Kempsford Church of England Primary School

School report Kempsford Church of England Primary School Kempsford, Fairford, Gloucestershire, GL7 4EY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Require 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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Some pupils do not make enough progress in reading, writing and mathematics as they move through the school.  Teachers do not always have a clear understanding of what pupils already know and can do, so that they fail to set them appropriately challenging work.  The most able pupils are sometimes prevented from moving on to work which is suitably challenging for them.  In lessons, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs sometimes sit through work which is beyond them. As a result they become too dependent on specialist help.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their reading, writing and mathematics skills through extended writing, problem solving and investigations.  Teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils. The standard of work in some pupils’ books is not good enough.  Teachers do not always explain clearly enough to pupils the purpose of the tasks they are set.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Subject leaders are not all sufficiently well trained to lead subject development.  Recent improvements in governance have yet to have an impact on pupils’ achievement.  Turbulence in staffing since the last inspection adversely affected the progress of some pupils.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new headteacher knows the school’s strengths and weaknesses and is working with tenacity, urgency and determination to implement improvements.  Pupils’ achievement is improving rapidly during this school year.  The new pupil tracking system is being used effectively to ensure that no pupils now fall behind.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.  The school is happy and purposeful. Pupils’ behaviour is now good and pupils are kept safe.  Children in the early years make a good start.  The school’s partnerships are having a positive effect on pupils’ achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited lessons, examined pupils’ work in books, attended an assembly and listened to pupils read. She observed behaviour in lessons and around the school, met the school council and held informal discussions with pupils in each year group.  The inspector took account of the 35 responses to the online survey, Parent View, as well as the school’s own surveys of parents’ and pupils’ views. She spoke to a number of parents during the inspection and also took account of 11 responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspector met school leaders and governors, a representative of the local authority, and the coordinators of special educational needs and the early years.  The inspector examined school documents, including those related to safeguarding, the school improvement plan, achievement tracking information and records of attendance and behaviour.

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Inspection team

Lynne Bradbury, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  There is one full-time Reception class in the early years.  About one sixth of pupils are supported by the pupil premium (additional funding for those known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority), which is much lower than average. Fewer than five Year 6 pupils were eligible for the pupil premium in 2014.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is about one third, higher than average.  Most pupils are of White British backgrounds and almost all speak English as their first language.  Staff absence and turnover were high in the two years following the last inspection. The headteacher took up his post in September 2014.  A review of governance was undertaken by the local authority in October 2014.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to speed up pupils’ progress by ensuring that all teachers:  accurately assess what pupils already know and can do so that they can set them suitably challenging work  clearly explain to pupils the purpose of the tasks they set  make sure that the most able pupils do not waste time working at levels which are too easy for them  better involve disabled pupils and those with special educational needs in their lessons so that they become less dependent on specialist help  give pupils more opportunities to apply their reading, writing and mathematics skills through extended writing, investigations and problem solving  ensure that the work in pupils’ books is of the highest possible standard.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management in raising pupils’ achievement by:  raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve  training subject leaders so that they can effectively monitor pupils’ progress in their subjects, identify

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

where improvement is needed and support class teachers in making changes.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Ineffective governance at the time of the last inspection and turbulence in staffing since the last inspection adversely affected pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.  Some subject leaders do not have the necessary skills to monitor their subjects, identify where improvement is needed and develop class teachers’ subject skills.  Weaknesses in teaching remain. Some teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve and do not know how to pitch the work they set at the right level.  The new headteacher knows what is wrong with the school, and is working with tenacity, urgency and determination to raise the profile of school improvement. He has changed systems and procedures and begun the process of raising staff expectations. The achievement of pupils is improving rapidly during this school year.  A new pupil tracking system is helping the regular monitoring of teaching and pupils’ achievement by the

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The leadership and management require improvement

headteacher and governors and is ensuring that any pupils at risk of falling behind can be quickly identified. Staff are held accountable through the appraisal system which measures their success against pupils’ progress and this is reflected in improved pupil progress this year.  The pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to provide one-to-one support and small-group tuition for those who are eligible. The primary sport and physical education funding provides coaching for a wide range of sports and training for staff.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is given a high priority and expressed in the school’s vision and values. These are shown in the respect, tolerance and traditional British values demonstrated by pupils. Pupils make visits to a local mosque and a Hindu temple and become involved in many church activities. They are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The subjects in school are taught through stimulating topics like the rainforest, the Romans, the Tudors and the Great Fire of London. Pupils enjoy these topics, particularly when they are supplemented by visits and visitors to the school.  The school’s partnerships with other local schools and the local authority have helped to maintain the good quality provision in the early years and are beginning to help in the development of teachers’ skills in planning and assessment.  The school’s commitment to equal opportunities is shown in the careful monitoring of the achievement of pupils of all backgrounds and abilities and the resources committed to improving progress for all.  Safeguarding procedures meet all the statutory requirements for the safety of pupils.  The governance of the school:  Improvements in governance recognised in the recent local authority review have not yet had time to have an impact on pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Following weaknesses in this area, identified at the last inspection, governors undertook considerable training so that they can now interpret pupil progress data and better hold the school to account. This is helping them to identify where the school needs to improve. They are now involved in the staff appraisal system aimed at improving teaching through training and pupil progress meetings. Governors are well placed to make pay and career progression decisions based upon this knowledge.  Governors know how to use the school’s budget to support its priorities. They check the effectiveness of additional funding, like the pupil premium, and make sure that all safeguarding requirements are met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Their positive attitudes to learning make a significant contribution to the progress they are now making. Pupils are sensible in lessons, around the school and on the playground. They are polite and respectful to staff, visitors and other pupils. The school is happy and purposeful.  The work in pupils’ books does not always reflect their good attitudes. This is improving because more is being demanded of them now.  Generally, pupils concentrate in lessons even when activities are not always engaging or are not at a suitable level for them. Staff use the behaviour policy well to build good relationships with pupils and help them to make strong friendships. Pupils appreciate their rewards and, because of staff vigilance, the records contain few incidents of poor behaviour.  Pupils enjoy taking responsibility for younger pupils. They like the new playground leaders and peer

