Antrobus St Mark's CofE Primary School

ANTROBUS ST MARK’S C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 27 th and 28 th February 2001

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ANTROBUS ST MARK’S C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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ANTROBUS ST MARK’S C of E PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary 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. Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: School Lane Antrobus Northwich Cheshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Dr Eric Haworth

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: December 1996 Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School

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Team members

18463 Steve Bywater Registered inspector 09642 Colin Herbert Lay inspector 21020 Tess Galvin Team inspector

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Team members

TWA Inspections Ltd 5, Lakeside Werrington Peterborough Cambridgeshire PE4 6QZ

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 18

Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School is situated in the pleasant rural village of Antrobus near Northwich. Most of the children come from the village, but some pupils travel from further afield. The school is a smaller than average primary school with 85 pupils on roll (40 boys and 45 girls) aged between 4 and 11. This is 19 more than at the time of the last inspection. A small proportion (5 per cent) of pupils are entitled to free school meals and this is below the national average and less than the proportion of pupils found during the previous inspection. The general attainment of pupils on entry to the school is best described as above average. There are no pupils from ethnic minority groups and no pupils speak English as an additional language. Thirteen pupils are on the school’s register of special educational needs; the most commonly identified need is a moderate learning difficulty in language. One pupil has a statement of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

special educational need. The school is currently at a watershed. The present headteacher is leaving the school at Easter and a new headteacher has been appointed. The headteacher was absent during the inspection.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a school whose strengths outweigh the weaknesses. Pupils achieve well at the age of 11 and standards overall are well above average in English, mathematics and science when compared with similar schools. Standards of work seen in Year 6 were good during the inspection. Good teaching ensures that pupils learn effectively the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. A broad, balanced and relevant curriculum motivates pupils well and promotes their personal, spiritual, social and cultural development well. Aspects of the leadership and management are unsatisfactory and the school lacks clear educational direction. Most parents are justifiably pleased with the education their children receive at Antrobus St Mark’s Primary School, but in view of the high costs and weaknesses in management, the school provides only satisfactory value for money.

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What the school does well

• When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive in English, mathematics and science. • Teaching and learning are good overall. • A broad, balanced and relevant curriculum motivates pupils well. There are strong links with the community. • The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual and social development and very well for pupils’ cultural development. • Most pupils behave well and have good attitudes to their work.

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What could be improved

• The leadership and management of the school are unsatisfactory. • Assessment procedures are not used well to inform teachers’ planning. There are occasions when higher attaining pupils and those with special educational needs do not receive work which matches their needs. • The behaviour of a small number of pupils is disappointing and the way that the school deals with it is a cause of concern. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Overall, the school has made satisfactory improvements since its last inspection. It has done well in dealing with the curricular issues. For example, the staff undertook a rigorous audit of the time allocated to each of the subjects of the National Curriculum and have now ensured a good balance with good inter- linking of subjects through the topics being covered. Teachers have worked hard to complete curriculum policies and have produced schemes of work in line with the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies to inform the teaching of English and mathematics. The school has also worked well to produce schemes of work for almost every other subject of the National Curriculum. However, the school has not been so effective in agreeing and implementing consistent systems for the marking, assessing and recording of pupils’ work. Neither has the school improved the leadership roles of the co-ordinators by developing

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

effective strategies for monitoring the teaching of the curriculum. Although the headteacher has been provided with a reduced teaching commitment, the whole-school development of the curriculum and its assessment have not been effective. Finally, the whole school development plan, though now providing Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School forward planning over the next three years, does not focus clearly on educational outcomes and does not involve the governors and staff sufficiently.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by 11 year olds based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

1998 1999 2000 2000 very high (in top 5% of schools nationally) A* English A* A A A well above average above average A B mathematics A A B A average below average C D science A A A A well below average E

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Key

The table shows that in the 2000 national tests for 11 year olds, pupils’ performance in English and science was well above the national average and in mathematics it was above the national average. In comparison with similar schools, standards were well above average in English, mathematics and science. Improvements over the past four years have been below the national trend, but in small schools this is not unusual since each pupil affects the standards to a significant degree and the bare figures can be misleading. The school has continued to achieve highly in national terms and consolidate its performance when compared with similar schools. The full range of inspection evidence confirms the findings of the test results. Evidence also shows that the attainment of children on entry to the reception class is above average and by the age of seven, standards are currently well above average in English and mathematics

