St James and Ebrington Church of England Primary School

School report St James and Ebrington Church of England Primary Schools Pear Tree Close, Chipping Campden, GL55 6DB

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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 across the schools. They reach standards of attainment that are typically above average in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave in Year 6.  Teaching is good because teachers plan tasks in English and mathematics that build on what the pupils are already able to do.  Pupils are happy and proud of their schools. They behave well and most have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils feel very safe at both schools.  Pupils do well because the schools take exceptionally good care of them as individuals.  Staff, parents and carers, and pupils share a strong belief in the values of their schools.  The schools provide pupils with an interesting range of subjects, topics and experiences. These contribute strongly to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Everyone is included and respected.  The headteacher and governors have introduced systems to regularly check on the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

quality of teaching and pupils’ progress. This has ensured that the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement have improved since the previous inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to promote rapid progress for all pupils.  Occasionally, work is a little easy for some pupils.  Pupils are not always given enough opportunities to develop their skills in punctuation, grammar and sentence construction.  Teachers’ marking and comments do not consistently help pupils to improve their work.  Subject leaders, other than in English and mathematics, are not yet ensuring that learning builds on previous work and what the pupils are already able to do.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 13 lessons involving seven teachers. Three of the lessons were observed jointly with school leaders.  The inspectors held discussions with school leaders, staff, governors and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at documentation, including improvement plans, the systems for tracking pupils’ progress, the arrangements for safeguarding pupils and samples of pupils’ work. They heard groups of pupils reading and spoke with pupils about behaviour and safety arrangements at the school.  During the inspection, all Year 6 pupils were out of both schools on a residential visit. Inspectors looked at pupils’ workbooks to inform the judgements on the quality of teaching and progress in English and mathematics.  Account was taken of the 56 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the views expressed by those parents and carers who spoke with the inspectors at the start of the school

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Information about this inspection

day or wrote letters. The inspectors also considered 21 staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Michael Bartleman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Teresa Hill Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 These schools are smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The vast majority of pupils come from a White British background.  Around one pupil in 12 is disabled or has special educational needs supported through school action. This is below average. Around one pupil in 14 is supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, which is average.  Around one pupil in seven is supported by the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or those in local authority care). This is below average.  About two thirds of the pupils attend St James’ site in the Cotswold market town of Chipping Camden; the remainder are sited in the village of Ebrington, some three miles away.  Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes at Ebrington School and five mixed-age classes at St James School. The Early Years Foundation Stage consists of one mixed-age class of Reception

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Information about this school

and Year 1 children at St James School and one mixed-age class of Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children at Ebrington School.  The schools meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that all pupils make more rapid progress, particularly in writing, by ensuring that;  teachers always use checks on pupils’ skills and understanding in lessons to make sure that work is not too easy for pupils  pupils have more opportunities to develop their use of punctuation, grammar and correct sentence construction  teachers’ marking consistently identifies how pupils can improve further and teachers check that pupils respond to this feedback  pupils have opportunities to practise and apply their literacy and mathematical skills in other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the role of subject leaders in checking what is taught in subjects other than English and mathematics so that learning builds on previous work and what the pupils are already able to do.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the schools in the Reception classes with skills that are at the levels typical of their age, although this varies with each small cohort. They make good progress because adults provide a rich array of experiences which are finely tuned to their needs. They move into Year 1 well placed to start the next stage in their learning.  Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 fell in 2013 as a result of staff turbulence. School records and pupils’ current attainment show that this was a one-off. Pupils typically attain higher than national levels in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2.  The school teaches phonics (the sounds that letters in words represent) well. Results in the Year 1 phonics screening check in 2013 were above national levels.  In Year 6 national tests in 2013, standards rose, with an above-average proportion of pupils attaining the expected Level 4 in reading and mathematics, and an increased number of pupils

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The achievement of pupils is good

attaining the higher Level 5. Pupils from both schools made good progress.  The work seen in pupils’ books, in lessons and the schools’ own records of pupils’ progress show that the vast majority of pupils, including those who are more able, are making good progress.  Attainment in reading was above average in Year 6 in the 2013 national tests and has improved further this year in all classes. Pupils who do not read regularly outside school have additional opportunities to read to adults. This includes volunteers from the local community and the ‘reading dog Tara’, which enables them to make similar good progress to their classmates.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress due to well- planned one-to-one and group sessions.  Pupil premium funding is used effectively to provide additional teaching assistants and nurturing activities. In Year 6 in 2013, the attainment of pupils supported by the pupil premium was the

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The achievement of pupils is good

equivalent of two terms ahead of their classmates in reading, one term ahead in mathematics and one term behind in writing. Most eligible pupils currently in the school are making similarly good progress to their classmates.  Within the overall picture of good achievement, there are some variations between year groups, and between pupils supported by pupil premium and their classmates in writing. Some pupils do not have a sound grasp of punctuation, spelling and sentence construction, and do not have enough opportunities to practise their literacy and numeracy skills in subjects other than English and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good, and sometimes outstanding. Teachers plan imaginative activities that excite and motivate pupils, including the most able, to succeed.  Teachers routinely plan tasks that rapidly build on previous work and what the pupils are already able to do. Teachers make sure that all pupils know the focus of learning so that they can check how successful they have been.  Teachers and teaching assistants question pupils effectively, securing good understanding. This was seen in Year 5 where pupils wrote character descriptions. The activity meant that pupils had excellent opportunities to discuss and share their ideas with each other following discussion of the teacher’s exemplar, before writing.  Staff training, including effective coaching, has generated greater consistency in teaching standards. Lesson observations, scrutiny of pupils’ work and the school’s monitoring data confirm that the overall quality of teaching is good. Mathematics, reading and, increasingly,

