Pendock CofE Primary School

Pendock CofE Primary School School Lane, Pendock, Gloucestershire, GL19 3PW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 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

 The headteacher’s strong drive for school improvement is shared by all staff.  Leaders have a good, accurate understanding of the strengths of the school and areas for further development.  Achievement in reading is outstanding. The school has focused effectively on pupils’ achievement in writing, which is good and improving.  The quality of teaching is good throughout the school. Teachers plan work that is well matched to pupils’ abilities so that all groups achieve well.  Children enjoy a good start to their education in the early years and make good progress in their first year at school.  The curriculum is enriched by many educational visits and a wide range of extra activities.  Pupils are exceptionally well cared for and are treated as individuals. As a result, they grow in self- esteem and confidence.  Pupils behave exceptionally well both in lessons and on the playground. Consequently they feel very

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

safe. They have excellent attitudes to learning and enjoy working together.  The governing body is effective in supporting and challenging the school, working well with staff to improve teaching and achievement.  Attendance rapidly improved last year and is currently above the national average.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always use marking, equipment or visual aids effectively to develop pupils’ learning in mathematics.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their mathematical skills by practising them in other subjects.  The targets leaders and governors set to improve teaching and achievement are not always precise enough to be helpful.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited five lessons taught by three different teachers, as well as observing group of pupils being taught phonics (the sounds letters make) and two other brief visits to other subjects. All five lessons were jointly observed with the headteacher.  The inspector held meetings with governors, staff and groups of pupils and took account of the latest local authority report.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at planning documents, monitoring records, data on pupils’ progress and attainment, and pupils’ work.  The inspectors took account of the 29 responses to Parent View (the online questionnaire) and one individual letter, together with the 11 responses to the staff questionnaire, when reaching judgements about the effectiveness of the school.

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Inspection team

David Shears, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional government funding to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority) is below average at just less than a fifth.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported by school action is well below average at one in twenty. However, the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average, at a third.  Provision of the early years is full time.  The school runs a breakfast club.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and achievement in mathematics by:  developing pupils’ understanding through making better use of mathematical equipment and visual resources  ensuring that marking enables pupils to respond in practical ways that will extend their learning further  giving pupils more opportunities to practise their mathematical skills in other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make leadership and management more effective by: setting school improvement targets that are specific and measureable, and sufficiently challenging to help pupils make rapid progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have a strong vision for the school that is based on making sure pupils are all treated as individuals. The school rigorously checks that all pupils have equal opportunities and that there is no discrimination. Pupils’ individual achievements are celebrated in a weekly assembly that is enjoyed by all.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school takes especially good care of its pupils, particularly disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Relationships with parents and the local community are well developed and all parents responding to Parent View said that they would recommend the school to others. Leaders ensure that the school’s arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and teachers regularly meet to discuss the progress of pupils, checking to see whether any are not making enough progress and giving them extra support to enable them to catch up. As the school is small they all take responsibility for this work, rather than having an extra leadership level.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have identified the right key areas for improving the school. Their plan includes details of what actions need to be done and who, including the governing body, is going to check whether they have been effective. The leadership of teaching is good.

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The leadership and management are good

 The targets set for teachers’ performance are often linked to what the school needs to improve, and there are regular checks to see how effectively this is happening. This information is used to make decisions about teachers’ pay. The outstanding teaching of reading is and the ongoing improvements in writing demonstrate leaders’ capacity for further improvement. The school has rightly identified the need to improve pupils’ achievement in mathematics.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum ensures that pupils learn about and experience a wide range of subjects. This is enhanced by a good number of extra activities for all pupils to enjoy. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. This prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Sports funding has been used to employ a coach to teach sport to pupils and to provide training for teachers. Another person working for the cluster arranges a range of inter-school events for pupils. This has meant that pupils are having more opportunities to participate in a wider range of sports, further supporting their health and well-being.

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The leadership and management are good

 Targets for the progress of individual pupils are challenging and are enabling them to make good and sometimes outstanding progress. However, overall targets for progress and attainment are not precise or challenging enough. This makes it difficult to measure whether they have been successfully reached.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority gives light touch support to this good school, which includes an annual review that moderates the school’s own view of its effectiveness.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has developed well since the last inspection and its members are now very aware of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They carefully question the school’s actions to satisfy themselves that improvements are being made to teaching and learning. They have a good understanding of the progress and attainment of pupils and how these relate to the national picture. The headteacher informs a governor committee about the performance management of teachers. Governors know how extra funding for disadvantaged pupils is being used and can show the impact of this. However, while they know how the sports funding is being used they do not have specific information of the impact of this.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons, in the playground and when moving around the school. This is because the staff have a strong and consistent approach to the management of behaviour which pupils understand and follow. This means that they all feel very well cared for.

