Great Easton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Great Easton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Snow Hill, Great Easton, Dunmow, CM6 2DR

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well in writing, reading and mathematics.  Teaching is usually good, with some that is outstanding. As a result, pupils, including children in Reception, make good progress.  School leaders keep a close check on the quality of teaching. They have used staff training to overcome areas of concern so that teaching is improving and pupils’ achievement rising.  Pupils enjoy coming to school. Their attendance is above average.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are impressive, as are their relationships with peers and adults. Their behaviour is excellent. They feel very safe.  The range of extra activities offered to pupils is extensive. Visitors, music, art, drama, sports activities and residential visits all enrich and extend pupils’ learning.  Governors know the school well and provide a high level of support as the school aims for further improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not make enough use of the information they already have to set work at the right level for all pupils.  Teachers do not consistently show pupils how they can improve their work.  Teachers do not always set work that demands enough of more-able pupils or makes sure that lessons are well paced.  Subject leaders are not confident enough in checking the quality of teaching in their areas to bring about improvement. Inspection report: Great Easton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 July 2013 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes. They observed 13 lessons, two of them jointly with the members of the senior leadership team, and made brief visits to several more. They examined the work in pupils’ books and work on displays.  Inspectors held discussions with pupils, parents and carers, staff and governors.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of documents covering safeguarding and child protection, attendance, behaviour, pupils’ progress and attainment, the work of the governing body, the school improvement plan, and the monitoring of teaching quality.  They considered the 25 questionnaires completed by staff. They also took into account the views of 41 parents, as expressed on the Parent View website.

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Inspection team

Stephen Palmer, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Susan Wood Additional Inspector Inspection report: Great Easton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 July 2013 3 of 10

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than most primary schools.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, is low.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, so that pupils make outstanding progress, by:  ensuring that all teachers set work that is appropriately challenging, especially for more-able pupils  teachers using the information they have about pupils’ skills and understanding to plan activities which meet their needs  making sure that marking and feedback give pupils a clear understanding of how they can improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the capacity of subject leaders so that they can bring about further improvements in how well pupils learn by: – developing their skills in analysing the strengths and weaknesses of teaching in their subject – using this analysis to plan effectively for improvements to the quality of teaching. Inspection report: Great Easton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 July 2013 4 of 10

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children join the Reception class with knowledge and skills that are broadly in line with those expected for their age. However, some pupils start at levels, particularly in writing, speaking and mathematics, which are below those expected nationally. They make good progress as they mature, so that by the end of Year 6, attainment is currently above average in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children in the Reception class make good progress. By the end of the Reception Year, most pupils have achieved or exceeded what is expected of children of their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The knowledge and skills of pupils at the end of Year 2 in English and mathematics are above average. After a dip in previous years, there has been a recent improvement in the rate of progress in Key Stage 2. However, the achievement of pupils is not outstanding because their progress through Key Stage 2 is not sufficiently rapid.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There is no significant difference in achievement between boys and girls. The small proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs also achieve well because teachers identify their needs swiftly and accurately and give them good support and guidance. These pupils are included in all school activities, and what they have to offer in lessons is valued.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The very small number of pupils eligible for the pupil premium benefit from one-to-one and small-group activities provided with the additional funding. This means that these pupils achieve well. There were not enough Year 6 pupils in 2012 known to be eligible for free school meals to comment on their attainment without identifying them.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in reading is mostly good. Pupils’ knowledge of phonics (the sounds that letters make) is strong because teaching in the Reception class and Key Stage 1 classes is systematic and effective. A higher proportion of pupils achieved the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check than the national average. Pupils enjoy reading and most develop as competent readers as they progress through the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils write for a wide range of purposes. The examples of pupils’ written work seen during the inspection show that pupils apply and improve their writing skills through their work in other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ have well-developed speaking skills and they express their ideas confidently; most are good listeners.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is usually good and some of it is outstanding. It has supported pupils’ good progress over time and has made an effective contribution to their well-developed social skills and excellent relationships.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers give pupils a clear idea of what they want them to learn and achieve. Teachers give the teaching assistants clear guidance on their role, which enables them to make a constructive contribution to pupils’ learning. Inspection report: Great Easton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 July 2013 5 of 10

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The quality of teaching is good

 Where teaching is most effective, teachers achieve a high level of commitment from all pupils, who make good or better gains in their knowledge and understanding. Teachers check their understanding through perceptive questioning, and their comments challenge pupils to think more deeply. The pace of these lessons is brisk and pupils are given enough time to work on their own.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils use the skills they have acquired through literacy lessons in other subjects. As a result, they have a wide range of opportunities through which to practise and apply this learning, and this is reflected in the high quality of the content of their written work

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is specifically aimed at improving their basic skills. Pupils who are not doing well enough are given extra support through small groups and one-to-one tuition. The extra support is beginning to help them to catch up.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The displays in classrooms are stimulating, offer resources to help pupils find out for themselves, and reflect the broad range of subjects they study.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers do not consistently take into account what pupils have already learnt when planning lessons. As a result, the work on a few occasions is not demanding enough, especially for more- able pupils, and so pupils do not always make as much progress as they should.

