Corfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.1

Mrs Kathryn McKinley Headteacher Corfield Primary School Thorpes Road Heanor Derbyshire DE75 7GQ

p.1

Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 21 June 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to be good in November 2011.

p.1

Primary School

You, your leadership team and governors have worked effectively to ensure that the school continues to provide a good quality of education for its pupils. The school is continuing to improve and is performing at a level that can be considered to be strongly good.

p.1

Primary School

Your ambition and determination to raise standards have been successful in recent years. For example, pupils at the end of key stage 1 leave the school attaining standards that are consistently above average overall. Your clear commitment to supporting the needs of disadvantaged pupils has proven successful, as these pupils are attaining standards that are similar to or above those of other pupils nationally.

p.1

Primary School

The school’s success is underpinned by your sharp focus on ensuring that each teacher and teaching assistant continues to improve the quality of their work. You place a high priority on staff training and monitor the performance of staff rigorously, and this is linked closely to the management of staff performance.

p.1

Primary School

Other leaders are clear about the next steps to improve standards in their subject. They share your unequivocal focus on ensuring that teaching and learning across the school are consistently good or better. Leaders check the quality of teaching through regular lesson observations and the scrutiny of pupils’ work. This enables them to provide teachers and teaching assistants with detailed feedback. The staff are highly effective in their roles because leaders communicate effectively. Pupils’ learning benefits from the consistent application of policies and practices across the school. For example, the effective application of the marking and feedback policy is a factor that enables pupils to make good progress in their learning.

p.1

Primary School

Staff care about the pupils and understand how to support them effectively through modelling positive relationships. Supportive and purposeful relationships are evident throughout the school and create a happy atmosphere. Positive values of harmony and teamwork are evident and are communicated well through whole-school assemblies.

p.2

Primary School

Pupils reported that they feel happy and safe at the school. They know that they can speak to staff when they have a concern. They enjoy the range of enrichment activities and after-school clubs, particularly basketball, tennis and dodgeball. Members of the school council enjoy their role and the improvements they make in school. The Green Team is proud of the improvements that it has made to the school and takes pride in keeping the school grounds litter free. These initiatives reflect the reasons why parents are fully supportive of the work of the school.

p.2

Primary School

You have addressed the previous areas for improvement identified at your most recent inspection. Pupils’ skills in reading have improved markedly. You have ensured that pupils have access to a wide range of books. Pupils have developed their skills in understanding the meaning of the books that they are reading.

p.2

Primary School

You have ensured that pupils have a greater awareness of other communities and cultures and an understanding of fundamental British values. The partnership that you have forged with an urban school in Derby has proved beneficial in helping pupils to develop an understanding of cultural diversity. Pupils have developed their understanding about a range of different faiths. Consequently, by addressing the key areas for improvement, you have demonstrated the capacity that you can drive and secure further improvement.

p.2

Primary School

Leaders of the school have a realistic view of its strengths and weaknesses due to accurate self-evaluation. You identified the need to improve boys’ knowledge and skills of phonics, and have put in place appropriate training for staff to help them to improve their practice. This has led to improvements in the quality of teaching as well as pupils’ outcomes. Nevertheless, you consider that further refinements can be made to improve the quality of teaching, so that a greater proportion of pupils reach the expected standard by the end of Year 1 in the national phonics screening check.

p.2

Primary School

Similarly, while standards that pupils achieve in mathematics are above national averages, you recognise that standards could be higher.

p.2

Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality. The school’s documentation provides an accurate and comprehensive view of all the work done to support pupils and families who may find themselves vulnerable or at risk of harm. The school’s records of vetting checks on staff working in the school are carried out thoroughly and recorded clearly. Leaders have ensured that staff training in child protection and safeguarding is up to date and takes account of recent guidance. Staff were able to explain clearly what their duties are regarding pupils’ safety and protection. They know how to report concerns and do so promptly. Leaders and staff make sure that access to the school site is carefully checked and that boundaries are secure.

p.2

Primary School

Staff demonstrate their understanding of the need to protect children from the risks of radicalisation and extremism through appropriate staff training and curriculum activities that focus on a range of religions and cultures.

p.3

Inspection findings

 You have put in place robust systems for checking how actions identified for improvement have been implemented. You adapt teaching and learning based on monitoring activities so that pupils’ needs are met. This has enabled you and members of the governing body to accurately evaluate the strengths and areas for further improvement in relation to the performance of the school.  Actions for school improvement are based on accurate assessment of the school’s position. Senior leaders use school improvement planning adeptly and it is effective as it supports your drive to raise standards.  Governors fully support you and the staff team. They present appropriate challenge to the school and are involved in school evaluation and improvement planning. As a result, the vision for the school of securing high educational outcomes is clear at all levels of leadership.  Adults who work in the school are fully committed to the vision of senior

