Claines CofE Primary School

Claines CofE Primary School School Bank, Claines, Worcester, WR3 7RW

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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 of all abilities make good progress throughout the school. Progress is good in all classes, and is particularly good in reading.  Standards have been typically well above the national average at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 for many years. Standards are particularly high in reading and mathematics.  Pupils at risk of falling behind and those with particular needs receive effective support, which helps them to make good progress.  Pupils have excellent opportunities to develop their musical and artistic talents.  The quality of teaching is consistently good throughout the school. Teachers are not afraid to try out new ideas and are good at engaging pupils’ interest and attention.  Pupils respond well to their teachers, listen attentively and respond enthusiastically.  Teachers provide pupils with good feedback in lessons and ask them searching questions which develop their understanding well.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils behave well around the school and are polite and friendly. They carry out a range of responsibilities well and with maturity. Procedures for keeping pupils safe are good.  Good leadership and management have ensured that the school has maintained good- quality teaching and good achievement since the last inspection.  There is a strong sense of teamwork among the staff and morale is high. There is a friendly, purposeful and happy atmosphere throughout the school.  Governors know the school well. They provide good support and keep a close check on how well the staff and pupils are doing.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Standards in writing are not as high as in reading and mathematics. Pupils’ writing is not always accurate, and the most able pupils are capable of writing with greater precision.  Although work is marked regularly, a lack of rigour in pointing out where they might improve their work prevents pupils from reaching even higher standards.  Work in some subjects, such as science, history and geography, is not as thorough as it is in English and mathematics.  Teachers have not had sufficient autonomy to demonstrate or develop leadership skills.  Parents do not have access to all of the information required by law on the school’s website.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 17 lessons, and paid brief visits to many other lessons. All teaching staff who were present for the two days of the inspection were observed. The headteacher accompanied the lead inspector for many of the observations.  Inspectors held discussions with a representative from the local authority, the headteacher, seven members of the governing body, nearly all of the teaching staff and various groups of pupils. They talked informally to other adults helping in school and to many of the pupils.  They looked at a range of documentary evidence, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan, data regarding pupils’ progress, and documents relating to safeguarding and special educational needs.  They scrutinised pupils’ written work in a wide range of subjects and listened to pupils reading.  They also took into account the views of 53 parents recorded on Parent View, Ofsted’s online

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Information about this inspection

survey of parents’ views.  Inspectors also considered the views of eight members of staff who completed Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Graham Sims, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Douglas Folan Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school. There are seven classes, and pupils are taught in single- age groups.  It is a voluntary controlled Church of England school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is well below the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. Around one in ten comes from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (at this school, additional government funding for pupils who are, or have been, eligible for free school meals, pupils whose parents are in the armed services and children who are looked after by the local authority) is below average.

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Information about this school

 Although registered as pupils of Claines Primary School, two pupils with statements of special educational needs attend Fort Royal School in Worcester, a special school, for four days each week.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics for pupils at the end of Year 6.  The current headteacher had been at the school for a term and a half at the time of the inspection, having taken up his post in September 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Enable pupils, and especially the most able, to achieve higher standards in writing by:  marking their work more rigorously, pointing out where they might improve and where they have made mistakes  ensuring that pupils learn from teachers’ marking by reviewing their work more thoroughly and correcting their mistakes.  Ensure that there is sufficient depth and breadth to the teaching of subjects, such as science, history and geography.  Provide staff who have been allocated responsibilities more opportunities to develop their leadership skills and the autonomy to lead, review and develop their areas of responsibility.  Ensure that all of the information which schools are required to provide on the school website is easily accessible to parents.

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The achievement of pupils Good

 The skills, knowledge and understanding which children display when they start school in the Reception class vary widely, but are broadly typical for their age. Children settle quickly into school life and make good progress in developing a wide range of skills. Early writing skills have not been developed quite as securely as their reading skills, but the school is taking effective steps to address this. Most children reach a good level of development by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage and are well prepared for Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils Good

 Pupils make particularly good progress in Years 1 and 2. Standards in reading and mathematics have been higher than in writing but, in all three areas, they have been well above the national average every year since the previous inspection in 2009. Pupils currently in Year 2 are on track to achieve similarly high standards in 2014.

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The achievement of pupils Good

 Standards at the end of Year 6 have typically been high in reading and mathematics and above average in writing for many years, indicating continuing good progress throughout Key Stage 2. Unusual and difficult circumstances resulted in standards falling to just above the national average at the end of Year 6 in 2013. Pupils currently in Year 6 are on track to reverse this decline and to achieve standards similar to those in previous years.

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The achievement of pupils Good

 Pupils make exceptionally good progress in reading. Results in the screening check for phonics (the sounds that letters make) at the end of Year 1 were well above the national average in 2013; almost every pupil reached the expected standard. Pupils read widely throughout the school. The teaching of reading is very well organised. Teaching assistants and volunteers play a very important role in supporting individual pupils and are particularly effective in helping those who are struggling to make rapid progress.

