Martley CofE Primary School

Martley CofE Primary School Martley, Worcester, WR6 6QA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 Requires improvement 3

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

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because attainment across the school is below national expectations in most year groups. By the end of Year 6, standards are broadly in line with the national average, but still need to improve to ensure that pupils are fully prepared for the next stage of their education.  Boys in particular, pupils with special educational needs and the most-able pupils do not always achieve the standards that they should.  Some boys are not ready to start Year 1 when they leave the early years, as they have not reached a good enough level of development in their basic skills, especially in writing.  Leaders and governors did not act quickly enough to tackle some poor teaching in the past, which led to low pupil achievement.  Although there have been some recent positive staff appointments that have improved teaching, these changes have not yet had enough impact on raising achievement rapidly in all classes.

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

 Teaching does not always engage the interest of all pupils, or set high enough expectations of what they can achieve. As a result, some pupils do not make as much progress in lessons as they could.  Pupils do not have enough experience of different cultures to be well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher is improving the school and is working closely with the local authority to strengthen teaching and make key appointments of new staff.  Teamwork, high staff morale and a determination from all staff to improve have provided a solid platform for this school to improve further. An increasing proportion of effective teaching is raising achievement across the school.  Pupils are happy and behave well both in lessons and around the school. They are proud of their school and know that the adults are working hard to make it even better.  Feedback from teachers has improved and is now supporting effective progress in pupils’ writing in particular. Teachers carefully check the improvements pupils have made.  Parents support the school well. They enjoy opportunities to learn with their children in school and attend information sessions. Pupil attendance is in line with the national average and increasing.

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The school has the following strengths

 Disadvantaged pupils are well provided for and most pupils in this group are making good progress.  The school works closely with the local community and church. Assemblies provide good opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed seven lessons or part lessons, including examples of teaching in every year group. Two of these lesson observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, middle leaders, governors and a representative from the local authority who works closely with the school. A representative from the Diocese of Worcestershire also attended one of the meetings.  The inspector, together with the headteacher, looked at pupils’ books to establish the progress and quality of their work over time.  Informal discussions were held with parents to gauge their views of the school. The inspector took account of a letter from a parent, 21 recent responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and analysed 12 responses from the staff questionnaires.  The inspector talked with a group of pupil leaders, as well as individual pupils during their lessons and at

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Information about this inspection

playtimes, to find out their views about the school.  The inspector heard pupils read and observed their behaviour in lessons and around the school.  The inspector looked at a wide range of documents, including the school’s plans for improvement, external monitoring reports and information on pupils’ attainment and their progress. He also saw records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Stuart Bellworthy, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Martley CofE Primary School is smaller than most primary schools.  The majority of pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils who join the school mid-year is high.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding is well below the national average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible to receive free school meals or looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs is above the national average. There are no disabled pupils at the school.  Reception children attend full time in the mixed Reception and Year 1 class.  The school has recently taken on the management of Martley Pre-School, to become part of the main school.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for  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?

 Rapidly develop leadership and management by: – ensuring the pace of change quickens and key staff appointments are made as soon as possible – increasing the capacity of leaders to support and challenge one another, by having systems in place to analyse pupil achievement efficiently – developing the role of governors and their ability to hold the school to account – regularly checking all statutory information is available on the school’s website – improving the curriculum to develop pupils’ awareness of a range of different cultures and ensure they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better and raise pupils’ achievement by ensuring that all teachers: – provide all pupils with learning tasks that will engage them and challenge them to achieve more – use effective practice both within the school and that which is provided by external consultants – increase their expectations of all groups of pupils, especially boys, those with special educational needs and the most able, so that all pupils achieve as well as they should.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

