Measham Church of England Primary School

Measham Church of England Primary School Bosworth Road, Measham, Swadlincote, DE12 7LG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school is well led and managed. The headteacher has a clear and ambitious vision for the school which is shared with all staff.  Leaders and the governing body have driven improvements in teaching and learning in response to the dip in results in 2014. As a result, current pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics throughout the school is good.  Governors have a very clear understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding and this has a very positive impact on their learning. They have excellent attitudes towards school, enjoy taking on responsibilities and show a genuine respect for others.  The school is rigorous in ensuring that pupils are kept safe. All parents are very positive about how safe their children are at school.  The school has robust systems for checking teachers’ work and providing appropriate training where needed to raise the quality of teaching.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

Because of this, weaknesses have been addressed and the impact of this is now evident in good quality teaching and achievement.  The school has been very effective in introducing recent changes to the content of subjects, and the way pupils’ progress is assessed and recorded.  The school is very successful in promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and their understanding of British values, through all aspects of its work. Because of this, pupils are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Changes to the leadership, teaching and resources for the early years have had a very positive impact. Reception children make good progress and are well prepared for their future schooling.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not all lessons are planned well enough to challenge the most-able pupils.  Too few pupils reach the higher National Curriculum levels in writing and mathematics.  The learning of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs has not been tracked with sufficient rigour to ensure these pupils always benefit from the support that they need.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching in 15 lessons or parts of lessons. A number of lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings and discussions took place with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, members of the governing body, staff, pupils and parents.  Samples of pupils’ work were examined, some with the headteacher or the literacy subject leader present, and several pupils read to the inspectors.  The inspectors took into account the 19 responses to the online parent survey, Parent View. The inspectors also talked to parents outside school and took account of the 41 questionnaires completed by staff.  The inspectors looked at a range of documents produced by the school, including data on pupils’ progress and attainment, procedures for safeguarding, the school’s own evaluations of its work, reports to the governing body and minutes of their meetings, and the action plans for raising attainment.

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Inspection team

Geof Timms, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Measham Church of England Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The predecessor school, also called Measham Church of England Primary School, became an academy in September 2012. When the predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  The academy is part of the Forest Way Teaching School Alliance, which provides a range of support and advice for schools in the area.  Children attend the early years provision in the Reception class on a full-time basis.  The headteacher was appointed in January 2014. The leader of the early years was appointed in January 2015. The special educational needs coordinator recently returned to school following a period of maternity leave.  Most pupils are White British. A growing number of pupils are joining the school from Eastern European countries and are learning English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.

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Information about this school

 A broadly average proportion of pupils are disadvantaged and are supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.  In 2014, the school did not meet the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school hosts a children’s centre, a privately run pre-school and a privately run breakfast and after- school club. These are inspected and reported on separately.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the provision for the most-able pupils, so that more of them reach the higher National Curriculum levels by the end of Year 6, by:  ensuring that staff set work for the most-able pupils that is more consistently challenging and extends their learning  providing more activities in lessons that challenge and extend the most-able pupils, especially in mathematics and writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the leaders monitor more closely the progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in order to identify where they need extra support and to put this support in place.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, together with the deputy headteacher and other leaders, has worked since his appointment to address weaknesses in teaching and to improve pupils’ learning. The dip in performance in Year 6 in 2014, caused by inadequate teaching, was quickly addressed and action swiftly taken to ensure it did not happen again. The inspection evidence, and the school’s current data, shows that leaders have been successful in this.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of teaching is good. The headteacher and governing body use robust systems for checking on teachers’ work and providing extra training where appropriate. Leaders have dealt firmly with less effective teaching and this, together with the successful induction of a significant number of newly recruited staff, has secured improvements to the quality of teaching. Much of the school’s success is due to its focus on creating a culture that positively promotes outstanding behaviour and attitudes towards school and their learning among pupils, as well as good teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s monitoring of its performance, evaluation of its successes and recognition of appropriate priorities is very accurate. Priorities for improvement recently recognised, such as for the progress made by boys, are understood clearly by all staff and governors. Because of this, there is a consistent and shared approach to improvement planning and concerted and successful action is taken.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of subjects is good. Leaders have opportunities to check the teaching in their subjects, especially in English and mathematics, through a range of activities. In addition, leaders of aspects such as ‘forest school’ provision, or of subjects such as music, have a deep enthusiasm that is communicated to all staff and to the pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has introduced changes to the content of subjects, and the way they are taught, very effectively over the past year. Planning ensures that all subjects are suitably covered and that pupils are able to use their skills in different ways. Leaders have introduced a good system for assessing and recording pupils’ learning to ensure their progress is accurately tracked. This is helping to highlight any underachievement quickly. In addition, regular meetings between leaders and teachers effectively highlight where progress is good or if pupils are underachieving.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school uses its membership of the Forest Way Teaching School Alliance to seek advice and support for a range of issues. Newly qualified teachers receive effective support, as did the headteacher when he was new to the post. Teachers are able to share their work with staff in other schools and to check the accuracy of their judgements about pupils’ learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school does a great deal to prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. A range of faiths and different cultures are studied. The school promotes British values through much of its work, teaching pupils about democracy and tolerance. Pupils new to the country are welcomed and accepted very positively. This helps them to make rapid progress in learning English and adapting to a new way of life.

