Shocklach Oviatt CofE Primary School

Shocklach Oviatt CofE Primary School Shocklach, Malpas, Cheshire, SY14 7BN

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 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

 Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher and governors are highly ambitious for the school, and their intently focused leadership has secured significant and rapid improvements in all areas, especially in the quality of teaching and the achievement of pupils.  Leaders use all available information to check with the utmost rigour that they are providing the best possible support and resources for each child and are improving the school further.  Pupils make good progress from their individual starting points. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is typically higher than in most schools nationally. It is particularly strong in mathematics, where a high proportion of pupils achieve the higher levels.  Teaching is consistently good across the school. Teachers are particularly good at extending pupils’ learning by asking questions to get them to think more deeply.  Provision in the early years is good and ensures

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

that children get off to a good start in school.  Behaviour and safety are outstanding. Pupils care very much for one another. Older pupils see part of their role as setting a good example to younger pupils. Procedures for keeping pupils safe are rigorous and effective.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They appreciate the good teaching their children receive, and the wide range of experiences and opportunities that the school provides. All say they would recommend the school to others.  Pupils benefit from a rich and diverse curriculum, enhanced by a wide range of clubs and activities that promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development extremely well.  Governors have a wide range of skills and experience which they use very effectively in providing support and challenge for the school and ensuring that it continues to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not yet securing outstanding achievement overall.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise and develop their writing skills in other subjects.  Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of how pupils present their work.  In sessions when they are working with older pupils, children in the early years would sometimes benefit from being moved on more quickly to the activities that have been planned specifically for them.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching over time, including observing teaching and learning in lessons and looking at the school’s own progress data and work in pupils’ books.  The inspector listened to pupils read and talked to them about the books they have enjoyed and those that they are currently reading.  The inspector met with a group of pupils and talked informally with pupils around school.  The inspector met with a group of eight governors. He spoke to a representative of the local authority and met with members of school staff.  The inspector spoke to several parents over the course of the inspection. He took account of a telephone conversation with a parent and 30 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). The inspector also took account of eight responses to the staff questionnaire completed during the inspection.  A range of school documents was examined. These included the school’s evaluation of its own

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Information about this inspection

performance, the school’s development plan, records of the school’s checks on the quality of teaching, data about pupils’ progress, records of pupils’ attendance, behaviour records and safeguarding documentation.

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Inspection team

Neil Dixon, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The pupils are taught in two mixed-age, mixed-ability classes, comprising Reception and Key Stage 1 pupils in one class and Key Stage 2 pupils in the other class. Reception pupils attend full-time.  All pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is broadly in line with the national average.  There are currently no pupils in school who are eligible for the pupil-premium funding. The pupil-premium funding is additional funding for disadvantaged pupils, including those who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children that are looked after by the local authority.  The school currently holds the International Schools and Artsmark awards.  The headteacher took up the full-time headship of the school in 2013 and there have been several other

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Information about this school

changes in staffing over the last two years. Staffing is now stable.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching in order to secure outstanding achievement for pupils by:  providing more opportunities across all subjects for pupils to practise and develop their writing skills  ensuring that teachers have the highest expectations of how pupils present their work  ensuring that, when they are working with older pupils, children in the early years are moved on quickly enough to the activities specifically planned for their age.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher, well supported by staff and governors, provides very strong and highly effective leadership and has been successful in securing significant improvements in the quality of teaching and learning, achievement and behaviour since the previous inspection.  School leaders have successfully created a welcoming and friendly school community with high-quality teaching and learning at its heart, and where excellent behaviour and high levels of care are the norm. They are highly ambitious for the school and have established an ethos across the whole school in which excellence in all areas of school life is the aim. As a result, the school has made rapid strides forward and is continuing to improve at an impressive pace.  Leaders at all levels monitor the quality of teaching and learning regularly and with rigour, and keep a careful check on pupils’ progress. Because staff know individual pupils so well, any difficulties are quickly

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The leadership and management are outstanding

identified and pupils are provided with extra support to get them back on track. Leaders have also used subject specialists from outside the school to provide extremely effective additional support and challenge for the most able pupils. As a result, the achievement of all pupils is rising year-on-year.  Staff are held fully accountable for the progress that their pupils make and are expected to meet clear and challenging targets, linked to pupils' achievement, in order to reach the next salary level. Staff receive appropriate professional development, based on the needs of the school, and this helps to ensure that the quality of teaching over time is good and improving strongly.  The headteacher and staff have developed a very effective, collaborative approach to subject leadership, in which all teaching staff are involved in their capacity as middle leaders. This has ensured that all staff feel ownership of curriculum developments and are well involved in regularly checking on and further