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Most pupils have a good attitude towards their work and the school. They are eager learners and try hard to do their best.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Most pupils behave well in lessons and at breaktimes. The vast majority of pupils are consistently polite and well mannered towards visitors. A small number of pupils do not behave so well, are impolite and disturb others.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are good throughout the school. From the youngest to the oldest, pupils welcome responsibility and respond well to the few opportunities given to them – more opportunities are needed.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is very good and well above the national average. Most pupils arrive punctually. Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Seven lessons seen Good Good Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

Overall, the teaching is good. In the reception class, the teacher and non-teaching staff work well together. They are becoming accustomed to the new Foundation Stage Curriculum, they plan an interesting range of activities and assess how well children cope with their tasks. Teaching in Years 1 and 2 is good. The teachers manage pupils very well and ensure well chosen resources keep pupils interested. Throughout the school, support staff are used particularly well. Teaching in Key Stage 2 is good. The teaching of the basic skills in literacy and numeracy is good. Teachers’ subject knowledge is at least satisfactory in all subjects. In the best lessons, teachers communicate the objectives clearly to the pupils at the start and use demanding yet enjoyable activities to motivate pupils. Weaknesses in the satisfactory lessons include short-term planning which does not identify what pupils of different abilities are

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years aged 7-11 years

expected to learn. Although the teachers have high expectations and work is mostly challenging, there are occasions when higher attainers and pupils who are struggling are given the same work. For some it is too easy, for others too difficult. Occasionally, teachers do not manage behaviour as well as they should in Key Stage 2.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good. There are strengths in the good way that subjects link together. Schemes of work support teachers’ planning. The weakness is in the short-term planning which does not identify the needs of pupils of different abilities.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Pupils make good progress as a result of effective teaching and support. However, the management is weak and individual education plans are not specific enough to meet pupils’ needs.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall. Pupils' spiritual and social development is good. Pupils' moral development is promoted satisfactorily. Cultural development is very good. Pupils develop a very good understanding of their own culture through subjects such as history and art, and knowledge and understanding of other cultures are also well developed.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Satisfactory. There is a strong commitment to the well being of pupils, which is obvious in the day-to-day work of the staff. However, some procedures are not rigorous enough. Assessment procedures are not being used accurately to prepare projected targets for the school, for tracking the progress of individuals and planning pupils’ work. Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Unsatisfactory. The school lacks a clear educational direction. Many procedures lack rigour. Subject co-ordinators are not given sufficient opportunity or guidance to develop their subjects.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors recognise the strengths of the school well and are very supportive. They do not, however, take an active role in school development planning or in monitoring the school’s performance. They rely too heavily on the information provided by the headteacher.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Unsatisfactory. Subject co-ordinators and governors are not involved enough. Progress towards the meeting of targets set in the school development plan is not formally monitored and evaluated at governors’ meetings.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school’s spending reflects the priorities and these are well supported by careful financial planning. The school makes good use of resources and support staff make a substantial contribution to pupils’ learning.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Children like school and they make good progress. • The teaching is good and the school expects children to work hard and achieve their best. • They feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. • The school is helping their children become mature and responsible. • The amount of extra-curricular activities. • The amount of work pupils do at home. • The closeness of the school’s working relationship with parents. • The information that parents receive about how their child is getting on. • The leadership and management of the school.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

This table takes account the views of 16 parents attending a meeting held with the registered inspector prior to the inspection and those expressed in 41 returned questionnaires. The inspection team agrees with the positive views of parents and also believes that parents have accurately identified some of the areas for improvement. Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

1. Results of the 2000 National Curriculum tests for 11 year olds in English and science show that standards were well above the national average and well above average when compared to similar schools. A pleasing aspect was the high proportion of pupils achieving the higher level. In mathematics, standards were above the national average and well above average when compared to similar schools. However, although the proportion of pupils achieving the higher level was above average, it was not as high as in English and science.

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

2. The improvements in standards at Key Stage 2 have been below the national trend over the past four years and are at a similar level to those seen during the last inspection. Clearly, when the standards are as high as they are at this school it is difficult to improve because the school is much smaller than the average sized primary school and standards can fluctuate significantly because in a small year group each pupil represents a larger proportion of the marks. However, the school’s high standards at Key Stage 2 have been consolidated over the past few years. The implementation of the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategies and effective teaching have seen the school maintain high standards over the past four years. However, it must also be added that these children are generally above average when they enter school. The standards are likely to improve further still if staff improve their assessment procedures, rigorously analyse assessments

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

and test results and develop realistic target setting.

