Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

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

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Mrs Carmel Mayfield Headteacher Cleobury Mortimer Primary School Love Lane Cleobury Mortimer Worcestershire DY14 8PE

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Short inspection of Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 7 November 2017, 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 short inspection carried out since your predecessor school was judged to be good in October 2013.

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Short inspection of Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

Along with other school leaders, you have maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You became headteacher in September 2014, and the school joined the Shropshire Gateway Educational Trust in January 2015. You set very high expectations for staff and these, in turn, are passed on to the pupils. Since becoming headteacher, you have driven up standards across the school and you, along with your staff, are continuously looking at how you can further improve outcomes for all pupils.

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Short inspection of Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

Staff feel well supported in school and recognise the fact that the school is led and managed effectively. Parents appreciate the support that their children receive. Those who responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire said that they would unanimously recommend the school to others. One parent wrote, ‘The school is proactive in finding opportunities to get the children interested in learning.’ Another said, ‘I am 100% happy with the positive approach of the school to maintaining very high standards.’

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Short inspection of Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

Pupils spoke positively about the school. They enjoy visitors, trips and extra- curricular activities, all of which help to bring the curriculum to life. For example, Year 4 pupils recently enjoyed a visit from a ‘Victorian schoolteacher’ while Year 5 pupils talked enthusiastically about trips to ‘Blist Hill Victorian Town’, Worcester University and the theatre. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Older pupils said that the school’s approach to managing behaviour is understood by everyone and is applied fairly by teachers. Across the school, pupils have opportunities to take on responsibilities, for example, as book monitors or school council representatives. Pupils are proud of their contribution to school life and these opportunities help to prepare them well for the next stage in their education.

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Short inspection of Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

You have successfully addressed the areas for improvement identified at your previous inspection. Outcomes in writing have improved and are now above those seen nationally at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2. Pupils have regular and varied opportunities to apply their writing skills across a range of subjects.

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Short inspection of Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

You have adapted the curriculum to help pupils develop a ‘love for learning’. Pupils of all ages have the opportunity to learn through a wide range of practical and engaging tasks that are increasingly adapted to suit their needs and interests. Effective questioning encourages the pupils to think deeply about their learning and to solve problems independently. For example, in the Nursery class, children were encouraged to test out their ideas to help them use blocks to cross the playground without touching the tarmac. In Year 2, pupils were asked to justify why two different representations of a number actually had the same value. You have focused, rightly, on developing pupils’ English and mathematics skills but you are aware of the need to develop the curriculum further so that it supports the learning of skills in relation to a wider range of subjects. This is an area for improvement.

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Short inspection of Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

Your classrooms are bright and welcoming, and displays around the school support learning and celebrate pupils’ achievements. Over the last 18 months, there have been several changes of teaching staff. The team you now have in place demonstrates good subject knowledge and team members are highly motivated and effective at supporting pupils’ learning. However, you recognise that there are still some inconsistencies in practice across the school, which, once addressed, will improve the quality of teaching and learning even further.

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Short inspection of Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

There is an effective culture of safeguarding in the school. You have created a safeguarding team which ensures that the school is a safe environment for pupils. All safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Pupils are well cared for at all times and they know that the adults in school are there to look after them. Pupils said that they are taught how to stay safe, for example, when using the internet, crossing the road or riding a bike.

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Short inspection of Cleobury Mortimer Primary School

All staff have regular and appropriate training to help them understand their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe from harm. Staff are clear about what they should do if they have any safeguarding concerns. You work with a wide range of external agencies and you are persistent in following up any concerns about a pupil’s welfare. You have a good understanding of the specific safeguarding concerns that relate to the school. Governors understand their role in overseeing the effectiveness of safeguarding and monitor the effectiveness of school procedures.

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Inspection findings

 English grammar, spelling and punctuation are taught effectively. Pupils are given good opportunities to practise these skills when writing. Across the school, pupils are encouraged to develop a love for reading and this, along with a focus on developing pupils’ vocabulary, is having a positive impact on the quality of pupils’ writing. Handwriting is taught consistently across the school and presentation is generally of a high standard.  You have systems in place for effectively tracking and monitoring the progress of all groups of pupils on a termly basis. You are confident in the accuracy of these systems because information is checked when teachers meet to compare outcomes and standards. This happens within school and across schools in the multi-academy trust and across Shropshire. You have very effective systems for checking on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. However, because

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Inspection findings

of relatively recent changes in staffing, not all approaches to teaching and learning are applied consistently throughout the school.  Pupil premium funding is used to effectively support the needs of disadvantaged pupils. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress across the school, and outcomes are close to, or higher than, those achieved nationally by pupils who are not disadvantaged. Provisional information for 2017 shows that almost all disadvantaged pupils are working at the standard expected for their age.  Outcomes for pupils of all abilities, including the most able, have improved steadily over the last three years and are now strong across the school. In 2017, the progress made by pupils across key stage 2 in reading and mathematics was well above average.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported throughout the school and any additional provision is precisely targeted. This

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Inspection findings

includes support for pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs. The impact of additional input is carefully tracked to ensure that the input is effective in helping the pupils to make good progress from their starting points.  The great majority of pupils enjoy coming to school and overall attendance was in line with the national average in 2016. However, attendance of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those eligible for free school meals was in the lowest 10% of all mainstream schools nationally. Information for 2017 shows that attendance of these groups of vulnerable pupils remains below that of all pupils. However, you carefully track attendance and understand the circumstances behind pupils’ absences. You work closely with families and external agencies to improve attendance when it falls below an acceptable level. You recognise and reward good attendance, for example, by

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Inspection findings

awarding a weekly certificate to the class with the highest attendance. The procedures that you and your staff follow, including contacting parents on the first day of absence, help to ensure that pupils are safe and not at risk of going missing from education.  Over the last three years, you have started to develop your science, technology, engineering and mathematics curriculum in order to widen pupils’ experiences and aspirations. Pupils have had opportunities to work with a range of local and national companies, for example, looking at the effectiveness of different types of yeast or the logistics of transporting food from where it is produced to the local supermarket. You are working with subject leaders to plan these types of engaging experiences across a broader range of subjects to help the pupils develop a more extensive range of skills. However, this is still at a relatively early stage.  The school’s curriculum benefits from access to a range of specialist teaching

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Inspection findings

staff and facilities at the high school in the multi-academy trust. Pupils of all ages regularly visit the high school for science and physical education lessons. Pupils also have the opportunity to take part in activities with pupils from other schools in the multi-academy trust, for example, inter-school sports, mathematics competitions or workshops targeted at the most able pupils. These opportunities have a positive impact by enhancing pupils’ experiences and helping to prepare them for the transition to secondary school.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 the school’s curriculum is further enriched so that pupils develop skills across a wider range of subjects  the existing effective approaches to teaching and learning are applied consistently across the school.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the local governing body, the chief executive officer, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Shropshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, the special education needs coordinator and other members of staff. I met with the chair and vice-chair of the local governing body, the executive headteacher of the multi-academy trust and the school’s external school improvement adviser. I talked with parents at the start of the day and with pupils both formally and informally.

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Information about the inspection

We visited all classes together, with the exception of Year 6 that was out of school on a residential trip. We observed teaching and learning, spoke to some pupils and looked at examples of their work. I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. I also scrutinised a sample of documents including the school’s own evaluation of its performance and documents relating to keeping pupils safe. I took account of 39 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including 28 free-text comments received electronically. I also took account of 19 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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