Monyash CofE Primary School

Monyash CofE Primary School Church Street, Monyash, Bakewell, DE45 1JH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Good 2

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Following a period of staffing discontinuity, leaders and managers have not managed to secure consistently good achievement across the school in English and mathematics. Recent changes mean that the school is now improving.  The proportions of pupils whose progress exceeds the expected rate are smaller than those found nationally. Progress is slowed at times because pupils are given work which is too easy or too hard.  Teaching over time has not been consistently good. In mathematics pupils have few opportunities to practise their skills in different contexts.  The recently re-constituted governing body has not had a clear enough focus on securing improvements in pupils’ achievements in English and mathematics.  There are too few opportunities for staff to extend their expertise by learning from staff in other schools.

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The school has the following strengths

 Behaviour and safety are good. Pupils are attentive and lessons are not disrupted by poor behaviour. Pupils are kept safe. They and their parents say they have not experienced bullying.  Early Years provision is good. Pupils make good progress in the Reception Year. They settle in quickly and respond well to the warmth and encouragement they receive from staff.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They have opportunities to reflect. They have a good understanding of fundamental British values and are well prepared to take their places within modern society.  Teachers mark pupils’ work well, giving them praise where due and showing them clearly what they need to do next to improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in both classes. He looked in detail at pupils’ work to assess the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress over time. He carried out lesson observations jointly with the headteacher. He listened to a sample of pupils reading.  The inspector held discussions with pupils, parents, the headteacher and other staff, governors and representatives of the local authority.  The inspector looked at documents covering safeguarding and child protection, attendance, behaviour, pupils’ progress and attainment, the work of the governing body, the school improvement plan and records of the monitoring of teaching quality.  He consulted the Parent View website but only nine responses had been received, therefore no results were displayed.  He analysed the responses to a questionnaire completed by 10 members of staff.

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Inspection team

Richard Marsden, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than most primary schools.  Almost all pupils are White British. There are currently very few pupils from other ethnic groups, or who speak English as an additional language.  At less than 5%, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium is well below average. This is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or in local authority care.  At almost 22%, the proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  Children attend the Early Years Foundation Stage full time and are taught in the same class as pupils in Years 1 and 2. Pupils in Year 3 to 6 are taught in another mixed-age class.  The headteacher had been on long-term sick leave for several months prior to the inspection and had resigned from his post three days before the inspection took place. An acting headteacher, who is also

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Information about this school

headteacher at a nearby school, is covering the post part-time in his absence. This is the second acting headteacher since October 2014. The two class teachers have also joined the school within the last two terms after an extended period of staffing instability.  In 2014 there were too few pupils in Year 6 for the usual judgement to be made on whether the school met the government’s floor standards.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement is consistently good by:  checking that work is neither too easy nor too hard for any groups of pupils, particularly the most and least able in both classes  creating more opportunities for pupils to develop their mathematical skills, not only in mathematics lessons but in different contexts across a wide range of other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that the work of leaders and managers leads consistently to improved outcomes for pupils by:  giving greater support to members of the governing body, particularly those who are new to the role, so that their work is more effectively focused on school improvement  providing more opportunities for teachers to extend their skills and expertise by learning from their counterparts in other schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The work of leaders and managers has not led to good achievement for pupils over time. High levels of staff turnover since the last inspection have meant that the areas for improvement noted at the previous inspection have not been fully addressed. Leaders’ energies have been diverted into finding teachers, sometimes at very short notice, so that the school could stay open. This has meant that senior leaders have had little opportunity to delegate leadership roles to other staff.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Now that the school is emerging from this period of instability a rigorous procedure for checking the quality of teaching is now in place. Teachers are given targets for improvement related to the school’s overall improvement plan. In the context of this small school opportunities for staff to develop their skills are limited, but staff are keen to work with teachers in other schools to broaden their expertise.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The acting headteacher, staff, governors and the local authority all show a determination to secure the best for pupils following the recent instability. The school now has good capacity to improve.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has supported the school well. It helped with the recruitment of staff and it has provided advice for the headteacher, acting headteachers and staff. It has provided opportunities for teachers to compare the standards they apply when they mark pupils’ work with the standards applied nationally, so that parents can be confident that they receive accurate information about their children’s progress and attainment.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The range of subjects taught is broad and balanced. Pupils and parents appreciate the range of sporting and other out-of-school activities on offer. Year 6 pupils enjoy a residential visit where they take part in adventurous activities which build confidence and character.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Extra funding for the few disadvantaged pupils (the pupil premium) is used well to provide extra teaching support for these pupils. Its impact has been effective in closing the gaps in attainment between them and other pupils. It is also used to help these pupils take part in some out-of-school activities.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The sport funding is used effectively to increase pupils’ participation in sport and to allow them to grow in health and physical well-being. Pupils now try out a wider range of sports with specialist instructors. The skills and expertise of teachers are also being extended, and pupils now have more opportunities to take part in sporting competitions with other schools. Leaders keep a close check on the impact of this new funding.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  During the recent staffing instability governors’ attention and energies have been diverted away from the priority of school improvement. Seven of the 11 governors have been appointed since the previous inspection. Some governors are more confident and at ease in their role than others. Some understand better than others the priority of securing improvements in pupils’ achievement particularly in English and mathematics.  Governors have a strong commitment to making sure that there is no discrimination of any kind and that every pupil, regardless of background or need, has equal access to anything the school offers. As yet, though, they have not ensured that the learning needs of the most and least able pupils are always fully met.  Governors show a solid understanding of the school’s context and how its performance compares with that of schools nationally. They can give examples of how they have offered challenge and held

