Ribchester St Wilfrid's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

RIBCHESTER ST WILFRID’S CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 2 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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RIBCHESTER ST WILFRID’S CE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Voluntary Aided Age range of pupils: 4 to 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 96

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Church Street Ribchester Preston Lancashire Postcode: PR3 3XP

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 01254 878300 Fax number: 01254 878300

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing Body Name of chair of governors: Mr T Rainford

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Ribchester St Wilfrid’s is a small Church of England aided village school with 96 pupils serving a rural community in the Ribble valley close to Preston in Lancashire.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school gained certificates towards gaining the Healthy School Award and was awarded a Schools Achievement Award for improvements in national test results in 2003.The number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below the national average and the vast majority of pupils are from a white British ethnic background. The others are Black Caribbean and Black British pupils. Ten pupils have special educational needs, one of which is at the School Action Plus stage of provision and three have statements of special educational needs. This is below the national average. Attainment on entry to the school is above average. Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

3639 Clive Davies Lead inspector Foundation Stage, English, information and communication technology (ICT), art and design, design and technology, music, physical education 9649 Jean Smith Lay inspector 32507 Chris Quigley Team inspector Mathematics, science, geography, history 32436 Margaret Beesley Team inspector

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Focus Education (UK) Ltd 113-115 High Street Uppermill Oldham

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.oftsed.gov.uk). Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 26

Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 6

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

This is a good school . The standards pupils attain in the basic skills are high and they are keen to learn. Good teaching helps pupils to achieve well and the very good leadership by the governors and the good leadership from the headteacher is giving pupils a good quality of education. The school gives good value for money.

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • The vast majority of pupils who are most able use descriptive and imaginative language extremely effectively in their creative writing. • Pupils relish the challenge of solving mathematical problems and have many good opportunities to do so. • The school has a special place within village life and this is helping pupils to develop as valued members of the community. • Pupils behave very well and they have very good attitudes to learning. • Governors lead the school very well and work in good partnership with the headteacher, whose leadership is good. • Work in areas beyond the basic skills is not yet sufficiently developed. • Target setting and the marking of pupils’ work needs further development to support pupils’ learning. • Parents are highly involved in school fundraising and this contributes well to the resources offered to pupils. However, a significant minority of parents have a perception that the school

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT

The school has, made sound improvements since its last inspection in July 1998. It has successfully addressed falling standards in the basic skills.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003 English A A A* A mathematics A A* A A science C B A C Key: A - well above average; B – above average; C – average; D – below average; E – well below average Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2. Despite the small number of pupils who take the national tests, standards are consistently high.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Achievement is good for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who are most able. Most children start in the reception with good academic and personal skills. Good achievement in the reception class ensures that many exceed the expected goals in each of the six areas of learning by the end of their first year at school. In the national tests for Year 2, pupils attain well above the national average for reading, writing and mathematics. In Year 6, pupils attain well above the national average in mathematics and science and in English, results put the school in the top 5 per cent of schools nationally. Standards in the basic skills of English and mathematics are very much higher than in other subjects, where standards match the national expectation. However, standards in art and design are unsatisfactory. There is good use of pupils’ literacy skills in other subjects, such as, science, history and geography. However, the use and application of pupils’

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

numeracy and ICT skills are not as prominent in other subjects.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good in all year groups. Personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The school council is very effective with pupils making some very good suggestions about improving playtimes and general Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 7 school routines. The school promotes pupils’ spirituality well but more could be done to help pupils know about living in a multi-cultural society.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The overall quality of education is good. Teachers encourage pupils to work in a variety of ways and this helps all pupils to achieve well. Further work in developing the depth of study is required to raise achievement in areas beyond the basic skills. The parts of the curriculum that enrich pupils’ experiences, such as sport, visits and special events are good. The quality of teaching and learning is good. In the majority of lessons, teaching is good and this is helping pupils to learn the basic skills well. Pupils apply and develop their very good literacy skills in most areas of learning but the use and promotion of numeracy and ICT skills in other subjects need further development. Teachers have high expectations for pupils and use good methods to encourage and engage them. Because of this, pupils apply themselves well and are productive in lessons. Target setting in lessons and the marking of pupils work also needs attention so that pupils understand how they can