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The quality of teaching is good

writing are taught effectively.  Teaching in the Reception class at St James’ site is effective and promotes rapid learning. The team of adults work together well in the vibrant, well-organised classrooms. Inside and outside spaces are used effectively to promote high-quality learning. Children were observed making good progress in using their knowledge of direction and ability to control programmable toys.  Teachers assess pupils’ knowledge and understanding well in English and mathematics, and regularly use these assessments to track how well pupils are doing. This school has effective systems to provide extra support to help those who need to catch up. This help is often provided by teaching assistants who effectively promote learning when leading small-group work.  Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those known to be eligible for the pupil premium are supported effectively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils learn quickly about phonics because teachers have strong subject knowledge and high expectations. They set work at the right level for different groups of pupils. For example, pupils in Class 1 at Ebrington site were seen making rapid progress because of skilled teaching of sounds and letters, including the way in which the work was adapted to help pupils learn well.  Scrutiny of work in books shows that marking across classes is variable. Sometimes, it is not made clear to pupils how they can improve their work. When guidance is given, pupils do not always act upon this in order to improve their work. In a few classes, pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise their basic skills in punctuation, grammar and sentence construction.  Occasionally, work does not demand enough of pupils because teachers’ checks in lessons have not correctly gauged pupils’ understanding. Pupils’ progress is not as rapid when some of them

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils have a great pride in their schools and they respond well to rewards and certificates in assemblies.  Pupils show enjoyment and have a great desire to learn, which contributes greatly to their good achievement. Pupils in Year 6 are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Parents and carers have great confidence in the care that the schools provide, and pupils agree that they feel happy and safe. A parent described St James and Ebrington as ‘A school with the pupils at the heart of everything that is done. Teachers know the children as individuals.’  Virtually all parents and carers who responded to Parent View, spoke to inspectors or wrote letters judged behaviour to be good. They also commented on how many opportunities their children had both in and out of school. They were positive about how well their children are supported and the high-quality relationships between children and staff. Schools’ records confirm

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

that pupils’ behaviour is good on a daily basis and over time.  The schools’ work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. All statutory arrangements for safeguarding are met. Pupils learn how to keep safe, for example, when using the internet or on local roads. Discussions with pupils showed they understand about different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying. They said that behaviour is good; there is no bullying in either school.  Behaviour and safety are not yet outstanding because a few pupils need adult support to help them focus on their learning and do not always show pride in their work.  Strong links with health and social care professionals help to give sensitive support for pupils whose home circumstances may make them potentially vulnerable.  The schools work hard to promote regular attendance and punctuality. Attendance is currently in line with the national average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is very committed to the schools and community, and has a clear vision for the two schools and their future development. She is held in high regard by the pupils, parents and carers, and staff. Comments on all the staff questionnaires returned indicated a high level of confidence in the school’s leadership. Staff morale is high. All facets of leadership, including governance, are relentlessly focused on improving achievement still further.  The accurate evaluation of the schools’ strengths and weaknesses, combined with the record of improvement, shows that leaders have a strong capacity to improve the schools further. Plans for improvement are realistic and focused on appropriate aspects.  Senior leaders check the quality of teaching rigorously by regularly observing lessons. Staff benefit from additional training, which has resulted in an improvement in teaching since the previous inspection.

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The leadership and management are good

 The systems used to check how well individual pupils are doing are thorough. This enables leaders to evaluate how different groups and individuals are achieving. Those who need extra help are quickly identified and supported.  Leaders manage the performance of staff well by setting challenging targets based on the progress of pupils. This means that teachers are held to account and any promotion is justified.  Leadership of English, mathematics, special educational needs and the Early Years Foundation Stage is strong. Leaders are aware that a few older pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise and apply their mathematical skills in other subjects and have taken steps to address this. However, other subject leaders have not ensured that pupils do as well as they can in their subject or that learning builds on what pupils can already do.  The curriculum develops pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Visits,

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The leadership and management are good

including residential visits, opportunities to sing, to take part in sporting activities and close links with the local church and community, add further enrichment. Pupils at both schools have equal access to the wide range of activities and visits on offer. However, the potential to develop pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills through work in other subjects is not strongly developed.  Sports funding is being used to extend staff’s expertise in teaching sport, to increase opportunities for inter-school competition and to offer more after-school sports clubs. The headteacher has plans to closely monitor the impact of the funding.  The local authority has provided highly effective and regular support for the school. Very good use is made of this expertise and training provided which has supported the improvements to teaching and ensured that leaders’ view of the school’s effectiveness is accurate.

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The leadership and management are good

 Partnerships with parents and carers are good. The views shared with inspectors during the inspection and on Parent View are positive.  The school successfully promotes equality of opportunity, fosters good relationships and tackles discrimination.  Leadership and management are not outstanding because initiatives to improve pupils’ achievements have not yet been translated into higher attainment across all year groups.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors visit the schools regularly and know them well, including their strengths and areas for development. This is because they have a good understanding of the information showing pupils’ progress and use it to hold the headteacher to account for the quality of teaching and standards in the schools. They have effective procedures to manage the performance of the headteacher and make sure pay rises for staff are deserved. They know the actions taken by leaders to improve the quality of teaching. Governors undertake training to help allow them to successfully fulfil their roles, including for checking the impact of the schools’ work on raising pupils’ achievement. They carefully monitor the progress of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding and make sure that this extra resource is being spent wisely to raise achievement. They also have suitable procedures for monitoring the impact of the new sports funding on

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The leadership and management are good

pupils’ health, well-being and sporting achievement.

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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 115713 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 444197

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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 aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 200 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kim Binder Headteacher Joanna Jonson Date of previous school inspection 17–18 May 2011 Telephone number 01386 840634 Fax number 01386 841877 Email address admin@st-james-ebrington.gloucs.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

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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