Pedmore CE Primary School

PEDMORE CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 1 st – 2 nd July 2002

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PEDMORE CE 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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PEDMORE CE 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. Pedmore CE Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Hagley Road Pedmore Stourbridge West Midlands

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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: Mr David Guest

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 10 th November 1997 Pedmore CE Primary School - 4

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Team members

1957 David Owen Registered inspector 1329 Kevern Oliver Lay inspector 11227 John Moles Team inspector

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Team members

Quality Assurance Consultants The Hucclecote Centre Churchdown Lane Hucclecote Gloucester GL3 3QN

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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 Pedmore CE Primary School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6 – 9

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 A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

The terms ‘attainment’ and ‘achievement’ appear frequently in this report. Inspectors use the term ‘attainment’ to indicate standards against national or local criteria. The term ‘achievement’ is used to describe the progress pupils make compared to their prior attainment.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Pedmore Church of England Primary School is situated in Stourbridge in the West Midlands. With 225 boys and girls on roll aged four to 11, it is average in size compared with primary schools nationally. The pupils live mainly in privately owned properties, they come from above average social economic circumstances and their overall attainment is above average on entry. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is 20.4 per cent which is below the national average of 23.3 per cent. One point three per cent have statements of special educational needs. The same proportion of pupils are eligible for free school meals compared with the national average of 19.7 per cent. Seven per cent are from ethnic minority families and two point six per cent speak English as an additional language. There is an average of 24 pupils for every teacher, including the headteacher, which is above the average of 22.7 for primary schools in England.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Pedmore is a very effective school. The pupils achieve very well and standards of attainment are very high. Behaviour is exemplary and the pupils have very positive attitudes to school. The teaching is very good overall and almost all the pupils make very good progress. There are good arrangements to support pupils and care for them and, overall, relationships with the parents are good. Leadership and management are very good and the school consistently strives to improve. It has made significant improvements since the last inspection and it provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

The pupils achieve very high standards of attainment across a range of subjects as a result of the interlinking of the following:  The very good leadership and management of the school.  Very good learning in response to very good teaching.  The very good curriculum, particularly the extensive range of learning opportunities provided, and the very good attention to developing pupils’ independence.  The very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very good behaviour.  The equality of opportunity provided for all pupils.

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What could be improved

 Refinements, rather than major improvements, are all that is required in this highly successful school. The school needs to continue to maintain its high standards and pursue those developments outlined in the school improvement plan. The governors do not need to draw up a specific action plan following this inspection.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in November 1997. It has maintained the well above average standards of attainment in English at the end of Key Stage 2 and it has improved standards in English at the end of Key Stage 1. Standards in mathematics and science at the end of both key stages have also improved. Throughout the school teaching has improved greatly and it is now very good overall. The curriculum has been improved significantly and there are now very good arrangements to ensure that the pupils have opportunities to learn independently. The school has maintained the very good provision for the pupils’ moral development and it has improved the provision for their spiritual, social and cultural development. The pupils now learn more effectively and their behaviour is now consistently very good. All the key issues identified in the 1997 inspection report have been dealt with very effectively.

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STANDARDS

The table shows the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Year 6 based on average point scores in National Curriculum tests.

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Key

1999 2000 2001 2001 very high A * English A* B A C well above average above average A B mathematics A* A A* A average below average C D science A* A* A* A well below average E

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Key

In 2001, the results of the 11-year-olds were well above average in English when compared to schools nationally. In mathematics and science, the results were in the top five per cent in the country. When compared with similar schools the performance of the pupils was average in English and well above average in mathematics and science. Standards have been consistently well above the national average over the last five years, although the rate of improvement is somewhat below the national trend. This is due to the fact that boys have performed less well in English over the last two years. The school is taking action to remedy this situation.

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Key

In 2001, the pupils’ attainment in reading and writing in the national tests for seven-year-olds at the end of Year 2 was in the top five per cent of all schools nationally. Their attainment was well above the national average in mathematics. Apart from a dip in 1999, the results for seven-year-olds have been consistently well above the national average.

