Other · Ofsted report
Risby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School
Summary
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- Inspectorssingle source
Norfolk LEA, Norwich Professional Development Centre
- URN verified
124712
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- Successfully meets its aims Provides good leadership and management Achieves high standards in core subjects Provides an excellent start Ensures children access a broad and balanced curriculum Provides high quality teaching Promotes positive attitudes p.5
- Provision for pupils with special educational needs The school demonstrates excellent practice in identifying pupil’s special needs and provides high quality support through very good, well targeted teaching. p.9
- The school has excellent relationships with parents and they are very supportive of the school and its work in caring for their children. p.9
- A feature of the very good and excellent teaching is the way the teachers constantly check pupils’ understanding, give clear explanations and throw out challenging questions but are sensitive to the pupils and use a variety of teaching methods. p.13
- Their children make good progress at school and the school has high expectations of the children. p.10
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- Implement proposals for systematic monitoring Ensure financial planning and monitoring is linked to educational needs p.5
- Risby Church of England Primary School – p.6
- There are no major weaknesses in the school. p.7
- The recent developments in monitoring teaching and learning are not yet having sufficient impact on the quality of assessment and feedback to pupils in lessons. p.7
- Financial planning is not closely aligned with educational planning. p.7
- Specific grants are not targeted sufficiently precisely, nor are their effects monitored with sufficient care. p.7
- The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. p.7
- The school was last inspected in December 1996. p.7
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- Pages
- 19
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- 5,446
- longer than usual (typical 1049)
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- Fairly hard
- Flesch 51, typical 45
- Average sentence
- 17 words
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- 8
- typical 5
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Full report text
CONTROLLED PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dates of inspection: 6 th – 8 th November 2000
p.1
CONTROLLED PRIMARY SCHOOL
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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CONTROLLED 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. Risby Church of England Primary School –
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
School category: Church of England Voluntary Controlled
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
School address: Aylmer Close Risby Bury St Edmunds SUFFOLK Postcode: IP28 6RT
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Name of chair of governors: Mr. K. Shanahan
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Date of previous inspection: 10 th – 13 th December 1996 Risby Church of England Primary School –
p.3
Team members
Norfolk LEA Norfolk Education Advisory Service Norwich Professional Development Centre Woodside Road Norwich Norfolk NR7 9QL
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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:
p.4
Team members
The Registrar Inspection Quality Division
p.4
Team members
Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Risby Church of England Primary School –
p.4
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
p.5
WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 10
Successfully meets its aims Provides good leadership and management Achieves high standards in core subjects Provides an excellent start Ensures children access a broad and balanced curriculum Provides high quality teaching Promotes positive attitudes
p.5
WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 14
Implement proposals for systematic monitoring Ensure financial planning and monitoring is linked to educational needs
p.5
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 16
Risby Church of England Primary School –
p.6
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
(This table provides basic information about the school compared with primary schools nationally.)
p.6
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Number of full time pupils: 129 Below national average. Pupils with English as an additional language: 0% Below national average. Pupils entitled to free school meals: 8% Below national average. Pupils on the register of special educational needs: 9% Below national average. Average class size: 25.8 Close to national average
p.6
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Risby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a small village school catering for boys and girls from four to nine years of age. The number of pupils with special educational needs is small and the school carefully assesses pupil’s needs. It is currently targeting nine per cent of the school roll to receive additional support. The majority of pupils have had playgroup or nursery experience prior to starting at Risby and pupils’ attainment on entry to the school is above that found nationally. Currently pupils come from Risby and twenty small hamlets and villages in the surrounding area. A significant percentage of pupils come from outside the traditional catchment area of the school.
p.6
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
Risby Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary is a very good school. It has a highly committed, enthusiastic and competent staff and it is very effectively led and managed by the headteacher. The school achieves high standards in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science without diminishing the quality of provision in the other subjects. The work in art is of a very high standard. The school enriches its provision with special activities such as book week, visits to places of interest and participation in community events. The attitudes of the children to school and their standards of behaviour are exemplary. The school provides good value for money. It has a very caring ethos and excellent relationships. The able and caring governing body add to the effectiveness of the school.