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

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have recently taken steps to improve the quality of teaching by tackling poor practice. However, it has taken leaders too long to address these problems and as a result some pupils have not achieved as much as they could. The current situation is now better and improved teaching is leading to better progress for most pupils.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Middle leaders now have defined roles and are working well with the headteacher to support whole-school development. Leaders’ checks on teaching, pupils’ assessments and marking are linked to teachers’ performance targets. These checks have been used to support teachers to improve their practice, although there is still work to be done to ensure teaching is consistently good across the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have managed unexpected increases in pupil numbers well. A higher-than-usual number of pupils have joined the school mid-year over the last two years. Staff have ensured the social, emotional and academic needs of these pupils are met. As a result of this, these pupils have settled quickly and some have progressed faster than other pupils.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school is working closely with the local authority to help bring about improvements in teaching and pupil achievement. Local authority support has been effective in supporting improvements to teachers’ planning and in helping to secure an experienced teacher to work with the younger pupils. These developments have led to improved provision in the early years, Year 1 and Year 2. Leaders could better utilise effective practice both within the school and that which is provided by external consultants.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 School leaders make good use of improvement plans to set clear priorities. They maintain regular checks on whether actions taken have been effective or not. These plans are extensive and are rightly focused on the areas which will help secure improved pupil achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s curriculum provides a wide range of learning experiences for pupils. The teaching of English and mathematics is complemented by a whole-school approach in all other subjects. Martley Primary is an ‘Eco-School’ and also has links with a school in Tanzania. As a result, pupils have a good awareness of recycling, how to save water and fundraising for charities for example. However, pupil’s knowledge of other cultures is limited and leaders understand that further work is needed to develop the curriculum.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupil premium funding is used effectively. Smaller class sizes, additional training and adult support have been used to focus well on improving the mathematics, reading, speech and language skills of disadvantaged pupils. The progress of eligible pupils has improved, with most pupils in this group achieving standards at least in line with other pupils in the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Assemblies provide good opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual awareness, celebrate their personal achievements and tackle discrimination. Pupils learn about democracy and equality of opportunity through the election of the two school councils and learn about general elections. This has helped to develop pupils’ understanding and respect for others and has supported their preparation for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school promotes good relationships, including respect for each other and different faiths. The school’s positive ethos and links within the local community enable pupils to develop an understanding of the value of belonging to a community. All pupils are known well by all members of staff. Parents commented that this, along with good respect for the headteacher and staff, leads to good behaviour and their children’s happiness at school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The culture of keeping pupils safe is strong and all statutory safeguarding requirements are met. All adults are trained regularly and receive a safeguarding induction when they join the school. The school has good transition arrangements to pass on information when pupils join or leave the school, ensuring that they are kept safe. The safeguarding governor checks that the single central record is kept up-to-date.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school works closely with parents. Opportunities for parents to learn with their children in school, attend parents’ evenings and information sessions are well attended. The online questionnaire results show that the vast majority of parents are very supportive of the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Additional government money to improve pupils’ participation and ability in sport has been used effectively to enhance teaching and learning in physical education. Staff have been trained in a range of sports and, for example, have integrated dance into school performances as a result. The school works closely with the local secondary school to have improved access to resources such as the sports hall. Martley Primary School has also been successful in recent football and cross-country festivals with other primary schools.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Several new members have strengthened the governing body’s capacity to both support and hold the school to account to improve teaching and pupil achievement. However, as a key leadership group, governors need further training to develop their role in supporting improvements to the school.  Governors understand how performance management is used to tackle underperformance, improve teaching and how this links to teachers’ pay progression. Nevertheless, they readily accept the headteacher’s recommendations for pay increases and do not seek reasons for these.  Governors are provided with some information about how the pupil and sport premium funds are being spent. At the time of the inspection, the impact of this spending and several other pieces of statutory information were missing from the school’s website.  Governors check school finances are being appropriately managed and are directed to improving pupil

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The leadership and management requires improvement

achievement.  Governors do not have a clear understanding of how well the school is performing in relation to other schools nationally.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Their conduct in lessons is good and they show high respect towards both adults and each other. Most pupils play actively and happily at playtimes. Pupils have good attitudes around the school and during smooth transitions between classes.

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Behaviour

 Staff have high expectations, promote good behaviour and manage pupils’ needs well. Consequently, lessons are very rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. Nearly all staff and parents are positive about the management of behaviour in the school.

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Behaviour

 Pupils enjoy lessons and respond well to adults’ questions and prompts. They move sensibly between activities in lessons and work thoughtfully during group work, carefully considering each other’s views.

