Kinnerley Church of England Controlled Primary School

P R O T E C T – I N S P E C T I O N School report

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Kinnerley Church of England Controlled Primary School School Road, Kinnerley, Oswestry, SY10 8DF

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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.  Pupils achieve well and usually leave with standards that are well above average.  Teachers have high expectations of what pupils will achieve and give them work that they find challenging and interesting.  The new system for providing advice and guidance is boosting achievement for individual pupils.  Pupils behave well and enjoy school; attendance is high.  Pupils and their parents all agree that the school is a very safe place.  Good leadership and management, including much improved governance, have ensured that the school has continued to improve since it was last inspected.  The headteacher and governors evaluate accurately the quality of teaching. Good steps have been taken to successfully improve its quality and raise achievement since the previous inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is outstanding in relatively few lessons because teachers do not always check pupils’ progress often enough to ensure they are learning at the best possible pace.  Teachers do not give pupils enough time to respond to the comments they have written in their books.  Only the headteacher observes lessons to check the quality of teaching, limiting the role of other leaders. Inspection report: Kinnerley Church of England Controlled Primary School, 19–20 September 2013 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons, including four that were jointly observed with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector listened to pupils reading and analysed the work in their books.  Meetings were held with pupils, members of the governing body, staff and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector took account of the 19 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). He also met parents informally.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including: the school’s own information on pupils’ progress; the school’s evaluation of its performance; records relating to attendance; and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

David Driscoll, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Inspection report: Kinnerley Church of England Controlled Primary School, 19–20 September 2013 3 of 10

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than most other primary schools.  Almost all pupils are from a White British background.  Very few disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs are supported through school action. However, the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average. This is additional funding for specific groups of pupils, such as children looked after by the local authority and other pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in lessons where it is not outstanding by ensuring teachers check the progress of individuals and groups more frequently and move them on to more difficult work as soon as they are ready.  Provide more time for pupils to respond to teachers’ comments and marking.  Involve more leaders in observing lessons and checking the quality of teaching. Inspection report: Kinnerley Church of England Controlled Primary School, 19–20 September 2013 4 of 10

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve well at the school. The small numbers in any particular year group mean that standards can vary from year to year, as one pupil’s performance can make a big difference to the school’s overall results.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start Nursery with the knowledge and skills expected for their age and make good progress. Almost all are at the stage they should be, or further ahead, by the time they are ready to start Year 1. Children quickly learn to play and work cooperatively.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Good progress continues through Years 1 and 2. Pupils usually leave Year 2 with above average standards. In 2013 however, the proportion reaching the expected level when their reading was checked at the end of Year 1 was very high and attainment at the end of Year 2 was well above average in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils also make good progress in Years 3 to 6, and usually leave Year 6 with standards that are well above average. The progress made by pupils was in the top 10% of schools nationally in 2011. Results dipped to average in mathematics in 2012 because one in three pupils were disabled or had special educational needs. Some of their learning difficulties were highly specific and prevented them making as much progress as other pupils, particularly in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Results in 2013 rose again with almost all pupils making at least expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Currently 90% of pupils in Year 6 have already made the progress expected by the end of the academic year, with a year left, and the proportions expected to exceed this measure are very high indeed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There are very few pupils who are eligible for support through the pupil premium in any single year group, but when aggregated over two or more years they do at least as well as other pupils, and often outperform them. The extra funding has been used well to provide one-to-one support for such pupils, which helps them to make up any ground lost in the past.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There are no significant differences in the progress of groups within the school. Girls did not do as well as boys in mathematics in 2012, because some girls had special educational needs that prevented them from making good progress in the subject. The most able pupils were not always taught the material that would have allowed them to reach the highest levels in mathematics in the past. That has now changed and mathematics is one of their favourite subjects because they very much enjoy the demanding investigations they are given that allow them to apply their skills to problems from everyday life.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs receive well-targeted support from knowledgeable teaching assistants. They are prompted and questioned, but always expected to work things out for themselves. The school can point to some outstanding individual success stories, with such pupils making exceptional progress. Parents praise this aspect of the school’s work very highly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In all years, pupils are prepared to ‘have a go’ at difficult tasks. They only ask for help from a teacher when they are completely stuck, having already discussed the problem with a friend.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils read widely. Every week they read avidly a children’s newspaper, which helps them learn about current affairs and life in other parts of the world. Pupils’ second favourite subject is Inspection report: Kinnerley Church of England Controlled Primary School, 19–20 September 2013 5 of 10

