3 to 6 have been below what is expected nationally for several years.  Pupils, particularly but not exclusively the more able, have not achieved as well in mathematics as in English.  Although teachers set targets for pupils these are not specific enough for some pupils to see how they can make improvements, and staff do not refer to individual targets frequently enough in lessons.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leadership and management are good. The headteacher, governors and staff have robustly continued the improvements begun a year ago and standards are rising.  The systems for checking on how well pupils are doing, introduced at the start of this school year, are making it possible for teachers to teach more effectively.  This is a happy school. Its caring, Christian ethos ensures that all pupils are valued and that their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons or parts of lessons taught by four teachers. Of these, three were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  He met with groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and members of staff, and spoke to a representative of the local authority on the telephone.  He looked at pupils’ work and heard pupils from Years 1 and 6 read.  He met with the leader responsible for the after-school club.  The inspector took account of the 38 responses to the on-line Parent View survey and held informal discussions with parents before school.  He observed the school’s work, and looked at school documentation including information on pupils’ progress, evidence of self-evaluation and monitoring records.  The inspector analysed 11 Ofsted questionnaire responses from staff.

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Inspection team

Michael Burghart, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school serving a rural area.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. No pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportions of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or from service families are below average. The school receives extra financial support for these pupils through a government fund known as the pupil premium. In the last academic year no pupil was eligible for the pupil premium in Year 6.  The proportions of pupils who are supported by school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are below average, but vary widely across small year groups.  The school manages an after-school club for its pupils. This facility is also open to children who do not attend the school.  None of the pupils are taught in ‘alternative provision’ (for example in other schools or units).

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government 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?

 Improve the quality of teaching, building on the existing good models in the school, so that it is more consistently good or better by making sure that:  introductions do not go on too long, so pupils can be more active in their learning  more able pupils are given work which is not too easy and are always challenged to do their best  every teacher understands that in order for the school to be good, and fully make up for slower progress in the past, pupils’ rates of progress need to be better than what is expected for their ages.  Improve pupils’ achievement so that it is at least consistent with what is expected nationally by:  making sure pupils do as well in mathematics as they do in English and that current rates of progress in both subjects continue to rise  ensuring higher proportions of pupils, especially boys, reach above average standards at the end of Year 6.  Embed the system for assessing and recording how well pupils make progress so that in each

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

class, teachers set targets for individuals and refer to them regularly in lessons to show all pupils what they need to do to improve.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of pupils requires improvement because over a period of years pupils have made less progress between Years 3 and 6 than in Years 1 and 2. Progress rates have been below those expected nationally, with pupils generally not doing as well in mathematics as they did in English. Weaknesses are being successfully addressed through improvements to the quality of teaching and much better monitoring of how well staff and pupils are doing.  The profile of small year groups varies, but overall children start school with at least the skills and experience expected of this age group. They make good progress in all areas of learning in Reception because they are usually well taught through an appropriate balance of teacher- directed activities and those they can choose for themselves.  Young children have fun learning where staff pose interesting questions like: ‘Are there really dinosaurs on the common?’ to stimulate children’s thinking. They reach at least average

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

standards by the time they enter Year 1. They are emerging as readers and writers and are able to count and make comparisons.  Children begin to read following the school’s strategy for teaching through phonics (which focuses on the link between letters and sounds) and this approach continues throughout the school. In the national phonics screening check last year, girls did better than the boys, but numbers overall were small which makes comparisons with other schools less reliable.  Good progress continues for all pupils regardless of any special educational needs in Years 1 and 2 and, over time in these year groups, there has been a consistent profile of good achievement and above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Checks on the school’s view of progress and attainment made by the local authority and teachers from other schools have validated the school’s judgements.  Attainment at the end of Year 6 has fluctuated over the last four years. In 2012 it was better

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

than in 2011 but, at broadly average, it highlighted that some pupils had not made the progress they could rightly have been expected to make. This most notably affected the more able and some boys’ writing results.  Considerable improvements have been made over the course of the past year and predictions, grounded in school-based information and confirmed by the local authority, for 2013 indicate that standards will be above average in English and mathematics when pupils leave in July. Work in pupils’ books shows that those currently in Years 3 to 6 are making good progress now, building on the good foundation laid down in Years 1 and 2 and attainment shows signs of being above average.  There are clear signs that extra provision from pupil premium funding is effective in helping pupils to achieve their potential and that any gaps between the average point scores of such pupils and others in their year groups are fast being closed. Evidence shows that some more

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

able pupils in this group are doing better than classmates.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because over time the quality of teaching has not made sure that pupils left the school having made the progress that assessments at the end of Year 2 indicated they were capable of. Evidence suggests that, while intentions were good, expectations of what pupils could achieve were sometimes too low and, as a consequence, some pupils underachieved. Too often teachers accepted that good achievement meant that all pupils would reach the average level for their age rather than exceeding it.  Weaknesses in teaching, some of which still remain, have included teachers keeping pupils sitting too long while they explain what is going to happen and why. At such times pupils are too passive and their attention wanders. For instance, some pupils sitting in a circle listening for too long in a religious education lesson lost interest and opportunities were missed to reinforce their

