Orchard Fields Community School

School report Orchard Fields Community School

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Edmunds Road, Banbury, Oxfordshire, OX16 0QT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Children learn quickly in the Early Years Foundation Stage because members of staff provide exciting activities and support their differing needs well.  Pupils achieve well throughout the school. They make good progress from their starting points because they are, in most lessons, given work which meets their learning needs and abilities.  The pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils know how to stay safe and behave well. The calm and positive approach used by members of staff leads to a happy school where children feel safe and well cared for.  Teachers make learning interesting and explain tasks clearly. As a result, pupils are enthusiastic and eager to learn.  Leadership and management, including governance, are making sure that pupils’ achievement and teaching are good and are continuing to improve rapidly.  Pupils are taught a wide range of interesting subjects. This has a good impact on the pupils’ attendance and positive attitudes to learning.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils take pride in belonging to the school and respect the needs of others.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Progress in speaking and reading is not always fast enough in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Occasionally, opportunities are missed to extend learning in these aspects when children are working on tasks they have chosen for themselves  Teachers do not always use the information they have collected on how well pupils, especially the more able, are doing to move their learning forward more quickly. Teachers do not always show pupils how to take the next steps in their learning

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed teaching and learning in 29 lessons, of which seven were joint observations with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, teachers, pupils and a member of the governing body. A discussion was held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors took into account the 11 responses to the online survey, Parent View, and held informal discussions with a random sample of parents and carers.  The inspectors considered the views expressed in the survey responses from 35 members of staff.  A range of information supplied by the school was scrutinised, including the school’s own information about how well pupils are doing, planning documents, checks on the quality of teaching, the school development plan, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection team

Alison Cartlidge, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Helen Springett Additional Inspector Lucy Maughan Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement.

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Information about this school

 Orchard Fields Community School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  There is a Nursery class and two Reception classes in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after, is well above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is well above that found in most schools.  An above average proportion of pupils are learning to speak English as an additional language, although only a few are at the early stages of learning to speak English. These pupils speak various first languages.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise levels of progress in literacy in the Early Years Foundation Stage, by ensuring that all adults take every opportunity to encourage speaking and writing when children are working on tasks they have chosen for themselves.  Ensure teachers consistently make good use of information on how well pupils are doing, by:  always providing pupils with clear next steps for learning and checking that they respond to this advice straight away  adapting work in lessons when it is clear that pupils, especially the most able, are ready for harder work.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership and management of the school, including the Early Years Foundation Stage, are good. The headteacher and other senior leaders are ensuring that the school is improving rapidly. Issues raised at the last inspection have been tackled successfully. Teaching has improved significantly. As a result, the pupils’ progress, including that of those who receive additional funding, those for whom English is an additional language and those with special educational needs, is now good.  Leaders have clear plans to improve the school further and are aiming high. There is a clear and accurate understanding of what works well and what needs to be done next to drive the school forward, for instance in improving the use of information on how well pupils are doing in lessons and in providing appropriate challenge for the more able.  Systems for improving teaching are successful and have had a significant impact on standards. Members

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The leadership and management are good

of staff are given clear pointers to help them to develop their teaching and leaders are rigorous in providing training as needed, and in checking that improvements are being made. Careful checks on teachers’ performance, clearly linked to salary progression, have had a positive impact on standards of teaching and the pupils’ progress.  Middle leaders are knowledgeable about the next steps needed in the subjects they manage and there are clear policies in place to support members of staff in class, although these are not monitored fully by middle leaders to ensure that they are always being applied. For example, the school has developed an effective system for checking pupils’ learning in lessons, but the information collected is not always being used by teachers to ensure that all pupils are then given hard enough work.  The school is well organised in developing the new plans for teaching various subjects and provides

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The leadership and management are good

additional interesting activities to help bring pupils’ learning to life. For example, pupils in Year 6 enjoyed dressing up and handling resources linked to their history topic on the Civil War. There is good provision for pupils’ progress in literacy and numeracy, preparing them well for the next steps in education.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are promoted well through the good examples set by members of staff, links with the community and work in lessons and assemblies. For example, pupils are currently learning about the value of ‘trust’, and good manners are promoted successfully from when children start school in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Pupils have a strong sense of belonging to the school community. As one poster stated, ‘We may all be different fish but in this school we swim together.’  Safeguarding arrangements meet current requirements. Adults working in school are checked for their

