Churchfield CofE (C) Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 7 Mar 2013

Churchfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Sandy Lane, Rugeley, WS15 2LB

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that has serious weaknesses.  Standards are too low across the school and especially in mathematics in Key Stage 2. This is because the school’s approach to teaching pupils how to calculate has not been effective.  Pupils are beginning to make faster progress in reading, writing and mathematics in some classes. However, over time, their progress has been too slow.  Teaching requires improvement because it does not challenge pupils in their work well enough to help them make good progress.  Some staff do not check pupils’ work in lessons sufficiently to identify if it is too easy.  Pupils’ behaviour requires improvement because the weaker teaching results in too many pupils being inactive in lessons and not trying their hardest.  Staff have not had sufficient opportunities to attend training and update their skills.  Subject leaders are not involved enough in checking the quality of teaching and learning in

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

their subjects.  The headteacher, senior staff and governors have not checked what happens in school carefully enough to recognise what needs to be improved and how this is to be achieved.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 Children make good progress from their starting points in Nursery and Reception. This is because teaching here is good and meets the needs of all children.  Teaching in Years 5 and 6 is good and the gap between what pupils achieve at Churchfield compared to pupils nationally is now narrowing.  The new deputy headteacher and Chair of the Governing Body clearly recognise the strengths and weaknesses in provision and what needs to be done to improve.  Pupils are well cared for and feel safe. Their spiritual development is promoted well. Inspection report: Churchfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 2 of 10

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed parts of 16 lessons, taught by nine teachers. Some of these were joint lesson observations with the headteacher. Inspectors also looked at a sample of recent work and heard several pupils reading.  Meetings were held with pupils, representatives of the governing body and local authority. Discussions were held with staff including those in senior roles, the literacy and numeracy leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and the Early Years Foundation Stage leader.  Inspectors took account of the 31 responses to the staff questionnaire.  There were too few responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) to be analysed but inspectors spoke with several parents and carers at the start of the school day and took their views into account.  Inspectors observed the work of the school. They looked at a range of documentation, including information about pupils’ progress, and how the school sets targets for teachers to improve their

p.2

Information about this inspection

work. They also looked at child protection and safeguarding information and procedures.

p.2

Inspection team

Sue Hall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Elizabeth Needham Additional Inspector Inspection report: Churchfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 3 of 10

p.2

Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

p.3

Information about this school

 This is a slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are White British.  Fewer pupils than average speak English as an additional language.  Over 40% of pupils are supported by the pupil premium, which is well above average. In this school, this provides additional funding for those known to be eligible for free school meals and the very small number in local authority care.  Almost 20% of pupils are supported at school action, which is more than seen in most schools. Approximately 16% of pupils are supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, which is also above average.  The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or outstanding by:  ensuring that teachers check the work of pupils more frequently in lessons to make sure that the level of challenge is right for them all  providing opportunities for all pupils to contribute their ideas to discussions and develop positive attitudes to their learning  enabling staff to observe good or better teaching and to attend training activities, particularly to improve their use of assessment information when planning lessons.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the standards pupils achieve and their rate of progress, especially in mathematics and also in English, by:  enabling all pupils to develop a secure understanding of calculations and the confidence to solve mathematical problems speedily and accurately  making sure that pupils develop a wider range of words that they feel confident in using in different activities  helping pupils to work out unfamiliar words and understand what they mean.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  ensuring that the monitoring of the work of the school by senior leaders is rigorous, identifies and addresses specific areas for improvement  extending the role of subject leaders in monitoring standards in areas for which they hold responsibility.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved. Inspection report: Churchfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 4 of 10

p.3

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Achievement in the school is inadequate because pupils do not make enough progress from their starting points. Standards are not high enough, and pupils’ progress as they move through the school is uneven.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 is inadequate. Consequently, by the end of Year 6, standards in reading, writing and especially in mathematics are too low. In 2012, standards were exceptionally low in mathematics, being almost two years behind most eleven year olds. There are signs in some groups, especially in Years 5 and 6, that progress is improving, but there remains much work to do to make up for lost ground.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Pupils have weak calculation skills in mathematics. They do not use what they already know about numbers to solve problems speedily and accurately. For example, in Year 4, pupils struggled to make a bar graph where each block represented, three or four pupils, because they did not have a secure understanding of the related multiplication tables.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Pupils make most progress in writing, and standards are closer to national averages in this area than others. This is because they learn to spell and use punctuation fairly accurately and they write for different reasons in a range of subjects.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Standards in reading are below average and pupils do not make consistent progress as they move through the school. Pupils do not always use a range of strategies to work out unfamiliar words.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The extra support provided for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is usually well matched to their needs. Therefore these pupils make slightly better progress than their classmates and some make good progress towards their individual targets.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Pupils supported through the pupil premium are also beginning to make better progress in English and mathematics. The funding is being used to provide small-group teaching. As a result, some pupils are growing in confidence and their performance is improving, especially in writing. While the overall standards for pupils in the school are too low, there was no difference, in 2012, in the attainment of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or children looked after by the local authority, compared with other groups.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 The small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language are often bilingual and make the same overall progress as their classmates.

p.4

The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Children start in the Nursery or Reception class with skills that are below and sometimes well below those expected for their age. They now make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage although they often enter Year 1 with skills a little below expectations, particularly in their ability to communicate with others.