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The leadership and management requires improvement

headteachers to account in trying to secure the best for pupils.  Governors know about the quality of teaching in the school. They check that, as staff move up the pay scales, promotions are given only when their impact on pupils’ achievement shows they are deserved. They know how the pupil premium funding is used and the impact this has had.  Governors make sure that pupils are well prepared for their roles as citizens in modern Britain and are aware of the need for tolerance and understanding towards people whose backgrounds or beliefs may be different from their own.  Governors are careful to make sure that all requirements for the safeguarding and protection of pupils are fully met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. The school is a calm and orderly community where pupils are known well as individuals. Parents speak warmly of its welcoming ‘family’ atmosphere. Pupils’ behaviour in the classroom allows learning to take place unhindered. Attendance rates are broadly average.

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Behaviour

 From the beginning of the Reception Year, teachers make clear to pupils the high standards which are expected of them. Pupils are quick to respond to instructions. Relations between adults and pupils are respectful.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are proud to serve their school in various ways. They act, for example, as lunchtime servers, as librarians, as monitors of various kinds. They willingly help people less fortunate than themselves through regular charity collections, sometimes suggesting fundraising ideas themselves.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They respond well to opportunities for reflection, for example, during collective worship. Although almost all current pupils are White British, they show a good awareness of the diversity of modern British society. Parents and their children spoke movingly of last term’s project on the Second World War and how this brought home to pupils the fundamental values of self-sacrifice, loyalty and endurance.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Access to the school is secure and all staff are checked prior to appointment. Pupils and their parents rightly state that pupils are kept safe in school.

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Safety

 Parents and pupils who were questioned said that they had had no experience of bullying in the school. Older pupils show a good awareness of the different forms bullying can take, including internet-based bullying, and how to keep themselves safe from it. Pupils expressed their confidence in staff to look after them if any bullying should occur.

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Safety

 Safety matters have appropriate priority. Pupils have appreciated visits from police and fire officers in learning about how to keep themselves and others safe. In walking to the village hall for lunches or physical education lessons pupils and staff meticulously follow road safety procedures.