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The leadership and management are good

suitability and training on how to keep the pupils safe is kept up to date.  Pupils who are entitled to additional funding receive appropriate and effective support for their specific needs. For example, funding provides additional learning support, training for staff and attendance at a free breakfast and reading club. Pupils who receive additional funding are making good progress and catching up with other pupils.  The special funding to improve physical education and sport has been spent appropriately on specialist coaches and staff training. Pupils benefit from additional out-of-school activities and competitions and more pupils are willing to take part in these events than in the past. These activities and physical education lessons contribute well towards the pupils’ health and well-being.  While a small minority of parents do not find the school to be approachable, the large majority of parents

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The leadership and management are good

are pleased with the school, especially the teaching. They typically are happy with communications and relationships with the school and make comments such as ‘the teachers are nice and I know how my child is getting on.’  The local authority has provided a good level of support for this rapidly improving school. It has suitable plans to reduce the support given this year in the light of improvements made. The school has plans to join forces with another school to help check that they are making the right judgements about how well the pupils are doing.  The governance of the school:  Governance has improved quickly since the last inspection. Governors now have a clear picture of what works well, what needs to be improved and how well the school compares with others. As a result, they are in a good position to provide the right level of support and challenge for school leaders. Governors know how teachers are being helped to improve and how good teaching is to be rewarded, and weaker

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The leadership and management are good

teaching has been tackled. Governors are vigilant in checking that additional funding is spent well in support of pupils’ learning and make sure that statutory duties are carried out. Along with other leaders, governors are keen to promote tolerance and respect for all cultures and backgrounds. The governors have well-advanced plans to increase the level of checks they make on how well the school is doing. They ensure that safeguarding procedures are robust and effective.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils enjoy school, are friendly and are keen to answer the teachers’ questions. They agree that behaviour has substantially improved since the last inspection. Very little time is wasted in lessons because pupils generally concentrate well on their work. They have positive attitudes to their learning, which helps promote their good progress. A few parents are unhappy with behaviour at the school. However, the inspection team found that instances of poor behaviour have reduced over the past year and are now rare. Leaders ensure that policies and procedures are are effective and closely followed when dealing with the few remaining incidents.  Pupils enjoy learning and work together well with their talk partners. They behave well in most lessons and only become restless when the work they have been given lacks challenge. They care for the school and are keen to help others. As one pupil said, ‘Children are nice to each other.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Rates of attendance and punctuality have improved dramatically over the past year, with the introduction of the popular breakfast and reading club and more rigorous monitoring by leaders. As a result, they are now above average.  Discrimination of any kind is successfully discouraged. Pupils from various cultures get on together well and show each other respect. Unkind or bullying behaviouris taken very seriously and has reduced since the last inspection. It is recorded diligently and dealt with effectively. Pupils say that they feel safe at school and that they can speak up if they have any concerns.  Pupils are clear about how to stay safe, including when using the computers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good and has significantly improved over time because leaders effectively check on how well teachers are doing and make sure they receive appropriate support and training to improve further. Teachers and members of support staff form good relationships with all pupils. They have high expectations for the pupils’ progress, effort and their behaviour, and provide good role models. Consequently, lessons are calm and productive. Teachers are enthusiastic and this encourages pupils to try hard and to succeed.  Success is celebrated well and praise is used effectively in most lessons to spur pupils on. For example, there is a ‘writing wall of fame’ in the hall, displaying pupils’ good work and showing the school’s high expectations.  Various resources are used well to support learning. Special ‘pens’ are available so that pupils who are learning to speak English as an additional language can translate frequently used vocabulary and teachers