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Key

Inspection findings confirm the high standards attained by seven-year-olds and 11-year-olds. The school has set itself appropriately challenging targets for the 2002 tests for 11-year-olds and is on course to meet them. Throughout the school pupils, including those with special educational needs, the higher attainers, and those for whom English is an additional language, achieve very well. This is well illustrated by the fact that when the results of the pupils in Year 6 in 2001 are compared with the results they gained as seven-year-olds in 1997, the progress made is above average in English, and it is in the top five per cent of similar schools in mathematics and science.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very positive attitudes to work. Pupils like coming to school. They respond very enthusiastically in lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is consistently very good in lessons and around the school.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils confidently take responsibility. They have very good relationships with each other and with adults. Older pupils support younger children very well.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Very high attendance in comparison with the national average. Pedmore CE Primary School - 8

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Quality of teaching Very good Very good Very 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 in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

In the Foundation Stage members of staff have an excellent understanding of the needs of young children and, as a consequence, learning is of high quality and the children make very good progress. In Years 1 to 6 the teachers have a very good understanding of how to teach different subjects, particularly English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology. This is the main reason why the basic skills of literacy and numeracy are so very well taught.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

Very strong features of the teaching throughout the school are the teachers’ exceptionally high, but always appropriate expectations, their very good management of pupils, their very skilled planning and the imaginative and stimulating activities which they provide for the pupils. The classroom assistants and nursery nurses make a very good contribution to the quality of teaching and learning and the teachers also make very good use of other adults, including parents, to support pupils’ learning. As a result of the very good teaching, learning is very good and the pupils progress very well. The pupils work very hard, intellectually, physically and creatively.

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Teaching of pupils in: Reception Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6

The teachers use an extensive range of teaching methods and often encourage pupils to work independently. The quality of their questioning and their assessment is very high and these factors help them to ensure that the needs of all groups are met. Consequently, all pupils achieve very well, including the higher attainers and those with special educational needs.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. The curriculum is broad and balanced and there are very good links between subject areas. There is a very strong emphasis on planning activities that are meaningful to the pupils. Information and communication technology is used very well to support learning in other subjects.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. Their needs are identified accurately, they are supported well and very good procedures are in place to help them make progress. As a result these pupils derive great benefit from the curriculum. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good provision is made for these pupils. They make very good progress as a result of very good teaching.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall. The provision for the pupils’ spiritual and cultural development has improved since the last inspection and it is now good. Their moral and social development receives very good attention and this contributes well to the very good behaviour and very positive attitudes of the pupils.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils There are good procedures for child protection and for ensuring pupils’ welfare. Pedmore CE Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher leads the school very well and provides a clear educational direction. She is very well supported by the deputy headteacher, the senior management team and the co-ordinators for subjects and other aspects of school life.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities The work of the governors is very good. They have a very thorough understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and they contribute well to shaping its development. They fulfil their statutory duties very well.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school monitors the performance of individuals, and groups of pupils, and takes appropriate action to raise standards. There are very good arrangements for monitoring, evaluating and developing the quality of teaching. There is a very strong, shared commitment to improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school uses financial and other resources very well. Educational priorities, expressed in a very good school improvement plan, are supported through very skilled financial planning. The day-to-day administrative procedures are impressive. The principles of best value are applied very well.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

 The high standards achieved, particularly in reading.  The good quality of the teaching, and the fact that their children like school.  The school expects their children to work hard and helps them to become more mature.  Their children are making good progress.  The children are well behaved.  A small proportion of parents believe that the school is not led and managed well.  Some believe that the school does not work closely with them and they say that they would not feel comfortable about approaching the school with problems or questions.  A minority of parents feel that the provision for homework is unsatisfactory.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspectors’ judgements support the parents’ and carers’ positive views. Inspection evidence indicates that the school has worked very hard to establish good relationships with parents, and the staff and governors recognise the importance of improving the perceptions of a small dissatisfied minority. The school has good relationships with the vast majority of parents. They support it very well and believe that it is well led and managed. The inspectors confirm this view; in fact they judge the leadership and management of the school to be very good. The quality of the homework set is very good overall, with impressive attention given to developing pupils’ skills of independent learning. Pedmore CE Primary School - 10

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

good behaviour; the equality of opportunity provided for all pupils.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