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

3. Inspection evidence shows that pupils are likely to attain well again this year. Almost all pupils in Year 6 are expected to achieve the expected level in English, mathematics and science, although very few are expected to achieve the higher levels.

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

4. On the evidence of seven lessons observed and a scrutiny of pupils’ work, the quality of teaching is good throughout the school. All teachers have a good range of skills, knowledge and understanding of the pupils and the curriculum. Much of this is due to the regular informal dialogue that is a positive feature of the school. In all lessons observed the teaching was effective and there were no unsatisfactory lessons.

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

5. Teachers have a good understanding of the subjects they teach and find interesting ways to link subjects together. Pupils experience a good range of ways of learning. They listen to teachers’ carefully planned explanations, engage in practical work and discuss their findings with adults and other children. They record their work in writing, illustrations, tables, graphs and charts. Literacy and numeracy skills are promoted satisfactorily through subjects such as history and religious education, but could be improved further by more selective use of worksheets. These are sometimes too prescriptive and do not allow higher-attaining pupils to develop their own thoughts and methods of learning. Although computers are used occasionally and very well at times, a relative weakness is that teachers do not plan sufficient opportunities for pupils to use information and communication technology for research and to enhance the work in all subjects. The new

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

computers have not been in school for very long and more use is planned.

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

6. Teachers have sensitive and caring relationships with their pupils and work hard to raise pupils' self-esteem and pride in their achievements. They use praise and encouragement Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School regularly to enthuse and motivate pupils and pupils feel valued by the teacher. A good feature in many lessons is the whole-class teaching. Much of the teaching includes good exposition and explanations and good questioning which promotes thinking. In most lessons, teachers tell the pupils exactly what they are expected to learn, so that pupils know exactly what they have to do.

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

7. Teachers have implemented the National Literacy Strategy well and teach literacy skills satisfactorily. In literacy lessons, teachers use suitable texts and other resources to interest and involve pupils. For example, in a Years 3 and 4 literacy lesson, the teacher effectively used Christina Rossetti’s poem ‘The Months’ supported by a recording of the thought-provoking song ‘April Come She Will’ to hold the pupils’ attention. The pupils responded with good discussions on the moods and feelings created. Teachers use the final sessions of the lessons effectively to reinforce the main purpose of the lesson and evaluate pupils’ progress. The teaching of mathematics is good. Appropriate emphasis is placed on mental arithmetic and this is having a positive impact on achievement. Teachers use resources such as ‘whiteboards’ and ‘number bananas’ effectively so that pupils can show their answers and teachers can tell at a glance which pupils are secure

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

in their understanding. Teachers encourage pupils to explain how they arrive at their answers and to use mathematical vocabulary accurately.

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

8. Pupils with special educational needs benefit from good support from teachers and support staff. However, this support is not underpinned by precise learning targets for pupils on well-organised individual education plans. On the contrary, there are weaknesses in the written guidance for pupils with special educational needs.

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

9. Class control is generally good and teachers do not have to spend too much time correcting pupils’ behaviour. This allows them to concentrate on teaching and giving additional support to pupils where necessary. Most pupils respond well to the good quality of teaching and they have positive attitudes. They are enthusiastic learners. In most classes the pupils listen very carefully and are eager to answer questions. Higher- attaining pupils help those who have some difficulty. However, in two classes there are pupils who do not show sufficient respect for adults and fellow pupils. There are times when the teachers need to be firmer and deal consistently with the inappropriate behaviour.

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When compared with similar schools, standards at the end of Key Stage 2 are impressive

10. Teachers in Key Stage 1 in particular make very good use of support staff and parents to support specific groups of children. Classrooms are well organised and there are high quality displays in a number of classes and around school which reflect the diverse and rich curriculum. Teachers work hard to create an environment which excites, informs, educates and motivates. Pupils in a number of classes, but especially children in the reception class, should be given more opportunities to produce their own work rather than being over-directed by the teacher.

