Worstead Church of England Primary School

Worstead CofE Primary School Honing Road, Lyngate, Worstead, North Walsham, NR28 9RQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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

 In some lessons, teachers do not have high enough expectations, especially of the most able pupils. Consequently, not enough pupils reach the higher levels at the end of key stage 1 and 2.  The new marking policy is not being used consistently by all teachers and some pupils do not know how to improve their work.  Governors do not hold the school sufficiently to account for pupils’ achievement.  Subject leaders have not, until recently, had the training or time to enable them to lead their areas effectively.  There are not enough opportunities for pupils to apply their skills in mathematics and English in other subjects. Consequently, pupils do not make good progress in these areas.  Some teachers’ do not check often enough during lessons to find out if pupils have understood what they have to do. As a result, pupils sometimes lose focus, do not pay attention and fail to make good progress.  Although the progress of pupils has improved

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

since January, pupils’ progress in writing especially at Key Stage 1 and mathematics across the school, are still not rapid enough.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new headteacher has drive and ambition. Her actions have already led to improvements in the progress of pupils because she has eradicated inadequate teaching.  Relationships within the school are highly positive. Pupils are polite and courteous.  Parents are supportive of the school. They describe it as, ‘wonderful.’  Outdoor learning provides pupils with valuable opportunities to develop life skills, including how to assess risk.  Attendance and punctuality are good and improving.  Pupils are extremely articulate. They use a wide ranging and extensive vocabulary appropriately.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in seven lessons. Four of these lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors talked to pupils, listened to them read and looked at samples of their work.  An act of collective worship, led by the local vicar, was observed.  Inspectors took account of the views of parents, including the twenty three responses to Parent View, the online questionnaire. They spoke to parents before school and considered the views of staff expressed in eleven questionnaires.  Discussions were held with representatives from the local authority’s advisory service and members of the governing body, including the Chair and Vice Chair. They had discussions with the people responsible for Early Years, literacy, mathematics and physical education as well as the person responsible for supporting pupils with special educational needs.  Inspectors examined the pupils’ progress data and other school documentation, including the

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Information about this inspection

minutes of governors’ meetings, behaviour logs, attendance data and safeguarding information. Inspectors also viewed the arrangements for the management of staff performance.  Inspectors observed the pupils at lunchtime, in the dining hall and in the playground.  A more formal discussion was held with a group of pupils.

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Inspection team

Jill Thewlis, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Worstead is much smaller than the average- sized primary school. The numbers are stable.  The majority of pupils are White British.  The numbers of pupils who have special educational needs is below average. There are no pupils supported at school action and those supported at school action plus or with a statement for special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium (additional government funding to support pupils eligible for free school meals, in the care of the local authority or from service families) is below the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6 in English and mathematics.  The school has experienced a change of leadership since the previous inspection. An interim headteacher was in place during the autumn term 2013, and a permanent headteacher has been

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Information about this school

