Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Worlingworth Church of England VC Primary School Shop Street, Woodbridge, IP13 7HX

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

p.1

This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Despite rapid improvement since the last inspection, a legacy of underachievement remains. This is most pronounced for those who have been at the school longest.  The standards that pupils attain are not yet at the national average by the end of Key Stage 2. The gap is particularly wide for boys, whose standards in writing are significantly lower than girls in Key Stage 2.  Teaching is not yet consistently good enough to secure high standards for all. Excellent practice is not effectively shared, and in a small minority of lessons in Key Stage 2 expectations for some pupils are too low.  Pupils’ skills of independent learning do not develop quickly enough because they are not given sufficient opportunities to practise them.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher and head of school have forged a very productive and effective partnership. With the support of governors, this has led to swift improvement in the quality of education provided for the school’s pupils.  Pupils attain standards that are above the national average in Key Stage 1.  The school’s curriculum is inclusive and caters increasingly well for the needs of all pupils.  Almost all teaching is at least good. Progress is rapid in the Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1 and the final years of Key Stage 2.  Pupils feel safe. They enjoy their time at the school and behaviour is good. Parents and carers agree.  The school’s use of additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils and that provided for primary school sport is imaginative and is benefiting the pupils.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed part-lessons on 11 occasions, six of which were undertaken jointly with the headteacher or head of school.  No parents had responded to the online questionnaire Parent View. However, inspectors talked to a number of parents at the school gates, and were provided with the school’s own survey of parental views.  Inspectors met with school leaders, pupils from both key stages, representatives of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carefully scrutinised school improvement documents, records of governing body meetings, pupil performance data, and records of leaders’ lesson observations. Inspectors paid particular attention to pupils’ written work, examining almost all workbooks.

p.2

Inspection team

Ian Seath, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Prue Rayner Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.2

Full report

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures.

p.3

Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than average, with three mixed-aged classes.  The headteacher shares his responsibilities between this school and a nearby successful secondary school. He works closely with a head of school, who is responsible for Worlingworth alone.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational need or who are supported by school action or school action plus is higher than average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is below average. This is additional funding for particular groups of pupils, including those known to be eligible for free school meals.  Because of the very small number of pupils in the 2013 Year 6 cohort, the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress, were not applicable.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching further so that it is all good or outstanding by: - raising the expectations of teachers in the minority of lessons where they are not high enough - ensuring that the marking of written work always indicates what needs to be done to improve, and that time is allowed in lessons to consolidate and reflect on the points made - across the whole school, systematically encourage the development of pupils’ skills of problem solving and independent working - extending and sharing with all teachers the excellent practice seen in Year 5 and 6 lessons.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Tackle weaknesses in writing, especially of boys, by ensuring that those who find forming letters difficult are supported consistently well in all lessons.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that records of governing body meetings are written in such a way that the school’s progress towards improvement targets can be easily monitored.

p.3

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school is very small, with year cohorts that are in single figures. Because of this, the school’s performance data shows considerable variations between years, as a single child can constitute a relatively high proportion of the year group. Published performance data therefore needs cautious evaluation. Despite this, some clear trends are evident.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school and the achievement of its pupils are emerging from a period of significant weakness when the attainment of pupils has been unacceptably low. Rapid improvements in teaching and in management have meant that this is quickly changing, and that pupils are now making rapid progress and catching up quickly. However, the legacy of underachievement remains in some classes, notably in Key Stage 2.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage demonstrate good understanding of letter sounds and use them to build simple words. They start school with abilities that are broadly in line with those expected for their age, although, in some cohorts, speaking skills are low. Well-planned learning opportunities ensure that they make good progress by the time they join Year 1.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In Key Stage 1, the progress that pupils make accelerates further. School performance data for 2013 indicate that, in all subjects, pupils reached standards that were above expectations and above the national average. This represents a significant improvement over previous years. Attention to the development of writing skills in this key stage means that, although pupils make a little slower progress in this skill than in other areas, the gap is narrowing as it is in Key Stage 2.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In Key Stage 2, pupils make progress that is faster than that seen nationally in all year groups, and much faster than in previous years. Overall, however, despite improvements, standards did not reach the national average in test results for 2013, and were weakest in writing. This weakness is especially noticeable among boys and has reduced the overall progress that they make.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The very small number of pupils mean that it is not possible to say with certainty whether those pupils with special educational needs make progress at the same rate as their peers. Any differences are not significant. Those pupils for whom the school receives additional funding through the pupil premium, which includes those known to be eligible for free school meals, make progress that is comparable to their peers in all areas except writing. It is not possible to comment on the relative attainment of these pupils without risk of identifying individual pupils.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In lessons, pupils apply themselves well to the tasks in hand. They are eager to work but are slow to develop the important skills that enable them to work independently and to solve problems. This is because, in the past, and to some extent in the present, they are not systematically given opportunities to develop these skills in class. Exceptions to this are found in Years 5 and 6, where very effective practice is seen.