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A broad, balanced and relevant curriculum motivates pupils well. There are strong links

11. The quality and the range of opportunities for learning provided by the school for all of its pupils are good. The curriculum is broad and balanced and relevant to the ages and interests of its pupils. There has been a substantial, though very appropriate concentration on the teaching of English and mathematics in both key stages. There are a number of strengths in the curriculum, but particularly noteworthy is the planning where subjects such as art, history, geography and literature are linked together in a meaningful way for the interest of the pupils. Information and communication technology could be used more effectively in supporting all subjects, however. The learning of French is an experience thoroughly enjoyed by pupils and valued by parents. The school does, Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School however, need to ensure that the timetabling of French is reconsidered. There is

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A broad, balanced and relevant curriculum motivates pupils well. There are strong links

slippage in time when groups of pupils leave lessons, including literacy and numeracy, to be taught French. The benefits of learning French and the disadvantages of disturbances to other lessons need to be reviewed.

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A broad, balanced and relevant curriculum motivates pupils well. There are strong links

12. The school has effective strategies for the teaching of the basic skills in both literacy and numeracy. It implements both the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies successfully and plans for them satisfactorily. The school has recently reviewed planning in many subjects. It is using guidance from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to support an appropriate two-year rolling programme for classes which have more than one year group. The school has a policy for the teaching of sex education and pupils are informed of the dangers of drug misuse. The school makes good provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education. A particularly successful achievement is the school’s receipt of the ‘Active Mark Gold Award’ which rewards the school for promoting an active lifestyle in both the school and community.

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The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual and social development and very well for

13. A positive feature of the school, which was identified in the last inspection, was the school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The findings of this inspection confirm the findings of the last report and judge provision to be good.

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The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual and social development and very well for

14. Provision for pupils’ spiritual development is good. Teachers successfully create an environment where pupils’ contributions are valued. For example, in the school hall there is an area which links similar prayers from a number of different religions under the heading ‘We are all birds of the same nest’. Pupils in Key Stage 1 write their own kind thoughts on paper leaves which they fix to a ‘tree’. Within the daily act of collective worship pupils are given opportunities to listen quietly to music at the start and have moments for prayer, stillness and reflection. In religious education, pupils write prayers to thank God for the harvest and to pray for people less fortunate than themselves. They also write sensitively about their feelings on the first day in school. In studies of the world’s major religions, pupils in reception and Key Stage 1 hear about the Jewish festival of Hanukah. Their work is enhanced and consolidated by a visit to the Jewish Museum in

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The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual and social development and very well for

Manchester and a Jewish visitor who shared a Shabbat meal with them.

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The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual and social development and very well for

15. Provision for pupils’ social development is very good. Pupils have appropriate opportunities to exercise responsibility and they are encouraged to think about others. For example, the older pupils regularly help in taking responsibility for the welfare of younger pupils at lunchtime and on wet playtimes. Good work in religious education shows how pupils consider important rules for living such as ‘Treat others as you would want to be treated’, ‘Be grateful for what you’ve got’ and ‘Believe in yourself and others’. Staff act as positive role models for pupils through their very good example and they expect pupils to be polite and courteous. Participation in a wide range of educational visits, sporting activities and much acclaimed performances plays a positive role in developing pupils’ social skills. The performances involve every pupil and are greatly enjoyed by pupils and their parents. Through these activities, pupils are given

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The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual and social development and very well for

opportunities to work as a team and to mix with other children and adults from within the school. Teachers and parents have generously given their own free time to undertake training to provide the activities for pupils. The school actively encourages pupils to support and take care of others both personally and through supporting charities such as the ‘Shoe Box Appeal’. Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School 16. Provision for pupils’ cultural development is very good, with many opportunities for pupils to explore their own cultural heritage through their involvement in the life of their village. For example, pupils are involved in the maypole dancing and the village fete. The local vicar is a regular and welcome visitor. In religious education lessons and assemblies, pupils demonstrate a secure awareness of other faiths. They also learn about customs, festivals and celebrations of other cultures. A recent visit made by pupils from Tblisi in

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The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual and social development and very well for

Georgia was a valuable learning experience for staff and pupils alike. The school has also established links with a school in France so that pupils can be pen pals and learn about life across the English Channel. Pupils’ awareness of ancient cultures is developed through the school’s history work on Ancient Egypt. Pupils enhance their learning and consolidate their understanding by visiting relevant places of interest such as Warrington Museum. Cultural experiences include pupils listening to a range of musical styles from different times and cultures in assemblies and in lessons. In art, pupils observe, print and paint in the style of famous artists such as Matisse and Hundertwasser. There are also opportunities for pupils to experience the artwork of other cultures. This is seen to good effect in the Years 1 and 2 class where pupils have produced Batik artwork in the style of a Balinese Wall Hanging and in Years 3 and 4 where pupils produced Aboriginal type

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The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual and social development and very well for

paintings. Pupils have visited the Hallé Orchestra and listened to Mussorgsky’s music ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’. This inspired pupils to write and produce artwork based on a famous Russian folk tale.

