Weston-under-Penyard CofE Primary School

School report . Weston-under-Penyard CofE Primary School School Lane, Weston-under-Penyard, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 7PA

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school is led effectively and with great skill by the headteacher. She is strongly supported by the deputy headteacher and other middle leaders and staff. All share the same ambitions for continuing the marked improvement in the school’s performance this year.  The governing body has greatly improved its contribution to the management of the school. It has developed confidence in challenging as well as supporting leaders.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding because they have highly positive attitudes to their learning. Their enthusiasm and enjoyment of learning are ever present. Pupils show great respect and care for each other, and are especially polite to adults.  Pupils throughout the school are very well cared for and the provision for their safety is exemplary.  Teaching throughout the school, including in the Early Years, is consistently good, and occasionally outstanding. Teachers have high expectations, and

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

provide demanding work to their pupils. This challenges pupils to develop their thinking and solve problems for themselves.  Pupils are achieving well in all groups. By the time they leave, increasingly high proportions are reaching above average standards in reading and writing and most pupils are now above average in mathematics.  The school has benefitted strongly from its federation partnership, and is gaining much from its work with other schools in the region  Children have a good start to their education in the Early Years. They learn quickly and confidently because of good teaching.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ attainment and achievement in writing, although above average, are not as good as it could be, because their spelling, punctuation and grammar skills are not always accurate enough.  Pupils’ cultural development and provision is not as good as the school’s excellent provision for spiritual, moral and social education.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons. All of these were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with pupils, the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other staff with leadership responsibilities and four governors. The inspector also spoke to a representative of the local authority, and the school’s improvement advisor.  The inspector discussed teaching and pupils’ progress with class teachers. Pupils’ books and records of their progress were examined.  The inspector listened to pupils read and talked with them about their reading experiences.  There were 17 responses to Parent View, the online questionnaire for parents. The inspector also examined the school’s own regular surveys of parents’ views, and spoke to a number of parents on the playground.  The inspector considered the 10 responses to the Ofsted questionnaire for staff.  A range of documentation was examined, including the school’s self-evaluation and development plans,

p.2

Information about this inspection

and an analysis of pupils’ achievement and progress. Safeguarding arrangements, policies and records of checks made by leaders on the quality of teaching and learning were examined.

p.2

Inspection team

Rodney Braithwaite, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  In April 2014, the school formally became part of a federation with a neighbouring school, Whitchurch Church of England Primary School. The headteacher of Whitchurch took up post as headteacher of this school at the same time, whilst continuing as the headteacher at Whitchurch. The two schools retain separate governing bodies.  Almost all pupils are White British. No pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, about 1 in five, is similar to that found nationally.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium, about 1 in 10, is below average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for pupils who are looked after or known to be eligible for free school meals.  Children in the Reception Year, who attend the school full-time, join a mixed-aged class with pupils from

p.3

Information about this school

Years 1 and 2. There are two other mixed-aged classes for pupils from Years 3 and 4, and for pupils from Years 5 and 6.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Since the previous inspection, there have been several changes to the teaching staff and leaders. The deputy headteacher took up post in April this year. The headteacher is a National Leader of Education, and the deputy headteacher is a Specialist Leader of Education.  The school has a wide range of links to other schools in the Wye Valley Learning Network.  There is a privately run before and after school club on the school site, which was not inspected. In addition, the school provides a number of after-school activities and sports clubs.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the writing skills of pupils throughout the school further by improving their skills in spelling, punctuation and grammar.  Expand the opportunities for pupils to learn about the wide range of cultures and diverse backgrounds represented in modern British society.

p.3

The leadership and management are good

 The experienced headteacher brings many skills to the school. The most important is her ability to create an ambitious and creative team of leaders, teachers and staff, who share her determination that pupils will be provided with the very best education. Having established these high expectations, the headteacher is now leading staff successfully towards achieving them.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 In particular, the headteacher and deputy headteacher have ensured rigorous monitoring of the effectiveness of teaching and learning. This, and continuous high quality training and support has led to good quality teaching and a rapid rise in the achievement of all pupils. Teaching in the last nine months has led to a marked improvement in pupils’ enthusiasm and attitudes to learning. During the inspection a number of pupils and several parents strongly confirmed this. Outstanding spiritual, moral and social development, promoted by the school, has been at the heart of these improvements.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Improvements in attendance, in the tracking of pupils’ progress, and in the use and provision of stimulating learning resources, are also evidence of the school’s good capacity to sustain improvement.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Some middle leaders are new to the school but have settled in rapidly and are making effective contributions to the development of their responsibilities. The leadership and management of the Early Years are good.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have a detailed and accurate view of the school’s performance. Not only do they drive improvement in areas prioritised in the school’s far reaching development plan, but they also recognise where more progress is needed.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have rapidly identified the need to raise standards in key aspects of writing. In addition, they have realised that the development of pupils’ knowledge of other cultures, especially in modern Britain, is a priority in view of the limited opportunities, where they live, to come into contact with people from backgrounds different to their own.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The new curriculum is having a very positive impact upon pupils’ learning and achievement. The additional sports funding has been used effectively to develop greater interest amongst pupils in a variety of sports, and to increase their skills. Pupils also join in many competitions and games against other schools. The use of specialist coaches has benefited teaching skills throughout the school because of the training teachers have received as a result.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes equal opportunities well, and benefits particularly from increasing contacts with other schools and learning networks. The federation with Whitchurch Church of England School has been especially successful.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school tolerates no discrimination in the school, and pupils are respectful, polite and proud of their achievements.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The local authority and especially the school’s improvement partner, work effectively with the school. The school’s leadership is highly regarded by the authority, because of its swift and positive impact.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The school has an excellent partnership with parents, although some of them were very nervous about the widespread changes made earlier in the year. Their responses to school surveys, Parent View, and verbally, indicate a high rate of satisfaction at the school’s continuing development.

