Taddington and Priestcliffe School

School report Taddington and Priestcliffe School Taddington, Buxton, SK17 9TW

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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 in reading, writing and mathematics.  The most-able pupils reach high standards because they are given challenging work and are keen to do well.  The progress made by disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is at least good. Some of these pupils make excellent progress.  Teaching is good in all classes. Teachers pay close attention to planning work at the right level of difficulty for all of their pupils.  Pupils are exceptionally well mannered and polite. They care for each other and relish the chance to take on responsibilities.  The school’s work to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils benefit greatly from their involvement with the local community.  There is an excellent range of clubs and activities during lunchtimes and after school.  The school is well led. Staff share

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

responsibilities and all have played a part in helping the improvements in the quality of teaching and pupil achievement.  Governors are very supportive of the school. They work well with the headteacher and staff to make sure that the school continues to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Sometimes teachers’ marking is not detailed enough and pupils do not always act on teachers’ advice.  Occasionally, teachers do not make clear their expectations about the amount of work that pupils should complete in lessons. As a result, a few pupils work too slowly at times.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching and learning for substantial periods of time in four lessons. In addition, she made a number of shorter visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with staff, pupils, four members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Parents’ and carers’ opinions of the school could not be gathered through the online questionnaire, Parent View, as there were too few responses for the results to be displayed. The results of the school’s own parental questionnaire were considered and a group of parents came in to school to share their views with the inspector.  The inspector considered the views of six staff, expressed in the staff questionnaire.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation, including national published assessment data and the school’s own data, the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, safeguarding policies, behaviour policies and records, and documents relating to the management of teachers’

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Inspection team

Julie Price-Grimshaw, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Taddington and Priestcliffe is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in three mixed-age classes. Class 1 includes Reception, Year 1 and Year 2; Class 2 is comprised of pupils from Years 3 and 4; while Class 3 includes those from Years 5 and 6.  Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds. All pupils speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium is well below average. This is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are in local authority care.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is broadly average. There are no pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The government’s current floor standards, representing the minimum expectations for pupils’

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Information about this school

attainment and progress, do not apply in this school because there were only nine pupils in Year 6 last year.  The headteacher is due to retire in the summer. A new headteacher has been appointed and will take up post in September 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by making sure that:  teachers’ marking shows pupils precisely what they must do to improve  teachers check that pupils respond to their comments so that pupils develop skills more quickly and do not repeat errors  staff make clear their expectations about the quantity of work that all pupils should complete in lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the Reception class with skills that are generally in line with those expected for their age. Most thrive in their first year at school. They enjoy working alongside pupils from Years 1 and 2 and make good progress in all areas of learning. By the end of the Reception Year, almost all have reached a good level of development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Results in the Year 1 check on phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) have been consistently above average. Attainment at the end of Year 2 is also above average in reading, writing and mathematics. This represents good achievement in Key Stage 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 As there are small numbers of pupils in the school, national data on achievement must be viewed with caution. From their different starting points, evidence shows that pupils achieve well overtime and standards across Key Stage 2 are above average and often well above average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils achieve well. They are keen to tackle difficult work in English and mathematics, with one summing up the views of others in saying, ‘We like a challenge!’ By the end of Year 6, all reach high standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve particularly well, with some making outstanding progress from their starting points. Teachers and skilled support staff use a variety of approaches to help these pupils develop their skills and achieve well. For example, they try different ways of explaining ideas to help pupils understand their work and use computers well to reinforce learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The number of pupils eligible for additional funding through the pupil premium is too small to comment on their attainment without risk of identifying individuals. The school’s information shows that these pupils make the same progress as other pupils. The school has used the funding well, for example to purchase extra resources, including computers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils across the school are keen readers. Even those in Year 1 read fluently and with expression, confidently tackling unfamiliar words. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 said, ‘It doesn’t matter if it’s fiction or non–fiction, we just like reading!’ They talk with great enthusiasm about their favourite authors.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There is a wide range of age and ability within teaching groups and teachers take much care in planning work at the right level of difficulty for their pupils. As a result, all pupils make at least good progress and learn well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Particular attention is paid to making sure that the most-able pupils are always given challenging tasks that stretch them. For example, in a mathematics lesson, four pupils were given a very difficult task relating to fractions. They worked extremely well in pairs to share ideas about how to tackle and solve the problems.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers move around groups checking pupils’ learning. They modify explanations as necessary to make sure that pupils understand their work. When pupils complete a task, staff move them on to new work straight away, making sure that they understand what they need to do.  Teachers often use questioning well to check understanding and extend learning. When staff target particular questions at individual pupils, this has a strong impact on their learning. It also helps to make sure that all pupils are fully involved, rather than just those who raise their hands to respond to a question directed at the whole class.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers actively encourage pupils to be curious and to ask questions. Consequently, pupils develop confidence and are keen to find things out for themselves. Several parents remarked on how their children’s confidence had developed since joining the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are often required to get on with work by themselves and most do this very well. Pupils do not drift off task or misbehave, but staff do not always make clear their expectations about how much work pupils should complete in the lessons. As a result, at times, a few pupils work too slowly and complete less work than they could, which slows their progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark work frequently and usually include brief comments. Occasionally, these comments are not detailed enough to tell pupils exactly what they must do to improve.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers pose an additional question or challenge at the end of piece of marking, but pupils are not always given the time to practice and extend their learning, which prevents them from making rapid progress. In addition, pupils are not always given clear guidance on what they are expected to achieve by the end of a lesson, and occasionally do not complete their work which also slows their progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils are exceptionally polite and courteous to adults and also to each other. They have excellent attitudes to learning and are highly motivated to achieve well. When asked what they liked most about school, several pupils said, ‘Everything, just everything!’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils appreciate the work of their teachers, saying that, ‘They try to make all our lessons fun so we enjoy learning.’ Behaviour in lessons is excellent and pupils say that learning is never disrupted by poor behaviour. There have been no exclusions for many years.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that they love to take on responsibilities – for example, as assembly monitors or school council members – and older pupils take great pleasure in looking after the younger ones. A few pupils from Years 5 and 6 were keen to point out that the school motto is ‘We care about each other.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel that their views are regarded as important. Some were involved in the selection of the new headteacher. They use the school council to put their views forward for consideration; one said, ‘We’re getting a climbing wall soon because we asked the school council if we could have one.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is managed consistently well across the school and staff have extremely high expectations of pupils. Parents spoken to during the inspection said that they were delighted with the behaviour of pupils and felt very proud of their children when attending events involving other schools or community groups.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Close attention is paid to site safety, and all safeguarding requirements are met.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe and, as a result, they have a secure understanding of safe use of the internet, as well as road and fire safety.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a clear awareness of the different types of bullying that may occur but they are adamant that this is not a problem in the school. They say that they would tell an adult if they had any concerns whatsoever about bullying, whether this related to themselves or one of their friends.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher effectively leads a team of dedicated staff who have worked successfully to improve pupils’ achievement. All staff said that they were proud to work at the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 In this small school, all staff have some responsibility for leading and managing subjects. All are fully involved in helping to bring about further improvement by observing their colleagues and looking at pupils’ work. Staff work together very well, sharing resources and ideas.