1. The school is very successful in ensuring that all pupils work hard and do their best. Consequently in 2001, the Year 6 pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 achieved results in the national tests which were well above average in English, and very high in mathematics and science. During the inspection, very high standards of attainment were found throughout the school, not only in English, mathematics and science, but also in other subjects. This is because of the very high quality of a number of important aspects of school life and the ways in which they interlink with one another. Standards of attainment have risen since the last inspection.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

2. In response to very good teaching the children in the Reception class make very good progress in all aspects of learning, including their ability to communicate and in their understanding of mathematics. They show a good understanding of positional words and phrases such as, right way; wrong way; turn left; straight on up the road; as well as a sense of place as they study a map of a zoo they have just visited. The vocabulary which they use makes a good contribution to both English and mathematics as these children move from the Foundation Stage to Key Stage 1.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

3. Very good progress continues to be made in Key Stage 1. By the end of Year 2, standards in speaking, listening, reading and writing are very high. The majority of pupils read complex texts, showing a very good understanding of context, and they suggest appropriate and sometimes very imaginative alternatives to words such as ‘said’. The pupils’ skills in English are used very well in other subjects. For example, in one design and technology lesson for Year 2, a group of pupils listened very carefully to one another and to the teacher as they tried to sort out how to design a winding mechanism so that a ‘spider’ could count in tens.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

4. Year 2 pupils calculate mentally with a great deal of skill and confidence. They have a very good understanding of shape and space and they give instructions to a programmable toy to direct it around a representation of the solar system. During this work, they also achieve very high standards in information and communication technology. In independent studies, which they worked on partly in school and partly at home, these pupils achieved very well across a range of subjects, including English, geography, history, and design and technology.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

5. Lesson observations and the examination of past work indicate that, by the end of Year 6, the pupils achieve very high standards in English, mathematics, science, information and communication technology, and art and design. All of the pupils write in a variety of Pedmore CE Primary School - 11 styles and for a variety of purposes. The majority spell very accurately and punctuate work most appropriately. They show considerable imagination in choosing words to obtain the effect they desire. Virtually all of the pupils use their English skills very well in other subjects.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

6. The pupils’ skills in mental calculation are very high throughout Key Stage 2. They often show considerable imagination as they select their own strategy for a particular question. For example, in a lesson for Year 5 the teacher asked the pupils to carry out a number of multiplications mentally. One boy explained his working out of 25 X 15 as follows: ‘I called it 25 X 16. Then because there are four ‘25s’ in 100, I divided 16 by 4 (in other words he had multiplied one of the numbers by 4 and divided the other by 4). This gave me 100 X 4=400. But it was not 25 X 16 to start with - it was 25 X 15. Therefore, I had one lot of 25 too many. So I took 25 away from 400 to get 375’. High quality work was also seen in all other aspects of mathematics, and in science Year 6 pupils showed a sophisticated understanding of forces as they designed well thought out experiments to test parachutes. During this work and in many

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

other lessons in Key Stage 2, pupils applied their skills in information and communication technology very successfully.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

The very good leadership and management of the school.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

7. Very good leadership has underpinned the considerable improvements which have taken place since the last inspection. Teaching has improved and standards of attainment have risen. Effective teamwork and careful pacing of developments have led to very good progress in dealing with the key issues identified by the previous inspection team. These factors have also made a major contribution to maximising the achievement of pupils of all abilities. As a result the reputation of the school has grown.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

8. The headteacher has strong qualities of leadership and she provides a very clear educational direction. She has a thorough understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and she has managed developments very well.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

9. The governing body is committed to raising standards and improving the school and governors provide good, well informed and considered strategic management. They have a very good knowledge of what the school does well and what needs to be improved. They work closely with the staff; for example, three governors help in the classrooms, supporting the teachers and the pupils. Another governor is a classroom assistant.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

10. The headteacher is very well supported by a senior management team and responsibilities have been delegated well to other members of staff. These teachers are highly motivated and they have managed change very successfully. This has resulted in a very happy, committed and hard-working team, which extends beyond the teachers to include the classroom assistants, nursery nurses, the caretaker and cleaning staff, mid-day supervisory assistants and the very capable school secretaries. All of these people support the headteacher and the teachers well, ensuring that the latter can devote their time as fully as possible to teaching.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

