Orleton CofE Primary School

Orleton CofE Primary School Orleton, Nr. Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 4HQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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.  Children settle well at school in Reception. They achieve a good level of development by the time they enter Year 1.  Standards are average at Key Stage 1 and rising at Key Stage 2. Most pupils make good progress during each key stage.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and those for whom the school receives extra government funding, benefit from good support and do well.  Teaching has improved since the last inspection, and is frequently good or better. Teachers plan lessons which are active and fun, helping pupils to learn well.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They say they feel very safe at school. Pupils enjoy coming to school, and their attendance is above average.  Senior leaders make correct judgements about teaching at the school. Good training has helped other staff to become more confident in checking the quality of teaching.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is well developed through their lessons, assemblies and extra activities.  The governors provide good challenge and support to the school. They visit regularly to find out how well the school is doing.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding. Teachers do not always ask questions which make pupils think in depth.  Not all teachers give pupils enough opportunity to choose how they are going to learn when they are working by themselves.  Although teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and write detailed comments, they do not give pupils enough time to follow up their teachers’ guidance or the extra work that they are set.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 lessons taught by 10 teachers. Four lessons were observed jointly with senior leaders. In addition, inspectors made shorter visits to a number of lessons. They listened to pupils read and attended two assemblies.  Inspectors met a group of pupils and talked to other pupils in lessons, in the playground and as pupils moved around the school.  Inspectors saw pupils’ written work during lessons and looked in greater depth at a selection of their books.  Inspectors considered the views given in the 28 responses to the online survey (Parent View) and the very small number of letters from parents. They spoke informally to parents at the end of the school day.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, other school leaders and staff, and four members of the governing body. Inspectors considered the responses to the questionnaires completed by 18 members of staff. They met an external consultant who works regularly with the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked closely at a number of documents, including the school’s checks on how well it is doing and its plans for improvement. They checked the school’s information about pupils’ progress over time, and looked at records about the quality of teaching and minutes of governing body meetings. Inspectors scrutinised how the school keeps its pupils safe and looked at records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Cooper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David West Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Orleton CofE Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils come from White British backgrounds.  A few pupils join at times other than the usual starting-point.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium (the additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals) is below the national average. Only a small number of pupils are supported by the pupil premium in each year group.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported by school action or school action plus is below the national average. There are no pupils with a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Since the last inspection, there have been several changes in staff, including teachers and senior

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Information about this school

