Defford and Besford CofE Primary School

Defford-cum-Besford CofE First School Hill View, Defford, Worcester WR8 9BH

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 This school has improved, and continues to improve, because of good leadership.  The headteacher has an ambitious vision for the school. She exercises wise judgement, calm authority and has demonstrated an ability to drive ongoing school improvement. Staff express high levels of confidence in her leadership and are proud to work at the school.  From their widely differing starting points, pupils make good progress and are well prepared for their future learning when they move on to middle school.  Pupils benefit from good teaching. Interesting lessons, helpful marking, imaginative topics and homework projects keep pupils keen and interested in learning and school life.  In all classes, the most-able pupils are pushed to do their best.  The school’s work to develop pupils’ reading, speaking and listening skills is highly successful.  Parents have very positive views about the school. The information provided for parents is excellent.

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This is a good school

 Children get a great start in the early years class. They are kept busy, have fun and get the help they need to do their best. The quality of teaching and leadership in the early years is a considerable strength.  Leaders have created a harmonious and open- minded school community where mutual respect and strong teamwork operate at all levels.  Governors do their job well. They have a well- informed understanding of the school’s work because they ask searching questions and have efficient routines to keep them up to date.  Pupils behave well and feel safe at school. They are polite, well mannered and show respect for others. Bullying of any sort is rare.  The use of outdoor learning is a notable feature. Staff put thought and imagination into providing activities that help pupils to develop a broad range of useful skills.  For a small school, the number of extra activities and clubs that take place is impressive.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Sometimes, mathematics teaching in Years 3 and 4 moves on too quickly for some pupils, who find it hard to keep up. This slows their progress.  A few pupils miss school too often so they do not learn as much as other pupils.  At times, pupils present their work with insufficient care.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality of teaching, particularly in Key Stage 2 mathematics, by making sure that: teachers check carefully how well pupils understand and are keeping up before introducing new work everyone has high expectations of pupils’ handwriting and presentation of work all staff get the chance to observe and learn from the most effective practice in this school and other nearby schools.  Work with the families of pupils who miss too much school to improve their attendance and ensure that they do not fall behind in their learning.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 A key reason why the school has improved, and continues to improve, is the clear-sighted, purposeful and highly visible leadership provided by the headteacher. She has brought imagination and ambition to school improvement planning and leads by example. She has made sure that there are effective systems for checking teachers’ work and pupils’ progress so that everyone gets the support and guidance they need. Staff express high levels of confidence in her leadership.  School leaders have made sensible decisions about the deployment of staff and have looked beyond their own school to gather expertise and share good practice. Newly appointed subject leaders for English and mathematics are capable. They are growing into their leadership roles and are already bringing about change for the better. By linking up with other local schools, for example, subject leaders and other staff get the chance to share practice and learn from a wider network of teachers. Working with other schools

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

also helps leaders to check that new systems for measuring pupils’ progress are accurate and reliable.  The school has chosen to organise elements of the curriculum into termly topics. Subjects such as history, geography, science, and design and technology are often taught in this way. Parents and pupils report that teachers make these topics relevant and interesting, and organise visits to museums and local sites of interest. Pupils also learn about and from each other. A striking example of this is evident in the work from a recent project about Gypsy Roma Traveller culture. A visiting storyteller, art work and traditional games gave pupils a worthwhile insight into the rich diversity of our society and the changes that happen over time.  A noteworthy aspect of the curriculum is the use of the school grounds for outdoor learning. All pupils take part in at least one outdoor session each week. These sessions are skilfully led and involve various

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

activities that feed pupils’ curiosity and give them the chance to learn and use new skills. The curriculum at Defford-cum-Besford CofE First School gives all the chance to experience feelings of success, grow in confidence, and develop attitudes and values that prepare them well for their future lives.  For a small school, there are many extra activities and clubs. Older pupils get the chance to go on an overnight visit to a residential activity centre and, every week, there are numerous clubs such as choir, crafts or dance.  The primary school sport funding has been used to employ a specialist sports teacher in order to increase the skills of school staff and the range of sports on offer to pupils. Pupils can now take part in tennis, dance and rugby, and participate in competitions with other schools. Just recently, pupils played in tournaments at a local rugby ground and tennis club.  Pupil premium money is used to ensure that disadvantaged pupils get additional help with their work or

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

other aspects of school life when they need it.  The quality and frequency of information provided for parents is superb. The school makes responsible and highly effective use of social media, as well as the more traditional newsletters and meetings. In addition, parents are regularly invited into school for information events or celebrations. Parents who make the most of all these opportunities and routines are exceptionally well informed about what happens in school.  The governance of the school Governance is strong. Governors make sure they ask the right questions in order to get the information they need. They also have routines in place to check the information they are given. Consequently, they are well informed. They know about the quality of teaching and have a good awareness of the systems in place to monitor its effectiveness. During this inspection, governors were able to talk in detail about the academic performance of different pupil groups and the key priorities