p.6
What the school does well
• Successfully meets its aims through the active inclusion of pupils, parents, governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted commitment to the school’s continuing success. • The headteacher provides very good leadership and management. She motivates staff and governors in their commitment to continuous improvement. • Achieves high standards in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science in both Key Stages 1 and 2. • Provides an excellent start to the children’s time at school through the provision of very good Early Years learning. • Ensures that all children enjoy a rich set of experiences in an appropriately broad and balanced curriculum. • Provides a very good quality of teaching which is well supported by effective learning assistants. • Engenders favourable attitudes, good behaviour and commitment to hard work in pupils. Risby Church of England Primary School –
p.6
What could be improved
There are no major weaknesses in the school. In striving for continuous improvement the school should focus on the following areas: • The recent developments in monitoring teaching and learning are not yet having sufficient impact on the quality of assessment and feedback to pupils in lessons. • Financial planning is not closely aligned with educational planning. Specific grants are not targeted sufficiently precisely, nor are their effects monitored with sufficient care.
p.7
What could be improved
The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.
p.7
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The school was last inspected in December 1996. After that inspection standards in the national tests declined slightly. The changes and developments in the school since then have ensured that standards of attainment have improved and are consistently above average. The quality of teaching has continued to improve and the percentage of very good lessons has increased considerably. There have been improvements in the curriculum provision and the overall quality of education provided is better than at the time of the last inspection. The environment for learning has been improved with the addition of the library and play facilities in the school grounds. There were only two issues identified in the last inspection and the actions required were addressed. With recent investment in new computers, the quality of resources and provision for information and communications technology has also improved.
p.7
STANDARDS
The table shows the standards achieved by seven-year-olds based on National Curriculum test results.
p.7
Key
reading C C A A well above average above average A B
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Key
D mathematics C C B B well below average E
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Key
These results are good. Pupils under five achieve beyond what is normally expected for their age in language, in number and across the early years’ areas of learning. Results in the assessment of pupils by the end of Key Stage 1 (age seven) have been inconsistent in recent years but now standards are high in national tests in reading, writing and in mathematics. Results just published for this year show a continuing improvement in all three areas. Evidence from the inspection confirms that standards of work overall are very good and by the time pupils leave the school they are achieving well above average for their age. The standard of work in science is very high and standards in art are excellent . The school is good at targeting the needs of different groups of pupils and all groups make very good progress during their time at the school. Risby Church of England Primary School –
p.7
Aspect Comment
Attitudes to the school These are excellent. Pupils love school. They show high levels of interest in their lessons and other activities provided by the school.
p.8
Aspect Comment
Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good throughout the school. Pupils contribute to making class rules and are committed to keeping them. Pupils are interested in their lessons and their behaviour in class is exemplary.
p.8
Aspect Comment
Personal development and relationships The quality of relationships in the school is excellent. Any occurrence of unacceptable behaviour is effectively managed and pupils are able to work in a caring secure environment. They show respect for each other and the school. The school is very good at promoting the personal development of its pupils.
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Aspect Comment
Attendance Very good. Attendance levels are above the national average.
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Teaching of pupils: Aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years Aged 7-11 years
Lessons seen overall 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.
p.8
Teaching of pupils: Aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years Aged 7-11 years
There are many strengths in the teaching seen in the school. There is consistently very good teaching of all pupils. The percentage of very good teaching has risen significantly since the last inspection. All lessons are satisfactory or better and in 88 per cent of lessons the teaching was good, very good or excellent. Good and very good teaching was seen in English, mathematics and science in all parts of the school. The teaching of science is of a particularly high standard. The Literacy and Numeracy Strategies are providing a helpful structure for the teachers in further improving their considerable skills. Teachers have developed excellent practice in introducing lessons and gaining pupils’ involvement. They use their own interests and enthusiasm to inspire children and give them the confidence to question and try ideas out. Lessons are well prepared, start promptly and resources are used effectively. The excellence of the classroom support
p.8
Teaching of pupils: Aged up to 5 years aged 5-7 years Aged 7-11 years
provided by the school’s learning assistants adds to the effectiveness of lessons. Teachers have very high expectations of the pupils. Teaching is being further improved by the emphasis currently given to target setting and assessment in the school. This is helping teachers provide even better group work and aids pupils in evaluating their own work. The teaching of children with special educational needs is very good and is effectively integrated into class lessons. Risby Church of England Primary School –
p.8
Aspect Comment
The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides a very good range of learning opportunities and fulfils its statutory curriculum requirements. The school provides a rich set of experiences across all subjects. It emphasises investigation and problem solving and uses visits and visitors to enrich its provision.
p.9
Aspect Comment
Provision for pupils with special educational needs The school demonstrates excellent practice in identifying pupil’s special needs and provides high quality support through very good, well targeted teaching.