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Safety

 The school gives good support to pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable, drawing on a range of outside agencies as it does so. The inspector saw convincing evidence of how this has helped individuals settle down in school and make progress in line with their classmates despite the difficulties they face.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching has been inconsistent over time and has not secured good achievement for pupils. Pupils, particularly the most and least able, say that at times the work they have been given in the mixed- age, mixed-ability classes has been too easy or too hard.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers have not provided opportunities for pupils to apply and develop their mathematical skills in contexts beyond mathematics lessons. Work in pupils’ books and discussions with staff show that this issue, which was raised at the last inspection, has not yet been fully addressed.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The school gives support to disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. Teaching assistants know pupils’ needs well. They support individuals or small groups during lessons, particularly when these pupils find it difficult to follow teachers’ explanations or are unsure about how to tackle their work. They have provided much-needed stability during the period of high staff turnover.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers mark work carefully. They give appropriate praise and encouragement. They also give pupils clear advice about what to do next to improve. They are careful to make sure that pupils read, understand and act on this advice.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 When teaching is at its most effective teachers choose topics which motivate both boys and girls and sustain their interest. In mathematics, for example, pupils worked in groups on a variety of activities related to multiplication. Some pupils worked on a shopping-based task. Others enjoyed tackling complex questions which made them think deeply. Younger pupils handled real money as they did their calculations.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers and teaching assistants explain things clearly and question pupils carefully to make sure that all pupils understand before moving on. In the Reception Year children were highly motivated by the teaching assistant’s puppet as she practised the difference between the sounds ‘sh’ and ‘ch’ with them.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 From varied individual starting points most pupils reach broadly average standards in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. Most pupils make progress at the nationally expected rates. The proportions of pupils whose progress exceeds the expected rates are below those found nationally. Children make better progress in the Reception Year than in the other years.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 While some of the most able pupils reach above average standards by the end of Year 6, some pupils say the work they are given has sometimes been too easy, particularly in mathematics. This means they have not attained as highly as they should have done. At times the least able pupils are given work which they find too hard. This slows their progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Progress is not as rapid in mathematics as it is in reading or writing. Evidence from pupils’ work shows that they practise their mathematical skills almost exclusively in their mathematics lessons. They have few opportunities to develop and apply these skills across different subjects or in different contexts. This also slows their progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 By contrast, pupils practise their writing skills in many different contexts. They are required to pay attention to the quality of their spelling and grammar in all their writing, not merely the work they do in English lessons.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014 100% of Year 1 pupils reached the expected level in the national check on phonics (the sounds which letters represent). This was well above the national average of 74%. Pupils develop a love of reading and speak enthusiastically about what they like to read. The most able pupils in Years 2 and 6 read fluently and with good expression. Less able pupils in these years read more hesitantly and are sometimes inclined to guess words rather than to read them properly. They can, however, show clearly what they need to do whenever they meet an unfamiliar word.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to other pupils. From their starting points they make progress at the expected rates but do not often exceed these. Their needs are accurately identified and they are given some support in one-to-one or small-group sessions during lessons. The very small group from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language also make progress in line with other pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The inspector looked carefully at the achievement of boys and girls. Although there has been unevenness from year to year, the evidence shows that in general there are no significant differences between them.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupil premium funding is appropriately used to support the disadvantaged pupils for whom it applies. These pupils achieve at least as well as others. No pupils in Year 6 were eligible for pupil premium support in 2014. The recently introduced primary school sport funding is having a positive impact on the quality and range of sports enjoyed by pupils.

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The early years provision Is good

 Leadership and management in the Early Years Foundation Stage are good. The Reception Year teacher and teaching assistants work together well to plan activities. They make sure that these link into what the Year 1 and Year 2 pupils, who share the same class, are doing. They check children’s progress carefully and take swift action if any child gives cause for concern.

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The early years provision Is good

 Behaviour and safety are good. Adults know children well as individuals. Children quickly respond to the school’s high expectations and learn the routines. They respond well to the warmth and encouragement they receive from adults. They develop maturity as a result of being in the same class as older pupils.

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The early years provision Is good

 The quality of teaching is good. The classroom and recently-improved outdoor area are welcoming and stimulating. Activities capture the interest of both boys and girls in all areas of learning indoors and out. Adults interact constantly with children, seeking ways to develop their observational, language and mathematical skills.

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The early years provision Is good

 From very varied starting points, children achieve well. They are well prepared to move on to Year 1. The learning needs of disabled children and those who have special educational needs are swiftly identified, and steps are taken to make sure they are appropriately met.

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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 112843 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 453715

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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 33 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Chris Woodhouse Headteacher Liz Foster (acting) Date of previous school inspection 13 February 2013 Telephone number 01629 812413 Email address enquiries@monyash.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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