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Behaviour

 The school analyses behaviour logs. Checks on these records also show that no pupils have been permanently excluded in the last three years.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Safe practices are emphasised and secure in all aspects of the school’s work. Leaders and teachers are active in keeping the school and pupils safe, by regularly practising road safety for example.

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Safety

 Pupils are well informed of different types of bullying. They say that adults help sort out any problem they have and this usually resolves it.

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Safety

 Pupils are aware of how to keep themselves and others safe. They are knowledgeable about the dangers associated with the internet and can give examples about what to do to keep safe online. Pupils say they feel safe because they practise fire-drills; fences help keep them safe, adults take care and help them if they are worried.

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Safety

 The school promotes good attendance and rates are equal to the national average for all groups. Pupils enjoy coming to school because they say that they like working together, the learning is great and the adults make it fun.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching over time is too variable across the school. In particular, younger pupils did not make enough progress to ensure that they achieve in line with national standards by the end of Year 2 in 2013 and 2014. Recently improved teaching has led to better current progress for children across the school, including those in Year 1 and Year 2. Stronger teaching in Key Stage 2 has enabled pupils’ achievement over time to be broadly in line with the national average at the end of Year 6.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Better management of teachers’ performance and recent appointments have strengthened teaching across the school. Recent developments in marking and feedback have made a noticeable difference to the progress pupils are now making, especially in mathematics and writing. Teachers and teaching assistants promote good relationships so that pupils are motivated to build confidence and learn.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching does not always sufficiently engage or challenge pupils. Consequently, attainment for the most- able pupils at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 was below the national average in 2014. Boys typically performed less well than girls. Leaders have plans to address this, although it is too early to assess the impact of these developments.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Some pupils with special educational needs do not make as much progress or attain as well as other pupils in the school. Leaders say this is partly a result of poor teaching and inaccurate assessments in the past. An analysis of current progress shows that younger pupils with special educational needs are not progressing as well as older pupils in the same group.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In weaker lessons, not all pupils make sufficient progress. Teachers do not always set work that meets all pupils’ learning needs or challenges pupils enough to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding. As a result, pupils’ misunderstandings are sometimes left unchecked and their progress is not as good as it could be.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Leaders give constructive feedback to teachers on how to improve their teaching. As a result, teachers have a clear understanding of what they need to do to improve and what should be required from each group of pupils in their class.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching is stronger, teachers have higher expectations of pupils. Teachers check previous work carefully and use this to plan the next stage of learning for all groups. For example, in a writing lesson, the teacher used adults effectively to support re-arranged pupil groups according to how much support they needed to progress their learning during that lesson. As a result, pupils used their imagination well to plan stories and develop sentence structure. They clearly enjoyed the lesson and were very keen to share their learning later in the day.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of mathematics is improving and leaders are taking effective action to raise standards of achievement in this subject. As a result of effective modelling by the teacher, younger pupils were able to find how much change they would have from 50p, £1.00 or £2.00 when pretending to buy sweets from a shop. Most pupils progressed well during the lesson, due to the range of appropriate tasks provided and the support given to different ability groups.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of writing has led to low achievement in the past. However, improved planning, teaching and feedback are helping pupils to make better progress. As a result, pupils are able to use a range of strategies to improve their writing by the time they are in Years 5 and 6. When asked if the marking helped to improve work, one pupil said, ‘I like getting some pink [areas to improve] because you can work on it, rather than getting green [success] all the time’.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of reading is improving. By the end of Year 6, pupils are able to read accurately and reach standards above the national average. The teaching of phonics (the sounds linked to letters) is also improving and pupils are now developing their skills more quickly in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. However, there is still room for improvement to further develop the reading skills of both the younger and most-able pupils across the school.

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requires improvement

 Standards of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics are too low. At the end of Year 2, standards were below the national average in 2013 and 2014. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected level at the end of Year 6 is better, but still variable. For example, national test results show that in 2014 Year 6 standards were just above the national average in reading, mathematics, grammar, punctuation and spelling, but below average in writing.