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The leadership and management are good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs benefit from some very high-quality teaching but, until recently, leaders had not checked closely enough on their progress. This has meant that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs have not always been given prompt enough additional support where this is needed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The extra funding for disadvantaged pupils is used very effectively to provide extra staffing and support for them. Good support is provided for pupils and their families. The school ensures equality of opportunity by seeing to it that all pupils have access to all aspects of the school’s work, including the wide range of enrichment activities, such as residential visits.

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The leadership and management are good

 Extra funding for sport is used well to provide opportunities for pupils to experience a wider range of activities, to appoint expert coaching and provide training for staff.  The provision for children in the early years is well led and managed. Recent changes to staffing and resources, especially outdoors, have strengthened this aspect of the school’s work. Leaders are working to develop improved links with a range of local pre-school settings.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Since achieving academy status, the governing body have improved their work through training and auditing their skills to identify any gaps. Governors have created an effective structure of committees to ensure their work is efficient, especially regarding finance and recruitment.  Governors have a strong knowledge of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement, particularly for achievement and the quality of teaching. There are regular visits to the school and detailed reports are produced. The governors have a good knowledge and understanding of the school’s data for pupils’ progress.  Governors carry out their statutory duties well. They are appropriately involved in decisions about teachers’ pay and understand how this is linked to performance. When the headteacher had to tackle some significant underperformance, governors supported him fully.  Together with leaders, governors ensure that all safeguarding requirements are met and the school’s

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. As a result, the school has a very positive and calm environment in which effective learning can take place. No pupils have been excluded from the school in recent years.

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Behaviour

 Pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons and when moving around the school. Dinner time provides a very pleasant social occasion. The excellent behaviour of pupils in assembly helps create a very reflective and thoughtful atmosphere, about which one pupil said, ‘You are not afraid to put your hand up and guess, or to be wrong.’

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Behaviour

 Pupils are very keen to take responsibility and the school provides a wide range of opportunities for this. Older pupils have responsibilities for looking after younger ones. The school council has a high profile in the school. There is a sports council and pupils develop their own house competitions. Junior road safety officers lead assemblies and run competitions.

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Behaviour

 A major reason for the outstanding behaviour is the work done to develop pupils’ understanding of different values, such as tolerance and respect. Pupils understand and appreciate the teachers’ high expectations of their behaviour. They say lessons are very rarely disturbed by any poor behaviour.

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Behaviour

 Pupils show respect for the environment in and around the school. They do not drop litter and they take great pride in their work. This is shown in the mature way they talk about it and also the care with which they present it.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. All parents who responded to the online questionnaire, or who spoke to inspectors, said their children were safe and happy at the school. Pupils are very confident that there are many adults in school they trust and would talk to if worried about anything.

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Safety

 Pupils have an excellent understanding of what constitutes bullying and how to deal with it. They talk about how ‘All teachers are kind.’ They know how to keep themselves safe when using computers or other technology, and about other dangers they might face outside school.