in post since January 2014. There have been a number of staffing changes during the current academic year.  The school is currently being supported by a National Leader of Education, from another primary school. After Easter, the school will benefit from a Department of Education grant, secured through the local authority which will provide additional support from a second National Leader of Education.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to at least good in order to accelerate the progress for all pupils, but especially the most able, so that more pupils attain the higher levels by ensuring that teachers:  set work and activities that make pupils think hard and make the progress of which they are capable  have consistently high expectations of the quality and quantity of work that pupils are required to produce  check on pupils’ understanding throughout the lesson so that those who are stuck can be helped and those who understand do not waste time going over what they already know  use the new marking policy consistently to indicate clearly in their marking of all subjects what the pupils need to do to improve and check that pupils do it.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards, particularly in writing at Key Stage 1 and in mathematics across the school by:  ensuring that pupils have more opportunities to apply their English skills to other subjects and that these are marked in line with school policy  provide more opportunities for pupils to apply their skills in mathematics to real life, problem solving activities  ensure that pupils are always focused on their learning by providing activities which are sufficiently challenging.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the effectiveness of leadership and management to speed up the pace of school improvement by:  consolidating the recent improvements made by leaders so that teaching, achievement and behaviour for learning improve across the school  providing more opportunities for subject leaders to develop their skills of leadership so that they lead improvements in their areas more effectively  ensuring that all governors have the necessary skills to hold the leadership to account for the progress of the pupils within the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement is not yet good because pupils make slow progress from Key Stage 1. Too few of the most able pupils are achieving the higher levels because they are not sufficiently challenged in lessons. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics have been too variable over the last three years.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils enter the Reception class with skills and abilities typical for their age, although lower in personal, social and emotional development. They make steady progress and enter Year 1 at an appropriate level.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 During Key Stage 1, they make broadly expected progress, although not in writing. They do not make good progress because teaching has not been of a high enough standard. The new headteacher has put arrangements in place to raise the standard of writing in Key Stage 1 and there is evidence that pupils are now beginning to make better progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is broadly in line with the national average. However, fewer pupils than nationally make better than expected progress in mathematics and reading because teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils, especially the most able, can achieve. At the end of 2013, more pupils than nationally made better than expected progress in writing, demonstrating that there had been some good teaching of writing in key stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of all pupils currently in the school is weakest in mathematics in all year groups. Pupils’ books show that progress over time has been slow in all subjects. Since January, as a result of the headteacher’s rigorous focus on raising standards, progress has begun to improve. The most recent assessment information indicates that test results at the end of each key stage in 2014 should show an improvement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The teaching of phonics, (the link between letters and the sounds they make), is systematic and thorough. The school has exceeded the national average in the Year 1 phonic screening check for the last two years.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The very few disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well supported and those currently in the school make progress which is similar to their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who are supported by the pupil premium make similar progress to their classmates. There are too few pupils to comment on their attainment without identifying individuals.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The new headteacher has rightly identified teaching as a key area for improvement and her decisive actions are beginning to have an impact. However, over time, teaching has not ensured good progress for pupils, particularly the most able pupils.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Not all teachers set work that ensures all pupils, including the most able, learn well and make good progress. The work is often too easy because teachers do not have high enough expectations in terms of either work rate or in the difficulty of the work pupils are given. As a result, some pupils lose focus and although they are not disruptive, they are not motivated to learn.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers are not always clear about what they want the pupils to learn in lessons. For example, in a literacy lesson, where pupils were using computers, the teacher focused on the colour of the background rather than on specific English skills. Consequently, learning was minimal.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils’ books are marked regularly. However, not all teachers use the recently introduced marking policy to ensure that pupils know how to improve their work. As a result, pupils do not make good progress because they repeat the same errors.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There is evidence that teaching is improving, for example in Year 5 and 6 where good teaching was observed in both English and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In lessons where pupils make good progress, teachers question pupils well to deepen their understanding and develop independent thinking. For example, in a lesson where pupils were considering how to present an argument, they were able to discuss the merits of the argument sensibly, challenging each other appropriately and then make notes preparatory to their extended writing. The teacher posed open ended questions to encourage pupils to consider different aspects of the argument and pupils made good progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In a phonics lesson, some pupils were appropriately challenged to use the different formation of the same sound in sentences, while others excitedly found words to read in sparkling sand. As a result of well matched activities, pupils made progress. This good practice is not yet uniform across the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. In some lessons, pupils lose interest because the teaching does not engage their interest and they do not make progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Most pupils have a positive attitude and want to learn. When lessons are well planned, pupils learn well. However, when lessons do not hold the attention of the pupils, they become distracted.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of pupils at playtimes and lunchtime, where supervision is constant, is good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The headteacher has recently introduced a new behaviour policy and code. Pupils fully understand this and could clearly explain the system to the inspector. They say that behaviour has improved since its introduction.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils have positive attitudes to other adults; for example in the outdoor learning area, pupils were eager to learn, polite to both the teacher and the volunteer, responsible and mature. This aspect of the school’s work promotes social and moral development extremely well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Attendance is above average and improving. Pupils want to come to school because they enjoy school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. All staff have recently undertaken child protection training and appropriate staff are trained in safe recruitment procedures. Pupils feel safe, and parents have no concerns about safety. Parents are highly supportive of the school and value the positive relationships and clear communication that exist within the school.  Pupils are aware of the difference between bullying and falling out. They know about the different forms of bullying and older pupils are very clear about cyber bullying. However, younger pupils are not clear about this aspect. Pupils told the inspector that bullying is rare; a view which is endorsed by parents and supported by school documentation.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils show understanding and empathy towards others. For example, when asked about bad language, some pupils said there was some swearing, but older pupils explained that it was because some pupils copy adults outside of school so it isn’t their fault. Similarly, older pupils understood that sometimes, pupils misbehave because of medical conditions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The school is inclusive and discrimination is not tolerated.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management are not good because, in the past, it has not secured good teaching and good achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The interim headteacher, and governors, with the support of the local authority, have taken appropriate action to secure good leadership for the school. Local authority support has been particularly helpful in specific areas and further support, in the form of a grant to secure the services of a National Leader of Education, is due to commence after Easter.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The new headteacher has sharply focused and appropriate plans for school improvement. These plans are beginning to be effective but there has not been sufficient time to secure good progress and good teaching in all year groups. She has ensured that inadequate teaching has been eradicated.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority continues to provide extensive and good support for the school and for the headteacher in her quest to drive up standards in both teaching and achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has a clear timetable for checking on the progress of pupils and for the quality of teaching. She has high expectations of both pupils and teachers and she has ensured that teachers are clear about the expectations.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Teachers now have annual targets which are set by the headteacher and which are linked to salary progression. The headteacher has recognised that there is a need for staff training and has a programme in place for both teachers and support staff.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The additional funding from the government to promote PE and physical activity is being used to develop the expertise of all staff and so ensure that there will be a legacy of good teaching. The school has well established plans for an increased range of after school clubs to be offered. Pupils have more opportunities to participate in competitions than has previously been the case.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Subjects are linked together through topics which enable pupils to make links between subjects. Appropriate opportunities to develop the spiritual, social, moral and cultural development of the pupils are provided within the different themes. There are close links with the local church, which the pupils attend throughout the year. Opportunities to study other cultures and religions are planned and the school, recognising that the pupils have little contact with those from different ethnic groups, addresses this by organising International days. Outdoor learning provides excellent opportunities for pupils to develop both socially and morally.  The majority of parents view the school positively and have recognised that the school has been through a difficult time. They have been kept well informed about the developments at the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school meets all current safeguarding requirements.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors are ambitious for the school and were supportive of both the interim headteacher and the permanent headteacher in eradicating inadequate teaching.  Minutes and reports show that governors are now receiving more accurate information about the progress of the pupils in the school. Governors do ask questions, but as yet, they are not probing enough.  Governors have recognised a weakness in their knowledge of performance management of the headteacher and have sought support from the local authority to address this. There is a lack of understanding about how the performance of other staff links to salary progression. Other training needs have been identified and suitable training booked.  Governors understand their role regarding the safeguarding of the pupils and this meets all statutory requirements.  Governors know what the pupil premium is used for and check the impact of its use and that

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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 121066 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 430772

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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 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 98 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Saul Penfold Headteacher Jo Johnson Date of previous school inspection 22 May 2012 Telephone number 01692 536309 Fax number 01692 536309 Email address office@worstead.norfolk.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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