Overstone Primary School

OVERSTONE PRIMARY SCHOOL

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

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OVERSTONE 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. Overstone Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Infant and junior school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Sywell Road Overstone Northampton

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs Betty White

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 9 February 1998 Overstone Primary School - 4

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Team members

17517 Vreta Bagilhole Registered inspector 9708 Sylvia Daintrey Lay inspector

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Team members

The inspection contractor was: Bedford Primary Inspections 2, Grange Lane Cople Bedfordshire MK44 3TT

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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 Overstone Primary School - 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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Overstone Primary School is a rural village school. It draws pupils from the village and also the eastern districts of Northampton. There are 96 pupils on roll with 46 boys and 50 girls. The school is much smaller than other primary schools. The school has four classes for pupils from reception to Year 6. The pupils live in predominantly private housing with a few in rented accommodation. Most of the pupils are from a white UK background with some other ethnic groups represented. Seven pupils speak English as an additional language and the languages spoken are Cantonese and Urdu. Eight pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is average. There are 8 pupils with special educational needs, which is below average, three of whom have a Statement of Special Educational Need. Most children have attended a local playgroup or nursery before starting school and enter the school in the year in

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

which they are 5. The children’s attainment on entry to the school is above average.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a very effective school and it provides a rich curriculum. Leadership and management are very good and so is the teaching. The headteacher is excellent. Standards in English are high and those in mathematics are above average. All pupils benefit from what the school provides. The school gives good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The leadership and management of the school • The curriculum • Teaching and assessment • The partnership with parents • The attitudes of the pupils

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What could be improved

• Standards in science The areas for improvement will form the basis of the governors’ action plan.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in February 1998 and it has made very good improvement since then. Standards are similar to those found at the previous inspection. By the time the pupils leave the school standards are now well above average in English, above average in mathematics and average in science. Very good improvement has been made on the issues identified at the last inspection. Policies and schemes of work have been completed. Assessment systems are very effective, learning resources are now good and the school has improved the quality and quantity of reading books. The outdoor provision for the children in reception is better and improvements are still being made. There is also a new school community hall which has been built and equipped since the previous inspection. The school is in a very good position to improve further. Overstone Primary School - 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 B B A C well above average above average A B mathematics B C B C average below average C D science A C C D well below average E

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Key

Inspection evidence broadly agrees with the picture given by the tests in 2002. Because of the relatively small number in each year group there are some variations in national test results from year to year. However, the trend in improvement in standards, at the end of Year 6, over the last five years has been above the national trend in English and mathematics. Indications from the tests in 2003 and inspection evidence show standards are similar to last year but there are variations due to the number of pupils with special educational needs in Year 6 this year and standards are above average in English and mathematics and average in science. Inspectors found that all pupils do well in English and mathematics and that most pupils do well in science but even more could attain higher standards.

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Key

Standards are high in Years 1 and 2 and the pupils do very well. The tests for pupils aged seven for 2002 show that standards were average in reading and well above average in writing, mathematics and teachers' assessment in science. In comparison to those schools with a similar intake of pupils, standards were below average in reading and well above average in writing and mathematics. Indications from the tests for seven-year-olds in 2003 and inspection evidence show standards are even higher this year in writing and mathematics and reading has significantly improved. Because of the nature of the inspection, it is not possible to make reliable judgements on standards or achievements in other subjects. The children in reception achieve the expected levels for their age and a significant number do better than this.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils say they enjoy school a lot. Activities provided are interesting and challenging and support is always available when needed.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils are very well behaved and polite at all times. Pupils are involved very well in formulating the school rules.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils use their initiative and take responsibility very well.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Good. Attendance is above the national average. Overstone Primary School - 8