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The achievement of pupils is good

writing, where they demonstrate great flair and creativity in a range of subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Leaders have drawn up plans for how additional sports funding will be used to improve performance, but the monies have not yet been received by the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils arrive ready to learn and quickly get down to work because teachers have established routines of having tasks ready for pupils as soon as they arrive in the mornings. Children in Nursery and Reception look forward to learning in the bright and stimulating environment where teachers provide them with a very wide range of different resources.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers choose topics that pupils find interesting and stimulating, such as using drama in Years 5 and 6 to develop an understanding of how Maid Marian feels in ‘Robin Hood’, or using books the children themselves have made to tell the story of Cinderella in Nursery and Reception.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations of how much pupils will learn in a lesson. Most lessons are characterised by the teacher quickly recapping what the pupils have done previously and then showing, by example, what they are to learn next. These examples are invariably well chosen to illustrate the learning in a simple but effective manner, such as showing a simple scale on the whiteboard and asking pupils to estimate what the value would be half way along, then a quarter of the way etc.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The school uses an innovative system of mentoring, where each pupil has a one to one interview with their teacher to discuss how well they are doing and how they can improve. This ensures pupils are treated equally as teachers quickly identify if the most-able pupils are finding work a little too easy or if others are starting to struggle to keep up.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use the information from mentoring very well to match tasks to pupils’ abilities, so that pupils find the work challenging but achievable if they try their best. The pupils respond by working hard and concentrating for long periods. Sometimes pupils finish their work sooner than expected, or have grasped a concept and do not need further practice. The teacher does not always realise when this has happened, so the pace of learning for some groups or individuals slows.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils work is marked well, but teachers rarely allow pupils the time to do corrections or follow up the comments they make.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is good across the school. Children quickly learn to follow rules in Nursery and in Reception are thinking about the impact their actions will have on others and how to stay safe. Some were heard discussing the dangers of mending the roof on the wendy house, and were concerned about the risks to an imaginary builder.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel very safe in school and have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, especially when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Around school pupils are friendly and respectful to staff, visitors and other pupils. They talk of the school as being ‘a big family where we all look out for one another’. Pupils and their parents Inspection report: Kinnerley Church of England Controlled Primary School, 19–20 September 2013 6 of 10

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

all said that bullying was unknown at the school and even the mildest of name calling is extremely rare as a result of the school’s teaching of tolerance and refusal to accept discrimination. There have been no exclusions in recent memory.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is high and improving year on year. Pupils are invariably punctual to school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils follow instructions quickly in lessons and usually concentrate well. The exception is when the teacher talks for a bit too long and their attention wanders when they want to get on with something more practical. Younger children sometimes find it hard to concentrate in assemblies, when the messages are a bit too difficult for them.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s leaders, including governors, have made good improvements since the last inspection. Standards are higher and attendance continues to rise. The introduction of the mentoring system has improved teaching and enhanced the already good partnership with parents.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher evaluates accurately the quality of teaching. The results are used well to identify areas for improvement and where extra training is required. Performance management has been used well to reward teachers who are responsible for pupils making better than expected progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have made several significant changes to the way that subjects are taught that have improved pupils’ achievement and attitudes to learning. Work in mathematics, for example, is now firmly rooted in investigations which pupils find enjoyable and stimulating. Such an approach helps them to develop skills involved with problem solving, such as independence and perseverance. Work in topics is linked to that in English and mathematics, so pupils see more relevance in their tasks.

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The leadership and management are good

 Suitable plans have been drawn up for using the sports funding when it arrives. These include providing specialist coaching and more opportunities for pupils to participate. However, the participation rate is already high in school and pupils take part in a wide range of sports, including golf and synchronised swimming.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders responsible for subjects or aspects of the school’s work, such as special educational needs or the Early Years Foundation Stage, have a good understanding of how well pupils are progressing and what needs to be done to improve provision further. Nevertheless, they do not observe teaching so are not developing their role and do not have first-hand knowledge of how it impacts on learning in lessons across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority recognises that this is a good school and provides only ‘light touch’ support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance has improved significantly since the school was last inspected. Governors meet all statutory requirements, including those for safeguarding. Governors are now well-informed about the school’s performance. They use a wide range of information about how pupils are doing to hold the headteacher to account. For example, governors questioned the headteacher when Key Stage 2 reading results dipped in 2012. They have checked on current progress and know that standards have risen strongly in 2013.  Governors visit the school frequently to check pupils’ behaviour attitudes and learning. They use the resulting information, together with other reports, to gain a clear picture of the quality Inspection report: Kinnerley Church of England Controlled Primary School, 19–20 September 2013 7 of 10

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The leadership and management are good

of teaching and how the headteacher is using performance management to reward the best teaching and tackle any underperformance. Inspection report: Kinnerley Church of England Controlled Primary School, 19–20 September 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: Kinnerley Church of England Controlled Primary School, 19–20 September 2013 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 123481 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 426880

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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 3-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 88 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jeff Hancocks Headteacher Aleksander Sadowski Date of previous school inspection 22 November 2010 Telephone number 01691 682289 Fax number 01691 682250 Email address office@kinnerley.shropshire.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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