Winster CofE Primary School

Winster CofE Primary School Wensley Road, Winster, Matlock, DE4 2DH

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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.  All pupils are making good progress in mathematics and most are making good progress in reading and writing.  The progress pupils make has improved since September, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1.  Teaching is good and lessons are well planned to match the wide age range of pupils in each class.  Teachers use good questioning methods to encourage pupils to think hard about their learning.  Pupils behave well in and around school. They show consideration for each other and say that they feel safe.  The headteacher is highly ambitious for the school and knows what needs to be done to ensure it continues to improve. She has already made some important changes to improve the quality of teaching and raise achievement.  The headteacher encourages open and honest communication with parents, and parents and staff are extremely supportive of what the school is doing.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The governing body is fully involved in school improvement planning. Its members have tackled some difficult situations and have shown that they hold the staff accountable for ensuring good progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In some lessons, pupils are not given enough opportunity to develop their independent learning skills and are too dependent on the teacher for guidance.  Marking in books does not always give individual pupils specific guidance as to how they can improve, and they are not always given time to respond to the guidance.  Teachers make lessons interesting and engaging, but the longer-term planning of topics does not ensure that skills are developed over a four-year period to cater for the wide age ranges in each class.  The school does not yet have subject leaders who can support the headteacher in checking the progress of pupils across the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons or parts of lessons, all of which were joint observations with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and other staff, two groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors, and a representative of the local authority. Informal discussions were held with parents.  The inspector took account of 11 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and seven completed staff questionnaires .  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at: information from the school’s checks on its performance; school improvement plans; analysis and tracking of pupils’ progress; leaders’ records of classroom observations; safeguarding arrangements; and records of governing body meetings. She also sampled pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and checked information on pupils’ attendance.

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Inspection team

Susan Hughes, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional funding to help particular pupils who need it, such as those known to be eligible for free school meals) is below average.  There are no pupils from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or through a statement of special educational needs is average.  Pupils learn in mixed-age classes with up to four year groups in each class.  No pupils are taught in alternative provision away from the school site.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The school went through turbulent times during the last academic year. An interim executive

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Information about this school

headteacher led the school for the autumn term in 2012 and the current headteacher took up post in January 2013.  The teacher of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 class took up post in September 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that more is outstanding through:  giving pupils a range of ways to help them develop independence so that they rely less on adult help in practical activities  ensuring that guidance as to the next steps in learning is specific for individual pupils and that they routinely have the opportunity to respond to teachers’ marking.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by:  developing subject leadership skills of staff so that they can check progress and attainment across the school  ensuring that the topics pupils study are planned carefully to develop skills over a four-year period.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress. Currently, all children are working within the expected range for their age, even though some joined the school with lower skills than expected.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 were broadly average in 2012 but weaker in reading and writing than in mathematics. The performance of pupils at the end of Year 6 last year was good. They made good progress in English and mathematics in Years 3 to 6 and standards were above average in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Since September, progress has improved, especially in Key Stage 1. All pupils in the school are making good progress in mathematics. Most pupils are making good progress in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The results of the national screening check on how well pupils know the sounds that letters make (phonics) in Year 1 were above average. The attainment of most pupils in Key Stage 1 is now above national expectations in reading. Although a few pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 are making slower progress in reading than in writing, just over half of pupils in Key Stage 2 are now reading above the expected level for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are making good progress because of the good support they receive. Teachers know their pupils well and needs are quickly identified. Good support is provided by well-briefed adults either working with pupils in the classroom or on a one-to-one basis.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding make good progress. Much of the money has been spent on extra adults and learning programmes to provide individual or small group teaching and support for these pupils. Other funds have been spent on adult support to develop pupils’ confidence and self-esteem.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are eligible for free school meals make as much progress as other pupils in the school in English and mathematics. While their attainment in mathematics is as high as other pupils, a few are a term or two behind others in English.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because lessons are well planned for all abilities. In the best lessons, more- able pupils either have work specifically planned for them or they work with pupils in a higher year group to ensure that they are making good progress. For example in a mathematics lesson, one Year 6 pupil was challenged to identify different truncated prisms, while a Year 3 pupil worked well with the Year 4 group on subtraction.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers question pupils to check their understanding and also develop their learning. For example, in a science lesson, pupils’ hypotheses on how to sort substances or on the rate of dissolving sugar were challenged by such questions as ‘Why do you think that?’