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

for the school. Governors know that the school has improved and have stood by some tough decisions in order to achieve this. They stay up to date with training and make sure statutory duties are fulfilled.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All the required checks on staff are in place and training is up to date. Record keeping is as it should be and policies reflect current guidance and regulations. When staff need to follow up matters with parents or other organisations, they do so promptly and properly.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Since the previous inspection, the quality of teaching in early years and Key Stage 1 has strengthened further and teaching in Key Stage 2 has improved. The overall quality of teaching is now good and there is some excellent practice at the school.  Teachers and teaching assistants are calm and well organised and lessons are interesting. Consequently, pupils are keen to learn and are usually attentive. Kind authority from adults and mutual respect at all levels help lessons to run smoothly.  Across the school, work in books and observations in classrooms show that the ambitious challenge provided for the most-able pupils is paying off. In all classes, these pupils are racing ahead as they rise to the demands of their work.  Work is marked regularly and pupils take notice of teachers’ helpful comments and advice. Pupils of all ages report that they get regular homework, which is often exciting and enjoyable. Several pupils made a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

point of telling the inspector about their boat-building homework project and what it had taught them.  Most of the time, teachers check what pupils know before introducing new work. During this inspection, for example, Key Stage 1 pupils exercised and developed their literacy skills as they wrote a newspaper article about the Great Fire of London. Through careful questioning, the teacher checked what they understood and then provided just the right amount of help or challenge at just the right time. This enabled the pupils to build further on what they already knew and they produced some great written work. They then used what they had learned to check one another’s work and provide useful advice about how it could be improved.  Some of the middle-ability pupils in Years 3 and 4, however, struggle to keep up at times because teaching does not take full account of their current level of understanding. This is not a frequent

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

occurrence, but tends to happen more in mathematics than other subjects. When it does happen, these pupils become confused by their work so they make mistakes that are not always picked up quickly enough during lessons.  Pupils take pride in their achievements but are not always careful with their handwriting or presentation in books. Some pupils forget to use rulers when they should or produce untidy work. This is improving, but there is still more to be done to get the best from everyone.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils enjoy school and are keen to participate in the many different activities that take place.  The school is a harmonious community where pupils from different backgrounds get on very well together. All are valued, differences are celebrated and everyone learns from one another. Pupils are equipped with an open-mindedness that will serve them well in their future lives.  Around the school, numerous messages and displays remind pupils about how to keep themselves safe in different situations. In recent times, the school council introduced zones in the playground in order to improve everyone’s playtime experience.  Pupils take on a number of different jobs in order to help others and assist with the running of the school. One pupil acts as an IT manager; others are librarians or play leaders. All take such roles seriously, do

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Personal development and welfare

their best and, as a result, they learn to take responsibility and acquire a sense of duty.  Pupils are taught about different types of bullying and understand how it differs from the disagreements or ‘fallings out’ and rough play that happens from time to time. None of the pupils can recall any recent incidents of bullying behaviour but all pupils, staff and parents who expressed a view are confident that, if it did happen, it would be challenged and stopped. When it has happened in the past, it has tended to be name calling, and records show that it was dealt with swiftly.  Routines for checking attendance at the before- and after-school childcare are efficient. Worthwhile activities are provided and staff have received appropriate training to ensure that pupils are kept safe.  In all situations, older pupils readily help younger ones when necessary.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Parents and visitors to school say that pupils behave well and pupils report that ‘everyone is kind’.  Pupils are polite, respectful and friendly towards others. They are proud of their school, most wear full school uniform and many have excellent table manners in the dining hall.  A significant proportion of pupils come from Gypsy Roma Traveller backgrounds and within this group attendance varies greatly. A number have excellent attendance, rarely missing a day. For others, attendance is more erratic with pupils arriving late or missing school for no good reason. School leaders are alert to this and their work with families is already bringing benefits. For several pupils, attendance is improving and so is their school work, but those with low attendance find it harder to keep up with their learning. The attendance of other pupil groups is above average.  In lessons, pupils want to succeed and usually pay attention when teachers are talking. They get on with

