Other · Ofsted report
Christ Church Ainsworth Church of England Primary School
Summary
Thresher House (lead), Lea Hall Park
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- Inspectorssingle source
Lea Hall Park, Thresher House
- URN verified
105324
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- Teachers promote pupils’ personal development well and consequently, pupils are keen to learn and behave very well. p.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
- The high quality partnerships that exist between pupils, teachers, parents and governors have a very positive impact on pupils’ learning and personal development. p.6
- Through rigorous and systematic monitoring, staff and governors have a clear view of the strengths of the school and know what needs to be done to continue to raise standards. p.6
- In Years 1 to 6, a strength of the teaching comes from well planned opportunities for speaking and listening. p.10
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- The school improvement plan contains too many targets to be managed realistically. p.6
- The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan. p.6
- The school has improved at a good rate since it was last inspected in December 1997. p.6
- All of the key issues identified in the previous report have been tackled successfully. p.6
- Training and additional lessons in literacy have ensured that standards in writing have risen in the last year. p.6
- The library has been relocated and is used regularly by pupils to research facts and information. p.6
- The school’s procedures for assessing and recording what pupils can do are greatly improved. p.6
- They provide teachers with valuable information that enables them to plan work that meets the needs of all pupils and to let parents know how well their children are doing. p.6
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- Fairly hard
- Flesch 57, typical 45
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Full report text
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Dates of inspection: 9 th – 10 th July 2002
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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.
p.1
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. Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 3
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
School address: Tommy Lane Ainsworth Bolton Lancashire
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Name of chair of governors: Mr J Maudsley
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Date of previous inspection: December 1997 Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 4
p.3
Team members
20267 K Manning Registered inspector 12511 L Buller Lay inspector 23375 J Hicks Team inspector
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Team members
Thresher House Lea Hall Park Demage Lane Lea by Backford Chester CH1 6LP
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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 Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 5
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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6
Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school
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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 15
Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 6
p.6
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Christ Church CofE Primary School is a voluntary controlled school, which serves the local community. Its pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds, though the proportion who are eligible for free school meals is below the national average. A small number of pupils are from ethnic minority families but only two do not speak English at home. Since the previous inspection the school has gained two Achievement Awards in recognition of the high standards achieved by many pupils. The school is of average size. There are 216 pupils in classes from the reception to Year 6. Some of these classes have pupils from more than one year group. A further 36 children attend the nursery, either for part or all of the day. Most children have a wide experience of books and numbers when they join the nursery and their attainment on entry to the reception class is beyond what is typical of four-year-olds. The number
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
of pupils who have special educational needs is lower than in most other schools. Thirty-five pupils are on the school’s register of special educational needs because they have learning, physical or emotional difficulties. Of these, one child in the nursery and four pupils in the main school have statements of Special Educational Needs.
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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
Christ Church CofE Primary School provides its pupils with a good education. Strong leadership from the headteacher ensures that teachers have the skills and commitment needed to ensure that pupils do their best. Good teaching allows pupils to achieve high standards in English, mathematics and science. The high quality partnerships that exist between pupils, teachers, parents and governors have a very positive impact on pupils’ learning and personal development. The school gives good value for the funding it receives.
p.6
What the school does well
• Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in English, mathematics and science. • All pupils have the same opportunities to make progress and get a fair deal from the school. • Teachers promote pupils’ personal development well and consequently, pupils are keen to learn and behave very well. • Through rigorous and systematic monitoring, staff and governors have a clear view of the strengths of the school and know what needs to be done to continue to raise standards.
p.6
What could be improved
• The school improvement plan contains too many targets to be managed realistically. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.