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The leadership and management are outstanding

developing the school’s curriculum offer.  The curriculum is very well planned and captures the interest and enthusiasm of the pupils. There is an excellent range of enrichment activities, including clubs, trips and residential visits. The school is rightly proud of its strong musical tradition, and a large proportion of pupils learn to play one or more musical instruments and sing in the school choir. Despite its small size, the school has also enjoyed a number of individual and collective sporting successes.  The school makes excellent provision for the promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Different cultural traditions are celebrated, as was seen both in pupils’ written work and in artwork around school. The school also promotes and celebrates British values through work on tolerance, freedom of expression and the rule of law, and pupils enjoy having the opportunity to take part in

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The leadership and management are outstanding

traditional local events. They are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Equality of opportunity is given a very high priority and is promoted very effectively. Discrimination in any form is not tolerated. The staff foster good relations with all those who come into contact with the school.  Over time, the very small amount of pupil-premium funding that the school has received has been used effectively to support the learning of disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils. As a result, these pupils have typically achieved at least as well as their peers.  The school is making excellent use of its additional primary school sport funding to improve the quality of physical education in the school and the range of physical activities that the pupils are able to experience. Specialist coaching is provided in a range of sports, including cricket and golf, and pupils also enjoy taking part in different adventurous activities outdoors, such as archery and kayaking.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority has given very good support to the school. It worked effectively in partnership with the headteacher to improve provision after the last inspection, and now provides more ‘light-touch’ support in recognition of the improvements that the school has made.  There are robust safeguarding systems and procedures in place that ensure all pupils are kept safe and secure.  The governance of the school:  Governance is highly effective. Governors know the school exceptionally well and provide outstanding challenge and support to the headteacher. They have a clear and accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for development, based on a secure understanding of performance data and high- quality and detailed information provided for them by senior leaders. Minutes of meetings confirm that governors ask searching questions as they seek to make the school the best that it can be.  Governors oversee the school’s finances very effectively and have a good knowledge of how extra

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The leadership and management are outstanding

funding, such as pupil-premium and primary school sport funding, is spent and the positive impacts it is having.  Governors make sure that pupils’ achievement is taken into account when considering teachers’ performance management and making decisions about their pay, and have a clear overview of the quality of teaching across the school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They are extremely polite and welcoming to visitors, and show a great deal of pride in their school. At break times, pupils of all ages play happily together, enjoying the well-resourced outdoor provision.  Pupils' conduct in class is exemplary. They settle quickly to work in their lessons and display a real love of learning. They thrive on being challenged to work hard and to try their best, and work equally well independently, in pairs and in groups.  Excellent relationships between teachers and pupils create a very happy school environment in which pupils clearly feel confident and valued. This is shown in their eagerness to join in with different activities in school, such as dressing up as characters on ‘World Book Day’ or singing with gusto in assembly.  Pupils relish having a range of opportunities to take on different responsibilities, such as being a school

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Behaviour

councillor. They also enjoy the opportunities that they have to represent their school, such as in singing events and sporting competitions.  Pupils say that poor behaviour is very rare, and school behaviour records confirm this. Pupils know how they are expected to behave, and respond well to the school’s high expectations. They are confident that, if there are any problems, staff in school will deal with them effectively.  Pupils say that they enjoy coming to school. While rates of attendance are typically similar to all schools nationally, the large majority of pupils attend school very well. However, as this is a small school, any absences impact very noticeably on the overall attendance statistics.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Pupils say that they feel completely safe in school and are cared for and supported very well. They have a very good knowledge of different forms of bullying, and understand the difference between bullying and falling out. They say that bullying is very rare in their school, and commented that they saw Shocklach Oviatt as ‘a bully-free school.’  Pupils have a very good knowledge of safety-related issues, including matters such as staying safe on the internet.  Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school, and appreciate the quality of care and education that their children receive. A typical comment was that: ‘There isn’t anything that I’d want to change about this school.’  The governing body ensures detailed risk assessments are in place as required, particularly those relating to residential visits and activities such as swimming. Thorough checks are made on all adults who visit or

