Pebworth First School

Pebworth First School Pebworth, Stratford upon Avon CV37 8XA

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Leaders and governors have not addressed all the issues from the previous inspection or ensured that teaching and achievement have remained good.  Leaders do not systematically check whether actions identified in development plans are leading to improvement.  Subject leaders do not use the information they have about pupils’ learning to identify how well different classes and groups are progressing.  Governors do not have an accurate understanding of the school’s areas for improvement and as such do not hold leaders fully to account.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is too variable. As a result, pupils make expected rather than good progress, and do not reach the levels of which they are capable.  Teachers do not always pick up and correct common errors which occur in pupils’ work, or have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve.  Some teachers provide too much support for pupils. They do not allow pupils sufficient time

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This is a school that requires improvement

to work unaided in order to develop their resilience and increase their work output.  Where the pace of teaching slows, pupils lose interest and disengage. When this happens, pupils complete little work and limited progress is made.  Teachers do not always set work which is suitably challenging for some pupils, especially the most-able pupils in mathematics.  Too few children reach a good level of development in the early years. As a result, they are not sufficiently well prepared for Year 1.

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The school has the following strengths

 Reading is taught well and the proportion of pupils reaching the expected level in phonics (letters and sounds) is above average.  Pupils behave well and are caring and considerate towards each other. They endeavour to sort out difficulties which arise themselves.  Pupils say they feel very safe at school because adults look after them well. Safeguarding procedures are effective in keeping pupils safe.  Parents have positive views of the school and are supportive. They provide comments on their children’s work during the year.  Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. As a result, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  The curriculum provides pupils with many relevant, exciting and interesting opportunities. This adds to their love of school and helps them develop their creativity and cultural appreciation.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and accelerate the progress of pupils, especially in writing and mathematics, including in the early years, by making sure that: teachers pick up and address common misconceptions as they occur teachers have high expectations about what pupils can achieve, including the presentation of their work pupils are allowed time to work independently and develop resilience to produce extended pieces of work the pace of the lesson is sufficiently brisk to maintain pupils’ interest teachers plan work which is suitably challenging for pupils, especially for the most able.  Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that: improvement plans are evaluated at key points throughout the year to determine the success of actions taken subject leaders analyse assessment information and observe teaching in their subject areas to check that pupils are making good progress

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

governors have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management should be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders and governors have not ensured that the issues identified at the last inspection have been fully addressed. While there have been improvements in relation to widening links with other communities beyond the school’s locality, subject leadership overall remains underdeveloped. The quality of teaching is also variable and, as a result, progress is inconsistent across the school, especially in writing and mathematics.  Leaders’, including governors’, evaluation of how well the school is doing is overgenerous. This is because the procedures for monitoring the impact of the school’s work are not sufficiently rigorous. The school improvement plan covers a three-year period from 2013 to 2016. However, goals set for 2014 and 2015 have not been reviewed in terms of impact, and leaders are therefore unclear as to whether these have been successful. Actions are merely checked as to whether they have happened.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 While leaders and governors are committed to making improvements in the school, improvements have been too slow and subject leadership has not been developed well enough since the previous inspection. As a result, subject leaders are not clear about the strengths and weaknesses in their subject areas or where teaching needs improvement. They do not analyse assessment information about different groups or classes over time to determine where progress accelerates or where it slows. They do, however, check the work in pupils’ books, agree what levels pupils are working at and share relevant information about individual pupils with their colleagues. This provides an overview of progress, albeit a general one.  The headteacher balances her time well between Pebworth First and Blackminster Middle School, which staff and parents appreciate. She is reflective and honest in her approach and acknowledges that there is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

‘work to do’. She has created a culture of nurture and inclusion within the school where every pupil is valued. Staff have a very detailed knowledge and understanding of each pupil in the school. As a result, pupils’ personal development and welfare needs are extremely well met.  Leaders have successfully introduced the new curriculum and devised a system for tracking pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics following the removal of National Curriculum levels. Although in the early stages, this system provides clear information about which pupils are working at the levels appropriate for their age, and their rates of progress since September 2015. This information is not yet summarised by group, class or key stage.  Teachers and pupils benefit from the link with Blackminster Middle School. For example, staff receive joint training, including in safeguarding, and pupils’ physical education (PE) lessons are taught by specialist