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Behaviour

 The care that staff show towards pupils has a significant impact on their relationships and the way they care for each other. This was summed up well by a pupil who said, ‘When someone hurts themselves, others will go and help, even if they are not their friend.’

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Behaviour

 Pupils enjoy helping others in need beyond the school by raising money to support them. For example, the school has a good link with a school in Tanzania which includes pupils sending letters to each other. They enjoyed cooking and eating Tanzanian food.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ highly positive attitudes towards their work in lessons have a considerable impact on the progress that they make. They enjoy learning.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils talk eloquently about lessons that focus on teaching them how to keep safe in different situations. These are either led by their own teachers or visitors to the school. These include road safety, including learning how to ride a bike, keeping safe on the internet and fire safety. Pupils know what they need to do when the school’s fire alarm sounds. Consequently, pupils have an excellent understanding of many aspects of safety.

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Safety

 Pupils have a clear understanding of what bullying means and know that it can happen in a variety of ways. They say that there is no bullying at the school. Consequently, pupils say that they feel very safe. While they recognise that there are sometimes disagreements between pupils, they say that these are rare. Both parents and staff agree that pupils behave extremely well and the school’s records support this view.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teachers have a good understanding of what pupils are able to do, and plan work that enables them to build on this in the next lesson. Pupils say that the work that they are given is ‘just right’ for them, being ‘challenging, but not too hard’.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use their good subject knowledge well to support learning. They plan interesting work that is often related to the current topic, to engage pupils’ interest and involve them well in their learning. Pupils often have the opportunity to work together so that they can support each other.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are used well to support the learning of particular groups, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. As a result these pupils make good gains in their understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Both teachers and teaching assistants question pupils carefully to make them think hard and develop their understanding further. This has a good impact on the progress they make in lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of reading is particularly strong. Pupils are given books that challenge them to use their reading skills to be able to understand the text. Pupils say that they enjoy reading and continue this at home. These skills give helpful support to pupils’ writing ability, which is improving.

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The quality of teaching is good

 While teaching in mathematics is often good, teachers do not always use visual aids and equipment effectively to help pupils to fully understand what they are learning.  Marking in literacy gives pupils positive feedback about their work and what they could do to improve it. This good practice is not as strong in mathematics. Improvement points are not always given and where they are, pupils are not always given opportunity to respond.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ skills in reading and writing are practised well in other subjects. The development of their numeracy skills is not as consistently well planned.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The small number of children in each year group means that children’s attainment on entry to the school varies from year to year. Their skills and knowledge vary from being well below those typical of four-year- olds, to being in line.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The good teaching that pupils receive means that they make good progress in their learning at all key stages with some pupils making outstanding progress, particularly in reading. Progress in writing is also good and improving. The progress that pupils make in mathematics is good overall, but is not as consistent.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils are challenged well in lessons. This enables them to achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers ensure that these pupils have extension activities when they have completed the tasks set.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are given specific support that meets their needs and so also make good progress. There is a good range of specific help and guidance to help pupils improve their basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The few disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium are also making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Any gaps in attainment between them and their peers are closing. There were too few eligible pupils in Year 6 in 2013 and 2014 to comment on their attainment specifically without risk of identifying individuals.

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The early years provision is good

 Before children begin at the school the teacher visits them in their home as well as at their pre-school provision. There are also opportunities for children to visit the school so that they can see their new classroom. All this means that children settle quickly and begin to make good progress.

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The early years provision is good

 Positive relationships are made with parents and the school is quick to include them in children’s learning. This includes the opportunity for parents to look at a book containing a selection of their work. Parents and children can also add to this, building up a picture of their child’s progress.

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The early years provision is good

 Children make good progress because they receive effective support both as a group and as individuals, enabling them to learn well. The quality of teaching in the early years is good.

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The early years provision is good

 Children behave well because clear communication about what is and is not acceptable. They are already beginning to play and learn well together. Effective systems are in place to ensure their safety and well- being.

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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 116838 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 448473

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 53 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Simon Rowe Headteacher Sally Lyndon-Chance Date of previous school inspection 13–14 July 2010 Telephone number 01531 650298 Fax number 01531 650298 Email address office@pendockpri.worcs.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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