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Behaviour

everything that is asked of them, although some of their completed work can be careless or untidy.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 All pupils make at least good progress from their varied starting points. They do well at this school and are well prepared for learning and life at their next school.  Since the previous inspection, standards of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 have risen. In 2015, the end of Key Stage 1 assessment results were well above average, with the most-able pupils doing particularly well. This is because pupils of different abilities and needs get the tailored support and challenge that they need.  By the time pupils leave the school at the end of Year 4, they have built further on the firm foundations provided by the strong teaching in early years and Key Stage 1. During their time in Years 3 and 4, pupils make good progress in English and mathematics, although for some current pupils their progress in reading and writing is faster and more consistent than that made in mathematics.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Having said this, the most-able pupils do very well in mathematics. They get work that pushes them to do their best and the brightest pupils in Key Stage 2 tackle demanding work with success. Some of the middle-ability pupils find the level of challenge overwhelming at times.  Pupils’ progress in reading is particularly strong. Phonics (letters and sounds) teaching is effective and the good-quality reading books available in the library encourage an interest in reading. The attention given to the development of pupils’ speaking and listening skills is also a notable feature of the school’s work.  The number of disadvantaged pupils at the school is small so a comparison between their attainment and that of others in the school, or nationally, would not have any statistical significance. It is clear, however, that these pupils make the same good progress as other pupils and, in some instances, make faster

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Outcomes for pupils are good

progress than their peers.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs receive caring and attentive support. School leaders have forged links with other schools so that they can draw on a wider range of professional expertise to support these pupils’ needs. This works well and pupils experience success in a broad range of subjects and activities. Indeed, a distinctive feature of the school is the attention to each individual’s achievements across a broad spectrum of school experience.  Gypsy Roma Traveller pupils who attend school regularly make faster academic progress than those who are frequently absent or late.

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Early years provision is good

 Children start school with levels of knowledge and skill that vary significantly from one year to the next. With such small numbers, where one child may represent a large percentage of a year group, there is no typical intake. Similarly, the proportion reaching a good level of development before the start of Year 1 varies from year to year although in both 2014 and 2015 it was above the national average.  Year on year, most children reach the expected level in their communication and language, physical development and personal, social and emotional development. This is due, in no small part, to the language-rich, nurturing environment where there is plenty to do. Progress is not quite so strong in their early writing and mathematical development. Even so, they do well and a close working relationship with the Key Stage 1 team means that no time is lost when the children move into Year 1.  The quality of teaching and leadership in the early years class is excellent. The early years leader and

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Early years provision is good

teaching assistant make an effective partnership. They act kindly and display a clear understanding of how children learn. They are skilled at gathering information about progress and in using it to plan next steps. Children get the encouragement and direction they need in order to grow in confidence and try new things. Whether trying tai chi, describing shapes, programming robots or creating a mud kitchen, a sense of confident calm and good behaviour is apparent.  The recording of children’s progress is done with precision, often using hand-held tablet technology. Parents are kept well informed and have many opportunities to come into school to find out about teaching and learning and their children’s progress.  Over time, the learning environments, indoors and outside, have been improved through imaginative planning and careful spending. Space is used well, supervision is good and children are kept safe, and

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School details

Unique reference number 116802 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 10002453 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school First School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 3–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 56 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rev Canon Susan Renshaw Headteacher Mrs Andrea Bailey Telephone number 01386 750321 Website www.deffordschool.co.uk Email address office@defford-cum-besford.worcs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 17–18 October 2013

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Information about this school

 Defford-cum-Besford CofE First School is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is in line with the national average. All pupils speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is broadly in line with the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils at the school is below the national average. The term ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to describe those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority. These pupils receive additional support from pupil premium funding.  The school offers full-time early years provision for reception-age children and part-time early years provision for nursery-age (3–4 years) children. Both groups are taught in one early years class.  The school provides before- and after-school childcare and a range of clubs.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching and learning in all classrooms and outdoors. Most of these observations were carried out alongside the headteacher. The inspector also attended a school assembly, examined pupils’ work in books and on display, and considered test and assessment information.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour, and the school’s procedures, at the beginning and end of the school day, at lunch and break times and when pupils were moving about the school site, working outside and at school clubs. The inspector also checked the school’s before- and after-school childcare.  Meetings were held with pupils, staff, school leaders, subject leaders and governors. Two telephone conversations with local authority advisers took place. In addition, the inspector had conversations with senior leaders from St. Barnabas Middle school in Drakes Broughton, which takes pupils from Defford- cum-Besford CofE First School.

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Information about this inspection

 By the end of the inspection, there were 35 recent responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). The inspector looked at these, talked to some parents at school and checked the school’s routines for gathering parents’ views. In addition, 13 responses to Ofsted’s school staff questionnaire were considered.  The school’s website and a number of school documents were examined. These documents included information about pupils’ progress, the school’s own evaluations of its work, school improvement plans and information about the work of the governing body. Records relating to staff performance management, behaviour, attendance, safety and safeguarding were also scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Martin Pye, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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