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The quality of teaching is good

make sure that the meaning of new words is understood.  Teachers provide helpful demonstrations and use different ways of helping pupils to remember what they have been taught. For example, in Year 4, pupils enjoyed revising what they had learned by acting out part of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur.  Teaching assistants provide valuable support when working with small groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.  The school is striving to increase the involvement of parents in their children’s learning. New arrangements for homework projects have been well received, and parents have the opportunity to share information on pupils’ progress at open evenings, by telephone and in written reports.  Teachers use questioning well to find out what pupils have learned and keep careful records of what the pupils know and can do. Opportunities are sometimes missed, however, to build on this information to

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The quality of teaching is good

provide even greater challenge, especially for the most able.  Pupils’ work is marked frequently and, on most work, helpful comments show pupils how to improve. This is not always the case, however, and sometimes teachers do not make sure that this advice is always followed up quickly, especially in subjects other than literacy.

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is good

 Pupils’ progress across the school, from generally low starting points, has improved significantly since the previous inspection and is now good. Attainment has been rising over the last three years and now is broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6. In 2013, attainment in the Year 1 phonics (sounds and letters) screening check was below average. Leaders have taken prompt action to check on pupils’ progress and improve teaching in this subject. Consequently, pupils are making better use of their knowledge of phonics to help spell out unfamiliar words.  Pupils’ good progress in the development of literacy and numeracy supports their learning in other subjects and prepares them for their future lives.  The most able pupils do well over time, although occasionally they could be challenged more when it is clear that they are finding the work they have been given too easy. The school is extending opportunities

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is good

for these pupils to be given additional challenges and some additional group work is already used to develop their specific skills.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Leaders check up on how well they are doing and provide additional support groups relevant to their needs. In addition, they often receive valuable extra help in class so that they are confident about their learning.  The school promotes equal opportunities successfully. Pupils who are learning to speak English as an additional language do well because members of staff share new vocabulary clearly, and provide resources in their home languages to aid understanding.  The attainment of pupils entitled to additional funding is behind the attainment of others at the school. In 2013, pupils in Year 6 were half a year behind in reading and writing and a year in mathematics. Compared with all pupils nationally, they were a term behind in reading, half a year in writing and about

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is good

two terms in mathematics. Pupils currently in school are catching up with other pupils fast and the gaps in their attainment are narrowing rapidly.  The provision to develop pupils’ physical well-being is enabling them to reach the levels of which they are capable. For example, pupils in Year 5 sell healthy snacks to other pupils at playtime and, during the inspection, Year 6 demonstrated their developing stamina and ball control when practising tag rugby.  Pupils’ positive attitudes towards learning play an important part in their good progress.

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is good

 Only a few children are working within the levels typical for their age when they join the Nursery Class. Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They listen carefully and are keen and ready to learn. Despite, however, making rapid progress in all areas of learning, their attainment remains below levels typical for their age in speaking and writing when they join Year 1.  Teaching is good and includes many opportunities for children to progress well. Members of staff are caring and are good at supporting the differing needs of individuals and small groups of children, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. For example, during the inspection, children were encouraged to extend their knowledge of counting, some going on to write additional numbers to add to their stepping stone number line to ten, and others to count well beyond 20 with the encouragement of the teacher.

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is good

 Occasionally, when children are working on activities they have chosen for themelves, opportunities are missed to help them to extend their speaking and writing. When this happens, learning is not as fast as it could be because children speak using one-word answers rather than attempting phrases and sentences, and do not write or make marks to represent their ideas.  Good arrangements are made to keep the children safe and healthy. All activities are checked and safety needs are considered carefully. Adults are swift to take action when they observe children using equipment unsafely. As a result, children settle into school quickly and are confident about trying new activities.  Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is strong. There are clear plans to strengthen learning in speaking and writing and effective steps have already been taken to develop the children’s knowledge of phonics (the sounds letters make). For example, children in the Reception Year were delighted to

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is good

demonstrate spelling out small words and using their robotic voices when feeding their correct words to ‘Metal Mickey’.  Information on how well children are doing is collected diligently and shared with parents.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 122994 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 449259

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 378 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Christie Headteacher Dawn Shilston Date of previous school inspection 3–4 July 2013 Telephone number 01295 263324 Fax number 01295 220261 Email address Office.2055@orchard-fields.oxon.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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