Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Salway Ash, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 5JE

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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 make good progress from their different starting points to achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. Standards in reading are consistently higher than for most other schools.  Teaching is good overall and has several strengths. Teachers use questions well to check pupils’ understanding. Teaching assistants skilfully support pupils that need extra help so that they achieve as well as their peers.  The school provides very well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The inclusive values, beliefs and attitudes ensure that pupils are considerate of others and have an equal opportunity to succeed.  The headteacher and the governing body promote an ambitious vision for the school. Their determined action has improved pupils’ achievement at the end of both key stages. Consequently, the school is securely placed to ensure that pupils achieve exceptionally well

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

across all subjects and year groups.  Pupils’ outstanding behaviour and very positive attitudes to learning make a strong contribution to their achievement.  The school uses its grounds and a wide range of visitors exceptionally well to enrich the curriculum, which leads to high levels of enjoyment in other subjects.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because:

 Over time not enough pupils make rapid and sustained progress throughout the school.  Teachers do not always ensure that tasks build on what pupils can already do, particularly for the more able.  Pupils do not have a clear enough understanding of how to improve their work and the next steps to take in order to raise their attainment.  Systems to help leaders check the school’s work are not utilised fully. Inspection report: Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 September 2013 2 of 9

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons or short sessions for teaching letters and the sounds they make (phonics). The inspector and the headteacher observed two lessons jointly and made brief visits to several other lessons.  The inspector talked to a range of pupils about their work and experiences in the school. He heard pupils reading and examined pupils’ written work in books in a range of subjects, including books containing work from the previous academic year.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, staff and governors. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector examined a range of documents, including information on pupils’ achievement, safeguarding, self-evaluation, improvement planning and governance.  The inspector talked informally with parents and carers, took account of 37 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 15 responses to the staff questionnaire. Parent and pupil

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Information about this inspection

responses to questionnaires recently administered by the school were also considered.

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Inspection team

Ian Hancock, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Inspection report: Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 September 2013 3 of 9

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught with a small number of Year 1 pupils. All other pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  Very few pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils that are known to be eligible for free school meals, children in the care of the local authority and children from service families.  A below average proportion of pupils are supported at school action. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is rising and is well above the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics.  The school has achieved the School Games Kitemark gold award for pupils’ participation in

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching from good to outstanding so that pupils make rapid and sustained progress throughout the school by:  planning work that is consistently well matched to the skills and abilities of individual pupils, particularly the more able  providing frequent opportunities for older pupils to write sustained pieces of work  setting clear objectives for pupils’ next steps in learning  ensuring that teachers’ comments in books inform pupils how they can improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the systems that support leaders when checking the school’s work by:  setting clear measureable criteria in the school development plan to gauge how well the priorities for improvement are being tackled  using the school’s tracking system to measure how successful programmes to raise pupils’ achievement have been. Inspection report: Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 September 2013 4 of 9

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Generally, children enter the Reception class with skills and abilities that are expected for children of that age. They settle quickly and make good progress because the play and learning activities are matched carefully to their individual needs. Most children reach a good level of development by the time they leave the Early Years Foundation Stage so they are well prepared to start Year 1.  Year 1 pupils enjoy reading. Weaker readers make good use of their knowledge of phonics to sound out unfamiliar words. Improvements in the way that phonics is taught account for a 28% rise in the percentage of pupils in Year 1 that met the required standard in the government’s phonics screening check.  Pupils make good progress across Key Stage 1 as a result of the good teaching they receive. Standards are rising and nearly all pupils securely reach the levels expected for their age and achieve well. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics now

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The achievement of pupils is good

exceeds the average.  Observation of pupils’ learning in lessons and their written work in books show that their progress across Key Stage 2 is more variable. Tasks are not always set at the right level, especially for the more able and the older pupils lack frequent opportunities to write sustained pieces of work. Consequently, the proportion of pupils that make more than the progress expected across Key Stage 2 is not always high enough.  Unvalidated results from last year’s national tests taken at the end of Year 6 indicate that pupils are making stronger progress than was previously the case. This accounts for a rising trend in pupils’ attainment to be above the average in reading and mathematics, but broadly in line with the average in writing.  Pupils achieve well in other subjects; for example, during a weekly French lesson, pupils in Years 3 and 4 followed simple instructions given in French with confidence and enthusiasm.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make similar progress to their peers and several of them achieve exceptionally well. In lessons, teachers and teaching assistants provide skilful instruction and assistance as part of carefully planned programmes of support.  Very few pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium. Their progress is tracked closely and prompt action is taken to ensure they also achieve well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good overall. Teachers plan interesting lessons that hold pupils’ attention. They use well-prepared resources to support learning and demonstrate important ideas. This is equally evident for the youngest children who work with sustained concentration, for example when undertaking counting activities using coloured beads and small world figures.  Several excellent approaches to promote pupils’ independence were observed during a mathematics lesson in Key Stage 1. Well-planned tasks enabled pupils to challenge themselves with more demanding work; pupils had lots of opportunities to make choices and to do things for themselves. The class teacher systematically checked that each pupil was working at the right level and intervened promptly when pupils did not understand fully.  Teaching assistants make a strong contribution to successful learning throughout the school. During lessons when teaching reading in Key Stage 2, they skilfully check that each pupil has