p.6
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The school has improved at a good rate since it was last inspected in December 1997. All of the key issues identified in the previous report have been tackled successfully. Training and additional lessons in literacy have ensured that standards in writing have risen in the last year. The library has been relocated and is used regularly by pupils to research facts and information. The school’s procedures for assessing and recording what pupils can do are greatly improved. They provide teachers with valuable information that enables them to plan work that meets the needs of all pupils and to let parents know how well their children are doing. Staff and governors now keep a close eye on the quality of teaching and learning. Other improvements to the school’s provision include a wider and richer curriculum and improved standards in English, mathematics and science. The enthusiasm and willingness with which
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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
governors, the headteacher and staff set about this, place the school in a good position to continue to improve. Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 7
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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
English C C A A well above average above average A B mathematics A A B B average below average C D science A A B A well below average E
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Key
Pupils make good progress from one year to the next and achieve the standards of which they are capable. By the end of the foundation stage, most children have achieved the early goals and skills expected for their age and are working towards the first levels of the National Curriculum. By the end of Year 2, most pupils achieve standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science that are above what is expected for their age. This is a similar picture to the results of last year’s National Curriculum tests. Girls are better at reading and writing than boys. Teachers are doing all they can to reduce the gap but initiatives, such as buying books that will be of more interest to boys, have not had time to have an effect on how well boys achieve.
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Key
By the end of Year 6, pupils achieve standards that are above average in mathematics and science and well above average in English. Results are higher in English than mathematics because of the work that has gone into raising standards in writing. By the time they leave the school, the gap between boys’ and girls’ achievements in English has narrowed considerably. Standards reflect the results of last year’s National Curriculum tests. The school’s results are rising at a similar rate to the national trend. Last year the school matched the challenging target it had set for raising standards in English but did not meet its target in mathematics because two pupils were absent at the time of the tests. Pupils in Years 2 and 6 perform better in national tests than those in similar schools.
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Key
Throughout the school, pupils who have special educational needs and the very small number who speak English as an additional language make good progress and also achieve their full potential.
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Aspect Comment
Attitudes to the school Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. They try hard to do their best in lessons and other activities.
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Aspect Comment
Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils’ very good behaviour helps them to work attentively without disturbance during lessons and to enjoy the time they spend together in the playground and at lunchtimes.
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Aspect Comment
Personal development and relationships Pupils forge very good relationships with teachers and other pupils. They work co-operatively and show their independence and maturity in the way that they help around the school.
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Aspect Comment
Attendance Pupils are eager to come to school and consequently, attendance is well above average. Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 8
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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6
Quality of teaching Good Good Good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.
p.8
Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6
Teaching is good overall and more than a quarter of the lessons were taught very well. There is very good teaching in each of the three stages of education. One of the main strengths of the teaching is that the activities provided are generally exciting and interesting. As a result, pupils are highly motivated and keen to get on and learn. The teaching of English, mathematics and science is often very good and is one of the key reasons why pupils achieve well. As a result of continued training, teachers are particularly good at teaching the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. In these subjects, pupils make good progress from the time they start in nursery to the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6. Teachers’ expectations of pupils are very high, which is one of the reasons why the work in pupils’ books is almost always neatly presented and completed and why pupils behave well. Teachers ensure
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Years 1 – 2 Years 3 – 6
that all pupils have equal opportunities to learn by ensuring that work is pitched at the right levels for pupils of all abilities. Teachers also make extremely good use of classroom assistants. They often provide the help and support that is necessary to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language make good progress. Throughout the school, teachers are skilful at asking questions in order to assess what pupils know and to deepen their understanding. In addition, the helpful comments that teachers make when marking books ensure that pupils know how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve.
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Aspect Comment
The quality and range of the curriculum Good; the curriculum meets statutory requirements and is enriched by a wide range of after-school activities, educational visits and visitors and strong links with the community. Children in the foundation stage have a curriculum that is appropriate for their age. All pupils have equal access to what the school offers.
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Aspect Comment
Provision for pupils with special educational needs Good. The work, guidance and resources provided for pupils who have special educational needs help them to make good progress towards their personal targets. Pupils’ learning also benefits from the well- managed teaching they receive in small groups from skilled classroom assistants.
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Aspect Comment
Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. These pupils are helped to settle into school and quickly learn to speak English.
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Aspect Comment
Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development makes a very positive contribution to pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and relationships. The school makes satisfactory provision for pupils’ cultural development. They are taught about their own heritage but there are not enough opportunities to study other cultures.
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Aspect Comment
How well the school cares for its pupils The school takes good care of pupils’ well-being and is very good at maintaining harmonious behaviour. Very close partnerships with parents provide an effective basis for pupils’ learning and personal development. Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 9
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Aspect Comment
Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Good. The headteacher provides strong leadership and firm educational direction for the work of the school. Staff work together well as a team and this has helped bring about significant change and improvement since the previous inspection.
