Minsterworth Church of England Primary School

Minsterworth Church of England Primary School Main Road, Minsterworth, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL2 8JH

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school has not improved enough since the last inspection. The stronger aspects identified at that time have not been sustained.  Until recently, governors have not challenged the school’s leaders and held them to account. As a result, pupils have not made good enough progress.  Governors do not check on the impact of school development plans.  Subject leaders have not received the training or guidance required in order to effectively monitor their subjects.  Teaching is not yet consistently good. Consequently, pupils’ progress, although improving, is uneven.  Misconceptions in pupils’ understanding are not tackled quickly enough.  Activities planned by teachers do not take sufficient account of what pupils already know, understand and can do. Too often, work is either too easy or hard.  Pupils do not know what they need to do in order to improve their learning.  Pupils are not able to practise and develop

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

their skills sufficiently, especially in writing and mathematics, in subjects across the curriculum.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The acting headteacher has made significant improvements to the quality of education and care pupils attending the school receive.  Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Staff know their pupils extremely well. This enables pupils to build trust and feel safe and secure.  The behaviour of pupils is good. They are polite and well-mannered, respecting each other and adults. They show tolerance and are accepting of each other’s differences.  The school works well with external agencies to keep pupils safe.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by:  strengthening governance so governors carry out their roles and responsibilities successfully and improve the quality of education pupils receive  ensuring that leaders and governors check that actions identified in improvement plans have had the desired impact on the achievement and progress of pupils  implementing a robust, structured programme of training and support to equip subject leaders with the skills needed to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that teachers:  consistently have high expectations of what pupils can achieve in reading, writing and mathematics  plan activities at the right level of challenge for pupils, especially in writing and mathematics  help pupils to use and practise their skills in writing and mathematics across a range of subjects

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 provide pupils with feedback that enables them to understand fully how they can improve their learning  develop pupils’ capacity to apply their learning confidently and without significant adult support  have access to high-quality training to develop their practice. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Since the last inspection leaders, including governors, have not made the identified improvements needed to ensure pupils make good and sustained progress in their learning.  Significant turbulence in staffing and pupils’ attendance have been barriers to secure good learning for pupils.  The monitoring of teaching and learning undertaken by leaders has been focused on what teachers do rather than how well pupils are learning. It is only recently that the focus has been on learning and the progress of different groups including the most able and disadvantaged pupils. Consequently, these groups have made too little progress over time and are only now beginning to catch up.  Although the school is not yet good, there is evidence of significant recent improvement. The acting headteacher has been the driving force behind these improvements. She has shown a relentless energy, passion and determination to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

provide the very best for all pupils both academically and socially.  Since her appointment, there has been a clear focus on the progress of individual pupils. Assessment systems are now in place which are accurate and identify what pupils can and cannot do in reading, writing and mathematics. This is resulting in improved targeting of individual needs.  The curriculum covers a wide range of subjects and recently introduced topics are now gaining pupils’ interest much more than previously. For example, pupils have enjoyed the recent work on the Egyptians. This was exemplified during the inspection when they performed a dance routine with a focus on aspects of Egyptian life, bringing their learning to life.  As a result of school leaders’ actions, the improved curriculum now offers appropriate opportunities for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, pupils visit a mosque to learn about the similarities and differences between Islam and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

Christianity and develop their understanding of Christian values in a range of ways. All of this work contributes to strong mutual understanding and tolerance.  The school has made good use of the additional funding for physical education and sport. Pupils have access to a good range of opportunities, including sessions to increase their skills and coordination, for example, in their weekly skiing lessons. They are also able to participate in extra-curricular events or sports with other local schools for example, in tag-rugby, netball and football. This provides pupils with the opportunity to take part in team sports and develop social skills while increasing their level of fitness.  Parents who spoke to the inspector or who responded to the online ‘Parent View’ questionnaire are typically happy with the quality of education and care their children receive. They welcome the changes instigated by the acting headteacher, particularly

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

the opportunity they have to engage with the school through the parent forum where they feel listened to and their opinions valued.

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Governance of the school

 Governors acknowledge they have not, until recently, sufficiently challenged the school’s leaders about the progress pupils make at the school. They were too reliant on what they were told without checking for themselves. As a result, they did not have a good enough understanding of the progress pupils were making.  There is now greater rigour in the monitoring governors undertake to hold the school to account. They have a good understanding of how pupil premium funding is used and the impact it has on the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Nevertheless, they do not routinely check that actions identified in development plans are making a marked difference to pupils’ achievement. Consequently, it is difficult for governors to judge the impact of leaders’ improvement plans.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff receive high-quality training on all aspects of safeguarding so that all aspects of the school’s work are rooted in a strong culture of safeguarding practice. Checks on staff and record-keeping are thorough, to ensure that the safety of pupils is never compromised. The school works effectively with a wide range of outside agencies and is quick to take action if any concerns arise about the welfare or safety of a pupil. Staff and governors have a good understanding of the need to protect pupils from all potential risks.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Instability in staffing has, over time, been a barrier to securing good teaching and learning.  Teaching is not consistently good enough to ensure that pupils make securely good progress regardless of their ability or starting point.  Teachers’ expectations of pupils are not always high enough. They do not use their strong knowledge of individual pupils well enough to ensure that they make the best possible progress.  Work is not always pitched at the right level for pupils. At times, pupils find the work too easy or too hard especially in their writing and mathematics work. Consequently, pupils’ become frustrated and their progress slows.  Teachers do not amend and adjust their teaching to take account of what pupils already understand and can do. Pupils are not clear about how to improve their work and make stronger progress. For example, pupils are not aware of grammatical mistakes in their writing or how to correct them.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teaching assistants provide good guidance to support pupils’ learning. However, there are occasions when pupils become over-reliant on their support, which reduces the progress they make.  The teaching of phonics is securing better progress for pupils and this is reflected in the recent improvement in the Year 1 phonics check. This progress is giving pupils the knowledge required to effectively develop their early reading skills.  Increased monitoring, training and guidance by the acting headteacher are having a positive impact on improving the quality of teaching. There is evidence of some strong practice emerging. This includes, for example, teachers’ improved questioning to challenge pupils’ thinking and deepen their understanding, especially for most-able pupils. However, with the frequent changes in staffing, this has not been the norm, nor has there been a significant impact on pupil progress. Consequently, teaching is not yet