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

improve their work. The school has very good links with the community and plays a very special part in the life of the village. This is helping pupils to become responsible, valued members of the community. Good systems to check on the health and safety of pupils means that the care of pupils is good.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good. Governors provide very good leadership. They support and challenge the school and have very effective systems to monitor its performance. The headteacher provides good leadership. She is committed to the high achievement of pupils and communicates this to all staff well. The headteacher has introduced good management systems to ensure that there is greater continuity in pupils’ learning. This has helped to raise standards significantly over the last few years. Subject leadership workload is inevitably high in a small school with relatively few teachers. More consideration needs to be given to help teachers manage this workload and to put greater emphasis on the achievement of pupils in subjects other than English and mathematics.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents have mostly positive views of the school. A group of committed parents raise a substantial amount of money for the school. This is helping to provide pupils with good, enhanced resources. A significant minority of parents feel that communication is not effective because they find it difficult to approach the school. Pupils are happy at school and have positive views.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Increase the depth of study in subjects other than English and mathematics. • Improve the quality of marking and target setting. • Review the roles of subject leaders so that their workload is reduced and they can focus more directly on standards and the achievement of pupils. • Address the perception that some parents find the school difficult to approach. Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning and subjects

Standards are high in English and mathematics with pupils of all abilities achieving well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are high, especially in reading, writing and mathematics. • Pupils of all abilities achieve well. • Pupils make good use of their speaking and listening skills in most lessons. • More able pupils’ writing is very descriptive and creative. • Pupils use their numeracy skill well to solve mathematical problems. • Pupils with special educational needs make good progress and many attain the levels expected for their age by the time they leave the school. • Standards in other subjects are not as high as they are for English and mathematics.

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Commentary

1 According to the National Curriculum test results pupils’ attainment in Year 2 and Year 6 has been well above average in reading, writing and mathematics for the past two years. In 2003 the mathematics results for Year 2 pupils and the English results for Year 6 pupils were in the top 5 per cent nationally. The present Year 2 and Year 6 are maintaining high standards in these subjects. In 2003, three-quarters of Year 2 pupils attained the higher level (Level 3) in mathematics and half the group did so for reading. In 2003, all Year 6 pupils attained at least the expected level for their age (Level 4) in English, mathematics and science. Approximately half of these pupils went on to attain the higher level (Level 5) in each of the three subjects. The tables below show the strong position with the school’s results being approximately two points ahead of the national average in most areas. This is equivalent to being two terms in

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2003

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Standards in: School results National results Reading 17.7 (17.9) 15.8 (15.7)

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Commentary

There were 17 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003

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Standards in: School results National results English 29.5 (30.0) 27.0 (26.8) mathematics 29.2 (29.4) 26.8 (26.8) science 29.3 (30.0) 28.5 (28.6) There were 10 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 9 2 Pupils achieve well. When taking account of the attainment of children when they first start in the reception class and their attainment in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6, they make good progress. More able pupils are being challenged in literacy and numeracy and, to a lesser extent, in science. The quality and standard of pupils’ writing, reading and number work benefit greatly from this. Gifted and talented pupils are being recognised and there are opportunities for some pupils to work with other pupils from different schools to challenge their mathematical thinking. Pupils make good use of their reading for the purpose

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of research. More able pupils are consistently reaching the higher levels in national tests for both Year 2 and 6 in English and mathematics. Less able pupils, including those with special educational needs, also make good progress with most attaining the level expected for their age by the time they finish school. There is good quality support provided for these pupils and they occasionally work in small groups or on a one-to-one basis with a teaching assistant.

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Commentary

3 The vast majority of pupils are very confident when answering questions in lessons. Their descriptions are full and they use a good range of vocabulary when working with others in a group situation. During lessons, pupils are quick to put up their hands to answer questions indicating that they are very confident. They do this even when they are not certain of the answer. Good listening skills accompany the good oral responses, with pupils thinking carefully about what they have listened to before offering responses. When speaking with unfamiliar adults, such as inspectors, pupils are quick to offer ideas and feel at ease in unfamiliar situations.

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4 Pupils make good use of their wide descriptive language when writing. Extracts of writing from more able pupils are stunning and reveal a depth of maturity normally associated with much older pupils. For example, one Year 2 pupil draws in the reader by the way she sets the scene for her story, ‘Somebody lived in the cottage, but not just any old person, it was a …giant.’ The same year group use asides very well to help create a sense of mystery, for example, ‘By the way, her name was Zelda’. By the time they are in Year 6 more able pupils have developed their creative thinking still further and are particularly effective in producing openings to stories that has the reader enthralled from the beginning, for example, ‘Trapped, completely and utterly trapped! This is all your fault, you brought us here.’ There is also clever use of timeshifts to help fill in parts of the story that require further explanation. These

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Year 6 pupils have a very good ability to set a problem, think about a solution and then confidently thrill the reader by the use of exciting descriptive language aimed at creating an impact.