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The quality of teaching is good

 When marking pupils’ work, teachers do not consistently give pupils feedback on how well they are doing, nor give them advice on how they can improve. As a result, pupils are not sure about what they can do for themselves to get better.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils display excellent attitudes to their learning. They take great pride in their work and appreciate what the school provides for them. For example, one pupil said, ‘School is brilliant, epic, creative, sporty and healthy!’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are very keen to learn in as wide a variety of ways as they can. They take an active role in planning what and how they want to learn in class topics.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Incident logs indicate an extremely low level of poor behaviour, and this is reflected in comments made by pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have an excellent understanding of bullying, including cyber-bullying and prejudice-based bullying, and know how to stay safe. Pupils carry out their own risk assessments prior to activities away from school, which develops their sense of personal responsibility.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 All groups of pupils relate very well to each other. They respect the needs of other pupils, and what other pupils have to offer. They are courteous and have a real pride in their school and the achievements of their peers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The pupils take a keen interest in the running of the school. They have opportunities to speak to school leaders about ways in which teaching and learning could improve, as well as about new things they would like to have in and around the school. For instance, pupils proposed that the school should build a henhouse to keep some chickens. They talked to local craftsmen to Inspection report: Great Easton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 July 2013 6 of 10

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

establish the costs, and are now involved in organising care for the chickens and distribution of eggs in the local community.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 All parents who responded to Parent View agreed that their child was safe at school, and that pupils are well behaved.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ attendance has risen to above average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The setting of targets for teachers to improve their work has established clear links between teachers’ pay and their impact in the classroom on pupils’ skills and knowledge. Continuing staff training is rightly linked to the school’s key priorities for improvement. Recent external training on the teaching of writing has strengthened teachers’ skills and has enabled pupils to make better progress than previously.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ progress is regularly reviewed to make sure that extra help is provided to those who need it. Senior leaders and governors maintain a review of the performance of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and those who are supported by pupil premium funding. They make sure that these pupils all have the same chance to succeed as their classmates. Discrimination is not tolerated.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has introduced appropriate checks on the quality of teaching. Following a check, areas for improvement are agreed with the teacher, and this is followed up with further checks to see that the quality of teaching is improving.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school checks its performance accurately. However, leadership and management are not outstanding because they have not yet brought about outstanding teaching or achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Before the appointment of the new headteacher, subject leaders had few opportunities to find out how well their subject was taught. While they now have more opportunities to check teaching, they are not confident enough in assessing its quality to plan effectively to make the quality of teaching better.

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The leadership and management are good

 The activities that pupils undertake, both during the school day and out of school, build their skills and contribute well to their personal development. Knowledgeable visitors, sport, music, drama, art and educational visits all promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Residential visits for Year 5 and 6 pupils, where they enjoy adventurous and team-building activities, help them develop confidence and resilience.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has strong links with parents, who are supportive of the school’s ambition to help pupils to do their best.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governors have a good knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The governing body maintains an overview of data on pupils’ performance and knows how well the school is performing in comparison with other schools. Governors keep themselves informed about the overall quality of teaching. They are fully aware of the need to align teachers’ performance in the classroom with their pay rises and promotion. They support the way the teachers’ performance is managed and know about how the school rewards good teachers Inspection report: Great Easton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 July 2013 7 of 10

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The leadership and management are good

and is tackling any underperformance. The governing body makes sure that the pupil premium is used to boost the achievement of eligible pupils. It ensures that the school’s safeguarding arrangements meet current national standards. Inspection report: Great Easton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 July 2013 8 of 10

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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. Inspection report: Great Easton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 July 2013 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 115177 Local authority Essex Inspection number 412405

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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 154 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Robert Pickford Headteacher Claire Jackman Date of previous school inspection 17 May 2010 Telephone number 01371 870219 Fax number 01371 870063 Email address admin@greateaston.essex.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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