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The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual and social development and very well for

Most pupils behave well and have good attitudes to their work.

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The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual and social development and very well for

17. In the reception class, children arrive happily and are eager to take part in the activities. Their confidence develops well and they quickly learn the routines of the class and demonstrate growing levels of independence. In Key Stages 1 and 2, most pupils’ behaviour is good in lessons and around school and they are mature in their approach to school. They are enthusiastic learners.

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The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual and social development and very well for

18. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs, have developed good work habits. They settle down to work quickly, concentrate well and work sensibly.

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The school provides well for pupils’ spiritual and social development and very well for

19. Most pupils are courteous and well mannered towards their teachers and to visitors. Relationships in school amongst pupils and between adults and pupils are good. No anti- social behaviour or bullying was observed during the inspection. It is, however, disappointing that a small number of pupils do not behave well and occasionally disrupt the pupils’ quality of learning. Four out of five parents are happy about the behaviour of pupils; one in five parents are not.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The leadership and management of the school are unsatisfactory.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

20. The leadership and management of the school are unsatisfactory and there are some serious shortcomings. Since the last inspection there have not been sufficient improvements in management. There is no clear focus in planning for school improvement and for monitoring progress. The role of subject co-ordinators remains under-developed and the monitoring of the quality of education in order to raise standards is not effective or systematic. There are no clear procedures in place to support and sustain teaching and learning to take the school forward.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

21. The smooth running of the school is not under-pinned by a clear management structure and procedures which all staff, governors, pupils and parents know well and understand. As a matter of some urgency the delegation of responsibilities to other members of staff need to be reconsidered. Their roles are unclear and their job specification needs to be Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School far more specific. Staff currently do not have a clear understanding and shared expectation of responsibility, authority and accountability. For example, in the absence of the headteacher during the inspection week it was unclear who was in charge. This raises concerns over health and safety. For example, who would take charge in an emergency?

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

22. The headteacher and staff understand the needs of the pupils well and the school has aims that address the spiritual, educational, social and personal development of pupils. These rest on a clear set of appropriate values. The aims are appropriate, but the policies to address the aims and priorities are not known by all staff and governors and are not consistently applied. For example, there is no consistent approach to discipline and the result is that a small number of pupils ‘get away with’ behaviour which is sometimes rude and impolite, often disruptive to others in the class and occasionally unpleasant to their fellow pupils. The school needs to take stronger and more consistent action to prevent this. It is a shame that the very good behaviour of the majority is let down by a few pupils whom the school does not deal with appropriately.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

23. The ethos of the school is good but could be improved. Staff relationships with pupils are strong, and there is a positive and welcoming atmosphere within school. A very positive feature of the inspection week was the way that the staff rallied together and ensured that they promoted the strengths of their school. The school secretary is extremely efficient and justifiably valued by the whole school community. However, a weakness in the ethos is that a significant number of parents feel they are not informed about what is going on and believe that the school is not led and managed well. Some staff are uncertain in their roles and would welcome the opportunity to develop. Because staff have this uncertainty the school lacks a sense of common purpose. Much work needs to be done to build bridges with those parents who feel excluded and staff who are disillusioned.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

24. Staff do not have sufficient knowledge of management procedures and there has been ‘slippage’ in a number of areas. Some procedures are ‘loose’ and need to be tightened up. Fire drills, for example, have been too infrequent and the governing body should have picked this up. Some staff do not have a clear understanding of the special educational needs Code of Practice. For example, whilst very good support is given to pupils with special educational needs, some pupils do not have an individual education plan at all despite being at an advanced stage of the Code of Practice. Others have poor individual education plans, which have very vague objectives, and the time allocated to achieve the targets is not carefully considered.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

