Grendon Church of England Primary School

Grendon Church of England Primary School Main Road, Grendon, Northampton, NN7 1JW

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  The majority of teaching is outstanding, and never less than good. Lessons are imaginative and always interesting, and teachers are skilled at matching work to pupils’ abilities.  The outstanding curriculum enthuses pupils and staff alike. It ensures that all pupils make excellent progress and reach high standards.  Teachers’ assessment of pupils’ individual needs and the excellent systems used by the school to support pupils ensures that they are able to make outstanding progress.  The classroom learning environments created by teachers contribute strongly to the interest and excitement of pupils. This engages them in their learning and allows lessons to move forwards at a brisk pace.  Pupils behave exceptionally well. Their positive attitudes and expectations for learning are a significant factor in the excellent progress made in lessons.  The opportunities provided for the social,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

moral, spiritual and cultural development of pupils contribute strongly to pupils’ academic achievement and personal development.  The school has developed strong partnerships including links with other local schools which have aided pupils’ academic and personal development.  The headteacher, staff and governors work closely together and form a highly effective team. Together, they have overseen systematic improvements since the school’s previous inspection. All have a relentless commitment to improving already high standards.  Pupils demonstrate an excellent awareness of how to keep themselves and others safe.

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Information about this inspection

 Five lessons taught by five teachers were observed, together with sessions taken by teachers and teaching assistants working with small groups. All but one of these were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Discussions were held with pupils, parents, teaching and other staff, school leaders, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector looked at the work in pupils’ books and listened to pupils read.  The inspector took account of the 38 responses to the online survey (Parent View) and of the 14 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspector observed the school at work and considered a range of documentation. This included pupil progress and attainment data, pupils’ work, school improvement planning and the school’s procedures to enable it to gain an accurate view of its performance. In addition, the inspector looked at minutes of governing body meetings, a report written on behalf of the local

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Information about this inspection