p.4

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ workbooks clearly display pupils’ pride in their work and many are imaginative, neat and well presented.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 The school has eradicated the inadequate teaching seen at the last inspection. Almost all of the teaching seen was good, with some that was outstanding. This improvement has been responsible for the improvements in achievement seen across the school.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 In the school’s Early Years classes, children’s social development and good manners are a normal part of classroom routines. They frequently say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and were polite and inquisitive about inspectors. Children learn to behave well and to respect each other.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Where teaching is most effective, notably in the Years 5 and 6 combined group, teachers pitch the learning at a level that is high. This means that some pupils, usually the youngest, have to work harder than others. However, the support and challenge provided in class, or at another time, enables these pupils to learn and accelerate up to the level of the oldest. Pupils make rapid progress and teachers work flexibly, pausing to consolidate learning or speeding up when it is clear that pupils have grasped a new concept. Challenging questioning to encourage pupils to solve problems or think about a topic is very well developed. Planning is detailed but flexible in these lessons.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 In the small minority of lessons where teaching is not as effective, planning is too detailed and does not allow for flexibility. Sometimes teachers talk for too long, so some pupils lose interest. Very occasionally, some pupils are given work that is insufficiently demanding, so progress slows. Occasionally, pupils are given objectives that they do not understand because the vocabulary used is too specialist or complex. Although independent working is encouraged in Years 5 and 6, it is less well developed in other classes. As a result, pupils are slow to develop this important skill.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have implemented a much-improved system for marking pupils’ work. The majority of marking is detailed and encouraging, with comments that pupils can read and understand. Usually, comments indicate how to improve and time is spent on this in class. Occasionally, these comments are less clear however. For example some lack indications of what needs to be done to improve. Time is not always allocated for the discussion of marked work.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 The assessment of individual pupils’ attainment and progress is now systematic and accurate across the whole school. Teachers are now skilled at this and have a clear idea of how well individual pupils are doing so that support can be tailored accordingly.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 The school’s curriculum is well designed. It enables individuals or small groups to be supported independently of main classes, and flexibly in response to need. For example, sometimes combined year-group classes are split for a lesson or two to allow one group to catch up. In this way, the gaps that are present in the learning of many pupils, because of the legacy of underachievement, are successfully being tackled.

p.5

The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are encouraged to make the most of any free time to continue their learning. For example when queuing for lunch, teachers practise pupils’ recognition of letters and sounds.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Hardly any pupils are persistently absent. The school has no exclusions. Attendance is above average, with an improving trend. This is because pupils enjoy coming to school. Punctuality is excellent, with hardly any pupils late for class.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are a credit to their school. They are proud of it, and speak very positively of their experiences, as do their parents. They feel safe, and are clear about the dangers; for example, of using the internet. Pupils are polite and helpful, with a healthy curiosity about what inspectors were doing and why they were in the school.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils work together well, support each other’s learning and play together happily.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Bullying is almost unheard of. Pupils did mention one or two occasions of name-calling, which had been dealt with promptly and are now almost forgotten, with the pupils playing happily together. Pupils know what to do if they are worried or upset. There are no examples of racist bullying.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils understand right and wrong. Good assemblies often discuss such issues. Behaviour policies are clear and understood by all. Inspectors witnessed no instances of poor behaviour in class or around the school.