25. Subject co-ordinators do not provide an action plan or give details of dates, costs and success criteria for the development of their subjects. Their duties are not clearly defined. Staff do not have a clear vision of how to move their subjects forward. Few co- ordinators have been supported in their tasks by being given time away from class teaching to empower them to monitor and develop the subject area. The headteacher has not been effective in delegating tasks and authority to the staff so that they can improve the school’s performance. In an effort to protect staff from additional burdens, she has taken on too much herself and as a consequence the other staff are in the dark on some important matters. For example, the co-ordinator of mathematics does not have a good understanding of what is going on outside of her own classroom and has very little opportunity to monitor and evaluate standards and the quality of education provided

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

elsewhere in school. A dip in standards in mathematics in Key Stage 1 has not been sufficiently analysed and cannot be explained fully by the coordinator, although there has been a collection of test and other data by the headteacher. Information has not been shared well enough. Staff do not spend sufficient time in scrutinising the planning of the curriculum, monitoring outcomes of national tests or in setting individual targets for pupils. Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School The monitoring of pupils’ progress within classes and year groups is at an early stage of development and is not yet accurate enough.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

26. Governors are loyal and supportive of the school and there is no doubting that there is a clear commitment to providing high standards and improving the education for pupils in the school. However, the governors’ role in leading the school is weakened because many do not understand their roles and information is not shared with them effectively. Consequently, they are unable to fulfil their roles as critical friends. Few governors are regular formal visitors and this limits their knowledge and understanding of what actually goes on in the school. They have not been sufficiently involved in planning for the school's development. There has been no systematic and rigorous monitoring of standards, quality of education or school development. For example, there is no formal monitoring of how well the school is meeting the targets it sets itself on the school development plan. Consequently, most governors are unable to make well-informed

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

decisions when setting targets and allocating financial resources. They rely too heavily on the headteacher alone for information.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

27. The high standards in this school are the result of individual staff working very hard and providing well for their pupils in individual classes. It is reasonable to consider that standards and quality would improve even more if staff were well led, able to share their strengths and approach whole school development in a consistent and systematic way. Staff and governors are fully committed to their school; eager, willing and looking forward to facing new challenges.

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occasions when higher attaining pupils and those with special educational needs do not

28. Assessment procedures and the use of assessment to inform planning are unsatisfactory. Assessments, which take place in the reception class, are used to give comparisons of attainment with children of the same age within the local education authority. However, this assessment is insufficient to build up an accurate profile of the child’s progress in all the accepted areas of learning.

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occasions when higher attaining pupils and those with special educational needs do not

29. Assessment of English and mathematics and science is not linked to any clear learning targets in planning. Therefore, short and medium term targets for groups of pupils of similar ability and achievement cannot be set. The school, therefore, has no monitoring system to ensure that the needs of individual pupils are met. Teachers rely too much on their informal assessment of pupils and there is no clear rationale for the individual target setting or individual education plans.

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occasions when higher attaining pupils and those with special educational needs do not

30. Some lessons are not planned well and the scrutiny of work shows that work has not always been set at different levels. Both higher-attaining pupils and those with special educational needs have not been appropriately challenged. In too many lessons the teacher sets all pupils the same work with expectations of different amounts of work completed being the only challenge. On too many occasions the higher-attaining pupils are not always fully challenged and some pupils with special educational needs struggle. Too much of the recording of work is through copied notes, which give practice in handwriting, but presents little challenge.

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occasions when higher attaining pupils and those with special educational needs do not

31. Although there are satisfactory procedures for identifying pupils who have special educational needs related to both English and mathematics, the procedures for identifying pupils with behavioural problems are presently unsatisfactory and as a result they do not receive appropriate provision. Individual education plans are not available for all pupils who need them and should have them. As a result, the lesson planning cannot take Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School account of individuals’ needs. Even where individual education plans have been provided, the targets are not sufficiently specific and assessment practice is inconsistent. Consequently, gains made by pupils towards the broad objectives in the individual education plans cannot be accurately assessed.

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The behaviour of a small number of pupils and the way which the school deals with it is a

32. Whilst four out of five parents are happy about the behaviour of pupils, one in five parents are not. Those parents with concerns do not feel confident that the school deals quickly and effectively with the occasional incidents of unpleasantness. The inspection evidence confirms this view.

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The behaviour of a small number of pupils and the way which the school deals with it is a

33. A small number of pupils (around four or five) show a disappointing lack of respect for adults, sometimes ignore instructions and occasionally argue back when reprimanded. When pupils queue for their midday snacks and meals at lunchtime there is often too much pushing and shoving. Pupils enter and leave assembly in a disorganised manner. Whilst it is far too strong a judgement to say that such behaviour is unruly or disorderly, it could certainly be better.