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Safety

 The school carries out systematic risk assessments for all activities, on and off the school site. Staff are appropriately trained in first aid and child protection. The ‘forest school’ sessions are very well risk assessed and the walk to the woods is used very effectively as a safety learning opportunity.  Attendance is above average. Families ensure that their children attend regularly and are punctual. The school has very few pupils who are persistent absentees. Attendance issues that do arise are followed up correctly. The family liaison staff help provide pupils and families with a range of support to ensure pupils’ safety, as well as their self-esteem and behaviour.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because recent staff recruitment and extra training have created a strong team of teachers and support staff who are working to ensure the best provision for their pupils. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ attitudes towards learning and this promotes their outstanding behaviour. The teaching in the early years is good, and is effective in promoting children’s learning and preparation for Year 1.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use their assessments of pupils’ learning to record their progress for leaders and to group pupils accurately. Teaching assistants provide good support, especially for the less-able pupils, disadvantaged pupils and those at an early stage of learning English.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of reading is a very successful part of the school’s work. Pupils learn the basics of reading through an imaginatively delivered scheme for teaching phonics ((how sounds in words are shown by different letter combinations). Books and other texts have a very high profile throughout the school and older pupils read widely and often. The teaching of writing and mathematics has a good impact on most pupils’ achievement, as does that in music and art and design.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils talk about how teachers’ feedback helps them to understand what they need to do to improve. Marking is helpful and pupils have opportunities to respond to the teachers’ comments by making corrections or following up suggestions.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers often plan imaginative activities that engage and interest pupils. In one lesson, for example, news broadcasts of a recent earthquake added greatly to pupils’ understanding of geological features as part of their topic on volcanoes and earthquakes. However, in some lessons, teachers do not plan sufficiently challenging work for the most-able pupils and this slows their progress. This is particularly true in mathematics and teachers’ expectations of some of the pupils’ writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs has improved and the teaching in this area has been strengthened. This is boosting these pupils’ learning well and they take a full and active part in school life. However, until recently, the effectiveness of the extra support provided for these pupils has not been monitored with enough rigour in order to maximise the pupils’ progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress made in Year 6 by the pupils who left at the end of 2014 was well below that expected in reading, writing and mathematics. This is not typical and followed two years of good progress and broadly average attainment. The dip was caused by staff changes and inadequate teaching, which the school rapidly addressed. Because of this, the school’s data for the pupils currently in Year 6, supported by the evidence in pupils’ books and lessons observed, shows that their progress is good and standards have returned to previous levels.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Current pupils throughout the school are making good progress, from their different starting points, in all three subjects. The pupils in Year 6 are on track to attain standards that are broadly average in mathematics and above-average standards in reading and writing. In addition, pupils’ attainment in punctuation, spelling and grammar is above average when compared with the latest national data. The school has improved the proportion of pupils reaching higher than expected standards, although this remains below the national average in mathematics and writing.  In 2014, the pupils in Year 2 reached broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Progress is good due to effective teaching and the very positive start children get in the Reception class. Current Year 2 pupils are making good progress in all three subjects and are on track to achieve similar levels to last year. They are developing particularly good reading, speaking and listening skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The results of the Year 1 check on pupils’ skills in phonics are above average. This represents good progress in relation to pupils’ starting points. Pupils’ basic reading skills are good and most pupils develop into strong readers who maintain a good level of interest in a wide range of books.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in literacy and numeracy is good throughout the school. There are good opportunities for pupils to extend their vocabulary through, for example, opportunities to create a voice-over for a documentary about deserts in Year 6. Pupils produce some high-quality work in other subjects, such as art and design and music.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014, the gap between the attainment of the disadvantaged pupils and others in Year 6 widened. This was due to the overall inadequate teaching that they received. Disadvantaged pupils were over a year behind pupils nationally in reading and almost a year behind in mathematics and writing. They were also about a term behind their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the teaching for these pupils, especially at the end of Key Stage 2, has been rapidly improved, and disadvantaged pupils throughout the school are currently making good progress. The school works with disadvantaged pupils to narrow any significant gaps in their knowledge and skills. Those in Year 6 are outperforming their classmates in all three subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Throughout the school, too few of the most-able pupils make sufficient progress to reach the higher National Curriculum levels. In 2014, the most able attained the levels expected of them but too few exceeded them. This was because, in some lessons, they are given work that does not extend them sufficiently, especially in mathematics and writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs now make good and rapidly improving progress from their starting points because of the often excellent teaching they are now receiving and the effective additional help the school provides. Gaps in their knowledge and skills are reducing in all classes and year groups, although the school has not previously monitored their learning with sufficient rigour.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils at an early stage of learning English are well supported and make good progress in all subjects. The school provides well for them through teaching assistants who share the same language. This helps the pupils settle well into school.

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The early years provision is good

 The provision for the Reception children is very effective and improving. From their different staring points, children make good progress in all areas of learning. Even so, they have not previously reached the levels expected. The current group of children are on track to be much closer to the national expectation by the end of the year than was the case in 2014. A growing number of children join the school with weaker communication and language skills, or with an underdeveloped knowledge and understanding of the world. Staff work to improve children’s understanding in these areas of learning.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years is led and managed well. The leader has considerable experience of working with children of this age, especially disabled children and those who have special educational needs. The teacher and the teaching assistants plan a good range of imaginative and interesting activities. Pupils at an early stage of learning English are well supported by staff, including Polish speakers, and this has a positive impact on the rapid progress that they make. Staff use their time effectively, and children are well prepared for their work in Year 1.

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The early years provision is good

 Staff assess children’s learning soon after they have started school, and assessments are repeated on a regular basis through the school year. They are very accurate and are supported by evidence that clearly illustrates the progress the children are making. Staff record much of their children’s work and observations of their learning electronically. This enables individual children’s learning to be checked accurately and easily, and any gaps can be rapidly addressed.

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The early years provision is good

 Children are clearly happy at school, as shown by their enthusiasm when listening to the story of Jack and the Beanstalk, or by their role play in Jack’s house or the giant’s castle. They behave outstandingly well, including when outside or in a different environment, such as assembly. Staff ensure that children are kept safe through appropriate supervision and careful risk assessments.

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The early years provision is good

 Children make use of the recently improved outdoor area and enjoy, for example, experimenting with mud or sorting and matching pairs of socks. Excellent opportunities to experience outdoor activities are regularly provided through the school’s ‘forest school’ work.

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The early years provision is good

 Teaching is good. A particular strength is the opportunity provided for children to talk and develop their vocabulary through a wide range of activities. A range of books and texts have a high profile in many activities; children particularly enjoyed dressing as book characters and writing about this on World Book Day.

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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 139097 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 461843

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 194 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jim Parkinson Headteacher Matthew Fisher Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected as an academy Telephone number 01530 271019 Fax number 01530 272245 Email address office@measham.leics.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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