Parwich Primary School

Parwich Primary School

Address: Parwich, Parwich Primary School, Parwich, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, DE6 1QJ Unique reference number (URN): 112604

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The school’s personal development programme is a strength. It exceeds that typically found in a school of its size. It prepares pupils very well for their future lives in modern Britain. It is underpinned by a well-organised curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE). Pupils have a detailed recall of what has been learned. They are eager to learn about the world around them. Pupils have an impressive understanding of fundamental British values and of the protected characteristics. They recognise what these mean for them in school and beyond. They are adamant that any form of discrimination is unacceptable. They learn about a range of people and cultures from across the world. They celebrate difference, respect each other’s views, and recognise that it is acceptable for views to differ.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils develop a secure understanding of how to stay safe. This includes staying safe online, in the community, on roads and near water.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The school delivers an extensive programme of carefully planned enrichment activities. These help pupils to engage with the curriculum and to develop their talents and interests. Activities include regular residential visits with pupils from other local schools, learning to play brass instruments, tennis lessons, fencing, horse riding and sailing, to name but a few. Pupils participate in a wide range of sporting activities, including competitive events with other local schools. All pupils learn to play a brass instrument and perform alongside professional musicians. The school checks participation carefully and goes the extra mile to ensure that all groups of pupils benefit from these opportunities. No one misses out.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils are encouraged to play an active role in their school. Roles such as monitors, librarians and sports leaders are carried out diligently. The school council provides pupils with a voice that leaders take seriously. The council, including its chair, vice-chair and secretary, leads many initiatives on behalf of pupils. This has included charity work, surveying how safe pupils feel, devising a child-friendly anti-bullying policy, and contributing annually to the school’s plans for improvement. Their work is both impressive and highly valued.

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Achievement Expected standard

From their relative starting points, all groups of pupils achieve well. Pupils’ books show that they systematically learn the curriculum. Overall, pupils can recall what they have previously learned. In most subjects, pupils’ recall is strong. However, in a small number of subjects, recall is less secure as some pupils struggle to remember what they have learned in certain topics.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils’ positive achievement is reflected in the outcomes of national assessments. Pupils at the school typically achieve broadly in line with national averages across most areas. The small number of disadvantaged pupils achieve equally as well. The school systematically identifies and addresses any gaps in pupils’ knowledge. As a result, pupils have the skills they need in reading, writing and mathematics to access the rest of the curriculum. Older pupils’ handwriting is impressive.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The school has a secure oversight of attendance. Absence is monitored closely. A careful balance of challenge and support is put in place where needed. The school works well with families to bring around improvements. The recent introduction of the school’s breakfast club has helped to improve both punctuality and attendance. Current rates of attendance, for all groups of pupils, do not differ significantly from national figures. This is an improved picture compared to the previous two years, when pupils’ attendance was lower than national figures.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils’ behaviour is consistently positive. Pupils know how to behave. The ‘golden rules’ in classrooms are clearly understood, and pupils understand that ‘we take care’ of everyone and everything. Pupils thrive on the broad range of rewards and incentives on offer. They are eager to earn team points, rewards for learning their times tables, spelling badges and awards for reading. They wear their badges with pride. ‘Headteacher awards’ are highly prized. Pupils look forward to Friday celebration assemblies, where they share their own and others’ successes.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Poor behaviour is rare. However, leaders check carefully for trends and patterns and use this information to bring about improvements. Any pupils who struggle to live up to the school’s expectations receive the help that they need. This support has a positive impact. Pupils show highly positive attitudes to their learning in lessons and are eager to do well. Bullying is extremely rare.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders carry out regular checks on the quality of teaching. They have a secure understanding of what is working well. They put in place the necessary training and support where a need for improvement is identified.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They skilfully adapt lessons to cater for the different ages and abilities within their classes. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the help that they need to succeed. They typically keep up with their peers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers check closely for gaps in pupils’ learning. As a result, any gaps in essential knowledge and skills are quickly addressed. Pupils master the basics in reading, writing and mathematics well. They have a secure foundation for future learning. The curriculum, across all subjects, is expertly designed to take account of the different ages of pupils within the two classes. This includes the small number of children in the Reception Year.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Early reading is taught well. Pupils enjoy phonics lessons. They quickly learn the sounds that different letters make and go on to apply these in new contexts. They go on to study a wide range of texts, authors and genres. They develop a love of reading.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school knows each of its pupils well. It is inclusive. It has an astute understanding of each pupil’s strengths and the challenges that they face. It swiftly puts in place the help needed to ensure that all can succeed. As a result, the barriers that pupils face to learning are reduced and, from their relative starting points, pupils achieve well.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school ensures that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the help that they need. The targets set for these pupils map out the short-term goals that they are expected to achieve. Targets are, on the whole, appropriate and well- selected. However, in a small number of cases, they lack clarity. They do not make clear the precise things that pupils are expected to achieve.