p.9
Aspect Comment
Provision for pupils’ personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The school builds on the pupils’ excellent attitudes to school. A rich range of opportunities to work together, understand the needs of other people and experience music and art from other cultures make this provision very good.
p.9
Aspect Comment
How well the school cares for its pupils All adults in the school work hard to make this a secure and happy place for young children to grow and learn. There is a clear child protection policy and staff and governors know the related procedures. There are no health and safety issues. Children’s progress is carefully monitored and detailed reports on progress are provided for parents.
p.9
Aspect Comment
The school has excellent relationships with parents and they are very supportive of the school and its work in caring for their children.
p.9
Aspect Comment
Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The new headteacher is providing very good leadership and management of the school. Her high expectations are helping the school reach high standards. She is well supported by the assistant headteacher and other subject coordinators.
p.9
Aspect Comment
How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities There is an effective and very supportive governing body. The governors are becoming much more effective in monitoring the work of the school. Governors know the school well and are effective in shaping its direction.
p.9
Aspect Comment
The school’s evaluation of its performance This is good. The headteacher has carried out a detailed and accurate audit of the schools needs. Governors are now monitoring the school development plan priorities. The monitoring of teaching systematically needs to improve further.
p.9
Aspect Comment
The strategic use of resources This is satisfactory overall. The school has very good financial control systems but financial plans and the school development plan do not yet link together systematically. Grants are used effectively The benefits are not evaluated regularly. Risby Church of England Primary School –
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What pleases parents most
• Their children like the school. • Their children make good progress at school and the school has high expectations of the children. • Behaviour in the school is very good. • The very good and enthusiastic teaching. • The quantity of work children take home. • The quality of information they get from the school. • Their relationship with the school and the close partnership between the parents and the school. • The way the school treats the children and helps them to develop.
p.10
What parents would like to see improved
• The range of extra-curricular activities.
p.10
What parents would like to see improved
The report fully endorses the parents’ positive views. The only area of improvement mentioned by a minority of parents was for the school to increase the range of out of lesson-time activities. The report recognises that the school does well in its broad provision of visits, visitors, clubs, book weeks and swimming. The school should consider offering more sporting activities for Years 3 and 4.
p.10
WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL
1. Successfully meets its aims through the active inclusion of pupils, parents,
p.10
governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
commitment to the school’s continuing success.
p.10
governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
2. The school has high aspirations for all its pupils. It sets out a challenging mission statement in the information it sends to parents. More than that, it puts its mission statement into practice. It promises to encourage every child to achieve academically, socially and emotionally by providing a rich environment of care and learning. Everything about the school reflects that mission.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
3. The school also states that it encourages children to develop their self-esteem through high standards of work and developing their independence. The richness of the experience the children have, the love of school they show and the supportive atmosphere created by all the adults they work with provide the necessary encouragement for this aim to be fulfilled.
p.10
governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
4. In addition, the school places emphasis on being part of a wider community. Children are helped to understand the community. The school actively includes all its adults in this common mission. This is a feature to be proud of. Parents’ responses to the questionnaires about the school were overwhelmingly positive. Governors, teachers, learning assistants, other school staff and all visitors are drawn together to support the mission of the school to make every child’s experience at school a rich one. This is achieved through very good teaching and the creative use of curriculum time, for example, where a week’s timetable is used for projects and blocks of time are created for investigations in science and for technology or for book weeks. Risby Church of England Primary School – 5. There are not many children in the school with behavioural or learning difficulties. Those children with special educational needs are very well catered for and the school takes a
p.10
governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
broader view of need through targeting pupils where additional support can make a difference to their self-esteem as learners and make the rich curricular provision of the school more accessible.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
6. The headteacher provides very good leadership and management. She motivates staff and governors in their commitment to continuous improvement.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
7. The headteacher has been in post for just under one year. The governors appointed the new headteacher with a remit to build on the strengths of the school and improve where necessary. She has settled to the job with enthusiasm and has quickly identified ways to use the considerable strengths in the school community to raise their sights even higher. The headteacher has operated sensitively but has carried out an accurate audit of the schools strengths and identified areas for improvement. She has managed to galvanise the whole team into action.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
8. The staff has been very open to the changed leadership. The contributions of the assistant headteacher and the curriculum coordinators are good. They understand their roles and have a very clear and accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses in their areas of responsibility. They are coming to terms with the need to develop more systematic monitoring of the teaching of each subject and they are being supported by the headteacher in making their roles even more effective. The headteacher has very good relationships with her staff, with governors and especially with the pupils. Parents are already expressing confidence in the leadership she is providing.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