p.4

The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have greatly improved their knowledge of the school in the last year, and are much more confident in challenging leaders, as well as offering full support.  Led by an experienced and dedicated Chair, the governors have taken part in a wide range of training in order to broaden their understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement.  Governors analyse data about the school’s performance effectively, and are keeping tight control of the school’s finances. Each of them is linked with a school leader and is able to work closely with them for the benefit of pupils.  The governing body has a good knowledge of the quality of teaching. This is helping them in their decisions on pay awards for teachers, based upon the performance targets of their pupils.  Governors monitor the spending of the funding for disadvantaged pupils carefully, and are able to

p.4

The leadership and management are good

compare their progress with that of other pupils. A governor has responsibility for the allocation of the extra sports funding, and keeps the governing body fully informed as to its use, and effectiveness in improving pupils’ opportunities and skills in sport.  The governing body makes sure that safeguarding arrangements meet national requirements. They give this aspect high priority and regularly monitor the safety and security of pupils. All school policies, especially regarding child protection, are regularly monitored and fully in place.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils throughout the school is outstanding. They have excellent attitudes to learning, and thrive on their many stimulating and challenging learning activities. Pupils are especially proficient at working with each other in pairs or larger groups, often of mixed-ages.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils talk excitedly about their learning, and describe how they ‘have so much activity in things like science and maths where we can experiment and work things out for ourselves. Our teachers really push us in our work, and we like independent learning’. Children in Reception are particularly keen on ‘literacy and learning phonics’.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils' behaviour in lessons and in all areas of the school is outstanding. This includes the Early Years where children have enthusiastic attitudes to learning, and their behaviour is excellent. They claim that it has improved ‘a lot because we understand what is expected of us’. They are self-regulating, so that adults rarely have to chastise them. Pupils report that the curator of the Water Museum they had visited recently had congratulated them on their ‘impeccable’ behaviour.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils also enjoy having a say in school matters, especially through their fairly new school council. They report no instances of any pupils behaving badly in class or in any school activities. Similarly, parents and staff alike have no issues with pupils’ behaviour.

p.5

Behaviour

 Pupils talk confidently about how well they are being prepared for the next stage in their education. Their preparation is enhanced by their outstanding spiritual, moral and social development.

p.5

Behaviour

 Attendance is much improved, and is higher than average this year as a result of zero-tolerance measures taken by school leaders. The school has no problems with pupils’ punctuality. There have been no pupil exclusions in recent years.

p.5

Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils have great confidence in the adults in school. There are excellent relationships in the whole school community which contributes so much to the friendliness and confidence of the pupils. Many pupils go out of their way to say ‘Thank you’ to each other and adults when they have been helped or listened to.

p.5

Safety

 Pupils know there is always someone they can turn to if they have problems, and are always prepared to put their messages in the Trust Box. The school works effectively with external support agencies in supporting families and children who may be at risk of not doing so well.

p.5

Safety

 Pupils behave safely around a small but complicated school site. This is very apparent in playtimes when older pupils keep an eye on the safety of younger children.

p.5

Safety

 Incidents of bullying are emphatically denied by pupils, who seemed amazed at the question. Older ones have a detailed knowledge of the dangers of cyber-bullying and using social media.

p.6

Safety

 The school is fully inclusive and there are no reports of racism or homophobic comments.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is consistently good throughout the school, across all year groups including the Early Years. Learning in every class is sometimes outstanding. Teachers are particularly skilled in planning the learning for classes where there are often pupils from two or even three different year groups.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching and learning are enhanced as a result of effective and rigorous monitoring by senior staff, often the headteacher.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Effective teaching is resulting in consistently good attainment and progress by pupils in writing, reading and mathematics. Teachers have high expectations and offer continual challenges to pupils in their learning.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Examples of this were seen a number of times during the inspection, including older pupils learning tables at a tremendous pace with the help of technology; younger pupils were also seen learning rapidly how to tell the time and pupils in the middle years made good strides quickly in their learning of the use of personification in writing poetry.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 The learning of pupils is also helped by the encouragement of teachers to pupils to present their work as well as they can and take pride in their books. As a result, pupils’ books consistently reflect good learning, and learning targets are clear because of good marking and pupils’ own accurate self-assessments.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have not yet been as successful in enabling pupils to reach higher attainment in aspects of their spelling, punctuation and grammar, because pupils’ basic skills have not been well-developed in the past. Leaders are aware of this weakness and are already introducing a range of measures to support improvement. Children in the Early Years and in Key Stage 1 are already rapidly learning these basic skills. Pupils in Key Stage 2 are catching up at an increasing pace because extra learning opportunities have been provided for them.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Relationships between teachers and pupils are particularly good, which is a major factor in the development of pupils’ outstanding attitudes to learning. Learning benefits considerably from the contributions of very competent teaching assistants who are an integral part of the learning processes for all pupils.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Homework is promoted consistently in all years and gives parents guidance on their children’s learning.

