Ash Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School

Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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118745 Unique Reference Number Kent Local Authority 326885 Inspection number 16–17 June 2009 Inspection dates Paul Missin Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 2–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 190 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Susan Chandler Chair Matthew Crick Headteacher 10 July 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection School Road School address Ash Canterbury CT3 2JD 01304 812539 Telephone number

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2–11 Age group 16–17 June 2009 Inspection dates 326885 Inspection number 01304 813853 Fax number

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2–11 Age group 16–17 June 2009 Inspection dates 326885 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School, 16–17 June 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

This school is smaller than most other primary schools. School governors manage the Fledglings Nursery which provides education for up to 26 children aged two to five years. This is an integral part of the school's extended provision. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in the Nursery and in a Reception class. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the proportion with statements of special educational need are below average. Most pupils are of White British backgrounds. A below average proportion are eligible for free school meals.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School, 16–17 June 2009

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school. It is an attractive, happy community where pupils feel safe, valued and respected. 'This is a happy school with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere', commented one parent. All adults know pupils and their parents well and the good level of care and the high priority put on pupils' welfare are appreciated by many parents. The school has worked hard and successfully to develop its partnership with parents. The well-planned new school buildings, the attractive classroom resources and the interesting and challenging outside areas are examples of the care and thoughtfulness of the school's approach. The school is emerging from a time of recent staffing changes which resulted in a period of lower standards and declining effectiveness. However, standards are now beginning to rise across the school and there is increasing evidence of the positive impact of the initiatives which

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Grade: 3

have been put in place. These demonstrate the school's sound capacity to make further improvement. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics in Year 2 have risen and are now slightly above average. Standards in Year 6 have risen significantly, and are above average in English and average in mathematics and science. Achievement is satisfactory and the rate of progress that pupils make is beginning to accelerate. The satisfactory leadership and management have some strengths but some aspects where the focus on improvement is not sufficiently rigorous. The headteacher and deputy headteacher work effectively together and other leaders are developing their roles. The useful priorities in school improvement planning have enabled the school to reverse recent declining trends but planning does not identify clearly enough the urgency of the continuing need to raise standards. Assessment data are not used

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Grade: 3

sufficiently to target improvement priorities or to judge how well they have been implemented. Teaching is satisfactory, but is improving through, for example, the recent focus on the quality of pupils' learning. Good and some excellent elements were observed during the inspection. Teachers manage pupils well and establish very positive relationships in classes. Most pupils are enthusiastic and keen to do their best. Where teaching is most effective, teachers' use of information and communication technology to increase and develop pupils' knowledge and understanding is excellent. However, in some lessons the pace of learning drops and teachers' expectation of the speed and quality that pupils can work at is too low. Assessment information is being used effectively to monitor the progress that pupils make and to increase the pace of their learning. The curriculum is satisfactory, but the number of thoughtful and interesting

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Grade: 3

enhancements is excellent. Further, the number of visits, the range of extra-curricular clubs and activities and the variety of themed weeks, all help to make pupils' learning relevant and fun. The curriculum and the school's strong care provision encourage pupils' good personal development. Behaviour in class and around the school is good. Pupils have a mature view of what it means to be healthy and to keep safe and they are aware of the need to minimise risk wherever possible. They enjoy lessons and what the school provides. Attendance has improved and is now average. Pupils are pleased to take on different responsibilities in the school community and contribute well to wider village life. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is promoted well.

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Grade: 2

Children start school with knowledge and skills that are below those levels expected for their age. Children get a particularly good start to their time at the school in the Nursery. Provision 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School, 16–17 June 2009 here is outstanding and children make good and often excellent progress because staff have a thorough understanding of very young children's needs. By the beginning of Year 1, children have made good progress to reach average standards in most areas of learning, although their language and social skills are sometimes lower. Classrooms are stimulating and relationships are positive. In this calm and supportive environment, children feel secure and grow in independence. Children know that adults value and respect what they have to say, particularly in the Nursery, and this is reflected in their extremely positive attitudes to learning. The