9. The headteacher has a clear plan for improvement. The areas for improvement set out in this report were identified by the headteacher in her self-evaluation of the school prior to the inspection. The required actions are scheduled for next year’s school development plan. She has been working closely with staff and governors to ensure that the school is more systematic and consistent in its approach to planning and to assessing its effectiveness. The current School Development Plan is a good document for setting out priorities and the headteacher is introducing more targeted financial planning to support the school’s priorities for improvement
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
10. The headteacher is demonstrating through her management, and through her own classroom practice, the high standards she expects. A strong sense of commitment is evident from all in the school.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
11. Achieves high standards in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science in both Key Stages 1 and 2.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
12. Pupils achieve high standards in the National Curriculum tests for reading, writing and mathematics. When compared with schools having a similar intake, standards of attainment were above average in 1999. Teacher assessment for science also shows that pupils reach high standards in this subject by the end of Year 2. Nearly all pupils have reached the nationally expected level for their age in each assessed area in each of the last two years. The work seen during the inspection indicates that pupils are on target to reach the levels expected in each core subject by the age of eleven.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
13. Able pupils also achieve well. The school reaches well above the national average in reading and mathematics, and above average in writing, for pupils attaining the higher level, Level 3, in their tests. There have been considerable fluctuations in performance at Risby Church of England Primary School – level 3 and above in recent years and the school is now monitoring attainment for its able pupils more systematically. The local education authority’s reading and mathematics tests show that pupils generally achieve above the county average by the end of Year 4.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
14. The reason for the high and improving level of results is the good quality and appropriately targeted teaching, with high expectations of pupil’s ability and their capacity to learn. The headteacher and her teacher’s plan carefully, make full use of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and evaluate the test results to ensure that pupils are properly prepared in terms of skills, knowledge and confidence.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
15. Children come to the school with a broad range of abilities and aptitudes and generally higher than average levels of attainment. They get very good teaching and learn very well from their early experiences in reception. This is built upon in Key Stage 1 where the standard of work in English, mathematics and science is very good. This good standard of work in classes continues into Key Stage 2 where very high standards are being achieved across the curriculum. The standards seen in the work throughout the school are even better than the Key Stage 1 test results would suggest.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
16. Provides an excellent start to the children’s time at school through the provision of very good Early Years learning.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
17. Pupils enter the school with above average levels of attainment as measured by baseline assessments. They are inducted into the reception class where practice is very good. The environment created is rich and stimulating for all six areas of learning appropriate to early years education. Pupils are immediately immersed in language development and creative activity in an excellent learning environment within the early years room. Their existing inquisitiveness and enthusiasm for learning are built upon; they make very rapid progress and within a term many children are operating within or beyond level 1 in National Curriculum English and mathematics. Activities are well planned and the teacher and learning assistant are successful in arousing enthusiasm and carefully guiding the children. Stories are used to particularly good effect. Much of the excitement comes from an infectious enthusiasm for story. One inspector spent some time avoiding
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
having to sample the revolting cake made from the ingredients in the “Toys Party”. Discussion, levels of involvement and the depth of understanding in a session on tessellation was of a very high standard.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
18. Ensures that all children enjoy a rich set of experiences in an appropriately broad and balanced curriculum.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
19. When asked about the strengths of the school, parents and teachers spoke about the richness of the work in art, the quality of the music and the broad range of experiences the school provides for the children. How right they are. The school enables pupils to reach very good standards in English and mathematics and uses the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies to promote high standards. Lessons are carefully but not rigidly structured and, where appropriate, extra time is allowed for children to complete work. The book-week on science and literature was an excellent experience for all concerned. The school makes every effort to stimulate interest in books as, for instance, when all the children, and their teachers, dressed as characters from science fiction. These sorts of experience are leading to significantly higher standards in reading, writing and speaking and listening as well as stimulating even greater interest in science.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
Risby Church of England Primary School – 20. The coordinator for history and geography was disappointed that these subjects were not to be a focus within the inspection. These subjects often come last in people’s order of importance, and said, “but here in Risby we give them high priority”. This sort of attitude is prevalent among the staff, all subjects of the National Curriculum are seen as important. The quality of the work in art and science in the school is very good. The hall was very stimulating in its portrayal of great works of art and the display of cats from the art club and the portfolio of art across all age groups was very good indeed.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
21. The school has had recent and significant investment in resources for information and communications technology (ICT). There is now a small network serving the needs of Key Stage 1 and another for pupils in Key Stage 2. These are making a marked contribution to the good standards being achieved across the school in ICT, as well as making a significant contribution to attainment in other subjects, particularly as a support for literacy. This part of the curriculum is being well led and is another aspect of school life where a very good partnership is being developed between the teaching staff, learning assistants and parents to ensure that all children receive good levels of enthusiastic adult support.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
22. The high quality, well planned but flexibly provided curriculum is one of the key factors that underpins the high standards achieved by pupils.