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

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

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

The quality of teaching and learning are very good in Years 1-6 and good in the reception class. The skills of literacy and numeracy are taught effectively. Very good or excellent teaching was observed in English, mathematics and science. The school meets the needs of all pupils very well. Teachers have a very good knowledge of the subjects taught and a particularly good feature is the setting of clear targets for the pupils. All pupils have a target book in English and mathematics. There is thorough use of all assessment information, which is continually being focused on where and how it can drive up standards even more. The teaching of pupils with special educational needs is very good and teaching assistants provide very good support. Pupils put a large amount of intellectual effort into their work and show real enjoyment and concentration in what they are doing. They take their work seriously.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. A strong area is the curriculum for the arts. There is a very good range of extra-curricular opportunities The school makes excellent use of the community and there are extremely close links with the local village. Provision for pupils with special educational needs Very good. The school makes sure that all pupils receive very specific support tailored to their individual needs.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. The coordinator keeps up to date with good practice and keeps good records on all pupils. The school receives very good support from the local authority.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. The provision for pupils’ moral and cultural development is excellent, their social development is very good and spiritual development is good.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. Pupils are cared for within a very well organised and very caring school community where there are high expectations and strong staff support. Assessment procedures are particularly good and are very well used to monitor and support pupils’ academic progress.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s partnership with parents is excellent. Overstone Primary School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. All staff involved in the leadership and management of the school are very good. The headteacher provides excellent leadership.

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Aspect Comment

How well the governors fulfil their responsibilities Very good. Governors are supportive and have a very good knowledge and understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Governors have been appropriately involved in shaping the school’s positive direction.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good. Financial planning, control and monitoring are very good. Principles of best value are applied well.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The parents who attended the meeting and answered the questionnaire fully support the school and are very pleased with all aspects of the education provided. No areas of concern

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The team fully agrees with the very positive views of parents. Overstone Primary School - 10

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The leadership and management of the school

1. The headteacher’s leadership of the school is excellent. The main point of note is her thorough knowledge of the curriculum and her awareness of what high standards are. Her leadership has resulted in a much improved school. She has a very clear vision of the school in the future and all staff, governors and parents know what they are working towards. She is rigorously analytical and constantly evaluates all aspects of the school’s performance looking to see how standards and provision can improve further. She involves governors and staff fully in all aspects of school development and actively encourages initiatives that can be seen to be promoting a higher standard of education. The headteacher had been in post for a short time when the previous inspection took place and her strong leadership was acknowledged at that time. Systems had already been put into place, which were having a significant effect on the positive development of the school. Rapid improvement has taken

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The leadership and management of the school

place ever since. The school is ‘open’ for parents and communicates very clearly that ‘We will spend time improving the school for your children’. Parents are enormously satisfied with the provision and support the leadership fully. Administrative staff contribute very well to the efficient management of the school. The school has a deservedly high reputation.

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The leadership and management of the school

2. Very good systems have been established for monitoring the curriculum and using assessment to identify priorities. The monitoring of standards and tracking of pupils’ progress is also very good and rigorous targets are set. The monitoring of teaching and learning in the school is very good and any necessary steps are taken to support teachers in being as effective as possible. There is a regular programme of monitoring in English and mathematics and there is good support from the local authority who have recently monitored science lessons and the reception class. The headteacher and local adviser have monitored together, grading the lesson separately and then subsequently agreeing the grade through discussion.

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The leadership and management of the school

3. The headteacher has also built up a very effective team of staff, each with a management responsibility. Subject co-ordination is very good. The co-ordinators for English, mathematics and science have very good subject knowledge, which is reflected in the standards and the rich variety of work seen around the school. The school development plan is a very good working document, based on the analysis of data and the realistic findings of the needs of the school and targets for improvement. It is compiled and owned by all. Very good action plans exist for all subjects. The school has clearly identified that science standards can be improved and has highlighted that further challenge is needed for more able pupils in Year 6. The co-ordinator for mathematics has produced a clear guidance for teachers covering ‘Stages in Written Calculations’ which contains agreement on methods of calculation to be taught. Parents have been involved and this is now part of school practice.

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The leadership and management of the school

There is very good leadership of the provision for pupils with special educational needs and for those who have English as an additional language.

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The leadership and management of the school

4. The governing body is very well informed and governors are very effective in fulfilling their statutory duties. The governing body know clearly what is happening in the school. They are active in shaping the direction of the school and take a full part in formulating school development. There is a regular visiting programme and meetings with subject co-ordinators and available data is monitored carefully. They have played a major role in achieving the improved accommodation and have recently have been successful in raising the standard number for entry into the school allowing the school to have a separate reception class for the first time. Overstone Primary School - 11