p.3

Inspection findings

leaders. As a result, it is clear that the staff team is cohesive and works well together. Staff understand the needs of each pupil and provide appropriate support to help them make good progress.  Senior leaders are keen to build on their successes over recent years. Standards at the end of key stage 1 have been significantly above average overall in each of the last three years. Pupils’ attainment in reading is particularly high. This is due to how teachers promote the importance of reading at home and provide pupils with an interesting range of reading material for their enjoyment. Senior leaders present pupils with a summer challenge, where pupils receive rewards for the breadth and depth of reading that they have undertaken over the course of the summer holidays. Pupils respond to this positively and they say that they enjoy reading.  You have put in place a clear system for checking on how well each pupil and

p.3

Inspection findings

group of pupils are making progress. This information is shared with staff and each pupil’s needs are identified. Where pupils are falling behind or need to catch up, they receive bespoke support. This is proving effective in helping such pupils to make good gains in their learning, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Disadvantaged pupils are provided with specific support to help them to make similar rates of progress to others. As a result, in 2015, the attainment of this group of pupils overall, at the end of key stage 1, was above that of other pupils.  The most able pupils are suitably challenged and make good progress. A higher proportion of these pupils attained Level 3 at the end of key stage 1 in 2015, as compared to what was found nationally.  Children in the early years arrive at the school with levels of understanding that are below those typical for their age. Leaders have developed the

p.3

Inspection findings

outdoor and indoor learning environment, including a new garden and construction area. These new resources have been a factor in motivating pupils to learn. Children are enthusiastic and keen to find things out for themselves. Staff support children effectively and model oral and written language well. The learning opportunities are well planned for, and focus on, the children’s specific needs. Adults have been successful in improving the quality of children’s writing by providing interesting activities both inside and outside the classroom. The proportion of children reaching expected levels in writing has improved in the last two years and is now close to average. This is a factor in the rising number of children achieving a good level of development in the early years.  Pupil premium funding is used well. Disadvantaged pupils are supported effectively. They are doing particularly well in literacy and in their emotional

p.4

Inspection findings

development.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive. Visits to lessons showed pupils who are enthusiastic, keen to work with others and who persevere when they find the work challenging. Pupils are not worried about making mistakes and willingly tackle tasks. Teaching assistants provide good levels of support to individual pupils in helping them to work towards reaching their targets.  Pupils’ behaviour around the school is positive. Throughout the day, pupils were friendly and happy to engage in informal conversations. Pupils are proud of their school and were keen to share the many positive aspects of school life. They particularly enjoyed their recent visit to the Monkey Forest.  Senior leaders communicate regularly with families regarding the importance of attending school regularly through posters and letters that are sent home. Pupils’ attendance has fluctuated over the course of the last two years. While

p.4

Inspection findings

this was above average in 2014/15, it has dropped to average this academic year.  Pupils feel safe in school and they say that they are cared for well. Pupils have a good awareness of safety when using the internet or social media.  Work in pupils’ books shows that they take pride in their work. Pupils’ presentation of their work is of a good standard.  Adults are consistent in their approach to providing oral and written feedback to pupils. Pupils are responding to feedback well and this is a factor in helping them make good progress toward reaching their targets.  Most parents are happy with the quality of education and levels of care that the school provides. Nonetheless, a few expressed the view that they are not happy with how the school responds to concerns or how it deals with bullying. However, evidence gathered during the inspection demonstrated that the school does manage bullying well and pupils reported that teachers always

p.4

Inspection findings

help when they have concerns. They reported that lots of pupils are well behaved.  The staff team is committed to improving its practice to raise the standards that pupils reach in phonics by the time they leave the school. Staff are focused and apply a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. This has ensured that the proportion of boys who reach the expected standard has risen in the last two years. As a result, the overall proportion of pupils who meet the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screen check is now similar to national averages. You recognise that the school needs to continue high- quality phonics teaching to sustain continued improvement. Pupils who have special educational needs are supported well in small phonics groups and they are closely monitored to ensure that they make good progress.  Teachers have ensured that pupils are provided with appropriate tasks and resources to help them develop their understanding of place value in

p.5

Inspection findings

mathematics. Pupils are given regular practice in undertaking mental and written calculations. While pupils are given tasks to help them to apply their learning to solving mathematical problems, leaders acknowledge that this is at an early stage of development. Pupils’ attainment in mathematics is above average at the end of key stage 1. However, leaders are ambitious and confident that they can raise standards further through ensuring a more consistent approach to the teaching of mathematics.

p.5

Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

p.5

Next steps for the school

 the school embeds the approach to the teaching of phonics so that a higher proportion of pupils attain the expected standard by the end of Year 1  the school raises the attainment in mathematics for all groups by the end of key stage 1.

p.5

Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Derby, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Derbyshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.5

Information about the inspection

During my visit, I visited seven lessons and a range of groups delivered by teaching assistants. I looked at pupils’ current and previous workbooks across a range of subjects. Meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior leaders and leaders of different subjects, and a group of pupils from key stage 1. The range and quality of information provided on the school’s website was also reviewed. Consideration was given to the school’s own survey of 27 responses from parents and carers. The inspector also took into account the views of eight pupils and 10 members of staff.

p.6