11. There are very successful procedures for monitoring all aspects of school life including the quality of teaching, where lessons are observed by the senior management team and the co-ordinators for English and mathematics. Governors are usefully involved in this process, not only through their attendance at Curriculum Committee meetings, but also by the Pedmore CE Primary School - 12 fact that they meet in a different year group each term, prior to the full governing body meeting, to monitor standards.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

12. The school plans very well for the future. The teachers and the governors are thoroughly involved in school improvement planning and in monitoring changes that have taken place as a result of this planning. Very careful attention is paid to training and this is a significant factor in maintaining and enhancing the school’s very good standards. The school sets appropriate targets for attainment in English and mathematics, which are based on a very skilled analysis of previous results and the current attainment of the pupils. Pedmore CE Primary School - 13 The very good learning in response to very good teaching.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

13. Overall, the quality of teaching is very good throughout the school. It was judged to be very good or excellent in 57 per cent of the lessons observed and it was good in 38 per cent. This represents a great improvement since the last inspection, when there was a certain amount of unsatisfactory teaching. The quality of learning is closely related to the quality of teaching so that pupils’ learn very well and make very good progress in lessons.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

14. The teachers have very good knowledge of the subjects they teach, especially English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology. As a result, basic skills in literacy and numeracy are very well taught and the pupils make very good progress. Furthermore, the teachers’ knowledge, and the confidence that this brings, enable them to provide first class investigatory work in science, powerful opportunities to use and apply mathematics and excellent support for pupils in information and communication technology. An example of the latter was seen when a teacher arranged for a classroom assistant to work with Year 4 pupils using a computer microscope to examine very small creatures which they had just taken from the school pond.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

15. As well as having a very good knowledge of subjects the teachers also thoroughly understand the needs of the age groups they are teaching. So, for example, in a mathematics lesson for Year 2 the teacher introduced the idea of giving directional instructions by discussing how she might send a member of her own family to the bathroom in her house to find a specific item. The pupils paid rapt attention because this example was ‘every-day’ and part of their world. So too was a question asked by a teacher in Year 1, ‘30 in a class, one went to the toilet, how many stayed in the classroom?!’ In an assembly, the headteacher talked about her two-year-old granddaughter and in a lesson for the Reception class, one of many exciting activities, totally appropriate for pupils in the Foundation Stage, was a ‘jungle camp’ which was not only outside the school building, but at the far edges of the field.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

16. Throughout the school the teachers manage the pupils very well. They also have exceptionally high expectations and very good relationships with pupils. As a result, interest and concentration are high and pupils work hard. They learn rapidly and readily as a result of the teachers’ very effective class management and organisation.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

17. The teachers’ planning is very good and is particularly strong in literacy and numeracy, where thorough attention is paid to raising standards in basic skills. As a consequence, the pupils acquire new knowledge very effectively and increase their understanding. The planning also ensures that the pace of lessons is appropriate so that not only do pupils not drift away from the activity and become bored, but they also have sufficient time to think and learn for themselves.

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

18. The classroom assistants and nursery nurses make an outstanding contribution to the quality of teaching and learning. They work very closely with the teachers and they are very well involved in the planning. The adults have a deep respect for the pupils and their thinking and the pupils know this. The teachers also make very good use of parent helpers. This was seen, for example, when parents accompanied a classroom assistant and Year 4 pupils to the school pond during a science lesson. The teachers also give good consideration to ensuring that time and resources are used well. Pedmore CE Primary School - 14 19. Teachers employ a very wide variety of teaching methods. Often the pupils are encouraged to make decisions and think for themselves as, for example, when pupils in Year 1 during a mathematics lesson planned a party for their class. This type of activity fosters good learning and encourages independence. Introductions and explanations are always appropriate,

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pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant very positive attitudes and very

and they are usually very lively and engaging. Questioning is used in different ways throughout lessons and most notably it is used very skilfully to encourage pupils to think and to help the teachers assess their knowledge and understanding. The teachers use this assessment information well to push learning forward. In mathematics lessons, pupils are often encouraged to think for themselves and to explain the methods they are using, for example, when carrying out mental calculations. Questions such as ‘How do you know?’, ‘What’s special about 16?’, ‘Where have we come across 180 before?’, ‘What’s the best way of adding these two numbers?’ are used regularly to encourage pupils to explain and thus help the teachers to get an insight into how pupils are thinking. The quality of marking is generally good. It was particularly good in connection with independent studies carried out by Year 2, where it made clear to pupils how well they had done and what steps they needed to

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The very good curriculum, particularly the extensive range of learning opportunities

provided, and the very good attention to developing pupils’ independence.

