Ashby-de-la-Zouch Church of England Primary School

Ashby-de-la-Zouch Church of England Primary School Burton Road, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, LE65 2LL

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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 make good progress and achieve well, particularly at Key Stage 1.  The quality of teaching is at least good and some is outstanding.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make a good start to their education and achieve well.  Pupils have a pride in their school. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. Pupils feel safe in school and are cared for exceptionally well.  Differences in achievement between groups of pupils are reducing.  The headteacher leads the school well. The high expectations she has for the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement are evident throughout the school.  Governors are enthusiastic and rigorous in their support for the school. They have an accurate view of its performance and work hard to drive forward improvements.  Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are well prepared for secondary school.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are supported well and make the same good progress as other pupils.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils, especially in Key Stage 2, are not always given enough time to plan their writing so that they develop their ideas clearly and logically.  Pupils do not always make as much progress as they could because resources are not always stimulating or well-chosen or used effectively to support pupils’ learning.  Teaching is not outstanding because teachers do not always do show pupils examples of what good writing looks like.  The expertise of the most effective teachers is not shared sufficiently with other staff within the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors saw 17 lessons and parts of lessons, three of which were observed jointly with the headteacher.  The school’s work was discussed with teachers, four members of the governing body and a number of parents. There were also discussions with pupils and a representative from the local authority.  Fifty three responses from parents to the on-line questionnaire were taken into account (Parent View). Members of the inspection team also spoke to parents while they were bringing their children to school.  The questionnaire returns of 19 staff members were considered.  The inspectors examined a wide range of documentation which included: national assessment data showing pupils’ achievement and the school’s own assessments; minutes from governing body meetings; the school’s own view of its work; information on the range of what is taught; and safeguarding documents.  Inspectors examined samples of pupils’ work and listened to them read.

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Inspection team

Matthew Spoors, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Janet Bird Additional Inspector Michael Onyon Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average primary school.  A large majority of children are from white British backgrounds and speak English as their first language.  The school meets the current government floor standards. These are the minimum standards set for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below average. The pupil premium is extra funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children looked after by the local authority.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs at school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are below average.  The headteacher is a Local Leader in Education (LLE).