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Aspect Comment
How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Governors fulfil all of their statutory responsibilities very ably. Through their commitment, they help give direction to the work of school. They make sure that the school is always striving for improvement.
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Aspect Comment
The school’s evaluation of its performance Good. Clear evaluations of the school’s performance are based on careful analyses of pupils’ progress, monitoring the quality of teaching and learning, and systematic examination of aspects of its provision. There are too many targets in the school improvement plan to be achieved realistically.
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Aspect Comment
The strategic use of resources All of the school’s resources are used to help pupils reach high standards. Support staff and volunteers make a significant contribution to the quality of teaching.
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Aspect Comment
Pupils’ performance in tests is compared with local, similar and all other schools. The school does this well. Decisions about teaching and the curriculum are constantly reviewed to see if they are effective in maintaining high standards. Governors and the senior management team keep a close eye on spending to ensure that they get the best possible value for money and that pupils have good quality resources to help them learn. Parents’ views about the school are sought regularly. They play an active part in shaping decisions about issues such as the policy for behaviour.
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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved
• Parents are pleased that their children like school. • They feel that children in the school behave well. • They are glad that their children are expected to work hard and do their best. • Parents believe that the school is led and managed well. • The school helps their children become mature and responsible. • There are no aspects of the school’s work that a significant number of parents would like to see improved.
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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved
The school is held in high regard by parents and these views are confirmed by inspection findings. Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 10
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Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in
1. Throughout the school, teachers have a thorough knowledge of how to teach the basic skills of literacy and put this to good effect in lessons that are lively and interesting. As a result, pupils of all ages enjoy English lessons and put their skills in reading and writing to good use in other subjects. For example, they write detailed accounts of the topics they study in geography and history.
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Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in
2. Children in the foundation stage get a good start to their learning of literacy, numeracy and knowledge and understanding of the world. Each day, children have many opportunities to read books and listen to stories. In the nursery, children were enthralled by the story of Mr Magnolia who had only one boot. This was because the classroom assistant and other adults acted it out. In reception classes, children are asked to write about themselves and their work. A strength of the teaching of literacy is that children are taught the sounds of letters, which helps them with both reading and spelling. Number and counting is also part of everyday activities and once again, the activities planned by teachers are always exciting. For example, children in the nursery learned to make reasoned estimates of how many bugs they could squash into different sized boxes. Throughout the foundation stage, children gain
p.10
Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in
a good grounding in scientific skills. One of the ways they do this is through studying the growth of plants and animals and drawing what they see.
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Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in
3. In Years 1 to 6, a strength of the teaching comes from well planned opportunities for speaking and listening. Teachers generally plan some time at the end of lessons when pupils are encouraged to talk to the class or small group about their work. This happens in many lessons, not just in English. As a result, pupils learn to listen attentively to what others have to say. As they get older, pupils talk confidently about their work and use a widening and more adventurous vocabulary. For example, in a good science lesson, pupils in Year 5 used the word reflected to describe how light travelled from one mirror to another.
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Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in
4. The National Literacy Strategy has helped to improve the quality of teaching in the past few years and teachers are good at teaching the basic skills of reading and writing. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are taught to use a range of strategies to help them to read unfamiliar words. As a result, average attaining seven-year-olds read fluently and make few mistakes. When they cannot read a word they sound out the letters or look at the pictures and in this way manage a wide range of texts. The most able pupils are fluent readers, who put expression into their reading and have a firm understanding of the main points of the stories they read. By the end of Year 6, pupils have their own favourite authors and are confident readers who enjoy chatting about the books and poetry that they have read.
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Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in
5. Teachers are good at teaching writing. Once again, it starts in the reception class where children are taught to form their letters correctly. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 practise their skills in handwriting lessons and at home. Those in Years 3 to 6 are expected to produce writing of a good standard and generally do so. In Years 1 and 2, pupils learn spellings each week and this ensures that by the end of Year 2, average and higher attaining pupils spell many difficult words correctly. Lower attaining pupils and those with special educational needs often spell words as they sound for example, sed rather than said . Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 11 6. Teachers looked carefully to see why girls in Years 1 and 2 are generally better at reading and writing than boys. They found that the difference begins as early as the reception class. In response to this, teachers have devised a number of strategies for interesting boys more
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Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in
in reading and writing. For example, they have bought more books that are likely to appeal to boys and teachers in the foundation stage are working hard to ensure that boys engage in activities aimed at strengthening their physical control of pencils. The co-ordinator is confident that this is beginning to pay dividends in improving reading and writing, although some of the strategies have not been in place long enough for them to have had a marked effect on the results of national tests.