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requires improvement

 The most-able pupils are not always challenged enough. The work that they are given is sometimes too easy and teachers’ expectations of them are typically too low. By the end of Year 6 in 2014, only attainment in grammar, spelling and punctuation for the most-able pupils was above the national average for this group. A small number of very-able pupils achieved exceptionally well in writing and mathematics in 2014. Overall however, the most-able pupils do not progress as much as they could and therefore do not achieve well enough by the time they leave the school in Year 6.

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requires improvement

 The achievement of disadvantaged pupils is often better than that of other pupils. The additional support given to these pupils is appropriate and has helped to reduce the attainment gap between them and other pupils in school. Due to the very small numbers of pupils eligible for the pupil premium, meaningful comparisons with national information are unreliable. However, close monitoring and work in books indicate that most of these pupils are making good progress. In 2014, there were no disadvantaged pupils eligible for pupil premium funding in Year 6.

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requires improvement

 A higher-than-usual number of pupils have joined the school part way through their education. Staff have worked hard to ensure these pupils settle in as quickly as possible and their social, emotional and academic needs are met. As a result of this, assessment information shows that since joining the school, these pupils have progressed faster than some other pupils.

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requires improvement

 In 2014, only half of the pupils who re-took the Year 1 phonics check caught up in Year 2. The phonic skills of some of these pupils were not developed sufficiently by focused teaching, to enable more of them to catch up securely and achieve the expected standard. This continues to be a focus area and leaders have improved the teaching of phonics in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. The school’s current assessment information suggests that pupils are making better progress in phonics and Year 1 attainment in 2015 is on course to be in line with the national average for the first time.

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requires improvement

 Provision for pupils with special educational needs is varied and their needs are not always met. Some of these pupils are progressing in line with other pupils, as a result of better support. Leaders rightly recognise that there are still some pupils with special educational needs that should be making better progress.

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requires improvement

 Some children start in Reception with basic skills that are below those typical for their age. This is particularly the case with their personal, social and emotional development. Children’s skills develop in early years, although some boys do not progress as well as girls.

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requires improvement

 Teaching has recently improved as a consequence of staff changes and external support. The proportion of children who were well prepared for Year 1 at the end of Reception in 2014, was above the national average for girls, but below for boys. This was mainly because teaching had not enabled enough progress of boys’ writing skills.

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requires improvement

 The recently improved leadership of early years has enhanced the school’s capacity to improve further. This has also led to improved provision in early years, but it is too early to see the full impact. Early years staff are well trained and skilled in providing a stimulating learning environment that captures the imagination of most children.  The school has recently taken on the management of Martley Pre-School, to become part of the main school. This is a positive move and the school is planning for better transition between the settings, as the vast majority of children in Reception come from the pre-school. The school has appropriate plans for the two settings to work very closely together, further supporting the earlier development of children’s skills such as personal, social and emotional development in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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requires improvement

 Adults are used effectively to meet the needs of the Reception and Year 1 pupils who share a classroom. In one lively lesson seen, the teacher led an engaging whole-class session on reading part of the book ‘Littleboat’. While scribing pupils’ words such as ‘treacherous’ to describe the rocks, the teacher ensured the pupils practised their phonic knowledge. The Reception children’s social and imaginative skills were developed well by building a boat together outside.

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requires improvement

 Children are confident and happy in the Reception class. This is due to the established routines that are reinforced by all adults working in this area. Adults ensure children learn in a safe and caring environment and check the provision to make sure it is safe to use. Children have access to a well-resourced and engaging outdoor learning area, moving sensibly between the indoor and outdoor provision.

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requires improvement

 All adults set clear learning expectations that children understand. Consequently, children are nearly always enthusiastic and behave well. They develop a good sense of how to keep themselves and others safe and are keen to join in the learning activities.

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requires improvement

 Parents are very positive about the start their children are making to school. They have enjoyed sharing learning experiences with their children in school. Parents also have opportunities to contribute evidence towards their children’s development, through good communication with the 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 116831 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 449238

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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 135 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Helen Sandison Headteacher Andrew Massey Date of previous school inspection 28 June 2011 Telephone number 01886 888201 Email address office@martley-pri.worcs.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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