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The behaviour of a small number of pupils and the way which the school deals with it is a

34. The procedures for promoting and monitoring behaviour are no better than satisfactory and the school has yet to implement a consistent whole school approach which is fully understood by all staff, pupils and parents. There is a rewards and sanctions system in place, but staff are not consistent in using this. Although two members of staff have recently attended behaviour management courses, staff have different responses to behavioural issues with pupils and the approach is fragmented across school. For example, on one observed occasion, one member of staff seats misbehaving pupils at a table away from others, but does not make it totally clear as to why the action has been taken. This can sometimes be an unproductive use of time and open to exploitation.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

35. In order to raise standards and improve the quality of education the headteacher, staff and governors should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) improve the leadership and management of the school by: • increasing the oversight and participation of governors in the key areas such as: the effectiveness of management; development planning; health and safety; and the establishment of a systematic working partnership with all staff which establishes a clear and shared overview of the needs of the school and how to improve; • making effective use of time and resources so that staff with major curricular responsibilities may have time to undertake their duties more effectively on a systematic basis linked to the priorities in the school development plan; • implementing a monitoring policy which should primarily be the responsibility of the headteacher and governors and which may be extended to all staff when it is appropriate to do so; • ensuring that curriculum co-ordinators are appropriately involved in setting and monitoring the priorities for the school through the preparation of subject

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

development plans; • ensuring that the school development plan contains a set of realistic priorities at any one time and that everyone in the school community is entirely clear about the key priorities how their responsibility contributes in achieving them; (2) (paragraphs 20-27) Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School (2) addressing more specifically the needs of higher attaining pupils and those with special educational needs by improving systems for assessing pupils’ progress, and using the information gathered more effectively to inform future planning. In order to achieve this the school should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• put in place a consistent system for assessment and recording so as to encourage a more consistent approach throughout the school; • have a clear purpose for which information is gathered; • review existing assessment records in all subjects, so that there is a coherent system for monitoring pupils’ progress; • use the assessment information to track pupils’ progress; • ensure that a more coherent and common approach to short term-planning and preparation of individual education plans ensures that all teachers are clear about precisely what it is that pupils are to learn in lessons; • improve the consistency in quality of individual education programmes by ensuring that: (a) work is more accurately matched for individual pupils; (b) teachers set specific, measurable targets in key skills that fully reflect the needs of pupils and those objectives in pupils’ statements and using these targets as a benchmark against which to measure pupils’ progress;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(c) targets are met in the shortest time possible; (d) individual education plans are updated more frequently; (paragraphs 2, 5, 8 and 28-31)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) addressing the inappropriate behaviour of a small number of pupils by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• developing a consistent and effective whole school strategy for meeting the needs of pupils with behavioural difficulties. (paragraphs 9, 19 and 32-34) Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 8

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

0 0 71 29 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 85

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 5 FTE means full-time equivalent. Special educational needs YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 13

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 2

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 10

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.2 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2000 7 7 14

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 and above Girls

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 93 (69) 93 (69) 93 (69) at NC Level 2 or above National 84 (82) 85 (83) 90 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC Level 2 and above Girls

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentage of pupils School 93 (54) 93 (77) 93 (69) at NC Level 2 or above National 84 (82) 88 (86) 88 (87)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. As the school has fewer than 11 boys or girls in the year group, the table omits totals for boys and girls..

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2000 4 7 11

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 82 (100) 82 (100) 91 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (70) 72 (69) 85 (78)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Boys Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Percentage of pupils School 73 (100) 82 (100) 82 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 70 (68) 72 (69) 80 (75) Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. As the school has fewer than 11 boys or girls in the year group, the table omits totals for boys and girls. Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 4.6 Financial year 1999-2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 18

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 216,815

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 2 Expenditure per pupil 2,711

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 55 Balance brought forward from previous year 7,190

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year -1,060 Antrobus St Mark’s Church of England Primary School

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Percentage of responses in each category

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 48 44.5 5 0 2.5

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 32.5 48 17 2.5 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 29.5 53 7.5 2.5 7.5

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 22.5 58 17 2.5 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 63 32 5 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 41 44 12.5 0 2.5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 32 44 24 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 17.5 60 15 5 2.5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 61 29 7.5 0 2.5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 51 37 7 5 0

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