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Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in
7. In mathematics, teaching is made more effective because of the good balance of whole- class teaching and time for pupils to practise and consolidate what they have learned. Mental mathematics sessions are punchy and fast and as a result, pupils have to stay alert if they are to keep up. Following the mental mathematics sessions, there is generally a short time when teachers work with the whole class to introduce new concepts or move pupils on in their thinking. These times work well for two main reasons. Teachers have a thorough knowledge of the National Numeracy Strategy and how to teach mathematics. This means that their explanations are clear and help pupils to understand about number, shape and space. Teachers are also very good at questioning pupils to find out what they know. Higher attaining pupils are asked more challenging questions and gentle probing often helps lower attaining pupils and those who have special educational needs to move forward in their
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Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in
thinking. Teachers ensure that pupils have time to practise or apply what they have learned. For example, after learning about percentages, pupils in Year 6 were asked to purchase furniture for their bedrooms from a catalogue giving discounts on all of its prices. Pupils thoroughly enjoyed this task and set to work at once.
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Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in
8. Strengths in the teaching of literacy and numeracy include the many opportunities teachers plan for pupils to read, write and use number in other subjects. Consequently, by the time they are in Year 6 pupils write in a variety of styles and use words to lively effect in some of their writing. For example, pupils in Year 6 wrote poetry in the style of the poem Hiawatha and used phrases such as forthly he went unto the fir tree . In Year 4, pupils used their knowledge of databases to classify plants and animals and very quickly grasped the idea of a decision tree diagram.
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Good teaching ensures that, by the end of Year 6, pupils achieve high standards in
9. One of the strengths of the teaching in science, which leads to high standards, is that teachers plan many opportunities for pupils to experiment and investigate for themselves. Teachers plan investigations that are exciting and challenging for pupils. Making an electrical circuit was a task that younger pupils were very keen to talk about. Older pupils are taught how to set up their own fair tests and experiments and carry these out in a systematic and sensible way. In Year 6 pupils tested a range of materials to determine how they altered when mixed with water and whether the changes were reversible or not. Their books show that they worked logically and sequentially, first making their predictions and determining how to set up the experiment and then recording their results and observations as the investigation proceeded.
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All pupils have the same opportunities to make progress and get a fair deal from the
10. One of the strengths of the school’s provision is that all pupils have equal access to the curriculum and equal opportunities to make progress. This is planned for carefully and is something of which the school is justifiably proud. Teachers ensure that pupils of different abilities are given work that meets their needs. In lessons, pupils are generally asked to work on similar topics. Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 12 11. Throughout the school, teachers ensure that the most able pupils are given challenging and stimulating work. Very often they are set more difficult tasks, which require them to use what they have learned to solve problems. For example, the most able pupils in a Year 6 class had to work out discount at 17½ per cent, while other pupils worked out a ten per cent discount. In most lessons, teachers plan a range of tasks for pupils of different abilities and this ensures that everyone succeeds at their own level.
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All pupils have the same opportunities to make progress and get a fair deal from the
12. Pupils who have special educational needs get a good deal from the school. The work, guidance and resources provided help them to make good progress towards their personal targets. Their difficulties are diagnosed very early in the foundation stage and prompt intervention, using initiatives such as early literacy support lessons means that many pupils catch up with reading and writing. Further up the school, pupils in Year 6 are given the extra push needed to help them do as well as they can in National Curriculum tests through booster classes which focus on English and mathematics. One of the most effective methods used to support pupils who have special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language is that they are given extra help from skilled classroom assistants. They benefit considerably from working in small groups led by competent and knowledgeable classroom assistants or the class teacher. The school caters very well for
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All pupils have the same opportunities to make progress and get a fair deal from the
those pupils who have specific statements of their need, ensuring that the provision and help they receive is appropriate and that they too have equal opportunities to make progress. Governors’ decision to spend extra money on providing classroom assistants has paid dividends in that the school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs is good.