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The achievement of pupils Good

 Pupils’ mathematical skills are developed very well. In 2013, over half of the pupils exceeded the level expected for their age. In 2012, the proportion was over two thirds. The most able pupils do not rest on their laurels, but are challenged to reach even higher levels, well in excess of those expected for their age.

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The achievement of pupils Good

 Almost all pupils reached the level expected for their age in writing, but the proportion exceeding this level is lower than in reading and mathematics. Pupils try hard to use adventurous vocabulary and complex sentence structures. However, they do not always choose the most appropriate vocabulary, and their writing often contains too many mistakes, which remain uncorrected. The most able pupils are certainly capable of writing with greater precision.

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The achievement of pupils Good

 The standard of work in some other subjects, such as science, history and geography, although not untypical of that found in many schools, is not as good as work in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils Good

 The school is particularly good at spotting potential problems at an early stage and putting intensive additional support in place to prevent pupils from falling behind. This results in very few pupils, other than those with severe difficulties, being placed on the school’s register of pupils with special educational needs and ensures the great majority of pupils make at least good progress. Pupils with particular needs and those who have statements of special educational needs receive well-focused support within the classroom and good intervention from outside specialists so that they make at least good progress.

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The achievement of pupils Good

 Pupil premium funding is used effectively to provide well-targeted support for those for whom the funding is intended. As the number of pupils involved is small, it is not possible to compare their performance with that of others without identifying individuals. The school’s data show, however, that these pupils are progressing at least as well as their peers and much better than similar pupils nationally.

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The quality of teaching Good

 The quality of the teaching is consistently good throughout the school, and there is also some outstanding teaching. Excellent relationships between staff and pupils, and a sense of fun and enjoyment permeate the school. Pupils reciprocate through their positive attitudes and willingness to work hard. As a result, there is a buzz of purposeful activity in every classroom which helps pupils to make really good progress.

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The quality of teaching Good

 The teachers are not afraid to try out new ideas or different ways of introducing a theme or topic. As a result, they are very good at engaging pupils’ interest and motivating them to want to learn. For example, in a history lesson in Year 6, the teacher had asked pupils to arrange their desks in two parallel lines, to crouch down on the floor between them, and then to imagine they were soldiers in the trenches in the First World War. As gunfire echoed from the loudspeakers around the classroom and pupils looked at images of soldiers, the reading of a poignant poem by Wilfred Owen was brought to life.

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The quality of teaching Good

 Lessons proceed at an appropriate pace. Whole-class teaching sessions, group activities, working with a partner and individual tasks are all used judiciously to provide good teaching input and to allow pupils the opportunity to make progress under their own steam. Pupils respond well by listening attentively to their teachers, settling down to work quickly and concentrating well when working on their own.

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The quality of teaching Good

 Regular meetings to discuss pupils’ progress are used to identify any pupils who may be falling behind and to discuss strategies for ensuring they catch up quickly. Intervention work for individuals or small groups of pupils is highly effective in enabling pupils to make rapid progress over short periods of time so that they do not fall behind their classmates. A careful eye is kept on the progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs to ensure that the support they are given is effective. The progress of the most able pupils is also monitored to ensure that they are set appropriately challenging work.

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The quality of teaching Good

 Teaching assistants are used very effectively throughout the school. They are often hard at work before the official start of school, helping individual pupils with their reading. There is excellent collaboration with the class teachers so that teaching assistants know exactly what is expected of them and what pupils are aiming to achieve.

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The quality of teaching Good

 The teaching contributes well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Teachers manage their classes well and expect high standards of behaviour. They ensure that pupils learn how to collaborate and that they develop good social skills. There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their cultural understanding, especially through art and music. The outdoor environment is also used well to develop an appreciation of the wonders of nature, and pupils’ spiritual understanding is furthered through intelligent and thoughtful discussion on a wide range of topics.

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The quality of teaching Good

 The teachers help pupils to learn well by asking searching questions and providing them with good oral feedback in lessons. The marking system, which is used consistently throughout the school, concentrates on particular features which the teacher is looking for in a piece of work. These may be something which have just been taught or targets from a previous piece of work. The green and orange highlighting is effective in helping pupils to understand whether or not they have succeeded in including these features. However, the marking system does not get to grips with other aspects of pupils’ work which need to improve and frequently overlooks mistakes which pupils have made. This lack of rigour in the marking is preventing pupils, particularly the most able, from learning from the teachers’ marking and reaching even higher standards in their written work by reviewing their work and correcting their mistakes.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils Good

 Pupils say that they really enjoy school; this can be seen very clearly in the way they participate with interest in lessons, engage enthusiastically in the wide variety of opportunities provided for them and carry out various responsibilities in a mature and sensible manner. At lunchtime, for example, pupils from Year 6 take pride in manning the school office. Others are diligent in preparing the school hall for assemblies and operating the music system.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils Good

