Terling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Terling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School New Road, Terling, Chelmsford, CM3 2PN

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  The leadership and management of the school are highly effective. The headteacher, along with the other leaders and governors, is constantly striving for improvement in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement across the school.  Pupils’ achievement is outstanding. They make rapid progress to reach standards that are significantly above average in reading, writing and mathematics. The most able pupils do particularly well in mathematics.  Teaching is outstanding as a result of leaders’ rigorous checks on teachers’ performance and a wide range of opportunities for training.  Teachers show that they have high expectations for pupils’ work and behaviour. They set tasks in lessons that are challenging and build consistently on pupils’ previous learning.  Children in Reception achieve well, although the outdoor area is not used well to extend the skills they learn in class.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils are extremely proud of their school. They appreciate that teachers expect them to achieve high standards, and confidently rise to the challenge in lessons.  Pupils’ excellent behaviour and attitudes to learning contribute considerably to the school’s harmonious environment and their achievement. They feel safe and secure, are very considerate of others and readily help each other to learn.  The governing body is relentless in its focus on maintaining consistently high achievement for all pupils. It uses the wide range of its members’ skills very well to support and challenge the school in equal measure, and shows great determination to improve further all aspects of the school. Inspection report: Terling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 22–23 October 2013 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons, of which two were seen together with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector made a number of other short visits to lessons and learning areas, and heard pupils in Years 2 and 6 reading.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, members of staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and another governor, and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector took account of 25 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 13 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspector looked at pupils’ books and a range of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current attainment and progress, the school’s evaluation of its performance, school improvement planning, documentation relating to teachers’ performance over time, and records relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Tusha Chakraborti, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Inspection report: Terling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 22–23 October 2013 3 of 10

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in four mixed-age classes. These are for Reception-age children, and for pupils in Years 1 and 2, Years 3 and 4, and Years 5 and 6.  Almost pupils are of White British heritage. There are a very small number of pupils from minority ethnic groups and none who speaks English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which in this school provides additional funding for pupils in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals, is well below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is well below average, as is the proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum

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Information about this school

expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school provides places for trainee teachers in partnership with several teacher training programmes. It is part of the local primary and secondary schools consortium and collaborates extensively with these partner schools to provide a range of training programmes for all staff.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement in writing even further by ensuring that all pupils are given guidance and the opportunity to improve their handwriting and presentation skills.  Improve the outdoor area for the Reception class to ensure that children have sufficient opportunity to learn through a range of outdoor activities. Inspection report: Terling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 22–23 October 2013 4 of 10

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 All groups of pupils throughout the school make outstanding progress in English and mathematics during their time in the school, regardless of ability or background.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children join the school in the Reception class with levels of skills and knowledge below the expected level for their age. They make good progress in all areas of learning.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Progress accelerates further in reading, writing and mathematics in Years 1 and 2 and attainment by the end of Key Stage 1 in these areas is significantly above average, particularly at the higher levels.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 In Key Stage 2, pupils make similarly rapid progress and their attainment is significantly above average. Attainment dipped in 2011 because of the long-term absence of two out of four teachers, including the teacher of the mixed class of Years 5 and 6. The leaders acted decisively and resolved this issue successfully through appointment of new skilful teachers and rigorous checking of pupils’ progress. As a result, pupils’ progress has sped up markedly since 2011 and attainment has risen significantly in the past two years.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Standards in reading are high across the school. The results of the Year 1 screening check on phonics (the sounds that letters make) were significantly above average in 2012 and 2013. Pupils in Year 1 and 2 apply their knowledge of phonics very effectively to pronounce unfamiliar words and narrate the stories they read confidently.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Older pupils identify the imaginative use of language in the texts they read and successfully apply this knowledge to improve their own writing consistently. This was observed in a number of English lessons where they used similes, metaphors and complex sentences very effectively to produce writing of high standard.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 A strong focus on mental mathematics and investigation is helping pupils to acquire good calculation and problem-solving skills, and encouraging the most able pupils to reach high levels in their work. Pupils were observed using four operations of mathematics successfully to solve problems and algebraic equations.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make excellent progress because they receive very effective support from skilled teachers and teaching assistants.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The very small numbers of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding make excellent progress, attaining as highly as the others in English and mathematics. The additional funding has been spent on staff who give carefully planned one-to-one or small group support for pupils to ensure that they do not fall behind in their learning. The gap in attainment in English and mathematics between those eligible for the pupil premium and others in Year 6 and in other year groups is insignificant.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is typically outstanding and as a result pupils make rapid gains in their learning in English and mathematics. The particularly well-targeted use of highly trained additional adults is a key feature of teaching across the school. Inspection report: Terling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 22–23 October 2013 5 of 10