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All pupils have the same opportunities to make progress and get a fair deal from the
13. The small number of pupils who speak English as an additional language are given all the help they need to learn to master the language in their first years in school. Teachers ensure that they settle quickly into school and they plan a specific programme of learning for each child. Until their mastery of English improves, these pupils are given extra help from classroom assistants and from language specialists who visit the school. Parents are involved in helping their child at home and are invited to attend all meetings where their work is planned. A consequence of these efforts is that pupils make rapid progress and often achieve the levels expected for their age in national tests.
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All pupils have the same opportunities to make progress and get a fair deal from the
14. Teachers also ensure that pupils who start the school other than in the nursery are helped to settle quickly and are set work at the right level. Where there are records from other schools, teachers use these as a starting point for setting work. Where these are not available, teachers quickly make their own assessments through careful observations and skilful questioning and in this way are able to pitch work at the right level.
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Teachers promote pupils’ personal development well and consequently, pupils are
15. Teachers place great emphasis on pupils’ personal development. The warm and friendly relationships they have with pupils start in the nursery. Further up the school, teachers share the aims of lessons with pupils so that they know what they should be learning. A feature of the warm relationship between pupils and adults is the way that teachers are prepared to joke with pupils. Pupils respond to these times in a mature way and are often spurred on to greater effort because of them. For example, pupils in a class in Year 6 laughed when the teacher’s mobile phone rang, with an imaginary message from a local store, which was planned as part of the lesson.
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Teachers promote pupils’ personal development well and consequently, pupils are
16. Teachers also make sure that pupils behave well and do as they are told. They are firm and fair when dealing with pupils who have done wrong and because everyone has the same approach, pupils know exactly what to expect. However, pupils try hard because they like their teachers and enjoy the work that they do in school and not just because they want to Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 13 gain praise or merit. Pupils are aware of the expectations for high standards of behaviour, and have the self-discipline to meet these. Children in the foundation stage know that they must share toys and equipment and generally do so without fuss. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 concentrate on their work and rarely need reminding to get on. The activities provided are often exciting and pupils respond with enthusiasm. For example, pupils in Year 5 could hardly wait to investigate how they could reflect their names using mirrors. They quickly
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Teachers promote pupils’ personal development well and consequently, pupils are
become absorbed in what they are doing and were thrilled when they realised that by using two mirrors the names would appear the right way up.
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Teachers promote pupils’ personal development well and consequently, pupils are
17. Throughout the school, teachers respect pupils’ points of view and listen to what they have to say. Pupils’ comments are valued and sought out in lessons. For example, pupils in Year 1 talked about space food, astronauts and flying to the moon as part of their history topic. The questions that pupils asked of one another showed a good level of maturity and interest in the subject and they enjoyed the lesson. Pupils are also reminded to listen to what others have to say and this has a significant impact on their relationships with other pupils and adults. In all of the school’s day-to-day activities pupils play together amicably and there is no bullying or harassment.
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the strengths of the school and know what needs to be done to continue to raise
18. Since the previous inspection, staff and governors have worked extremely hard to ensure that the monitoring they carry out has a positive effect on improving the quality of teaching and learning. They have succeeded in making what was seen to be a weakness of the school into one of its strengths.
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the strengths of the school and know what needs to be done to continue to raise
19. The headteacher and senior management team have led the way in monitoring the quality of teaching. Together with subject co-ordinators, they have devised clear and rigorous procedures for observing teachers at work. This is done systematically, teachers agree a time and a focus for the observation and they are given a verbal and written report of their performance after the lesson. This is working well and has helped increase the amount of good and very good teaching since the previous inspection. It has also helped teachers have a more relaxed view of being watched by colleagues and other professionals. Careful monitoring by the head teacher, followed up by appropriate help and guidance, has also helped a teacher make the difficult change from teaching in secondary school to teaching in primary school.