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Grade: 2

curriculum is good and provides an effective balance between adult-led activities and those chosen by children. This successfully encourages independence and contributes to the children's evident enjoyment of school. The use of the outdoor environment is planned carefully to provide additional experiences to support the children's learning. Teaching, which includes the effective contribution of teaching assistants, is good in developing social and language skills. Activities in the Nursery are particularly skilfully matched to children's needs and interests, so that children relish learning and rapidly grow in confidence. Adults in the Nursery are highly accomplished in ensuring that questioning is relevant, challenging and closely reflects the children's stages of development. All staff undertake regular and comprehensive observations of children's progress to ensure that activities successfully build on what children already know and can do.

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Grade: 2

Good leadership means that areas for development have been accurately identified.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards and accelerate achievement by:

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What the school should do to improve further

■ improving the effectiveness of teaching by raising teachers' expectations of what pupils can achieve in order to accelerate the rate of pupils' learning ■ ensuring that the priority to raise standards is more explicit in school improvement planning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ using assessment data more sharply to set overall school improvement targets and to judge the success of planned initiatives. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Standards by the end of Year 2 have been mostly average, although the proportion of pupils reaching the expected level in 2008 in reading and writing was below average. Currently, pupils in Year 2 reach standards in reading, writing and mathematics that are slightly above average. This represents an improvement since 2008. Standards in Year 6 have been below average recently. In 2008, they were well below average in mathematics. Currently, pupils in Year 6 reach above average standards in English and average standards in mathematics and science. This is a significant improvement since 2008. Pupils' achievement is satisfactory and across the school they make at least satisfactory progress in their learning. Pupils who need extra help with their learning make satisfactory progress in reaching their own targets.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and relationships are a strength of the school. There is a clear mutual respect between adults and pupils and between pupils. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good because adults have high expectations. 6 of 12 Inspection Report: Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School, 16–17 June 2009 Pupils say that sometimes children 'fall out' but that adults are quick to intervene: 'They're usually friends again by the end of the day.' Pupils enjoy school because, as one pupil said, 'Teachers make learning fun.' Members of the school council take their role seriously and are rightly proud of their contributions, such as choosing the 'trim trail'. Attendance is average and improving as a result of the school's emphasis on reducing the number of pupils who are persistently absent. Pupils show a good understanding of what is needed to stay fit and healthy.

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Grade: 2

For example, they know that the regular 'wake and shake' sessions contribute to their fitness levels and they readily explain the importance of a healthy diet, although this is not always reflected in their packed lunches. Pupils regularly take part in local events, such as the summer fair and they develop appropriate enterprise skills through making artefacts and selling them to raise money for charities. This aids their awareness of workplace skills for later life. Cultural development is good. Pupils are introduced to differences between cultures through links with a school in America and hosting a visit for a group of French children. The acquisition of basic literacy and numeracy skills prepares them satisfactorily for the next stage of their education and beyond.

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Grade: 3

Teachers manage pupils well and relationships in classes are very positive. Pupils are fully involved in class discussion and share their ideas confidently. There is a good focus on the learning intended in each lesson so that pupils know what is expected of them. Teachers introduce practical, 'hands-on' activities wherever possible to consolidate pupils' learning. Teaching assistants are generally used well to support and encourage pupils. In some classes, there is particularly effective use of information and communication technology to add interest and to make learning come alive. This was seen in an excellent lesson in Year 4/5. Here, pupils developed very good information and communication technology skills as they used the internet to develop their geographical work on the River Stour by measuring features, such as the width of the river basin and the elevation at different points in its course. Pupils who need extra help

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Grade: 3

get sound support and make satisfactory progress in achieving their targets. Lessons are normally taught at a brisk pace but in some lessons where the pace drops, pupils lose concentration and are less committed to their learning. Sometimes the work planned for pupils of different abilities is not sufficiently sharp and there is not enough challenge provided, particularly for more-able pupils.

