Cockernhoe Endowed CofE Primary School

Cockernhoe Endowed CofE Primary School Cockernhoe Green, Luton, LU2 8PY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  Children make a positive start in Reception and make good progress, particularly in reading.  Phonics (the sounds that letters make) are taught well in Key Stage 1, so pupils make good progress to attain well above national averages in the phonics check at the end of Year 1.  Attainment in Key Stages 1 and 2 is rising and an increasing proportion of pupils are attaining higher National Curriculum levels in English and mathematics.  Teaching is good overall, and this is helping more pupils to make rapid progress, particularly in the current Year 6.  Attendance is currently above average and pupils are proud to come to school and be part of their community.  Parents, staff and pupils all speak passionately about the school’s positive values and ‘family ethos’. Pupils’ conduct and manners are particularly good, and they feel safe and well cared for.  Effective leadership at all levels is bringing

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

sustained improvements to teaching and learning across the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, teachers do not demand enough of all pupils throughout the entire lesson to get the best out of them and ensure they make rapid progress.  Lesson introductions are sometimes too long and this prevents pupils from settling quickly to work that is appropriate to their abilities and needs.  Marking does not always show pupils the next steps to take to improve their work, particularly in mathematics, and pupils do not have regular opportunities to respond to marking.  Leaders’ guidance to teachers does not yet consistently make the best use of information on pupils’ progress in lessons to adapt teaching for different groups.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons with the headteacher over the course of the inspection.  Meetings were held with subject leaders, governors and a representative from the local authority.  The 30 responses from parents to the online Parent View survey were considered, and the inspector also spoke informally to parents.  The inspector observed the work of the school and looked at a range of documentation including workbooks, lessons and displays to check the progress pupils make across the school and their attainment levels. The school’s safeguarding and child protection procedures, as well as monitoring information on the quality of teaching, were also checked.