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the strengths of the school and know what needs to be done to continue to raise
20. The system is strengthened and becomes more useful by the fact that staff link the procedures with their professional development and training. For example, last year, teachers’ close monitoring of lessons and pupils’ books resulted in them focusing their efforts on raising standards in writing. This paid dividends and the results of National Curriculum tests showed a marked improvement, particularly in Year 2.
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the strengths of the school and know what needs to be done to continue to raise
21. Following criticisms in the previous report, governors have grasped opportunities to improve their performance, through training and a far greater involvement in the school’s work. Today, they are a powerful force for change and are fully aware of what goes on in the school. They understand the need to gain and provide best value for money and do this prudently and systematically. One of the ways they do this is by comparing the school’s results in National Curriculum tests with those of other schools, locally and nationally. In this way they know how well pupils are performing and know what needs to be done to continue to raise standards. Governors also keep a close check on finances and spending is targeted to where it will have the best impact on standards. Recently, a substantial amount of money has been ploughed into furnishing and equipping the computer suite. Although this has not
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the strengths of the school and know what needs to be done to continue to raise
Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 14 been in use for very long, governors are already seeking to determine what effect it has had on raising standards in information and communication technology. Governors are also very much involved in setting targets for the continued development of the school through performance management and the school improvement plan. They have very definite ideas about what needs to be followed up. For example, they are keen to continue to monitor the differences in performance of boys and girls in reading and writing.
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Although extremely detailed, the school improvement plan contains too many targets
22. The school’s plans for future development and improvement are through and detailed. The headteacher ensures that governors, senior managers and staff are all involved in reviews and target setting and as a result everyone is pulling in the same direction and working hard to try and maintain high standards and good teaching. Planning is simple but effective. There is a long-term overview that sets out a shared vision of where the school should be in several years time. Following this, there are targets for the present year, which are reviewed and rewritten each term. This is the aspect of planning that the headteacher agrees is in most need of further reform. The co-ordinators identify the areas that they feel need improving in each subject and produce very detailed plans of how they intend to bring about the necessary changes. In addition, there are targets and equally detailed plans relating to other aspects of the school’s work. All of this adds up to an unrealistic number of
p.14
Although extremely detailed, the school improvement plan contains too many targets
targets when considering how much work staff can undertake successfully in one year. The school’s first priorities are not clear and progress towards important targets is slowed as teachers try to achieve too much.
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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
23. Governors, the headteacher and staff should
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(1) Make the school’s plans for future improvement more manageable by
a. reducing the number of targets to a realistic level b. making sure that the targets relate to the school’s highest priorities. Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 15
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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection
Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 19
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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y 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 more than four 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) 22 216
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Information about the school’s pupils
Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 0 11
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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 1 4
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Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 3 32
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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 2
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Information about the school’s pupils
Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils
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Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 2
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Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 7
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Attendance
School data 4.7 School data 0.1 Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 16 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. Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 17
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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 16 14 17 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 16 17 17
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 91 (93) 89 (86) 97 (93) 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 15 16 18 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls 16 16 17
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2)
Percentage of pupils School 89 (93) 91 (97) 100 (97) 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 13 11 24
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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 10 11 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 10 7 11
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School 83 (84) 75 (90) 100 (94) 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 9 11 13 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls 10 8 11
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 (Year 6)
Percentage of pupils School 79 (84) 79 (90) 100 (94) 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. Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 18
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0
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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 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 492,508
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 8 Total expenditure 493,059
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 158 Expenditure per pupil 2192
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Qualified teachers and support staff: nursery Balance brought forward from previous year 1900
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 1 Balance carried forward to next year 1349
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 22
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 2
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 42.5
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 1.5
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Recruitment of teachers
Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1.5
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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 Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 19 FTE means full-time equivalent. Christ Church Ainsworth CofE Primary - 20
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Questionnaire return rate
Number of questionnaires returned 99 (41.6%)
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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. 68 29 1 1 1
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Percentage of responses in each category
Behaviour in the school is good. 72 28 0 0 0
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Percentage of responses in each category
My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 43 47 8 2 0
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Percentage of responses in each category
I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 70 24 5 1 0
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Percentage of responses in each category
I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 83 15 0 2 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. 87 13 0 0 0
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school works closely with parents. 74 23 2 1 0
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school is well led and managed. 85 15 0 0 0
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 77 23 0 0 0
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 70 18 4 0 8
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