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development is good.  Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. These positive relationships are built on trust and mutual respect. Pupils are appreciative of all that staff do for them. They feel well looked after but also recognise they are getting better at their learning. For example, they mention that their reading, writing and knowledge of number is improving. Pupils explained to the inspector how ‘teachers are kind and we learn from them’.  Pupils describe how they feel safe. The school provides them with a range of activities which teaches them how to keep safe. For example, older pupils demonstrate a good knowledge of how to keep safe when using the internet and the importance of not sharing personal information.  The high levels of mobility of many pupils registered at the school significantly affect the overall attendance figures. However, staff work very hard to help pupils attend the

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Personal development and welfare

school regularly and support them if they leave and attend a different school. The acting headteacher monitors this carefully and works closely with outside agencies to check pupils arrive safely at their next school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils have a good understanding of what is acceptable behaviour. They clearly understand the differences between right and wrong.  Pupils are well behaved in lessons. They respond quickly to teachers’ instructions and try their best to work hard.  Pupils behave well around the school. This includes during playtimes and lunchtimes. They enjoy the opportunity to play and socialise. Relationships are good, as pupils take part in various games and explore the spaces accessible to them.  Pupils say that any incidents of bullying are rare. Records show that any occurrences are dealt with quickly and effectively. The logs for behaviour show that there are few incidents of inappropriate behaviour.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 A high proportion of pupils arrive in school with skills and knowledge that are significantly below those typical for their age. Many pupils join the school at different times throughout the year and often remain for a very limited time.  In addition to the high pupil mobility, weak teaching in recent years has contributed to pupils’ underachievement. Rates of progress across year groups in reading, writing and mathematics are therefore variable. As a result of the acting headteacher’s quick actions to reverse this underachievement, progress is improving in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils are now making better progress towards the achievement expected for their age and stage of development.  Pupils enjoy reading. Teachers have focused effectively on improving phonics and pupils are increasingly successful in achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check. Teachers provide pupils with the opportunity to read their reading

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

books regularly. However, pupils do not confidently apply their reading skills in different subjects without significant help from the staff.  The improvement in phonics is having a positive impact on writing, which is showing clear improvements from very low starting points. Teachers provide pupils with the opportunity to write across a range of topics. However, teachers differ in their expectations of how pupils can and should develop and extend their writing skills. This leads to uneven rates of progress in writing across the school.  Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to mathematics and make the progress expected of them for their age. However, pupils are not able confidently to apply the skills they have learned in mathematics to other subjects, for example to their science and geography work.  Those pupils identified by the school as the most able are making good progress with their reading, writing and mathematics. This is because teachers typically plan activities

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

which challenge them in their thinking and secure better progress. For example, in mathematics these pupils are able to solve problems using their understanding of mathematical concepts to good effect. Similarly, pupils are challenged in their reading. They are encouraged by teachers to select books with complex vocabulary and this provokes discussion, which makes them think hard about what they are reading. Pupils are able to read with accuracy and fluency, demonstrating a good understanding of the texts they are reading. They talk with enthusiasm and knowledge about preferred authors and genres. For example, a pupil described how they enjoy mysteries due to the way the author provides cliffhangers to keep the reader in suspense.  Pupils eligible for pupil premium funding or with special educational needs and/or disabilities are making better progress than their peers in some year groups as a result

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

of the interventions they receive that are more precisely meeting their needs. However, this progress is not consistent across all year groups.

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address head@minsterworth.gloucs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26–27 April 2012

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Information about this school

 This school is significantly smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Approximately two thirds of pupils are from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller heritage.  The number of children in the early years provision has been below five since the last inspection.  The percentage of pupils who are eligible for pupil premium is below the national average.  The majority of pupils are White British and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is well below the national average.  The acting headteacher confirmed that the website meets the requirements for the publication of information on its website. However, this could not be verified during the inspection due to technical issues affecting access to the website.  The government’s floor standard, which is the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of Year 6 is not applicable due to the small number

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed pupils’ learning in both classes, all of which were joint observations with the acting headteacher. The inspector listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with leaders, staff and governors. The inspector spoke to two officers from the local authority.  A wide range of documentation was scrutinised during the inspection, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance and data relating to pupils’ attainment and progress. The inspector also checked the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding arrangements and attendance information.  The inspector scrutinised the quality of pupils’ work over time.  The inspector talked with groups of pupils to seek their views about the school. The views of other pupils were gathered during lessons, playtimes and lunchtimes. The inspector spoke to parents informally at the start and end of the day and also considered the three responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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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.gov.uk/ofsted

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