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers have very good subject knowledge and are ambitious for their pupils. They plan lessons that motivate pupils to engage in their learning and provide opportunities to use what they already have learned. For example, in an English lesson, pupils in the mixed Years 5 and 6 class used the amber stone they found during their residential visit to express their thoughts and emotions they experienced and to describe the stone using a wide range of imaginative words.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching assistants work closely with teachers in planning and delivering lessons. They are highly skilled in providing help and guidance for pupils who have special educational needs and those who are supported by the pupil premium.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers ask questions highly effectively to extend and challenge pupils’ learning, developing their thinking skills well. Pupils are given opportunities to check each other’s work, suggesting ways for further improvement. This fosters a very positive learning environment where pupils benefit from each other’s ideas and develop good independent skills.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers’ consistently evaluative marking helps pupils to understand the next steps needed to improve their learning and achieve their targets. Pupils are given time to respond to the next steps during the short period at the beginning of each teaching day. Pupils value this and recognise that they make rapid progress as a result.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Pupils are consistently taught how to edit and improve their work to achieve high standards in writing for different purposes. Not all pupils develop their handwriting and presentation skills to such a high standard.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Staff in Reception are particularly successful in creating a rich and stimulating environment where children feel secure to ask questions and engage in their learning. For example, in a phonics session while learning the words with ’sh’ sound, a child enquired why ‘sugar’ is not spelt the same way. The teacher responded to this very positively and skilfully involved the whole class to discuss some of the ‘tricky’ words.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Children in Reception enjoy a well-balanced mixture of activities led by staff and those they choose themselves. However, the outdoor area is not sufficiently developed to enable children to fully explore learning and extend their skills through a range of play activities. This also means that children do not get sufficient opportunity to develop their coordination skills.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour at all times is exemplary. Pupils are always polite, courteous and display a high level of engagement in their learning. They value the diversity in British society and around the world. They are very proud of their link with a school in Kenya and respectfully narrate the positive experience they had when teachers from that school visited them and talked to them about their school and lifestyle in Kenya.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Adults are very effective in consistently applying the school’s procedures to manage pupils’ behaviour. Pupils respond very well to this positive behaviour programme and grow up as responsible and confident learners.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils develop an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. They have a very good understanding of the different types of bullying, and are fully aware of the dangers posed by misuse of the internet and social networking sites and what to do if they should encounter any ‘cyber bullying’. They say that bullying of any kind rarely happens and are Inspection report: Terling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 22–23 October 2013 6 of 10

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

confident that teachers and other adults deal with it very efficiently and quickly, should they encounter it. As a result, pupils feel totally safe and secure.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded to the questionnaires agree that pupils’ behaviour is excellent, and that their children feel safe at school at all times.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils take on roles of responsibility. For example, the school council selects three charities every year and arranges fundraising activities to support these charities. Pupils from Years 5 and 6 organise and lead assemblies once a week.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Leaders do all they can to encourage and maintain good attendance. This includes liaising with the local authority to help parents and their children appreciate the importance of regular attendance when this is necessary.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher provides inspirational leadership and has been very successful in driving improvement further since the previous inspection. Leaders and managers, including the governors, make sure that staff work closely as a strong team and there is a real atmosphere of ‘can do’. Pupils and parents and carers value all aspects of the school’s work.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school’s evaluation of its work is accurate and successfully informs the priorities for the improvement plan. Staff and governors work together to produce and evaluate the impact of the actions taken on pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders use rigorous systems to check and improve teachers’ performance, setting objectives that are linked directly to pupils’ achievement. This has resulted in improving the quality of teaching, sustaining high standards and providing effective training. Teachers fully understand the link between the effectiveness of their performance and any pay rises or promotion.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The curriculum has a strong focus on developing pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills. Assemblies and religious studies provide opportunities for pupils to reflect on teachings from the core values of different religions and promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very effectively. Pupils are excited and enthused by opportunities to experience residential trips to outdoor activity centres, enter sports competitions and learn about different faiths and cultures from visitors.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school is planning to enhance opportunities for pupils to develop their physical well-being further through the new national funding for sports in primary schools. For example, a specialist in physical education has been given the responsibility to develop more inter-school sports activities.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school works closely with the local authority and uses its expertise regularly. Staff benefit from training that is planned within the strong partnership of local schools.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governors work in close partnership with the school’s leaders. They use their skills and experience effectively to influence the school’s work and are continuously looking for ways to maximise their impact on pupils’ achievement. Governors gain a clear understanding of how well pupils are performing and the effectiveness of teaching through their regular visits and reports from the headteacher and other leaders. They are aware of the results pupils attain in national tests and how they compare nationally. They set challenging objectives for the Inspection report: Terling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 22–23 October 2013 7 of 10

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The leadership and management are outstanding

headteacher and understand how each member of staff is paid according to their experience and performance. Governors challenge leaders and ask searching questions about how any underperformance is tackled. They ensure that pupil premium funding is used efficiently to support the pupils for whom it is intended, and they assess its impact on their achievement. The governing body ensures that all national safeguarding requirements are fully met. Inspection report: Terling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 22–23 October 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: Terling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 22–23 October 2013 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 115166 Local authority Essex Inspection number 425369

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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 105 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sarah McNamara Headteacher Maria Rumsey Date of previous school inspection 11 September 2008 Telephone number 01245 233206 Fax number 01245 233612 Email address admin@terling.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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