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governors and the staff. There is a common sense of purpose and wholehearted
23. Provides a very good quality of teaching which is well supported by effective
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learning assistants
24. The teachers have embraced the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy with enthusiasm and skill. They are clear about the purposes of each session and plan well for each week’s lessons. They explain the objectives to the pupils. They challenge their pupils and ask good questions to promote thinking.
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learning assistants
25. In the very good lessons the teachers plan the structure to ensure that group tasks are carried out and that there is time to draw the lesson together at the end. A feature of the very good and excellent teaching is the way the teachers constantly check pupils’ understanding, give clear explanations and throw out challenging questions but are sensitive to the pupils and use a variety of teaching methods. When lessons are judged to be satisfactory, the aspect that is less well developed tends to be where the teacher’s introduction is too long and children’s concentration is hampered by too much talking by the teacher when groups are trying to get on with their work.
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learning assistants
26. Some marked features of the good and very good teaching are the quality of the teachers’ knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject, their observation of the pupils, the extent to which they listen to pupils and the way they provide feedback to them about their learning. These very good features are frequently seen also in the work of the learning assistants.
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learning assistants
27. The learning assistants are well managed by the teachers and they know clearly what is expected of them. Their help in the preparation of resources, as well as their confidence in working with groups of pupils, adds considerably to the quality of teaching in the school as a whole. They remind pupils of instructions, help with explanations where pupils are uncertain, give specific support to the youngest or least able within mixed-age classes and show real interest in what the pupils are learning.
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learning assistants
28. Engenders favourable attitudes, good behaviour and commitment to hard work in
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pupils
Risby Church of England Primary School – 29. Pupils come to school with very positive attitudes to school. At the parent’s meeting one parent spoke about passing the school one weekend with her child, the child looked at the school and said, “I love that place”. This attitude was evident amongst many children in the school. Parents have high expectations of the school to provide a good quality of education for their children. The teachers build on these positive attitudes and engender a real sense of commitment to learning amongst the pupils.
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pupils
30. Pupils’ attitudes to their lessons are very good. Their behaviour in class and around the school is also very good, they pay attention in class and respond well to the good teaching. Their positive attitudes can be seen in the high level of enthusiasm in lessons. Teachers complement these positive attitudes with their own enthusiasms and special interests in different parts of the curriculum.
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pupils
31. Pupils show enthusiasm for many aspects of the curriculum, including mathematics, reading, speaking and listening, art and science. Teachers bring books alive for the pupils and they in turn become absorbed in the stories they hear and create.
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pupils
32. When the pupils come into school each day, there is an atmosphere of calm and purpose. The work of learning assistants is important in greeting pupils and dealing with any minor upsets or uncertainties. Pupils enter classrooms and start their work immediately. Even engaged in exciting practical work, the pupils have good self- discipline. This is clearly shown in lessons where problem solving in mathematics, role- play in history or investigations in science take place.
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pupils
33. Pupils have a strong sense of right and wrong. They are involved in developing the rules in their classrooms and understand what is expected of them. The quality of the relationships between staff and pupils and amongst the pupils themselves is exemplary. All the adults provide good role models for the children in terms of respect, hard work and humour.
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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED
34. The recent developments in monitoring teaching and learning are not yet having sufficient impact on the quality of assessment and feedback to pupils in lessons.