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The quality of teaching is good

understood the text before leading high-quality group discussion. In other lessons, teaching assistants provide capable support by working alongside individual pupils on independent, group and whole-class tasks.  Reading skills are taught particularly well. Teachers annunciate the sounds that letters make (phonemes) correctly when teaching early literacy skills and take every opportunity to promote Inspection report: Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 September 2013 5 of 9

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The quality of teaching is good

higher reading and reference skills to older pupils. As a result, pupils enjoy reading and consistently attain above average standards in reading.  Teaching does not always ensure that pupils make rapid and sustained progress. In a small number of lessons, the tasks planned are not sufficiently well matched to the skills and abilities of individual pupils, particularly the more able. Pupils do not have a clear enough understanding of the next steps they should take in English and mathematics to raise their attainment.  Pupils’ written work is marked regularly. Teachers’ comments in books identify when pupils have successfully met the learning objective, but do not always guide pupils in how they can improve their work, especially in mathematics.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are exceptionally keen to learn. They behave extremely well in lessons and at other times around the school such as during the lunchtime. Pupils are attentive, helpful and considerate of others when working on individual, paired or whole-class tasks.  Pupils enjoy school and take pride in their achievements. They keenly take up the many opportunities provided to take on additional responsibilities and contribute to the school and local community. Typically, attendance rates are higher than in most other schools.  High-quality relationships ensure that pupils feel very safe and well looked after. The older pupils take great care of the younger ones when escorting them to assembly or when playing games with them at break times. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations including when using the internet.  The school provides very well for pupils’ personal development. Pupils know the school’s golden

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

rules and the consequences of not managing their own behaviour. Pupils’ views and the school’s records confirm that incidents of bullying are rare. Pupils demonstrate a good understanding of different types of bullying and are confident that any concerns they may have will be treated seriously.  Nearly all responses to the Parent View questionnaire and all parents and carers that spoke to the inspector expressed very positive views about the behaviour and safety of their children. Similar views were expressed unanimously by school staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher successfully promotes her high aspirations for the school. As a result, the school’s inclusive ethos ensures that pupils of all abilities have an equal opportunity to achieve. Parents, carers and staff that contributed to the inspection were invariably positive about the way the school is led and managed.  The school’s leaders have taken determined action to improve teaching and raise pupils’ attainment. Changes to the way that mathematics is taught in Year 6 have enabled several of the more able pupils to attain an exceptionally high level in the subject. A higher-than-average proportion of Year 1 pupils reached the required standard last year as a result of improvements in the teaching of phonics.  The school’s self-evaluation is accurate. Leaders check the quality of teaching and learning in lessons carefully and closely track how well individual pupils are doing. However, tracking

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The leadership and management are good

systems are not used consistently to gauge the success of different programmes of support, especially for those pupils with special educational needs.  The school’s development plan sets out the actions necessary to improve the school further, but lacks clear measurable criteria for leaders to know how well the priorities for improvement are being tackled.  The school provides exceptionally well for pupils’ wider personal development. There are numerous opportunities for pupils to reflect on important issues and interact with those from cultures that are different for their own. The interesting and varied curriculum makes extensive Inspection report: Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 September 2013 6 of 9

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The leadership and management are good

use of visitors and the school site to promote pupils’ achievement in other subjects.  The primary sport funding has been used to further increase the high take-up of competitive sport and games. Pupils keenly participate in physical activities winning competitions in a range of sports on a regular basis. They have a good understanding of the benefits of being active and several pupils have run their own clubs during lunchtimes.  The school evaluation partner has gauged the accuracy of the school’s self-evaluation and provided light touch support on behalf of the local authority.  The governance of the school:  The governing body knows the school very well and supports the headteacher’s aspirations fully. Governors visit the school often to find out about the quality of teaching; for example, by observing a session to teach phonics or examining pupils’ mathematics work jointly with the subject leader. They know how well pupils are doing and how their achievement compares

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The leadership and management are good

with that of pupils in other schools nationally. Governors understand how the pupil premium is being spent and know the difference it makes to those individuals that are eligible for the additional support. The governing body is kept well informed through detailed reports from the headteacher; for example, governors are told how successfully teachers are meeting the objectives to improve their performance and consider this information when rewarding good teaching. The governing body keeps a careful eye on finances and ensures that safeguarding procedures meet current government requirements. Inspection report: Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 September 2013 7 of 9

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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: Salway Ash Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 11–12 September 2013 8 of 9

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School details

Unique reference number 113809 Local authority Dorset Inspection number 427199

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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 113 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Elizabeth Brown Headteacher Lisa Crew Date of previous school inspection 24 April 2007 Telephone number 01308 488302 Fax number 01308 488538 Email address office@salwayash.dorset.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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