leaders. The headteacher joined the school in September 2012. A number of governors are new to their role, including the Chair of the Governing Body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  asking pupils searching questions which enable them to explore ideas in depth and develop their thinking skills  giving pupils opportunities to plan how to approach their learning, so that they take greater responsibility for finding things out for themselves when working on their own  providing pupils with more time to follow up the advice and extra tasks given by teachers in their books, so that they can make further improvements to their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school with skills that are mostly typical for their age, although some children’s skills in speaking and reading are below this. They make good progress during Reception, including in reading, writing and numbers, because teachers and other adults plan activities in the classroom and in the outdoor area which children enjoy and often find exciting. As a result, they join Year 1 with a good level of development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 in 2013 was average in reading, writing and mathematics. Most pupils made good progress from the start of Year 1 to the end of Year 2. In 2012, the results for the Year 1 screening check in phonics (the sounds that letters make) were in line with the national average. Teachers and other adults make sure that pupils can use letters and sounds confidently. In 2013, the results of the screening check in Year 1 were above average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 School leaders have tackled the slower progress made by pupils in Years 3 and 4 by setting more challenging targets and improving the quality of teaching. As a result, pupils’ rates of progress have speeded up, and they now make as much progress as other year groups.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 At Key Stage 2, standards rose in 2013 in reading and writing. Pupils made much better progress than nationally in writing and achieved well in reading. Attainment in mathematics in 2013 was broadly similar to that for 2012. The more-able pupils did well, with seven pupils gaining Level 6 in mathematics. A handful of pupils did not make quite as much progress in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In this school, the pupil premium funding is used well to provide eligible pupils with extra support in one-to-one and small-group sessions, as well as helping to pay for school trips and after-school clubs. The pupils known to be eligible for free school meals make good progress but, because numbers are small, it is not possible to comment on the relative attainment of these pupils in Year 6 last year without risk of identifying individual pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good because teachers and other adults give them good support in lessons and the chance to catch up in small groups. The few pupils who join the school other than the usual start time do well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading is well taught and pupils become skilled in linking letters to sounds. A Year 1 pupil who read to an inspector tackled the phrase ‘my pal went pale’ with ease, explaining confidently why the sounds in the words changed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Teachers use lessons to develop pupils’ skills across English and mathematics; so, for example, Reception children eagerly counted numbers in their literacy lesson, while pupils in a Year 1 mathematics lesson were fascinated that the word ‘table’ had several meanings. Pupils’ exercise books in English and other subjects have examples of many different styles of writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good in most classes, and, at times, it is outstanding. Pupils’ books show that pupils across the school are making good progress. Parents who completed the Parent View survey agree that their children are well taught. A parent told an inspector: ‘The improvements in teaching and progress are noticeable.’  Teachers make sure that pupils understand what they are learning and why. They set work which is neither too easy nor too hard, so pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, do well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan their lessons with the enjoyment of pupils in mind and, as a result, most pupils are keen to learn. Most lessons move along at a good pace, with teachers only stopping pupils’ activities to check on their understanding. Teachers often vary their teaching by giving pupils a short amount of time to discuss a question before they check the pupils’ answers. This means that pupils stay interested in their work because they do not have to spend too long listening passively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In lessons where teaching is outstanding, all pupils make rapid progress because teachers plan activities which capture pupils’ interest. Year 6 pupils in a catch-up group used the space outside in the playground to work out time zones across the world and, as a result, they gained a substantial grasp of the 24-hour clock.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and other adults work well as a team. In a Year 1 lesson, the teaching assistant helped a group of pupils use playing cards to put shapes and numbers into two columns, while other pupils took part in a sorting game on the interactive whiteboard with the teacher. Pupils in both groups were excited by their learning and made outstanding progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the best lessons, pupils are given time to develop ideas and organise their own learning. In a Year 5 lesson, where pupils were learning about Sikhism, pupils were asked to discuss the question, ‘How do you bring light into other lives?’ This inspired groups of pupils to come up with many suggestions. Not all teachers ask questions with this level of challenge, and pupils do not always have the chance to decide for themselves how they will find out more about a subject.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark pupils’ books every day. They often write clear and detailed comments about pupils’ work and give pupils advice on the next steps they need to take to improve their work. Teachers do not always give pupils time to do corrections, however, or to complete the extra work which they have set.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy coming to school, as shown by their above-average attendance. Pupils can be relied upon to arrive on time in the morning because of parents’ good support of school routines.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour around the school is consistently good, contributing to a harmonious and orderly community. Break times are well supervised by adults, and pupils all mix well together when playing games and using the play equipment. Pupils take advantage of the many clubs on offer, including different sports and music activities. Pupils in the thriving choir were looking forward to singing carols at a nearby National Trust property.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and understand how to use the internet safely. They understand about the different kinds of bullying, including cyber-bullying. They told inspectors that bullying is rare at the school, and the school’s records confirm this. Parents and staff agree that pupils are safe at the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils appreciate helping to improve the school, such as sharing their ideas for the new behaviour policy in the school council and being actively involved in the school’s eco-council.  Pupils are keen to learn and work well together in their lessons. In their physical education lesson, Year 5 pupils praised their classmates’ moves when passing and catching the ball. Year 6 pupils respected each other’s knowledge of animals and plants in their local area, when putting together a large model of the food chain. Younger pupils occasionally find it harder to concentrate when working together, but get back on task quickly once teachers or other adults have prompted them.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and staff set clear targets for all pupils, with regular checks on the progress pupils make in lessons and small-group sessions. As a result, the school has already made good strides in raising standards since the last inspection. The improvement plan has the right priorities in place to move the school even further forwards.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and use this information well to make teaching better where needed. Members of staff who completed the questionnaire agreed unanimously that leaders do all they can to improve teaching. All teachers who spoke to inspectors were positive about the training they receive. They appreciate going to neighbouring schools to visit lessons and swap ideas for teaching, and to check the quality of pupils’ work together. This is giving confidence to teachers in charge of areas of the school’s work to take an increasingly active role in checking how teaching is helping to raise standards.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers are set challenging targets linked to the school plan and to the progress of individual pupils. Leaders and the governing body ensure that decisions on teachers’ pay and promotion are always based on the progress their pupils make.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works well with parents, who are pleased about the changes for the better in teaching and the improved links between school and home. Parents praised the school’s workshop sessions on practising letters and sounds at home and understanding how the school teaches mathematics.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils study subjects through interesting topics, which make their curriculum broad and balanced, and increase their enjoyment of learning. Displays, including pupils’ artwork showing All creatures great and small, and the owl sculptures chosen by the pupils, add to their cultural development. Music makes an outstanding contribution to pupils’ spiritual and social development. At a brief signal from the teacher towards the end of their lesson, Year 4 pupils burst joyfully into a thanksgiving chorus for their forthcoming lunch and enjoyed performing the actions to go with their song.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders have made good use of an experienced external adviser to confirm the accuracy of their judgements. The local authority has provided limited support to the school. It values the leading role the headteacher has played in setting up a mathematics project with three local schools. This project has already improved teaching and marking at all the schools involved.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Since the last inspection, governors have made good use of training to increase their skills, attending meetings of the local governors’ association. As a result, they readily use national comparative data to ask searching questions about pupils’ achievement. Governors are ambitious for the school and know that their job is to hold its leaders to account.  Through their visits to the school, when they go into lessons and meet staff, governors know that the quality of teaching is good. In a recent visit, governors saw how much Key Stage 1 pupils enjoyed using new games to gain skills in mathematics.  Governors manage the school budget well. They regularly check how the pupil premium funding money is spent and know that the extra support has helped eligible pupils to make good progress. Governors have used the primary school sport funding to pay for specialist coaches and to develop pupils’ dance skills, with many pupils taking part in a recent dance

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The leadership and management are good

event.  Governors make sure that pupils are safe at the school and that safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements.

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 116836 Local authority Herefordshire Inspection number 426966

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 169 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kate Darby Headteacher Adam Breakwell Date of previous school inspection 14 September 2011 Telephone number 01568 780366 Fax number 01568 780366 Email address admin@orleton.hereford.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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