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are not always given the opportunity to develop independent learning skills. Small classes and good additional adult support means that, while disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported, some pupils rely too heavily on adult guidance and are not developing ways of overcoming problems for themselves.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium are supported in small groups or individually as required. The staff know all pupils and their families well and provide sensitive support in lessons, as well as giving pupils the opportunity to discuss anything that may be affecting their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking in books is generally encouraging. Teachers outline in their comments what pupils will be learning next, but this is not always specific enough to help individual pupils understand what they need to do to improve. Consequently, pupils are not given the opportunity to act upon any guidance which will move them forward in their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are encouraged to be independent. For example, they are given opportunities to choose their activities and during the inspection readily organised their own equipment for painting. This generated discussion between themselves about the best paint brushes to use and how important it was for them to concentrate on what they were doing. There is a good balance between activities led by adults and those that children choose for themselves.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers encourage an excitement for learning. For example, pupils in Key Stage 1 were able to talk enthusiastically about their topic on India. They were engrossed in writing guide books to encourage tourists to visit the Taj Mahal, while children in the Early Years Foundation Stage were keen to share their views on spicy food.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in all areas of the school. They show respect and care for each other by routinely sharing equipment and ideas. A girl in Year 4 automatically fetched equipment for the whole table when she realised it would be useful for her. In Key Stage 1, pupils spontaneously invited a boy to join their group because his partner was away.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 All pupils have a clear understanding of different forms of bullying, including name calling and physical bullying. However, they feel it is not very relevant to them as they are unaware of any bullying ever happening in the school. One girl said she did not see the point of it ‘because bullying just upsets people’. Pupils said that any minor incidents are soon sorted out by older pupils or the teachers. The school makes sure that there is no discrimination and pupils from different backgrounds get on well with each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils know how to stay safe in different situations. Teachers and visitors to the school give them good safety guidance, for example, on how to cross the road and basic fire safety. One pupil talked about the advice to ‘Stop, Drop and Roll’ if your clothes caught fire, and older pupils could talk about internet safety.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Older pupils feel that they should take responsibility for looking after younger ones. For example, they were very keen to talk about specific areas of the playground where ball games could be played to ensure that no-one got hit by the ball. When eating lunch, older pupils are always ready to help the younger ones.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Parents who expressed their views say that their children are happy at school. This is reflected in the excellent attendance record. Attendance has been above average over the past three years, and continues to be above average this year.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new headteacher has ambition and drive for improvement. Building on the work of the interim headteacher, she has ensured that all pupils’ progress is tracked rigorously so that they all have equal opportunities to succeed. School data and work in books shows that progress improved between September and December, and has accelerated even more since January.

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The leadership and management are good

 Class teachers check the progress of their own pupils. However, teachers have not yet had the opportunity to develop their subject leadership skills so that they can track progress in specific subjects across all year groups.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers’ performance is judged against how much progress their pupils make and how well they fulfil their different roles in the school. A new appraisal system has been put in place so that targets are used appropriately to measure whether promotion up the pay scale is justified by the results achieved.

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The leadership and management are good

 The lessons pupils learn are exciting and engage them. Pupils talked enthusiastically about studying the Second World War. They discussed moral issues such as how evacuees were treated and how well they settled into their own village. Longer-term planning, however, does not ensure that pupils’ skills are well developed over time through topic work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Good links with the village community include involvement in events such as ‘Wakes Week’ and inviting members of the lunch club for the elderly to join pupils in school for their lunch. Older pupils talk to the visitors about what the school was like in their day and compare it with the school now.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works hard to promote an appreciation of pupils’ own culture and of other ways of life. The school council organises fund raising activities for a school and clinic in Jakadu, Africa. Updates from Jakadu and visits from Italian students, linked to the twinning association, help pupils to learn about different ways of life. Singing is a strength of the school. Pupils have performed at local events in the village and will be singing at the Assembly Rooms in Derby later this year.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided good support for the school during its recent turbulent times. In addition to general support for leaders and managers, it is also providing consultancy support to help the headteacher improve the standard of teaching so that more is outstanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance is good. The governors have tackled difficult issues around staffing and demonstrated that they effectively challenge and hold senior leaders to account for school improvement. Their appropriate handling of a sensitive situation has resulted in the school being able to move forward with strong leadership and good teaching in all areas. They have a very clear understanding of the strengths of the school and how it can still be improved. Through looking at school data, questioning the headteacher and visiting the school, they have an accurate picture of the quality of teaching and how well pupils are progressing. They are very supportive of the school and have worked closely with the interim and current headteacher to involve parents in deciding what the school’s priorities for improvement should be. The school’s finances are well managed and governors check the effectiveness of pupil

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The leadership and management are good

premium spending. They are aware that much of the funding goes into pupils’ direct learning through small group and individual support.

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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 112863 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 401314

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 31 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mike Hatfield Headteacher Sharon Slack Date of previous school inspection 29 June 2010 Telephone number 01629 650238 Fax number 01629 650238 Email address info@winster.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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