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

teachers from the middle school. Teachers are keen to improve their practice. They work closely with other local schools by visiting them to share ideas and check that that their assessments of pupils’ work are accurate.  The curriculum is a strength of the school. An appropriate range of subjects is taught and core skills are strongly promoted through exciting topic work. Interesting clubs, such as music, gardening, knitting and information technology (IT), add to pupils’ personal development. In addition, the range of visitors, school trips and exciting events, such as watching baby chicks hatch in an incubator, make a significant contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils have a good appreciation of people from different countries and those with different beliefs as these aspects are taught well. Pupils have visited a Sikh gurdwara and had talks from practising Hindus about

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

their beliefs. A link has been developed with a school in Birmingham and pupils can explain how an inner city school is different from their own rural village school. British values are taught well in lessons and assemblies and pupils understand these. As a result, they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Pupil premium funding is used appropriately for staff training so that adults can provide support for individuals, for example speech and language, behaviour and emotional support. The funding has also been used to pay for music lessons, such as ukulele, and to join the ‘Achievement for all’ initiative. The school’s own evidence shows that this has had an enormous impact on the levels of concentration of individual pupils and demonstrates leaders’ commitment to equality of opportunity.  The sports premium is used effectively to employ a PE specialist from the middle school. Resources have

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

also been purchased and additional swimming lessons are provided. The impact of this funding is that pupils have a good level of fitness and understand the importance of exercise. They are also able to participate in a wider range of sports events, for example bell boating.  The school keeps parents well informed through regular newsletters and encourages their feedback on comment sheets placed in pupils’ books during parents evenings. All parents who spoke to the inspector, and most of those who completed Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, have positive views of the school and would recommend it to others.  The governance of the school Due to federation arrangements, the same governing body oversees both Pebworth First School and Blackminster Middle School. In relation to this school, governors do not have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They do not check that planned actions are leading to improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

or that the areas identified at the last inspection have been fully addressed. Minutes of meetings checked during the inspection show limited examples of how governors challenge leaders and hold them to account. Governors are very supportive and regularly help with and attend school events, such as trips and assemblies. They also visit classrooms to talk to pupils and look at their work. They report any findings to the full governing body. Governors have a good understanding of the new assessment system introduced, but do not know how well different groups or classes of pupils are doing as this information is not available. Governors monitor the budget carefully and know how additional funding, such as the pupil premium and sports funding, is spent and the impact it has.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders ensure that all pupils are kept safe from harm by ensuring that the necessary procedures are in place. Site security is good and pupils are carefully

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

supervised at all times. Staff and governors have received training and know the steps to take if they have a concern about a pupil. Any worries raised are followed up appropriately. Safer recruitment procedures are closely followed to ensure that all adults are suitably checked to ensure that they are safe to work with children.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement because although there are many aspects of good teaching in the school, there are inconsistencies across classes and subjects. As a result, progress rates are variable and pupils do not always reach the levels they are capable of.  Teachers do not always identify or address gaps in pupils’ learning and common errors quickly enough. For example, work seen in pupils’ books in the early part of Year 5 shows that pupils have a secure understanding of subtraction and decomposition using four-digit numbers; however, the element of ‘bridging’ when zero is present is not secure for all pupils. This has not been identified or addressed and some pupils therefore lack this skill. Equally, some Year 1 pupils are still reversing numbers in their mathematics and carrying bad habits forwards.  Teachers’ expectations are not always high enough. They accept work which is not always well presented

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

or of a high enough standard. Although they set work at different levels for pupils of different ages, they underestimate the standards which pupils are capable of, especially the most able in writing and mathematics. Over time, too few pupils have reached the higher levels at the end of Year 2 because pupils have not been taught the more advanced skills needed. Work checked in books shows that some activities are too easy for pupils and there is evidence that they have already mastered more difficult skills earlier in the year.  Where the pace of teaching slows, pupils lose interest and disengage. This slows the rate of their progress and the amount of work they complete. Additionally, adults occasionally provide too much support and pupils become overly reliant on adult help. This reduces pupils’ ability to work independently and constant interruptions interfere with the amount of work pupils produce.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Relationships in all classes are good and pupils respect and trust their teachers. Practical equipment and IT are used well to support pupils’ learning. Displays in classrooms celebrate features of pupils’ work and provide prompts for pupils during lessons.  Good support is provided for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability. Teachers have a very detailed knowledge of pupils’ individual needs and they use this information to good effect. Additional help and different strategies are used to ensure that pupils keep up with their classmates. For example, reading music is used to promote pupils’ levels of concentration by learning to play instruments such as handbells or recorders.  Reading is taught well from the outset and pupils make good progress as they move through the school. They are encouraged to read a range of books and visit the public library. Younger pupils can use their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