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Grade: 3

The school provides an effective focus on basic literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills, although provision is not fully effective in securing that pupils make the best possible progress in their learning. Work is still being done to emphasise creative aspects of the curriculum and to make all staff more confident in the use of computers across different subjects. Personal skills are developed well and the curriculum is carefully and sensitively modified for pupils who may be vulnerable or in need. There are a good number of intervention groups for pupils who may be falling behind in their learning. There is an excellent range and variety of enhancements which helps to bring the curriculum alive for the pupils. These include themed weeks, such as a recent 'Eco Week' and 'Staying Alive' which focused on Every Child Matters criteria. The school provides a very good number of visits and visitors

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Grade: 3

7 of 12 Inspection Report: Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School, 16–17 June 2009 and range of extra-curricular clubs and activities. Pupils have the opportunity of undertaking musical tuition in brass, violin, guitar and keyboard and of learning French, German and Spanish. There are good links with the local community through village studies, links with sports clubs, visits to local farms and the church.

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Grade: 3

The strong pastoral support is evident in the robust safeguarding procedures and in the good quality of adult intervention. Pupils are not worried about bullying, which they say is 'not an issue' in their school, but they are confident that adults would address any concerns should the need arise. The school has good procedures in place to monitor attendance and follow up absences. These work well with most parents and, as a result, attendance rates have improved. A few parents, however, persist in keeping their children off school unnecessarily and this affects their progress. Parents express confidence in the school and most feel able to approach the school should they have problems. There are effective procedures for checking the suitability of staff and for ensuring that all pupils are safe and secure. The school supports pupils with learning difficulties well so that they make similar progress to their peers. Assessment procedures

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Grade: 3

have been significantly strengthened over the last year. As a result, targets for pupils are now commonplace and pupils know what they need to do next to improve. However, this is only just beginning to impact fully on accelerating the progress pupils make.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher shares a clear vision for the future of the school with staff and governors. Other senior staff are enthusiastic and are keen to be further involved with the development of the school. The school has a caring ethos which is appreciated by pupils and their parents. Performance of staff is used effectively to support school improvement and the headteacher ensures that there is a clear emphasis on the professional development of all staff. School improvement planning is focused well on the priority to increase the effectiveness of pupils' learning and to assess and track the progress that they make. However, the drive to improve standards and accelerate progress is not sufficiently explicit in school improvement planning and there is opportunity to use assessment information more sharply to set whole-school improvement targets and to judge the effectiveness of different initiatives. The school has a

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Grade: 3

good view of its own community and has sound plans for extending this approach to contrasting locations. Governors have a secure knowledge of the school, are supportive and are becoming increasingly challenging in their approach. Improved standards at Year 6, particularly in English, illustrate the school's sound capacity for further improvement. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School, 16–17 June 2009 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School, 16–17 June 2009

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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needs of learners?

Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School, 16–17 June 2009

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School, 16–17 June 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

19 June 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School, Canterbury CT3 2JD Thank you for making us so welcome when we came to the school recently to see how well you were doing. We enjoyed talking to you and seeing you at work and at play. Your school is providing you with a satisfactory education but it is improving rapidly. Here are some of the best things about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Children get off to a good start to their time at school. Provision in the Nursery is excellent.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You behave well and you show enthusiasm for learning in lessons.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Some teachers use computers extremely well to help you learn in different subjects.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your headteacher sets a good example in the way that his sensitive and caring attitude is an important part of the strong ethos of the school. ■ School leaders and teachers have worked hard recently to make sure that you are beginning to make better progress in your learning. ■ The school has planned for an outstandingly wide range of additional activities for you to do which makes learning relevant and fun for you. Here are a few things that we have asked the school to improve.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Teachers need to focus even more clearly on activities which will help all of you to make better progress. ■ Ensure that the main priority to help you to do better more quickly is very clearly set out in the school's plans for improvement. ■ Use assessment information better to judge how well aspects of the school are working.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You can help by always working as hard as you can to make the best possible progress in your learning. Thank you again for your welcome. We wish you well for the future. Yours faithfully Paul Missin Lead inspector 12 of 12 Inspection Report: Cartwright and Kelsey Church of England Primary School, 16–17 June 2009

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