p.6

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In class, pupils are keen to learn but sometimes lack the skills to do this independently.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and head of school have provided purposeful and clear leadership to the school since the last inspection that placed it in special measures. Because of this, the momentum for improvement has been strong and, as a result, the progress that pupils make and the standards that they reach have shown significant improvement in 2013, especially in Key Stage 1. With the expertise now available to the school through the partner secondary school, it has demonstrated a strong capacity to improve itself.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The quality of teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection. One reason for this is that teachers, including those responsible for the Early Years Foundation Stage, are now assessing pupils’ progress and attainment accurately so that they can target weaknesses accurately. This information is giving leaders good indications of how well the school is doing so that it can act promptly when issues become apparent. For example, weaknesses around boys’ writing had been recognised long before published data confirmed it. As a result, changes to tackle the problem are now in hand.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and head of school have an excellent understanding of the weaknesses and strengths of the school. They understand exactly what needs to be done and have made very good progress doing it. Self-assessment is accurate and used as a good tool for improvement. Action plans are purposeful, clear and aspirational. Much emphasis has, rightly, been put into the development of teaching. This has been helped through observations of lessons that place the emphasis on learning, as well as support from the partner secondary school.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 Parents are exceptionally positive about their children’s experiences at the school and readily recognise that the school has improved. Their support for the school, for example at sports day, is strong.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The school is a highly inclusive one. Pupils are encouraged to develop their understanding of different religions. For example, children in the Early Years Foundation Stage were given the opportunity to talk about the Diwali festival of light. In Key Stage 1, pupils showed very good knowledge of key Christian celebrations. School leaders have extended the range of opportunities children have to visit and explore different places further afield, which has increased pupils’ ability to make sense of their learning in the real world. Work which shows how Years 5 and 6 have thought about the difficulties of forgiving demonstrates that they understand the consequences of their actions and understand the difference between right and wrong.  Pupils say they love coming to school and enjoy learning. Their curriculum has been enhanced by a range of visits and topics which have made their learning more relevant. In the older

p.6

The leadership and management are good

classes, pupils’ questions are taken into account when work is planned. Writing is now taught across the curriculum so that skills learned can be used in different subjects.

p.7

The leadership and management are good

 Increasingly, the school is using topic-based learning and themed activities that encompass many areas of learning. For example ‘aliens’ appeared and stole the school bell, leaving a trail of clues. During the inspection, the local hunt appeared, prompting drawing and painting of animals and an assembly on the debate around hunting. This has been successful in increasing the engagement of pupils, particularly boys. The flexibility of the curriculum has enabled the school to tackle gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding as and when needed. Extra- curricular activities are extensive, including visits, sport and clubs.

p.7

The leadership and management are good

 The school’s use of the pupil premium and the additional primary sports funding is very effective. Money has been used to purchase additional learning support and resources aimed very precisely at the gaps in learning that exist because of the school’s legacy. The school can demonstrate that this support is being effective. In collaboration with the secondary school, a Sports Specialist TA has been appointed to lead in sports, games and exercise, using the facilities of both institutions to good effect. Inspectors witnessed, and participated in together with a few parents, a ‘morning warm-up’ to music in the playground before classes started.

p.7

The leadership and management are good

 The management of teachers’ performance is now linked to progression up the pay spine and to the meeting of targets for pupils’ achievement. Teachers are now much more accountable for the success of their pupils.

p.7

The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have given good support to the school and staff during a period of considerable turbulence and staffing changes around the time of the last inspection. They have overseen collaborative arrangements with the partner secondary school and ironed out contractual arrangements. They recognised that they needed to challenge more, and to have a greater understanding of school performance data. Consequently, they have had training on interpreting school data. It is clear from records of meetings that they are questioning performance with much greater challenge and precision. Governors are aware of school targets but progress towards them is not well documented. This makes it difficult for them to gauge progress. Governors have ensured that statutory arrangements for safeguarding are met. They provide a very good link between the school and the close community that it

p.7

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

p.8

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.

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 124750 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 424020

p.9

School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

p.9

School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 40 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stuart Ford Headteacher Andrew Bloom Date of previous school inspection 21 June 2012 Telephone number 01728 628397 Fax number 01728 628397 Email address admin@worlingworth.suffolk.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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10