phonics skills to break down and work out tricky words, while older children are beginning to use inference and deduction skills to extend their reading abilities.  The quality of pupils’ writing is improving. This is because teachers pay careful attention to pupils’ use of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Handwriting is also practised regularly, including in the early years. Consequently, pupils are beginning to develop a neat and cursive style of handwriting. Good coverage of different forms of writing are taught, especially in Years 4 and 5, but pupils do not always write at length and build up their stamina for writing more complex and extended pieces, especially in Years 2 and 3.  Leaders have rightly identified mathematics teaching as a focus this year. Teachers now place a greater emphasis on pupils carrying out problem-solving activities and give pupils more opportunities to explain how they reach their answers. Imaginative and practical activities are also planned to encourage positive

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

attitudes to mathematics. For example, Years 2 and 3 pupils used their multiplication and measuring skills to make Play Doh from a recipe for children in the early years. All pupils were fully engaged and keen that their results were successful.  Additional adults provide good support for groups of pupils and individuals. They contribute strongly to the additional support given to individual pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils or those who have special educational needs or disability. This ensures that these pupils keep up with others in their class.  Teachers are conscientious in their marking of pupils’ work. They provide regular feedback and set ‘next steps’ to show pupils how to improve their work. Books checked during the inspection show that teachers apply the school policy consistently and that guidance provided is usually acted on by pupils.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are proud of their school and have a strong sense of loyalty to it. They have positive attitudes to their work and want to do well. They are confident individuals due to the secure and nurturing environment created by all staff. As there are so few pupils on roll, pupils know each other very well. As the headteacher put it, ‘It’s like one big family.’ Older pupils look after younger pupils and all age groups socialise well together at break and lunchtimes.  Pupils’ health and well-being are strongly promoted. A walking bus operates on ‘Fit Fridays’ and pupils collect information, such as ways of travelling to school or types of fruit eaten, to compile graphs for display in the hall. Other activities promote healthy living, including learning outdoors (Forest school), cycle training and growing their own vegetables to use in school.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils are sensible and polite. They show good levels of respect for each other and adults. They readily take on different jobs and responsibilities, including being members of the school council and setting out and clearing away chairs in the hall after it is used. As an eco-friendly, green flag school, pupils have a good knowledge of recycling, sustainability and caring for the planet.  When asked if they feel safe, one pupil replied, ‘Very. If I had to give it a number, I’d say 10 out of 10.’ They are taught to keep themselves safe through lessons and visitors to school. They understand e-safety and the dangers associated with using the internet. Pupils say there is no bullying in the school but are aware of the different forms it can take, including cyber bullying. They are confident that if a problem arises, it is dealt with quickly and effectively by adults.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They are polite, helpful and caring. When working with others, they respect each other’s views and listen carefully. As a small school, all pupils work and play together harmoniously both inside and outside.  Records checked show there are very few incidents of poor behaviour. All adults manage behaviour well. They have received training to deal with pupils who have social, emotional or behavioural difficulties. As a result, they handle pupils sensitively but firmly whenever the need arises. Pupils are also taught to try and resolve any behaviour issues between themselves before informing an adult. This adds to their maturity.  All parents, pupils and staff who gave their views say that behaviour is good. Pupils know and follow the behaviour policy and understand the sanctions and rewards in place. All classes have ‘zone boards’ which

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Behaviour

reinforce the procedures in place. Pupils particularly like getting to the ‘gold zone’ in order to be invited to the afternoon tea party which takes place on Thursday afternoons to reward good work and behaviour.  Pupils enjoy school and while attendance varies due to the impact of individual absences, it is broadly average. Leaders keep a close check on pupils who do not attend school. They contact parents and follow up with meetings if a pupil’s attendance is a concern. Attendance systems are robust.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Outcomes require improvement because not enough pupils make good progress as they move through the school, especially in writing and mathematics. As a result, pupils are not always as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they could be.  The school’s own information and work in pupils’ books show that pupils make expected progress in Key Stage 1. By the end of Year 2, pupils’ attainment is broadly in line with the national average. However, no pupils have reached the higher level (Level 3) in writing in the last four years, or in mathematics in the last two years. This is because work provided is not always challenging enough and the skills needed are not sufficiently taught. This results in the most-able pupils making expected rather than good progress and not reaching the levels of which they are capable.  Progress is variable in Key Stage 2. Pupils who left Year 5 in 2015 made good progress in reading and