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The curriculum

5. The school offers its pupils, especially those in Years 1 to 6, a rich curriculum which makes a significant contribution to their motivation and standards. The key issue at the last inspection, relating to completing policies and schemes of work so that skills and knowledge are developed progressively across all age groups, has been fully dealt with. The national literacy and numeracy strategies have been implemented very effectively. All subjects, together with the programme for personal, social and health education, are now well planned and structured with clear arrangements for review. Curriculum areas are much better resourced and equipped; for example, a ‘Storysacks’ scheme has been initiated by a classroom assistant and ensures that younger pupils have an improved quality, quantity and range of reading books to take home weekly. Displays in all classes bear witness to the improved range and use of children’s literature to encourage a critical response to different

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The curriculum

6. The curriculum is more balanced now because provision for information and communication technology (ICT) and physical education (PE) has improved significantly since the last inspection. The school has made a considerable investment in purchasing a networked wireless system of 20 laptop computers and this is starting to be used very well to develop pupils’ skills and to support their work in other subjects such as art and music. All age groups have an opportunity to take part in a very popular computer club. An even greater investment has been made, with the tremendous help of the local community, in raising funds for a PE hall which opened successfully three years ago. The PE curriculum is enhanced by a very good range of extra-curricular opportunities - such as dance, netball, football, cricket and basketball - some of which involve visiting specialists and use of community resources. The school won a recent primary schools netball tournament. It has

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The curriculum

made such rapid progress in improving its provision for PE that it has been awarded Sport England’s Activemark Award.

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The curriculum

7. Another strong area of the curriculum is the arts for which the school has achieved an Artsmark Silver award. Drama and role play are important features of school life, not only in day-to-day lessons and assemblies, but also a dramatist in residence has worked with the whole school and the Year 3/4 class take part in the county’s primary schools drama festival. Art is very well promoted as can be seen in the displays of pupils’ work, ranging from observational paintings of blossom in the reception class to use of a variety of media to create pictures in the style of Mondrian and Kandinski in Year 1/2 and paintings and drawings inspired by Picasso in Year 5/6. All classes visited the local bluebell woods for sketching, painting and experiencing the beauty of nature in spring. Dance has been very well promoted by a visit from the African body percussion group ‘Stomp’. As well as experiencing very good

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The curriculum

opportunities in music lessons, such as composing to accompany a silent film, pupils also have the chance to learn to play the clarinet, flute or violin.

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The curriculum

8. The school makes excellent use of the community to enrich its teaching and its provision for pupils’ cultural development. There are extremely close links with the local village. For example, parishioners, including the vicar, lead an assembly fortnightly, linking to the school’s moral and spiritual themes, and the school visits the church for special events such as harvest. Year 5/6 pupils join in concerts sung by The Overstone Singers, a highly regarded local group. A very wide range of visitors come into the school to share their expertise with the pupils: these include poets, artists, musical ensembles, drama groups, an archaeologist and local villagers such as the neighbour who has visited the island in the West Indies being studied by the Year 3/4 class. There have also been visits by people with hearing and visual impairments which give the pupils an insight into different disabilities and how

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The curriculum

people can help, for example by learning sign language. There are e-mail links with schools Overstone Primary School - 12 in the contrasting localities of Nottingham and Milton Keynes. Pupils are very well prepared for living in a multi-cultural society and understanding cultures and faiths from around the world. Year 6 pupils described the recent Caribbean Day – which involved story telling, steel drums and clothes – as ‘cool’.

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Teaching and assessment

9. The quality of teaching and learning are very good in Years 1-6 and good in the reception class. Lessons were observed in English, science, and mathematics in Years 1/2 and 5/6. Teaching was also observed in the reception class and a geography lesson was observed in Years 3/4. An excellent lesson in mathematics in Year 5/6 was seen in the 2 days that the inspectors were in the school. There has been good improvement in teaching since the previous inspection. In response to the key issue that the quality and quantity of reading books throughout the school were not sufficient to provide a range of good quality, classical children's literature, the school has devised a ‘Passport to Literacy Scheme’ which is successfully being used to encourage pupils to read at least one classical book a term. Teachers are implementing this very well with a very good selection of books which the school has purchased. This and other initiatives like the ‘Storysacks’ scheme have had a

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Teaching and assessment

direct positive impact on standards in reading.