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching in order to raise pupils’ achievement, especially in writing at Key Stage 2, by making sure that teachers:  always give pupils time to plan how they will arrange and express their ideas before they begin to write so that their work is consistently clear and well-organised  provide pupils with resources that are both stimulating and appropriate to pupils’ needs, and use these resources effectively to support pupils’ learning  consistently show pupils clear examples of what really good writing looks like so that when they attempt different tasks, they know what is expected of them.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure teachers have regular opportunities to observe outstanding teaching, either from within the school or elsewhere, so that the teaching in all classes is consistently as strong as it is in the most effective.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There was a dip in the school’s test results at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2013 when the standards reached by Year 6 pupils in reading, writing and mathematics were average. The proportions of pupils who made expected and more than expected progress were broadly average in reading and mathematics, but below average in writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s most recent data, and inspection findings relating to the achievement of current Key Stage 2 pupils, suggest all groups of pupils are now making good progress and are on track to match the good standards achieved prior to 2013. A higher proportion than last year is making more than expected progress, especially in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The caring ethos and strong learning culture in the school give pupils the confidence to take risks, work hard and strive to achieve high standards. More-able pupils generally make good progress and match or exceed the percentages gaining the higher levels nationally; as with other pupils, however, they perform better in reading and mathematics than in writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress from their starting points because of the good teaching and wide range of additional support they receive.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013, Year 6 pupils eligible for the pupil premium attained standards below those of other pupils by approximately one and a half years in reading and mathematics and one year in writing. Funding is being used effectively to provide additional support in all year groups and eligible pupils are now making similarly good progress to that of other pupils in the school. The gap between their attainment and other pupils remains but it is closing rapidly, particularly in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children make consistently good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage from their very varied starting points. The good teaching they receive has a sharp focus on early teaching of communication and number skills and pupils enter Year 1 working at above expected standards in most skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy reading and reading standards are good across the school. Less-able readers are just as enthusiastic as good readers and persevere in their efforts to improve their skills. The school provides pupils with a wide range of reading books and has recently gained a national award for the number of different books read by pupils in a single year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Writing is rightly a key focus for the school. Standards in writing have generally been broadly in line with national averages over time but from their starting points, pupils, particularly those in Key Stage 2, do not always make the same rapid progress in writing as they do in reading and mathematics. Written work is not always well-organised or detailed enough, and pupils do not plan their ideas sufficiently before committing them to paper. The school has responded purposefully to the dip in results in 2013 and has improved the way it teaches writing across the school and extended the range of extra activities and additional support for those who need it; this is leading to marked improvements in current pupils’ achievements in this area.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has made good use of the extra funding made available by the government to support school sport. Pupils now have access to regular swimming lessons and their confidence and skills in a range of sports are developing well. Pupils are able to make appropriate choices about maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle. The participation in school sports continues to be high.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good in both English and mathematics and, at times, outstanding because leaders have successfully developed teachers’ skills. Teachers question pupils carefully to check their understanding and to encourage them to think more deeply, explain their responses fully and find solutions to challenging problems. As a result, their achievement is good.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Effective teaching ensures that pupils’ attitudes and enthusiasm for learning are very positive and help them to persevere and enjoy their work in school. Pupils say that learning at the school is fun. Homework is varied, challenging and completed regularly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching and support staff know pupils well and are very sensitive to their particular personal and learning needs. Support staff make a very good contribution to planning lessons and to supporting pupils’ learning in class. Pupils feel safe and are confident learners as a result. They cooperate well with adults, help each other, and do their best in lessons so that most make consistently good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff and pupils work well together in an atmosphere of trust and respect for each other. Pupils are resilient and persevere with challenging work. For example, in excellent history work in mixed Year 3/4, a group of less-able pupils were able use a wide range of resources to explain aspects of Greek life which had inspired them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark and assess pupils’ work regularly. They ensure pupils are able to use success criteria accurately to check their own and other pupils’ work, and check that they understand of what they need to do to achieve high standards in their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers consistently ensure that activities are appropriately challenging for all groups of pupils, and take due account of their different abilities. For example, in a Year 2 mathematics lesson, pupils developed their reasoning and number skills well. The teacher’s carefully constructed set of activities and excellent questioning quickly enabled pupils to learn how to apply their mathematical knowledge to work out how to multiply and divide numbers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Some inconsistencies in teaching remain. Teachers do not always encourage pupils to plan their writing beforehand so that is as well-organised and clearly expressed as it should be. Resources are not always stimulating, appropriate to pupils ‘abilities or used as effectively to support pupils’ learning as they might be. Teachers have opportunities to observe good teaching in other schools but do not always share their expertise within the school. As a result some pupils do not make the best possible progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching and learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Teachers make good use of the opportunities for indoor and outdoor work, including play, to develop pupils’ learning well. They have high expectations for the children’s behaviour and learning and children respond well. Children in Reception and younger pupils in Key Stage 1 thoroughly enjoy learning to read. Their reading skills are improving. Their knowledge of the sounds letters make (phonics) and their ability to link them together to read and write in the Reception class are built upon successfully in Key Stage 1.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They take pride in their school and are polite and respectful to each other and adults.  Pupils try hard in lessons and work well together. The great majority concentrate well in lessons and stay on task without having to be reminded by teachers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have opportunities, to undertake responsibility for aspects of the school’s daily life, such as to work in the school office, which help them to aspire to, and achieve, good levels of confidence and behaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Leaders make sure that access to the school is secure and that staff are only appointed after rigorous checks on their suitability. Pupils are aware of how to stay safe online and of potential dangers outside of the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is above national average. Most pupils arrive punctually to school and lessons and attend regularly.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides good leadership. She ensures staff share her own high expectations of pupils, both in terms of their behaviour and also their achievement. School improvement planning is well-directed and leaders’ accurate self-evaluation has ensured the school has improved since the last inspection. Systems and methods for checking on the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress are robust and ensure that teaching is good overall, continues to improve and promotes pupils’ good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior staff check the quality of teaching and learning carefully. There are good links between the management of teachers’ performance and any pay awards. The programme for monitoring teaching quality is linked carefully to the selection of training activities, including with other schools. Not enough is done, however, to share and develop the best teaching practices within the school to ensure that the highest standards of teaching and progress are consistently achieved in all classes.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is well supported by the new deputy headteacher and middle leaders who have leadership responsibility across the school for mathematics, literacy and special needs. They monitor literacy and mathematics by observing lessons, scrutinising the quality of pupils’ work and analysing and tracking data.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good. Pupils entitled to support from the pupil premium are well supported. Indoor and outdoor spaces are used well to present challenging and stimulating learning activities for the children.

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The leadership and management are good

 The head teacher takes full advantage of her status as a Local Leader of Education to refine her leadership skills by working closely with leaders in other schools in the local Teaching School Alliance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The range of subjects pupils study and the activities they take part in outside of the classroom ensures the school’s curriculum is broad and balanced, engages pupils’ interest and helps them prepare for secondary school. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils enjoy the wide range of clubs and activities provided for them, especially outdoor activities and the Danish longball in their inter-house competition. The school makes good use of the primary school sports funding, which has allowed the school to strengthen the physical education curriculum and to provide resources for activities before and after school, as well as raising the level of teachers’ skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has received appropriate levels of support from the local authority and the dioceses, both of whom rightly judge this to be a good school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school: - Governors are well-organised and work energetically and effectively with school staff. They analyse assessment data and check pupils’ progress regularly, taking a particular interest in the progress of any pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable. - Governors regularly visit the school and talk to teachers and pupils about teaching and learning and use this information to inform their discussions with each other and the headteacher. - Governors have a clear understanding of teachers’ performance and their effectiveness in helping pupils to progress and achieve well, and make sure teachers’ performance is properly reflected in their salary progression. - The governing body manages school finances efficiently and carefully checks the spending of pupil premium funding and the impact it has on eligible pupils’ achievement. Governors are well aware of the impact of the use of the primary school sports funding on pupils’ health

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The leadership and management are good

and physical well-being. - Arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet all requirements and governors are highly effective in ensuring that pupils feel safe and well cared for in school.

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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 120190 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 444127

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 302 Appropriate authority The local authority Chair Mark Eydman Headteacher Elizabeth Powell Date of previous school inspection 7 December 2009 Telephone number 01530 412243 Fax number 01530 411720 Email address ashbyce@ashbyce.leics.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 and 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

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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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