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Inspection team

Susan Aspland, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Cockernhoe is much smaller than the average primary school.  Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is increasing.  The proportions of pupils who are supported through school action, school action plus or a statement of special educational needs are all below average.  A small proportion of pupils are supported by pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care and pupils in the armed forces.  The school has experienced staffing changes due to maternity leave over several years.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of good and outstanding teaching, and thereby improve pupils’ achievement, by making sure that teachers consistently:  keep lesson introductions brief so pupils can settle to their work quickly  provide pupils with work that is matched precisely to their learning needs, is interesting and relevant, and sets them an appropriate level of challenge whatever their ability  give pupils time to respond to marking, and ensure this always clearly identifies the next steps to take so they can make improvements to their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leadership by ensuring that lesson monitoring focuses on the progress made by different groups of pupils in lessons, and leaders use this information to guide teachers about how they should redirect their teaching.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the school with skills that are below national expectations for their age. They make good progress in Reception because they are taught well. Many exceed expectations for their age by the time they enter Year 1, particularly in reading, and make good progress in all areas of learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress from Year 1 to 6 has been good overall for pupils currently in the school but accelerates in some classes, particularly in Years 5 and 6, more than others as a result of stronger teaching. Attainment has risen since 2011 in English and mathematics at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement in reading is good, particularly in Key Stage 1. By the end of Year 1 the vast majority of pupils have the confidence to break down words into sounds. The 2012 phonics screening check shows well above-average attainment and current attainment remains high. An increasing proportion of pupils are attaining higher levels in Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading standards are improving because of pupils’ increasingly accurate grasp of the sounds that letters make right from the start of their time in school. The youngest readers in the school have the confidence to work out unfamiliar words and older pupils have a mature range of favourite authors.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment in Key Stage 2 has been steadily rising over the past few years. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher National Curriculum levels in Year 6 is rapidly increasing, particularly in reading.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs generally do as well as other pupils in the school, although the small numbers involved can distort the picture of their achievement compared to similar pupils nationally. The range of specialist help, including the teaching of small groups in the classroom, makes sure that the current pupils are progressing as well as their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The gaps in attainment in English and mathematics between pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and their classmates can also vary over time because numbers are very small. In 2012 the pupils eligible for funding in Year 6 were on average three terms behind in reading and writing and four terms behind in mathematics. Attainment gaps in 2013 are closing. Effective use of the pupil premium to provide one-to-one tutoring in reading, writing clubs and additional support in mathematics has secured good progress for eligible pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In Reception, teaching is of high quality. Indoor and outdoor areas are attractive places that promote exploration where learning is fun, and children enjoy activities such as measuring the growth of tomato plants. Staff have high expectations of children and develop their language and writing skills particularly well. Children who are shy make quick progress because of the good care and help they receive.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the best lessons, teachers and other adults move learning along at a rapid pace. In a Year 1 and 2 class, the teacher skilfully got pupils to assess each other’s progress to determine whether or not they were ready to move quickly to independent learning, and as a result most quickly moved on to harder work. This is not always the case across the school, however. In a few lessons, teachers talk for too long and more-able pupils spend too long on work that is too easy.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Adults who support teachers in the classroom are highly skilled and make sure that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive exactly the right kind of help they need to succeed. These pupils make good progress because they respond particularly well to the individual support they receive when they are working in small groups. In the best lessons, other adults worked side by side with teachers during lesson introductions, showing individual pupils what to do so that more of them could contribute directly to discussion during the lesson.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In literacy, marking in Years 5 and 6 works very well and pupils are clear about what they need to do to improve their work. In mathematics, teachers across the school do not always use marking to guide pupils to the next steps in their learning. Pupils generally know their targets for improvement, particularly in literacy, but are not consistently given opportunities to respond to adults’ marking to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Not all teaching is of the same high quality as that seen in the best lessons. The work provided for Years 3 and 4 pupils is not always challenging enough; for example, pupils sometimes spend too long in lessons going over one specific area such as improving the accuracy of their reading.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ positive attitudes and excellent conduct and manners contribute well to their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Older pupils care a great deal about their younger friends. They are very enthusiastic and show the ability to work and play together with impressive cooperation. They are very proud of their collective achievements as a school community.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is currently well above average because pupils love coming to school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Children in Reception develop very good social skills. Even when working without adult help, they quickly learn to work together when finding ways to solve a problem and select from a wide range of resources to follow their own interests. They spoke knowledgeably, for example, about the care needed for the recently born chicks in the class.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Adults manage pupils’ behaviour consistently well. Pupils get along very well with each other and with the adults who look after them, and they have a mutual respect for each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Any rare incidents of bullying are dealt with swiftly to make sure there is no recurrence. No racist incidents have been reported and pupils are respectful and embracing of diversity. Year 6 pupils commented that a visit to a special school to take part in Maypole dancing had been a ‘humbling experience’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show a secure understanding of how to stay safe, and their understanding of the need for cyber safety is particularly well developed in Key Stage 2. They are confident that they can talk to an adult if they have any concerns.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils and their families are very appreciative of the help they receive. Year 6 pupils talked about extra support received to attain ‘the highest levels possible for them’. Several parents and carers talked about the school being a friendly, helpful and supportive learning environment. One parent commented that ‘I drive past four or five schools just to bring my children here to be part of this community’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Teachers sometimes miss opportunities to help pupils develop even better attitudes to learning. For example, the limited opportunities to respond to marking and make improvements to their work mean that they do not contribute as much to the learning process as they could.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has successfully created a strong staff team who are very committed to improving their practice and maintaining high standards. Staff morale is high at all levels.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders know their school well. Areas for development are accurately identified and teachers are held accountable for the standards pupils achieve. The way Reception children are catered for is led and managed particularly well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school carefully checks the amount of progress made by pupils each term. However, leaders do not use this information sufficiently when monitoring lessons to identify the progress of different groups of pupils, and so help to raise teachers’ expectations by adjusting the level of challenge in their lesson planning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders carry out regular and rigorous checks on the quality of teaching. A good example of the way this tenacity has brought about improvement can be seen in the way the school is implementing a new policy in mathematics to strength target-setting, marking and problem solving opportunities across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The mix of subjects and activities offered by the school provides rich, memorable experiences that contribute greatly to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, Year 6 pupils spoke passionately about a recent visit to a Hindu Mandir temple in London and younger pupils recalled fond memories of a recent visit by an author in school. There are strong links with other schools, including sponsoring children in other countries, and opportunities to experience playing a musical instrument and learning a foreign language.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has adopted the International Primary Curriculum since the previous inspection and increased opportunities for pupils to develop creativity and independence through its topic units.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides a low level of support for this school because it has rightly judged it to be good.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is highly supportive. It now plays a more effective role in school improvement than at the time of the last inspection. Governors know about the quality of teaching and have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and the context of small schools when interpreting performance data. They work closely with leaders to make sure that teachers are not rewarded unless they are successful in helping pupils to make at least good progress. Governors monitor aspects such as safeguarding well because they keep up to date with training, and make sure procedures meet all national requirements. Recent improvements in their systems mean that governors now gather more first-hand evidence to check that the school is doing well enough. In recent months, the governing body has played an active part in negotiating a new nursery provision from

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The leadership and management are good

September. The governing body is appropriately involved in deciding and monitoring how funding, particularly pupil premium funding, is spent.

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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 117446 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 403323

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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 aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 104 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Deacon Headteacher Paul Quinton Date of previous school inspection 22 May 2008 Telephone number 01582 732509 Fax number 01582 486202 Email address head@cockernhoe.herts.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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