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Teaching and assessment

10. There are very good features found in most lessons. Teachers have a very good knowledge of the subjects they teach. They teach the basic skills of literacy and numeracy very well. The planning and organisation of lessons allow pupils in these mixed age classes to work efficiently and ensures that all pupils are fully involved in tasks. Lessons are well structured: opening with a clear introduction and followed by well-managed group or individual tasks. The learning intentions of the lessons are explained clearly to pupils so they know what they are expected to learn and these are assessed well for understanding during or after the lesson. Relationships are very good and the atmosphere in classes is one where pupils show a great interest and enjoyment in their learning. Teachers have high expectations, which is particularly evident in the high quality of presentation in most pupils’ work. Support staff help pupils with special educational needs access the curriculum very

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Teaching and assessment

well and work closely with teachers giving very good support to individuals. Teachers use a variety of teaching methods and look for appropriate links between subjects such as using ICT to construct a net of a cube and entering information on a monster database to accompany their work in art and design. Clear homework tasks are given to pupils.

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Teaching and assessment

11. In communication, language and literacy in reception the teacher challenges the children well to answer questions about books such as ‘The Rainbow Fish’ and to write sentences beginning with a capital letter and ending with a full stop, spelling words that they have attempted on their own or found in a word book. She plans a good range of activities for the children to make progress in all other areas of learning. The children are encouraged to make their own decisions. For example, when playing in the sand, a boy makes a flag for his sandcastle using glue and paper and then decides it is not good enough and makes a better one. She has established a supportive relationship with all the children and has helped them develop their confidence and a very positive attitude to school.

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Teaching and assessment

12. In English, teachers use questioning very well to extend pupils’ thinking and language. They make very good use of resources such as a smartboard. In a Year 5/6 lesson a CD- Rom was used to challenge the pupils to think about the language involved in conveying a persuasive argument. Pupils found words such as ‘nevertheless’ and ‘furthermore’ in pieces of text about whether animal acts should be banned in a circus. In a Year 1/2 lesson the teacher used word games well to motivate the pupils. There was very good use of discussion of a school trip to inspire pupils to write a booklet, paying good attention to the layout and illustration of their work. The teacher challenged pupils very well to talk about their Overstone Primary School - 13 favourite author and to explain why they like his or her book. Pupils of all abilities were fully absorbed in independent or group activities. There has been very good improvement since

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Teaching and assessment

13. Teachers’ good subject knowledge in mathematics enables them to teach numeracy skills very effectively. They provide opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical knowledge in a variety of relevant contexts. In an excellent lesson in Years 5 and 6 the teacher gave the pupils a range of number sequences to work out and asked them to identify the rule and see if they can establish a formula. She challenged the more able pupils to talk about famous mathematicians who have developed number sequences. Work was carefully planned to ensure that all pupils received appropriately challenging work and very good support was given to pupils with special educational needs. There is effective use of ICT, which is used to extend the more able pupils. In a Year 1/2 lesson pupils were given patterns of numbers containing high numbers to describe and extend. She expected the most of her pupils and gives time targets such as ‘You have one more minute. I am going to see how

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Teaching and assessment

many you can do’. Lessons end with a useful discussion of what has been learned and pupils are required to describe how they have completed the tasks.

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Teaching and assessment

14. In science, teachers promote investigational skills effectively and pupils are good at planning their own investigations. Very good attention is paid to safety issues. Pupils are keen to discuss their work with the teacher. Although all pupils make good progress in their work some more attention needs to be given to the more able pupils in Years 5 and 6 to ensure that tasks are always sufficiently challenging for them. In a very good lesson in Years 1 and 2 the teacher challenged the pupils very well to find out which materials will be suitable to make a boat for a race. Through very good planning, discussion with the pupils and the introduction of words such as ‘sink’ the pupils understood the benefit of making predictions first and then testing their theory and recording their information on a chart. With very good support from a teaching assistant the more able pupils decided not to use the chart given out

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Teaching and assessment

but to come up with their own form of recording using diagrams and labels.

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Teaching and assessment

15. The staff have built up very effective systems for assessing the pupils’ attainment and progress and they use the information very well to guide curricular planning and the setting of targets. All pupils have their own target books in English and mathematics which are regularly and carefully completed. Targets are set for the pupils by evaluating their work in lessons against the objectives which have been set. The school has devised its own method for recording these which is very effective and uses a grid system showing pupils’ achievements in certain lessons during the week. Pupils’ progress is also tracked systematically from Year 1 to Year 6. Pupils are assessed three times a year using a mixture of standardised and optional tests and the results of these assessments are used effectively to plot pupils’ progress against National Curriculum levels. There are very well kept portfolios with samples of pupils’ writing and work in mathematics and science, which

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Teaching and assessment

are very well annotated and marked by the teachers. Annual targets are set for each year group. As a result of the present system the school has reviewed and raised its targets.