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The very good curriculum, particularly the extensive range of learning opportunities

20. The curriculum offered by the school has improved since the previous inspection and it is now very good. Systematic planning builds very effectively on pupils’ previous knowledge. This planning includes extensive opportunities for the pupils to work independently, carry out their own research and make decisions. The quality and range of the curriculum in the Foundation Stage are very good. The staff have an excellent understanding of the principles that underpin young children’s learning and these are used well to inform the experiences and activities they provide. All subjects are very well covered in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, and the school easily meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been implemented very successfully.

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The very good curriculum, particularly the extensive range of learning opportunities

21. Subject integration and learning from first hand experiences is covered very well by the curriculum planning. This, combined with the teachers’ very good subject knowledge, ensures that the pupils are often provided with very imaginative learning opportunities. For instance, at the time of the inspection, Year 6 pupils were involved in designing and creating plans for a patio adjacent to their classroom. While having its starting point in mathematics, this project also provided very good opportunities for work of quality in English, science, information and communication technology, design and technology, personal, social and health education and citizenship. Most important of all it had a clear real life purpose.

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The very good curriculum, particularly the extensive range of learning opportunities

22. As a consequence of the very good teaching, the pupils are usually very interested in their work. To a large extent, this is due to the high level of independence inherent in the activities planned for them. This aspect of the curriculum and teaching is a very great improvement since the last inspection, when it was the subject of a key issue. It is a matter that many parents comment upon, noting, for example, that their children ‘have become more inquisitive at home’. The parents also note that ‘classroom assistants prepare resources for the children to choose, not choose for them’. The development of independence in the school has far too many facets to make a definitive list but it includes planned opportunities for: ‘decision making’ by children in the Foundation Stage; the development of individual methods of Pedmore CE Primary School - 15 calculation in mathematics; the setting of homework which encourages independence; the use of

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The very good curriculum, particularly the extensive range of learning opportunities

personal organisers to allow pupils to plan their own use of time; the use of techniques such as ‘brain storming’ and ‘mind-maps’ in a variety of subjects to help pupils organise their thinking. The use of ‘mind-maps’ was observed in an English lesson for Year 5, as the pupils planned a play script in connection with the Hindu Gods Rama and Sita. Pedmore CE Primary School - 16

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The very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant

very positive attitudes and very good behaviour.

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The very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant

23. The very high standard of provision for the pupils’ moral development has been maintained since the last inspection. All pupils are very clear about rules and understand that these are needed to make the school a caring and happy place. They behave very well and show respect for fellow pupils and adults. The provision for the pupils’ social development is very good and this is an improvement since the previous inspection.

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The very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant

24. As a consequence of this very good provision for social and moral development, as well as the very good teaching, pupils are extremely courteous, very well mannered and confident. They get on very well with each other and with the staff. They have very good attitudes towards their work. In the playground, there is a good range of stimulating activities and games, and pupils play co-operatively and happily together. There is no sign of bullying and the pupils look after each other well. For instance, during the inspection pupils were observed ensuring that two physically-disabled children were fully involved in playground games. The pupils have very good relationships with the mid-day supervisors and lunch-time is a pleasant social occasion.

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The very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant

25. Teachers give pupils appropriate responsibilities; for example taking registers and delivering messages. Year 6 pupils are responsible for the play equipment in the playground and they take charge of the overhead projector during assembly. Pupils are happy to assume responsibilities and they often act on their own initiative. The school also seeks to involve the pupils through surveys. These have included the following: a library books survey; pupils’ perceptions of their own strengths and weaknesses in information and communication technology; and a ‘life style’ survey. To help them design a patio, Year 6 pupils consulted Year 5 pupils who will inherit it next year.