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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED
35. The school has made significant progress in establishing monitoring practices in the school. The headteacher, subject coordinators and governors all carry out activities to ensure that they know what is going on in the school and how effective it is in ensuring good progress in different subjects. The headteacher and governors recognise that the various activities need to be drawn together to provide a more systematic and inter- related policy for monitoring and evaluation. Teachers should use feedback from regular observation of their teaching to help them evaluate their strategies and become better at improving aspects of classroom practice. The marking is not consistently of good enough quality; it does not provide pupils with the clear feedback that would give them an even better understanding of how to improve their work. The marking does not contribute sufficiently to the overall assessment of work and ensuring the optimum progress for all
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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED
the pupils. Teacher assessment has significantly improved in the last two years but there is not yet a systematic approach to determining agreed levels of performance against the National Curriculum so as to improve the consistency of assessment. Risby Church of England Primary School – 36. The school has made good progress, with the new headteacher, in using assessment data in the evaluation of the school's performance. Staff and governors have undertaken some training in the use of assessment data. The governors have set up a curriculum working group which will provide a focal point for the school’s internal system of accountability. This group has not yet started to evaluate the school’s performance. Individual governors know the school well but the governing body as a whole needs more systematic systems for evaluating the school’s performance.
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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED
37. Financial planning is not closely aligned with educational planning. Specific
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grants are not targetted sufficiently precisely, nor are their effects monitored with
38. The bursar, headteacher and governors provide very good financial controls to ensure that the budget is accurately set and monitored. The school does not link financial and educational plans. This is currently the only relative weakness in the school’s planning process. An increasing part of the school’s funding is made up of specific grants. The headteacher and governors are clear about the financial control of these funds but do not yet have clear objectives for what is to be achieved from each grant and they do not monitor the impact of expenditure related to these grants. Not all the governors are sufficiently involved in financial planning and evaluating important aspects of the school’s improvement plan. Examples of the grant areas which are not evaluated include the school’s staff development plan, the grants supporting the employment of learning assistants and the direct funding provided through recent budget announcements.
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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
39. There are no major weaknesses in the school. The headteacher has carried out a detailed and accurate audit of the school’s needs and the main areas for further improvement are set out in the school development plan. The inspection confirms that the agenda set by the school is appropriate to bring about further improvement. In refining its practice further the school should:
p.15
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
• Make better use of feedback to teachers arising from lesson observation. Improve the quality of marking and consolidate and refine the assessment procedures.
p.15
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
• Ensure that financial planning is more closely linked to educational planning and further develop the targeting and monitoring of specific grants.
p.15
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Risby Church of England Primary School – Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 10
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
17% 33% 38% 13% 0% 0% 0% The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons. Inevitably, when percentage figures are shown as whole numbers totals will not necessarily be one hundred.
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Pupils on the school’s roll Nursery YR – Y4
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 129
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 10 FTE means full-time equivalent.
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Special educational needs Nursery YR – Y4
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 0
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 11
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
English as an additional language No of pupils
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 9
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 6 Risby Church of England Primary School – Attendance
p.16
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
National comparative data 5.4 National comparative data 0.5 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
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 12 14 26
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
National Curriculum Test/Task Results Reading Writing Mathematics
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Boys 12 12 12 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 14 14 14
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Percentage of pupils School 96 100 100 at NC level 2 or above National 83 (82) 84 (83) 90 (87)
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Teachers’ Assessments English Mathematics Science
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Boys 12 12 12 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 14 14 14
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Percentage of pupils School 96 100 100 at NC level 2 or above National 84 (82) 86 (86) 88 (87)
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Percentages in brackets refer to the year before the latest reporting year.
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Indian 0 Indian 0 0 Risby Church of England Primary School – Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0
p.17
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0
p.18
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. Eighteen pupils under compulsory school age. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.
p.18
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Teachers and classes Financial information
p.18
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 5.8 Financial year 1999-
p.18
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22.2
p.18
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Education support staff: YR – Y4 Total expenditure 246967
p.18
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Total number of education support staff 5.0 Expenditure per pupil 2076
p.18
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Total aggregate hours worked per week 61 Balance brought forward from previous year
p.18
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Balance carried forward to next year 20113 Risby Church of England Primary School – Results of the survey of parents and carers
p.18
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Percentage of responses in each category
p.19
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know
p.19
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
My child is making good progress in school. 57 38 3 0 2
p.19
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
Behaviour in the school is good. 63 35 0 0 2
p.19
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 40 52 5 0 2
p.19
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 33 58 7 0 0
p.19
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 72 25 3 0 0
p.19
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 65 32 0 0 3
p.19
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
The school works closely with parents. 45 47 5 2 2
p.19
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
The school is well led and managed. 63 37 0 0 0
p.19
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 60 37 2 0 0
p.19
PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS
The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 25 47 10 5 8
p.19
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