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Teaching and assessment

16. Parents have exceptionally positive views about the school. A huge majority of them strongly agree that virtually all areas of the school’s work are of the highest order. Comments written on the backs of the inspection questionnaires include:

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Teaching and assessment

§ ‘This is a delightful school that has surpassed my expectations’ § ‘We were made to feel extremely welcome as a new family in the area’ § ‘Staff are friendly and approachable and always professional – they are always looking for ways to improve the school’ Overstone Primary School - 14 § ‘We are proud and privileged that we are part of this lovely little school’.

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Teaching and assessment

17. The school’s own questionnaires confirm that parents are enormously satisfied with the provision, and that their satisfaction has been growing over the past two years. Needless to say, the school is heavily over-subscribed.

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Teaching and assessment

18. The school’s excellent partnership with the parents of its pupils stems from its fundamental belief, embodied in its mission statement and aims, that the school is a community in which everyone – staff, children, parents, governors and villagers – works as a team to ‘encourage, enjoy and excel together’. This team, under the dynamic yet self- effacing leadership of the headteacher, has achieved two very notable successes during the last few years. The first was the raising of £130,000 for a school/community hall which has significantly enhanced the provision for the school as well as for the village. The second is the campaign to increase the standard admission number for entry to the school from ten to fifteen so that four rather than three permanent classes can be established. Parents see that the headteacher and staff are committed to the school with a very genuine desire to do the very best they can for the pupils. In return, the parents give the school a magnificent level of

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Teaching and assessment

support, both financially and educationally.

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Teaching and assessment

19. An extremely active Friends Association raises large sums of money each year and organises events which also enhance the social life of the children and the village. For example, it runs the traditional ‘Rose Day’ event in the village, combining it with the school fete, where a Year 6 boy and girl are made king and queen for the day. Money raised goes towards buying equipment for the hall, such as staging, and subsidising swimming and trips. Another important way of raising money is through the coffee afternoons run half termly by the school secretary and parent volunteers which are attended by children, parents and villagers. Parents help in the school with reading, displays and providing snacks, including serving breakfast during last year’s World Cup football matches. A parent governor has generously donated his time and expertise to setting up the new computer system and running the computer club so that pupils can become familiar with the uses of ICT in the

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Teaching and assessment

20. Parents are very pleased with the information they receive on school life in general and their children’s work and progress in particular. They are given frequent letters and newsletters which are supplemented by the information on the noticeboards. They are informed and approached whenever there are any concerns or when their child has achieved well, so there are no surprises at parents’ evenings. There is easy access to the headteacher and staff at the end of the school day. Parents value the information in the reading record books, target books, homework books and curriculum evenings which give them a clear idea of what their children are doing so that they can help at home.

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The attitudes of the pupils

21. Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development are very good and are very well promoted by the school. Parents confirm that their children like coming to school and this is reflected in the pupils’ attendance rates which have been rising steadily since the last inspection, and are now well above the national average. In response to the school’s own questionnaire, over three-quarters of pupils say they enjoy school a lot and give very positive responses to most aspects of school life. They particularly value the friendly atmosphere in the school and the help they receive from their teachers.

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The attitudes of the pupils

22. Attitudes were very good in the lessons seen during the inspection. Pupils respond very well because the activities provided are interesting and challenging and support is always available when needed. In a Year 5/6 mathematics lesson, all pupils, whatever their Overstone Primary School - 15 age or ability, were fully involved because the teacher treated them as mature mathematicians and set them demanding tasks which fully stretched them. In a Year 3/4 geography lesson, all pupils listened carefully to a visitor telling them about his trip to St Lucia and asked a series of sensible questions about his experiences. In a Year 1/2 English lesson, all pupils were highly motivated because they were writing a booklet about a trip they had made in the previous week to Wicksteed Park. In the reception class, children are interested and curious in everything around them, so that by the end of the day one child said

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The attitudes of the pupils

‘My body’s all worn out!’ Pupils work very productively on their own, in pairs and in small groups. They are keen to discuss their ideas with the teacher and with each other. They find the literacy and numeracy targets useful in keeping their brains ‘up-dated’, as one Year 6 pupil said.