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Safety

work in the school to make sure that all pupils are safe.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching encourages pupils’ enthusiasm for learning and is ensuring that pupils’ progress is accelerating rapidly. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere for learning across the school. Pupils know that they come to school to learn and they are ready and able to do so. This is helped by the excellent, friendly and positive relationships between staff and pupils.  Teachers, well supported by effective teaching assistants, organise learning well in the mixed-age classes. The teachers know their pupils, and the subjects they teach, very well. They use questions skilfully to assess pupils’ learning in lessons. Pupils discuss and share their ideas. Staff make sure that there is a good range of resources available and this encourages pupils to become confident, independent learners.  Teachers have high expectations of what all pupils, including the most able, can achieve and ensure that pupils are effectively challenged by the range of activities on offer. However, teachers’ expectations of the

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The quality of teaching is good

presentation of pupils’ work are not always as consistently high and so the increasingly high-quality content of pupils’ work is not always matched by equally high-quality presentation.  Marking and feedback are used effectively to guide pupils to improve their own work and to deepen their understanding. Pupils know what they are aiming to achieve, as they have clear and precise targets that they understand and are determined to reach.  Reading is taught well. Pupils are given regular opportunities to read and the vast majority say that they enjoy reading a range of materials. Younger pupils benefit from the well-planned teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make), and use the skills that they learn well to help them tackle difficult words. Older pupils have favourite authors and make good use of the well-stocked library.  The teaching of writing is effective and pupils develop a good range of writing skills. However, there are

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The quality of teaching is good

not enough regular chances for pupils to practise and develop their writing skills in other subjects or in topic work.  The teaching of mathematics is good. Pupils' mental and calculation skills are systematically and thoroughly taught at a good pace. Pupils regularly apply their skills in problem-solving situations in different contexts, and they are confident when choosing and using different calculation strategies.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils throughout the school, including children in the early years, typically make good progress and are consequently well prepared for the next stage in their education. However, with very small pupil numbers in each year group, rates of progress can vary from year to year and between year groups.  Pupils leave at the end of Year 6 with attainment which is often higher than the national average. The school's most recent assessments, supported by the evidence of work in pupils’ books, indicate that standards are continuing to rise quickly across the school. Pupils’ achievements in mathematics, both in 2014 and in the current group of Year 6 pupils, have been particularly strong with a much higher proportion of pupils than found nationally achieving the higher levels.  All groups of pupils make good progress. Over time, the very small number of pupils supported by the pupil premium have achieved at least as well as other pupils in the school. However, as there have often

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The achievement of pupils is good

only been one or two pupils supported by the pupil premium in the school at any one time, it is very difficult to compare statistics between such pupils’ achievement and that of other pupils in the school or nationally.  Pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs achieve well. They make similar and often more rapid progress in comparison with other pupils in the school. This is because their needs are identified quickly and accurately and they receive very effective support from their teachers and teaching assistants, all of whom know and understand their needs well. This shows the school’s commitment to equality of opportunity.  The most able pupils make good progress and, by the time they leave Year 6, an above-average proportion reach standards above those normally expected for their age, particularly in mathematics. The school has made very good provision to ensure that the most able pupils receive additional, well-targeted

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The achievement of pupils is good

support that very effectively stretches and challenges their thinking and problem-solving skills.

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The early years provision is good

 Children enter the school with skills and knowledge that are largely typical for their age. However, very small numbers of children in each year group mean that this overall picture can vary from year to year. Children, including disabled children and those who have special educational needs, make good progress from their individual starting points and are consequently well prepared for learning in Key Stage 1.  Teaching in the early years is good. Assessment is detailed and adults know each child extremely well. Detailed ongoing assessments are used effectively to plan the next steps that children need to take to move their learning on. Sometimes children’s learning could be accelerated further by making sure that they are moved on more quickly to the activities specifically planned for their age.  Relationships between children and adults are excellent; children feel safe and secure and enjoy working

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The early years provision is good

together. They behave very well and enjoy coming to school.  The early years is well led and managed. The effective staff team ensure that the learning environment, both indoors and outside, is attractive, safe and stimulating. They establish strong relationships between home and school and parents are encouraged to contribute to children’s detailed learning journeys.

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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 111283 Local authority Cheshire West and Chester Inspection number 462339

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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 Kate Soragna Headteacher Jane Hopkins Date of previous school inspection 20 June 2013 Telephone number 01829 250285 Fax number 01829 250673 Email address admin@shocklachoviatt.cheshire.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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