authority and documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

St.John Burkett, 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 disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is well-below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is similar to the national average. All pupils speak English as a first language.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding to help pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children in the care of the local authority and children whose parents are in the armed forces) is well below the national average. There are no children from armed forces families currently in the school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress.  A new Chair of the Governing Body took up her post in September 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by sharing the expertise currently within the school and through its links with other schools to enable even more pupils to reach even higher standards in their work.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children’s skills on entry to the Early Years Foundation Stage are at expected levels for their age. They make outstanding progress both personally and academically and by the time they enter Year 1 to achieve well above average attainment. One parent said ‘I was amazed my daughter, who was only starting to form letters when she started in September was writing in whole sentences by half term’.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Progress rates are similarly outstanding across the rest of the school. In all year groups, the proportion of pupils who make better than expected progress is high compared with the national average. Consequently, at the end of Year 2 attainment is above average and at the end of Year 6, attainment in English and mathematics is high.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard at the Y1 phonics check was above the national average. However, to develop further improvement the school has recently introduced a new phonics programme to teach children in the younger age groups how to match letters to sounds and therefore to improve their writing. The school’s monitoring of subsequent progress indicates a further rise in attainment.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils read with confidence and enjoy what they read. They have good access to a well-stocked library, and by the end of KS2 are reading at a high standard.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Throughout the school, high standards are evident in all subjects, and the school’s strong monitoring systems show that pupils’ progress is similar in every subject when compared to that in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs or who are supported by pupil premium funding make similar progress to their peers because their needs are carefully assessed and work is well matched to their requirements, through judicious use of the school’s ‘pupil profile’ system, a regular check to ensure all pupils achieve well.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 There are very few pupils who are supported by the pupil premium funding. Their attainment is slightly lower than all pupils in both English and mathematics by approximately two terms. Nevertheless, the gap is being reduced and their attainment overall is above average.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Excellent information provided to parents and the responsiveness and availability of the school’s teachers and leaders enables well-matched provision to be developed to support pupils’ achievement.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The majority of the teaching is outstanding and it is never less than good. The same high standard is achieved in all key stages. Work is well-matched to pupils’ abilities in every lesson and teachers know the levels achieved by pupils in their classes and groups well. This is because there are very strong systems for assessment of learning, for example the pupil profile.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers make lessons enjoyable. One pupil said that the best thing about the school was ‘the classrooms, because teachers put a lot of effort into them. They make it different every time’. This is because teachers respond very positively to the opportunities offered by the school’s curriculum. One classroom, for example, as part of a project on Victorians, had a beach with real sand, a full-sized beach hut, deckchairs and Victorian artefacts. Pupils’ consequent learning as a response to such a strong learning environment was exceptional.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The school’s organisation of its subjects, referred to as the ‘global curriculum’ has made an exceptional contribution to the achievement of all pupils throughout the school. It stimulates the interest of pupils and staff alike, and inspires pupils to fully engage with their classroom activities. One parent wrote ‘The global curriculum and the learning environments are so enjoyable and stimulating that children cannot fail to learn and achieve their goals and targets’.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching assistants and other adults are used very well in all classes. They are well-trained and the school has strong systems for ensuring all pupils benefit from the support which can be given by all members of staff.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The quality of advice given to pupils on how to improve their learning is excellent. Books are consistently marked to a very good standard, and teachers take care to ensure their own presentation is neat. Where advice is given pupils act upon it, and consequently progress is rapid. Pupils are clear about their targets, and teachers understand their role in ensuring pupils achieve the highest levels they can by the end of Key Stage 2 and are exceptionally well prepared for their next stage in education.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The school is adept at sharing the classroom skills of teachers through observation of each other and by working with other schools. Although this has been very successful leaders recognise opportunities can be developed still further to help increase the proportion of outstanding teaching.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is consistently outstanding because the school’s high expectations are made clear through the curriculum and adults in the school have consistently high expectations of the pupils. Pupils have a strong belief that they will be able to learn readily at school, and they play their part well, unhesitatingly engaging in lessons and with other opportunities offered. Consequently, attendance is consistently high.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils and parents agree that the school keeps children safe. Pupils say that any incident of poor behaviour, including bullying, is exceptionally rare and that where it occurs it is dealt with very quickly by staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are engaged in a wide range of responsibilities. The school council, for example gave a presentation at the church harvest festival to promote a charitable project in Senegal. They also showed photographs in an assembly of the farmer receiving and using a laptop computer sent by the school. New starters to the school are assigned a ‘buddy’ who meets them before they start school and guides them in their first year.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The mentor system is an outstanding example of responsibility, where a trained group of older pupils guides others through a self-assessment of their academic and personal development.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Together, the governing body, the headteacher, teachers and staff form a highly effective team. They have brought about marked improvements since the last inspection, including driving up standards and significantly increasing the rate of pupils’ progress. Their track record and ambitious vision provide a powerful indicator of the school’s further capacity to improve.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The implementation of the global curriculum, the high quality of assessments within the pupils’ individual progress files, and the careful match of additional support to help all pupils progress well has led to rapid rises in achievement. One parent said of the global curriculum: ‘It is exciting and vibrant. It engages us all. We are so involved.’

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The leadership of the school, including that of the governing body is established and good systems have been developed which work well. Leadership is delegated effectively, including some which is given to pupils, such as through the peer mentoring system. The headteacher is strongly supported by the work of the deputy headteacher, the special needs coordinator and the early years leader who each work across the school to support the continuous improvement of practice.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school is discerning in its use of setting targets for teachers to improve their work, carefully matching training and other opportunities to the needs linked to the school’s improvement plan.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is particularly well promoted. Many opportunities are offered through the curriculum, which includes elements of enterprise in every unit. For example, in the Year 3 and 4 class as part of a topic on Italy pupils created a pizza restaurant for parents. They visited a pizzeria, designed and costed pizzas, and organised all the elements for a special and successful event.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school ensures there is no discrimination, and actively and very successfully promotes the key values of inclusion, respect and tolerance. Its drive to ensure that all pupils have an equal chance to succeed has been successful as all pupils make excellent progress.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority has supported the school appropriately through its accurate advice. It rightly recognises the strengths of the school’s leadership.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is highly effective and passionate about ensuring that pupils’ achievement is outstanding. Governors are very well informed and bring a wide range of experience to their work. Governors provide the right support and challenge for all leaders as they have a very good understanding about the quality of teaching and the link between performance and pay. They use data to effectively monitor the school’s performance. They are fully involved in the decision making about how pupil premium funding is used and carefully monitor its impact. They have an excellent understanding of safeguarding requirements and ensure that procedures are all in place with training up-to-date. They have an ambitious vision for the school. One governor said ‘The school looks outwards as well as inwards. It is an aspirational school.’

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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 121975 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 403482

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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 102 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jenni Reid-Smith Headteacher John Wayland Date of previous school inspection 4 February 2008 Telephone number 01933 663208 Fax number 01933 665734 Email address head@grendon.northants-ecl.gov.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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