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

understanding of the theme.  On occasions, extension activities are ‘more of the same’, rather than taking understanding to a higher level. There are times when what more able pupils are set to do is not challenging enough.  Although the introduction of a system to measure what pupils know, understand and can do is a positive feature, not all teachers have taken it on board fully to set targets based on this information for individuals. Where they do exist, staff do not routinely refer back to them in lessons to show pupils how they are doing.  Teaching observed during the inspection had many more positive features than negative and this reinforces the school’s longer-term view as noted in the school’s monitoring records.  Historical weaknesses in teaching mathematics are being overcome through better planning and assessment by senior leaders. This is a good indicator of the success of initiatives introduced

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

over the last year. There have been considerable improvements to the way the aims of lessons are shared with pupils. For example, in a Years 5 and 6 art lesson on symbols associated with Greek gods, the teacher skilfully linked learning objectives from art, religious education and information and communication technology and pupils were enthralled.  Good checks of the achievement of those pupils supported through pupil premium funding has led to good teaching and support and there are examples of some of them having made better progress than others of the same age, for instance in the quality of their writing.  Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to the overall quality of teaching, especially for those pupils who may be disabled or have special educational needs. They know pupils well and work closely with teachers to plan for, and record, pupils’ progress. Pupils grow in confidence as

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

a result and frequently make good progress against these small steps planned for them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are very keen to say they feel safe in school. They are well aware of who to turn to if there are problems, but are insistent that there seldom are any. Although a very few parents do not agree, pupils and staff confirm the inspector’s view that bullying of any kind is extremely rare over time and always effectively dealt with.  Everyone agrees behaviour is typically good in lessons, at play and during extra-curricular activities, especially after-school club. That behaviour is judged good rather than outstanding overall is due to very occasional lapses in concentration when lessons are not so successfully presented in ways that capture pupils’ imagination. Even at such times when attention is prone to wander it does not develop into disruptive behaviour.  The benefits of sharing, taking turns and listening to others are established in Reception and this lays the foundation for excellent progress in personal development which continues throughout

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

the school.  The school's excellent promotion of pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development has led to pupils developing as caring, sensible young people. Pupils respond particularly well to this small school’s friendly, Christian ethos. Older pupils show high levels of consideration for those younger than themselves and this makes a significant contribution to the school’s caring family atmosphere. Relationships throughout the school are outstanding and underpin outstanding personal development.

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The leadership and management are good

 Improvements to the way the school is led and managed began after the last inspection. Governors, with good support from the local authority, guided the school through a change of headship and the reorganisation of the school from three to four classes. A pattern of improvement was firmly established over a year ago and, although progress rates in Years 3 to 6 remained below what was expected in 2011–12, pupils’ attainment was improved.  This momentum was capitalised upon by the new headteacher whose vision and ambition for the school are securely rooted in a robust and accurate review of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Recognising why the school is not yet good, she is absolutely committed to bringing pupils’ academic achievement up to the high level of their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The headteacher, in a strong alliance with the governors, has moulded the staff into a willing

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The leadership and management are good

team that is ready to take on responsibility and make the most of the opportunity to contribute to the overall management of the school. Staff who responded to the Ofsted questionnaire indicated they appreciate the way the school is led.  Some initiatives are too recent to have had full effect, but the track record of improvement is reassuring and indicates that the school has a strong capacity for further development. Attendance rates have been raised to above the national average.  Curriculum planning has been improved to ensure not only is work interesting but all key skills are covered. The quality of teaching has been improved. The successful introduction of a system to assess and record pupils’ progress is having a significantly positive impact on achievement. As a result, pupils are already making faster progress than in the whole of last year and standards are on course for the school’s profile to be above average at the end of 2013.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teaching, learning and subject coverage are effectively monitored on a weekly basis. The headteacher has helped staff appreciate that teaching over time has not been good enough, particularly in Years 3 to 6, to ensure pupils achieved as well as they should. She is adept at identifying strengths and areas for development through classroom observation and makes very good use of these to prompt higher expectations of teachers and pupils. This has resulted in better systems to assess and record pupils’ progress and is leading to improved rates of pupils’ progress.  After-school club is much appreciated by parents and pupils and is well run.  The governance of the school:  Governors take good advantage of training to enhance their skills. They are very supportive of the school and have developed strategies to find out for themselves the quality of teaching and learning. They relate their findings to school and national data about standards and are in

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The leadership and management are good

a good position to home in on the effectiveness of teaching and provision. The governing body is well organised, having streamlined its committee structure, and governors share experience and expertise very effectively to challenge the impact of spending on pupils’ performance. They have a clear understanding of staff performance management procedures and successfully understand the link between outcomes in pupils’ progress to salary progression in so much as is possible within a small school budget. How extra funding for those entitled to the pupil premium is spent is well documented and made public on the school’s website. Records of governors’ meetings clearly show that improvements to such pupils’ achievement are well tracked and that the effects of additional teaching assistant hours and improved resources are regularly evaluated. Governors ensure that pupils are kept safe and that procedures do more than simply meet requirements.

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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 126334 Local authority Wiltshire Inspection number 406362

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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 95 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Martin Hatherly Headteacher Becky Harris Date of previous school inspection 1–2 December 2010 Telephone number 01249 750295 Fax number 01249 750295 Email address admin@langleyfitzurse.wilts.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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