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The leadership and management are good

 As a result of good-quality leadership, all pupils achieve well, both academically and in terms of personal development. Each pupil has full access to everything the school has to offer and there is no discrimination.

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The leadership and management are good

 There are well-established systems for checking the quality of teaching and learning across the school, involving lesson observations, scrutiny of pupils’ work, analysis of data and consideration of pupils’ views. Information from this process is used to plan training opportunities for staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 All teachers are set targets to help improve the quality of their work. These are linked securely to pay awards for staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 There is a good range of subjects and activities, with plenty of opportunities for pupils to practise their literacy and numeracy skills. The variety of after-school and lunchtime clubs is excellent and includes drama, art, dance, football, rounders and netball. As the pupils said, ‘There’s something for everyone!’

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The leadership and management are good

 Music is a particular strength, with the school running a choir and band, as well as offering pupils the chance to learn to play the recorder, ocarina and several other instruments

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary sports funding has been used to purchase a range of equipment and also to fund coaching in football, cricket, T’ai Chi and croquet. Pupils’ participation in sporting activities has increased, and all those in Key Stage 2 attend a school sports club.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school pays excellent attention to pupils’ social and moral development. As well as encouraging pupils to care for each other, the school makes sure that pupils are fully involved in the local community. For example, members of the community are invited into school to have lunch with pupils every Wednesday. Pupils benefit greatly from the opportunity to discuss a wide range of issues with people of different ages.

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The leadership and management are good

 Spiritual and cultural development is also a strength of the school’s work. Pupils learn about a variety of different faith groups and develop a good awareness of different cultures.  The local authority provides good-quality support to the school, including training for staff and governors. The local authority has an accurate view of the quality of the school’s work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The parents spoken to during the inspection were unanimous in their extremely positive views of the school. All said that they would recommend the school to others.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has benefited from recent training. Governors are well equipped to carry out their roles and they provide good-quality support to leaders, as well as holding the school to account for the progress pupils make. They have a good understanding of the quality of teaching across the school and know about the school’s systems for managing teachers’ performance. The governing body analyses national data on pupils’ achievement alongside the school’s own information on progress, and governors are aware of the school’s performance compared to that of other schools. Governors know how additional funding is spent and check on how pupils are benefiting from this. All governors are linked to an aspect of the school’s work and make regular visits to the school. This helps them to contribute well to school improvement.

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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 112892 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 443557

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 54 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jill Skidmore Headteacher Susan Kelcey Date of previous school inspection 4 November 2009 Telephone number 01298 85278 Fax number 01298 85278 Email address school@taddingtonpriestcliffe.derbyshire.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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