 The behaviour of pupils is good; at times, it is outstanding. Good patterns of behaviour are established quickly and securely when children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage. Pupils behave well around the school, at breaktimes and at lunch. When gathered together for assembly, their behaviour is impeccable. They behave extremely well in lessons and the system of warnings and sanctions is rarely needed. They are helpful towards their classmates and cooperate very well with their teachers and other adults. They work hard, although occasionally there is a lack of pride in the way they present their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils Good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Staff know the pupils well, and there is a happy, welcoming atmosphere within the school which provides pupils with a sense of security. Staff comment that one of the reasons they enjoy working at the school so much is because of the friendly environment, indicating that what was observed during the inspection is typical throughout the year. Because relationships are so good, there is always someone near at hand to offer support should it be needed. Safeguarding procedures meet requirements, and the necessary checks are carried out to ensure that all adults working in the school, whether employed or as volunteers, are suitable to work with children.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils Good

 Pupils say that they feel safe and almost all of the parents who responded to the questionnaire agree. Pupils who spoke to the inspectors said they were unaware of any bullying taking place at school. They are, however, well informed about different types of bullying and said that a recent training session run for them by Childline had helped them to develop a good awareness of different types of bullying, what to look out for and what to do should it occur. The school’s behaviour logs indicate that there are occasional incidents of poor behaviour, but that these are dealt with sensitively and well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils Good

 Attendance has been high for the last few years. Pupils arrive punctually in the mornings and settle quickly to work at the start of each lesson.

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The leadership and management Good

 The headteacher, although relatively new to the school, has a very good understanding of the strengths of the school and areas which need attention. The school’s self-evaluation is accurate and pinpoints appropriate actions for further development. The consistently good teaching and pupils’ good achievement over many years indicate that there has been effective leadership since the previous inspection. Parents have confidence in the school, and almost all who responded to the questionnaire would recommend it to others.

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The leadership and management Good

 Arrangements for managing the performance of teachers are secure, and the quality of teaching shows they have been effective in the past. All staff have performance targets which link to pupils’ achievement and which determine whether pay increases are awarded or not. Their targets also contribute to their own professional development and whole-school development issues.

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The leadership and management Good

 There is a very strong sense of teamwork and staff morale is high. Teaching staff have felt very involved in contributing collectively to the school’s areas for development, but have had little autonomy in leading and managing their areas of responsibility. Leadership responsibilities, such as taking the lead role in coordinating, monitoring and reviewing work in a particular subject, have recently been reviewed and, in some cases, reallocated. Staff are keen to take on greater responsibility, and it is clearly the intention that they should do so but, in most cases, their leadership skills are as yet unproven.

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The leadership and management Good

 The school shows its commitment to reducing inequalities through the way it checks the progress of each pupil and puts additional support in place wherever it is required. Pupils with specific needs are looked after well and are fully integrated into the life of the school.

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The leadership and management Good

 The school makes good use of additional funding. Although the sum involved is relatively small, pupil premium funding is used wisely and has a positive impact on the progress of those pupils for whom it is intended. The school has yet to use the additional funds allocated for sport, but has taken time to consider ways in which the funds can be used to have a long-term impact on pupils’ well-being and enjoyment of sport, and on improving teachers’ expertise. An appropriate action plan has been drawn up, but has yet to be implemented.

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The leadership and management Good

 There are excellent opportunities for pupils to develop their musical and artistic talents. Specialists provide good teaching in art and music. All pupils in Years 4 and 5 learn to play either the flute or the trumpet. Drumming lessons for all pupils throughout the school bring not only a sense of enjoyment, but develop community spirit and teach important skills of collaboration. Many pupils take part in musical performances in school and with external organisations. Pupils’ artistic endeavours are seen on display throughout the school. The wooded environment is also used creatively to develop a range of other skills.

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The leadership and management Good

 While all required subjects are taught, the breadth, depth and quality of work in some subjects, such as science, history and geography, is not as good or as thorough as in English and mathematics. One of the school’s priorities for the coming year to is to develop a richer curriculum in these areas.

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The leadership and management Good

 Because it is deemed to be a good school, the local authority provides only a small amount of support for the school.

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The leadership and management Good

 The governance of the school:  Members of the governing body provide a great deal of expertise and good support for the school in many ways. They are fully involved in the life of the school, visiting regularly or working as volunteers. They ask challenging questions and hold the headteacher and staff to account for the school’s performance  Governors have a thorough understanding of how well the school is doing in comparison with other schools. They are fully informed about the quality of teaching, how teachers’ performance is managed and how any pay increases are linked to teachers’ performance. They are involved in drawing up the school’s plans for development and for then keeping a close check on how new initiatives are being implemented  Governors ensure that the school fulfils its legal responsibilities, although not all of the information required by law to be published on the school’s website is readily available to

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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 116793 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 431545

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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 209 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Michael Best Headteacher Martyn Walley Date of previous school inspection 30 June 2009 Telephone number 01905 451235 Fax number 01905 453522 Email address office@claines.worcs.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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