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Inclusion Expected standard

As a result of regular staff training, staff know how to meet a broad range of SEND needs. This is reflected in the positive level of inclusion in lessons.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school’s pupil premium strategy accurately identifies the barriers that disadvantaged pupils face. The actions set out in the strategy are well considered and fit for purpose. However, the school has not considered carefully enough how it will evaluate the impact of each of the initiatives contained in the strategy. As such, leaders do not have a fully rounded view of the impact of their strategy.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school works well with external agencies, professionals and parents to ensure that all pupils are supported well.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have successfully created and maintained a caring, family-feel small school with a big heart. Their belief that ‘together everybody achieves more’ is evident in the daily interactions between pupils, staff and parents and carers. Staff know pupils well and provide a careful balance of nurture, challenge and support. As a result, the school is a cohesive community that puts children’s interests first. It is held in the very highest regard by the community that it serves. It is viewed as a central part of the village.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders know their school well. They understand what is working effectively and where further improvements are needed. They have a demonstrable track record of taking effective action and securing improvements. They manage the intricacies of running a small school, in which staff wear many hats, admirably.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The work of the governing body is systematic and well organised. It has robust systems in place to check how well the school is performing. Governors have a clear and ambitious vision for the pupils the school serves.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

At both school leadership and governance levels, staff workload and well-being are carefully considered. Staff consistently view the level of support that they receive positively. The school ensures that staff receive the training needed to carry out their duties effectively. The school regularly seeks and acts upon the views of its community. Pupils, parents and carers are consistently positive about the school. One parent summed up the views of many when they said, ‘It’s an amazing school that has each child’s best interest at heart.’ Inspectors agree.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Parwich primary is a small school with a big family feel. It is cohesive and caring. It is held in high regard by pupils, parents and carers and staff. The school sits at the heart of the community that it serves. The school’s core belief that ‘Together everybody achieves more’ is evident to see in the day-to-day life of the school.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils love their time at school. They are happy and get on well with each other. In lessons, they show impressive levels of concentration and enjoy learning. One pupil summed up many when they told an inspector, ‘We love being together – to work and to have fun’. Pupils behave very well. They are respectful, courteous and respond quickly to what adults say. They are motivated by the team points on offer and are eager for their teams of ‘Earth’, ‘Wind’, ‘Air’ and ‘Fire’ to earn the most. They enjoy celebrating each other’s successes in weekly celebration assemblies. Headteacher stickers are highly prized.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school’s personal development programme is impressive. Pupils are well-supported to become confident, resilient and to cooperate with each other well. They benefit from a vast array of opportunities that prepare them well for life in modern Britain. They experience a broad range of activities that contribute significantly to their cultural capital. These include horse riding, fencing lessons and visits to learn about many faiths and cultures from around the world. Pupils are passionate about the many opportunities that they have to participate in sporting and musical activities. They are proud of their achievements and are eager to share these with their school community. The school is meticulous in checking on which pupils make use of the activities on offer. It goes the extra mile to make sure that no one misses out.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that the targets that are set for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are consistently clear, specific and measurable. Leaders should ensure that there are suitable processes in place to measure the impact of the school’s pupil premium strategy.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors is Ruth Webber.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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School capacity

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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School capacity

Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, those responsible for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), the school’s business manager, governors and a representative of the local authority.

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School capacity

The school uses no alternative provisions.

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School capacity

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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School capacity

A new chair of governors has taken up post since the last inspection.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 5.7% 5.9% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 15.8% 13.0% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 11.8% 14.6% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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