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because the quality varies and not enough is consistently good. There have been some improvements due to action by leaders so that there is now none that is inadequate. Inspection report: Churchfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 5 of 10

p.4

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There are times when work set is either too difficult or too easy. This is because teachers do not always check the work pupils are doing in lessons well enough to identify what they can or cannot do. They then miss opportunities to adapt the activity to meet the pupils’ specific needs.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The information gained from assessments is not always used to best effect to ensure an appropriately high level of challenge for different groups. Teachers mark work conscientiously but pupils are not always sure of their individual targets and what they need to do to improve.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Occasionally, as seen in Year 1, pupils spend too long listening to adult explanations. This results in them losing concentration before they get on to the main activity. Some staff, particularly in Years 5 and 6, question pupils well to check what they know and understand. In Year 5, staff used opportunities for pupils to discuss their ideas with a partner when deciding how to write a number to two decimal places. However, in other year groups, teachers did not use follow-up questions, for example, to encourage pupils to think of more descriptive words.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff get on well with pupils and encourage their efforts through plenty of praise. Teaching assistants are deployed well to support groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and those supported by additional funding.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers help pupils to master the basic skills of writing, including spelling and punctuation, but do not always provide enough opportunities for pupils to write at length and in depth. The teaching of reading is appropriate for younger pupils but older ones are not always taught the meaning of some of the words they read.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The school has worked with other schools and the local authority to focus on how to improve teaching. This is beginning to have a positive effect, especially in the teaching of writing but, overall, such opportunities have been too few to make the impact required.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 In some lessons, pupils offer little to discussions and do not always appear to push themselves in their work. This is why behaviour requires improvement.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Most pupils are friendly and happy to be in school. Many behave well in classrooms and in the playground. This contributes to these areas being safe places to be.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The number of fixed-term exclusions fell significantly in 2012 from a very high level previously. This was thanks to concerted efforts by leaders and managers. The school now uses internal exclusion to make clear to pupils when behaviour falls below the expected level. Adults take an appropriate stance on tackling inappropriate behaviour, although the staff questionnaire indicates that this is not always consistent.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils understand how to keep safe. They can explain what bullying is and know this is a repeated action. They understand what cyber-bullying includes and know that they have responsibilities to themselves and to others. In discussion with some pupils, they indicated they believe some name-calling occurs but they are confident that staff take their concerns seriously.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ attendance has improved in the last year but is still a little below the national average. The school is monitoring the impact on pupils’ achievement of holidays in term time. Inspection report: Churchfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 6 of 10

p.5

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders and managers have only recently begun to address some longstanding weaknesses in provision with sufficient determination to make the impact required. Some good recent appointments are making a strong contribution to helping the school to improve.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has an improving programme of monitoring of teaching and learning. Checks on teachers’ performance are linked appropriately to pay awards. However, recent records show that evaluations of teaching by leaders do not always specify clearly enough what needs to be improved. The literacy and numeracy subject leaders are new to their roles and, as yet, have had limited opportunity to directly monitor teaching in order to identify what can be done to improve.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The impact of staff training has been mixed. Staff do not have enough opportunities to observe examples of good and outstanding teaching, and have not had training on how to improve their use of assessment in planning lessons.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school checks carefully the progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. This ensures that the pupils who need the most help get it. This is an inclusive school that welcomes pupils of all abilities, including several with additional needs. The school fosters good relations, tackles discrimination and works with some success to remove barriers to learning so that all pupils have an equal opportunity to succeed.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The recently appointed deputy headteacher has a strong and accurate grasp of what is working well and where improvements are required. She brings a high level of skill as a former mathematics consultant and this is beginning to have an impact, including through the development of the ‘shadow’ role of another colleague sharing this responsibility. This and other improvements, for example in attendance, demonstrate the school’s capacity to improve.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The Early Years Foundation Stage is well led, which ensures that teaching for the youngest children is effective.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school offers the required range of subjects but there are not enough opportunities for pupils to read to a trained adult and to develop good mathematics skills. The school places a high priority upon pupils’ spiritual development and also their moral, social and cultural awareness. School assemblies include good opportunities for reflection and prayer.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has worked closely with the school in recent years. The District Manager for school improvement monitors teaching and discusses data and areas for improvement. The local authority encourages staff to take part in in-service training activities and to work more closely with other schools. There is now a changing culture of ‘not making excuses’ for underperformance.

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  In the past, the governing body has not acted as swiftly enough to tackle pupils’ low standards. Records indicate that governors have not looked critically enough at the right things.  The recently appointed Chair of the Governing Body has extensive experience and has been appointed specifically to bring new rigour to governance. He has a very good grasp of the role and what requires doing. Governors are now informed about the quality of teaching and receive data on the school’s performance and how this compares to other schools. They are informed of performance management procedures, including the link to pay.  Governors recognise that an external review of governance would help establish a clearer Inspection report: Churchfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 7 of 10

p.6

The leadership and management requires improvement

understanding of how to hold the school to account for standards and progress.  The school’s procedures to keep pupils safe meet current government requirements. Inspection report: Churchfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 8 of 10

p.7

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

p.8

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. Inspection report: Churchfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 6–7 March 2013 9 of 10

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 124271 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 406228

p.9

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.9

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 182 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sean O’Meara Headteacher Linda Hack Date of previous school inspection 23 November 2010 Telephone number 01889 256106 Fax number 01889 256106 Email address headteacher@churchfield.staff.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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10