p.6

The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are proficient in promoting literacy and numeracy through an exciting range of different subjects, such as this term’s themes of ‘Marvellous Me’ in Key Stage 1 and ‘Water’ in Key Stage 2. Pupils, as a result, enjoy using their writing and mathematical skills in science, design and technology and geography.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment has been variable in the last few years although generally above average at the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics. Children enter the Early Years with skills typically seen for their age. They make good progress and are reaching attainment above the national average in most areas when they enter Year 1. Attainment by the end of Year 2 has varied from average to above average since the previous inspection. Achievement in the Early Years is good.  Pupils are now making good and often rapid progress in all years and achieving well. Many pupils are working at levels above those expected for their age. This was confirmed during the inspection by observations of pupils at work, discussions with them about their learning, and their work in books since last January.

p.6

The achievement of pupils is good

 However, pupils’ skills in spelling, punctuation and grammar are not consistent enough to enable achievement in writing to be outstanding. Attainment at the end of Year 6 in the summer was below the schools’ expectations. Although pupils write imaginatively and have good vocabularies, leaders and teachers have recognised that pupils’ writing is not accurate enough and have introduced new initiatives and resources. There are already a number of signs of improvement.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is consistently good for all groups of pupils in both key stages in many of the range of subjects provided by the school, including science and speaking and listening. Improvement in achievement in all years and key stages has been rapid, and this progress is clearly being maintained.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is good

 Most-able pupils are achieving well. Although until now no older pupils have been entered for the higher level national tests in reading and mathematics, there is secure evidence that a significant proportion of these most-able pupils are now working to their full potential at levels well above average in all years. Leaders are also increasing provision for the learning of gifted and talented pupils.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress in every year group. This is because staff carefully plan the learning to fit the particular needs of these pupils.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is good

 In the last few years, there have been very few disadvantaged pupils, and it is not possible to comment on their attainment without risk of identifying them. However there is a much improved picture of their learning this year and the small numbers supported by extra funding are making good progress, especially in Key Stage 1. Their progress is similar, or better, than that of other pupils in the school, and the gap in attainment between them and other pupils is closing quickly.

p.7

The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are keen readers, and are especially pleased with the expansion of the book resources in the school library. They are enthusiastic about the learning they make in their guided reading groups, and describe how they learn to predict, clarify and question each other on the meaning of the texts. Their reading record diaries are kept meticulously.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Leadership and management are good, and enable children to make good progress in their first year in school. Leaders have already improved the outdoor areas since the previous inspection, which has been of much benefit in widening the range of learning for children.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Children start in Reception with skills and experience typically seen for their age. In spite of the small cohorts and the range of ages in the class, teachers are careful to plan for the wide range of children’s needs and abilities. This enables children to make increasingly rapid progress in their learning.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 At an early stage teachers identify children’s weaker skills such as moving and handling resources, understanding shape and space, and reading. Children show much improvement in these aspects as a result of good teaching. As a result, they reach skills in nearly all of their learning above those usually found by the time they move to Year 1.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Children are well-supported by all adults in their learning and develop enthusiasm and independence in their activities. This was seen when they found letter sounds in the playground and were able to use them in familiar words like ‘train’, ‘young’ and ‘rung’. They make especially good progress in their speaking skills. Teachers and their assistants are skilled in assessing children’s progress and planning for their future learning.  Children’s behaviour is outstanding because they have exceptional attitudes to their learning. They benefit considerably from watching and working with pupils in their class who are older than them.

p.7

The early years provision is good

 Children are kept safe and secure, and staff and older pupils ensure that they are well-cared for at all times.

p.8

The early years provision is good

 Staff work closely with parents, who are constantly encouraged to work with the school for the successful development of their children. Parents are delighted with the start their children have, and some remarked on the overwhelming enthusiasm their children have for coming to school.

p.8

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

p.9

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.

p.9

School details

Unique reference number 116918 Local authority Herefordshire Inspection number 442514

p.10

School details

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

p.10

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 43 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sally Tudsbery Turner Headteacher Claire McKeown Date of previous school inspection 5 June 2013 Telephone number 01989 563933 Fax number 01989 563933 Email address admin@weston-under-penyard.hereford.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 .

p.10

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.

p.11

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

p.11

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

p.11

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’.

p.11

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.11