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

mathematics but expected progress in writing. The school’s own information shows that pupils in current Year 5 have made expected progress from Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics, and are working at broadly average levels of attainment. Progress for other pupils is uneven, but for the majority it is expected progress rather than good progress from their starting points.  Attainment and progress in reading are stronger. Pupils get off to a good start in early years and the proportion reaching the level expected in the Year 1 phonics screening check is usually above average. The school’s own information indicates that the proportion reaching the expected level this year will be similar to, rather than above, the national average due to a small number of pupils not yet being at the level required.  The small number of disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs or disability in

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

the school make similar progress to their peers. The support provided both in lessons and when pupils are taught individually enables them to keep up with others in their class.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Numbers of children joining the school vary year on year and, as such, entry levels fluctuate. However, a new private nursery opened on the school site in 2014 and numbers joining the school are rising and providing a more consistent profile. In 2015, the majority of children joined the school with skills and knowledge that were broadly typical for their age, although their skills in mathematics were weaker.  Children make steady progress across the different areas of learning. By the end of Reception Year, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development in the last three years was below the national average. This shows that their progress requires improvement as they do not make sufficient gains in their early development and not enough have the skills needed to be fully prepared for Year 1.  Children in the current Reception Year are making good progress in their reading and writing. They

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The early years provision requires improvement

regularly practise their handwriting and early sentence formation is developing well for the majority. They hold their pencils appropriately and most form their letters correctly. Recording in mathematics is less well developed and this aspect is weaker for most children. Numbers are not always formed properly and higher levels of challenge are not always presented for the most-able children.  Adults act as good role models for children. They skilfully question and check children’s understanding. Good support is provided to children who are struggling or finding their work difficult. Where teaching requires improvement, the level of work set is not always at the right level and children find it too hard or too easy. Also, as with other classes, when the teacher works with others in the class, children lack the resilience and confidence to work unaided.  Reception children work happily alongside Year 1 pupils. Activities are set at different levels for the

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The early years provision requires improvement

different age groups but good attention is paid to the coverage of the early years curriculum. This is strongly evidenced in children’s learning journals. Outdoor provision is particularly effective as the activities and resources provided allow children to successfully build on and develop their early communication, and physical and social skills.  Leadership of the early years is good. Children’s progress is regularly tracked and teachers’ assessments are accurate. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their children’s education. Workshops are provided for parents to demonstrate how they can help with reading at home. Good links also exist with the on-site nursery and teachers use the entry assessments provided to help plan work which builds on children’s abilities.  Children behave well in early years. They are safe and well cared for, benefiting from secure and warm relationships with staff.

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School details

Unique reference number 116715 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 10003270

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school First School category Community Age range of pupils 4–10 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 26 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Phil Nosworthy Headteacher Lorna Button Telephone number 01789 720726 Website www.pebworthfirst.org.uk Email address office@pebworthfirst.worcs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 14–15 September 2011

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Information about this school

 This school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The early years consists of a mixed Reception/Year 1 class which children attend full time.  Most pupils are of White British heritage. All pupils speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding is similar to the national average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority.  Due to the very small number of pupils in the school, the proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability fluctuates; it was above the national average in 2015 but below the national average in 2016.  The school is federated with Blackminster Middle School. The executive headteacher visits the school each week. The school leader manages the school on a daily basis.

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Information about this school

 A private nursery operates on the school premises but is not managed by the governing body so is inspected separately.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in all classes. She saw six parts of lessons and two assemblies, all of which were jointly observed with the executive headteacher.  Meetings were held with pupils, the headteacher, other staff with leadership responsibilities and members of the governing body. The inspector also spoke to a representative of the local authority.  The inspector took account of the 13 responses to Parent View and the comments made. Inspectors also spoke to parents as they collected their children from school.  Pupils’ views were also considered by talking to pupils both formally and informally during the school day. There were no results on the pupil or staff online survey.  The inspector listened to pupils read, talked to them about their learning and reviewed the work in their books.  The inspector reviewed a number of documents, including the school’s own evaluation of how well it is

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Information about this inspection

doing, the school improvement plan, achievement information, leaders’ reports about the quality of teaching and learning, minutes of governors’ meetings, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Heather Simpson, 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

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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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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