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Behaviour

mediators who are helping them to enjoy their playtimes more. Lunchtime staff are receiving training to support these improvements.  Pupils like and appreciate the effect they can have on how things develop in school. They bring their ideas to the school council, which discusses them and makes recommendations to the headteacher.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils said that they feel safe in school. They said that there has been bullying in the past, but most pupils feel that this is now dealt with very quickly if it happens. They know whom to ask for help. They learn about the many kinds of bullying and the dangers associated with technology such as mobile phones and the internet.  Pupils said that there have been problems with name calling and racist comments in the past, but also this rarely happens now, and, if it does, teachers deal with it very quickly. They said that relationships are happy and respectful.  The local authority has carried out extensive surveys of site security in order to make the school safe and secure. All appropriate checks are carried out when visitors arrive and before appointing new staff.  Pupils’ attendance is average and there are robust systems in place to check that any pupils at risk of

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Safety

falling behind in their attendance are supported and monitored.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Work in books shows that teachers have not always accurately assessed what pupils already know and can do and so they did not set them appropriately challenging tasks. The books also show that this has improved this year so that pupils make better progress now. The information provided by the new tracking system has not yet been taken into account in the planning of lessons in the past and this slowed their progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Better use of this information is leading to more appropriate levels of work and more rapid progress.  Teachers do not consistently move the most able pupils on to more demanding work quickly enough.  In lessons, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are not always given work at the correct level soon enough in lessons. This is improving rapidly as the work of leaders becomes embedded.  The focus and purpose of the tasks set by teachers are not clear to pupils in all lessons.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons there are not enough opportunities to practise the skills pupils have learned in reading, writing and mathematics in extended writing tasks, problem solving and mathematical investigations.  The quality of teachers’ marking has improved. Pupils have a better understanding of what they have achieved and what they need to do to improve. Teachers are also expecting pupils to follow up the feedback they receive.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attitudes in lessons, and manage them well. As a result, pupils work hard and this is contributing to their gradually improving progress.  The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) has greatly improved following the below average results in the Year 1 phonic screening check in 2014. During the inspection, most pupils were clearly making good progress in phonics lessons. Lessons where teachers guide pupils in their reading are

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

also improving, so that pupils are getting better at understanding what they read.  Teachers place a great deal of emphasis on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

The achievement of pupils requires improvement

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The small numbers in the school, and year-to-year variations in the intake, make national comparisons statistically unreliable, both when children enter the school and when they leave at the end of Year 6. However, the school’s own tracking data and the work seen by the inspector in pupils’ books show that pupils have not made the progress they should in the past. This year, pupils’ work shows much more rapid progress.  At the end of Years 2 and 6 in 2014, pupils’ attainment was not high enough. There were too few pupils who were entitled to support from the pupil premium funding to make comparisons with their peers in school or those nationally.  Pupils’ reading in Years 1 and 2 varies in fluency. As new systems are becoming established particularly in the younger age groups, there is evidence of improved attitudes to reading and faster progress. Some pupils in Year 6 who read to the inspector, did not exhibit a great enthusiasm for learning. The most able

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

pupils learn to read quickly, but do not yet have enough opportunities in all classes to use their reading in challenging tasks like finding information. Some pupils find it difficult to apply their knowledge of phonics to help them in their reading, but they have a good understanding of what they have read.  In the mathematics lessons observed, and the mathematics books seen, it was clear that some pupils spend some time working at levels which are not matched carefully enough to their ability. As a result, their progress is not as rapid as it should be.  Overall, evidence from the inspection shows that pupils’ achievement is now improving. For example: pupils from Year 6 who read to the inspector during the inspection, generally read at a good level of fluency and were able to explain the meaning of the text and the effect of particular sentence structures; younger pupils are developing more accurate spelling, punctuation and handwriting more quickly than in

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

the past.  The progress of the very small number of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs varies. The school’s own tracking information suggests that the present cohort is now making consistently good progress and that some are making enough progress to move out of this group.  The most able pupils do not yet make enough progress because they are not sufficiently challenged in lessons.  The few disadvantaged pupils in school are making more rapid progress and achieving higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics this year.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The early years provision is very well led. The early years leader has established a successful partnership with other local small schools and the local authority. This is supporting the development of the early years provision and helping to maintain good practice to ensure children’s good achievement.  Children make good progress in the early years so that they are well prepared to enter Year 1. The work in children’s books shows that children are making good progress in writing and mathematics.  The quality of teaching is good. Staff check carefully what children already know and then plan activities which challenge children of all abilities to make good progress. Children make a good start with their phonics and number work and extend this into reading, writing and mathematics. They successfully explore their topic work indoors and outside.  Children are eager to come to school and approach their work confidently. They concentrate on their

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

activities and respect those around them. Children’s good attitudes and behaviour support their progress.  All safeguarding and welfare requirements are met and children learn how to stay safe. Parents play an important part in their children’s learning at school.

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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 115629 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 453841

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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 86 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Doherty Headteacher Richard Mendum Date of previous school inspection 11–12 April 2013 Telephone number 01285 810367 Fax number 01285 810004

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Email address

office@kempsford.gloucs.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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Email address

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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Email address

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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Email address

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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Email address

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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Email address

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

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