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The attitudes of the pupils

23. Behaviour and relationships are very good because the school has successfully created an ethos where everyone is valued as an individual and cares for each other. The pupils have been involved in formulating the ten ‘Golden Rules’ for the school and they hold in high esteem the system of rewarding and celebrating achievement. Parents strongly appreciate the good discipline in the school. There have been no exclusions since the present headteacher has been in post, and no incidents of bullying or harassment.

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The attitudes of the pupils

24. The personal development of the pupils is very good. As they move through the school from the reception class, they develop high qualities of taking responsibility and showing respect for others, and they acquire a very good understanding of issues in their school, community and the wider world. They are given more opportunities than at the last inspection to help around the school and to take initiative. Their views are listened to, for example through the annual pupil questionnaire and through their contribution of ideas, in personal, social and health education lessons, towards improving the school grounds. They are encouraged to raise money for various causes by running ‘bring and buy’ sales and coffee mornings for local, national and international charities. For example, shortly before the inspection, Year 5 pupils raised £150 in aid of a local charity for people with physical and mental disabilities, and were invited to present the money to the organisation. Pupils’ moral

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The attitudes of the pupils

development is exceptionally well promoted in lessons and assemblies. For example, in English, Year 5/6 pupils looked at persuasive writing about whether animal acts in a circus should be banned and, in geography, Year 3/4 pupils debated whether to allow more hotel- building on a Caribbean island. The headteacher uses her dramatic skills very effectively in assemblies to involve pupils in thinking about fundamental matters. By the time they leave the school, Year 6 pupils are very confident and mature as they face the challenge of moving on to secondary school.

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Standards in science

25. Standards are average by the end of Year 6. All pupils achieve satisfactorily but the number of pupils attaining above average standards needs to be higher if standards overall are to rise. The school has recognised this and it has been actioned for next year. Inspection evidence found that pupils in Year 6 are making good progress in science. The curriculum is well planned and all attainment targets are covered well. Inspectors observed a good lesson on micro-organisms where pupils made good progress in their learning. There was good discussion and attention to health and safety aspects. Pupils were preparing a plan for an investigation on how bread goes mouldy and considering what factors they would change or keep. They produce a good amount of work in the time. However, many pupils found this task very manageable and could have been challenged more.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

Overstone Primary School - 16 26. The school should

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

1) raise standards in science by making sure that challenging tasks are planned for the more able pupils in Years 3-6 and use the school’s very good assessment systems to evaluate their progress. Overstone Primary School - 17

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 13

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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 12 percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll (FTE for part-time pupils) 96

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with statements of special educational needs 3

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register 8

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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 7

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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 5

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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Attendance

School data 4.8 School data 0 Overstone Primary School - 18 National comparative data 5.4 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. Overstone Primary School - 19

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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 2002 8 4 12

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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 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

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

Percentage of pupils School 92 (87) 100 (87) 100 (93) at NC level 2 or above National 84 (84) 86 (86) 90 (91)

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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 Numbers of pupils at NC level 2 and above Girls

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

Percentage of pupils School 100 (87) 100 (93) 100 (100) at NC level 2 or above National 85 (85) 89 (89) 89 (89)

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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 2002 7 8 15

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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 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

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

Percentage of pupils School 87 (92) 87 (92) 100 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 75 (75) 73 (71) 86 (87)

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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 Numbers of pupils at NC level 4 and above Girls

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

Percentage of pupils School 73 (69) 80 (92) 93 (100) at NC level 4 or above National 73 (72) 74 (74) 82 (82)

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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.

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

* Data for boys and girls has been excluded because the number of boys and girls in the year group is less than ten. Overstone Primary School - 20

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 2 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 4 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 3 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 1 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 4.7 Financial year 2002/03

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 21

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total income 308712

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 6 Total expenditure 303016

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 99 Expenditure per pupil 3124

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance brought forward from previous year 13100

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 18796

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Overstone Primary School - 21

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2.6

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2.7

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Overstone Primary School - 22

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 94 6 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 92 8 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. 64 36 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 84 16 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 88 12 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 86 14 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 86 14 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 86 14 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 90 10 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 76 24 0 0 0

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