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The very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant

The equality of opportunity provided for all pupils.

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The very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant

26. The school ensures equality of opportunity, and achievement is thus very high for all groups of pupils, including boys and girls, higher attainers, pupils with special educational needs, those with English as an additional language and those from all ethnic and social groups. The school ensures that achievements of all sorts, for example in sport, music, dance and drama are recognised and celebrated.

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The very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant

27. Teaching is very well matched to groups and to individual pupils. Careful attention is paid to the grouping of pupils in classrooms, in order that work can be targeted or support offered in an efficient and effective way. These factors ensure that pupils of all abilities make very good progress. As well as the school’s systems for tracking the progress of individuals and groups, the teachers know pupils and their needs very well through the ongoing assessments carried out in lessons. When the teachers are working with the whole class, classroom assistants sometimes monitor which pupils are responding to questions; this was observed in English lessons for Years 2 and 3. This provides a lot of useful information about the pupils’ motivation, understanding and attitudes to work.

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The very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant

28. The school’s register of gifted and talented children is updated each term, so that class teachers are able to plan effectively for them. When the Registered Inspector met a group of parents during the inspection, they said that the provision for higher attainers is very good and Pedmore CE Primary School - 17 has improved greatly since the last inspection. In particular, they said that able pupils were spotted very early and that their talents were fostered throughout the school.

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The very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant

29. Classroom assistants and nursery nurses are deployed very effectively to support groups and individuals, including physically-disabled children. The staff, under the leadership of the headteacher and the special educational needs co-ordinator, has been very successful in planning for the learning needs of pupils, and managing physical needs. Good contacts have been made with agencies external to the school to ensure, for example, that the pupils with physical disabilities are provided with physiotherapy and speech therapy. All pupils are fully included in all aspects of school life.

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The very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant

30. The small number of pupils from minority ethnic groups are well integrated and make very good progress. The school engenders an appreciation of other cultures and beliefs, for example, by inviting staff from the Local Education Authority Multicultural Unit to lead assemblies and work with the pupils. In a school where all of the teaching staff is currently female, very good efforts are made to ensure that the pupils are provided with positive images of both genders.

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The very good provision for the pupils’ moral and social development and the resultant

31. The school is quick to take action to ensure that no pupil or group of pupils is disadvantaged. For instance, when it was discovered that there had been a drop in boys performance in English at Key Stage 2, there was an analysis of the possible reasons for this, resulting in a major priority in the current school improvement plan. Pedmore CE Primary School - 18

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

32. Refinements, rather than improvements, are all that is required in this highly successful school.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

33. The school needs to continue to maintain its high standards and to pursue those developments outlined in the school improvement plan. The governors do not need to draw up a specific action plan following this inspection. Pedmore CE Primary School - 19

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 16

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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

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents approximately five percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 0 227

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs N/A 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register N/A 46

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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 6

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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 6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 4

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Attendance

National comparative data 5.6 National comparative data 0.5

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Pedmore CE Primary School - 20

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 2001 18 17 35

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys 18 18 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 17 17 17

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 100 (100) 100 (100) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (83) 86 (84) 91 (90)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Boys 18 18 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 17 17 15

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentage of pupils School 100 (100) 100 (100) 91 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (84) 89 (88) 89 (88)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 2001 17 18 35

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

National Curriculum Test/Task Results English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 14 15 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 17 18 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 89 (94) 94 (91) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 71 (72) 87 (85)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Boys 15 15 16 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 17 18 18

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentage of pupils School 91 (91) 94 (91) 97 (97) at NC level 4 or above National 72 (70) 74 (72) 82 (79)

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)

Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year. Pedmore CE Primary School - 21

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 2 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 9 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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) 9.9 Financial year 2001-2002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 24

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 489,014

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 9 Total expenditure 459,053

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 193 Expenditure per pupil 1970

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 4,709

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 34,670

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 5

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Pedmore CE Primary School - 22

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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. 46 49 3 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 51 40 4 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 20 58 16 5 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 30 55 12 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 44 33 18 4 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. 63 37 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 32 42 23 2 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 37 41 12 3 7

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 42 53 4 0 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 45 41 11 1 2

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