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5 Pupils are very quick to respond to mental and oral number problems that are presented to them. They know of a range of strategies to use for different purposes and are proud of their ability to react quickly and accurately to oral problems that are set for them. This has helped pupils to feel very confident when dealing with mathematical problems that have more than two steps. Year 6 pupils are very quick to use their good number knowledge for this purpose and are very confident of their number bonds, times tables and how to use calculators to check and estimate answers.

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6 Almost all pupils, including those with special educational needs, attain the expected level for their age in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. This demonstrates how well pupils who find learning difficult achieve and how well they are supported. The vast majority of pupils leave school having acquired good reading, writing and numerical skills. Pupils who have difficulties are identified early and good intervention strategies are used to help them improve. The school has good procedures to ensure that this is happening and there is very good liaison with parents, keeping them well informed and up-to-date with what is happening.

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Commentary

7 Although pupils’ standards in English and mathematics are very good, this is not the case for all subjects. There is a large proportion of teaching time devoted to English and mathematics related activities and this is sometimes at the expense of time for other subjects. The school Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 10 has recognised the issue and has already started to think about increasing cross-curricular opportunities. At present, there is good use of pupils’ literacy in other subjects but when it comes to developing specific skills, such as drawing skills in art and design, there is not enough time available to enable pupils to make the most of their capabilities.

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Commentary

8 There are no significant differences between boys’ and girls’ attainment. Achievement is high for all pupils but standards are slightly higher in Year 6 than they are in Year 2. This is largely due to the good provision for the most able pupils in Year 6, who achieve particularly well.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes to work are very good as is their behaviour. They readily take on additional responsibilities

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The behaviour of pupils is very good. • Pupils show very good attitudes to work and they find it easy to talk to adults about any aspect of schoolwork. • The school is strong in spirituality although it can do more to help pupils have an understanding about living in a multi-cultural society. • The attendance levels in school are very good and pupils arrive on time at the start of the day.

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9 The pupils’ behaviour is very good in all lessons and this is helping them to learn more effectively. Little or no time is lost to dealing with disruptive patterns of behaviour and therefore teachers are able to concentrate on helping pupils learn. During lunchtimes, pupils sit in groups of about eight and conduct themselves very well. The setting is helping to promote pupils’ social development and there is a purposeful and pleasant atmosphere created at this time. Pupils work hard in lessons and there is an expectation that they are productive. Pupils have a strong sense of pride in their efforts and in the way they present work. Standards of presentation are good. Pupils have good levels of concentration and listen attentively in class. This is the case even when there is noise from outside the classroom. They also persevere with difficult tasks; this was especially the case in Years 5 and 6 when pupils were working on complex mathematical problems. Pupils feel at ease

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when speaking to adults, even those they are not familiar with. They engage adults in conversation in formal and informal situations, especially at lunchtimes. There have been no exclusions in the recent past.

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10 There is a strong commitment to this being a church school. Assemblies and acts of collective worship have a strong spiritual influence. There is sense of awe and wonder created as pupils consider the beauty of their environment during this special time. During lessons there is also time spent on engaging pupils in time for reflection as they are sometimes surprised by outcomes in the book that is being read to them or they consider how things have grown. However, there is less attention given to pupils’ place in a multi- cultural society. There is good attention to how people live in different parts of the world and how different people pray and worship. However, the link between this and the multi-cultural nature of the country and locality that they live in is not as well covered.

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Commentary

11 Attendance is well above average and pupils are very punctual. Parents take their children’s attendance at school very seriously and pupils aim for full attendance on a term-by-term basis. Pupils arrive at school in good time to start the school day. Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 11 Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (97.3%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 2.7 School data 0.0 National data 5.4 National data 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided by the school is good. Teachers encourage pupils to work in a variety of ways and this helps all of them to achieve well. Further work in developing the depth of study beyond the basic skills is required to raise achievement in areas beyond the basic skills. The parts of the curriculum that enrich pupils’ experiences, such as sport, visits and special events are good.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is good. The use of progress information about pupils is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• In the majority of lessons, teaching is good because of a strong emphasis on the basic skills of literacy. • Pupils apply and develop their very good literacy skills in most areas of learning but the development of numeracy and ICT skills need to be developed. • Teachers have high expectations for pupils and use good methods to encourage and engage them. Because of this, pupils apply themselves well and are productive in lessons. • Teachers encourage pupils to work in a variety of ways and this helps all pupils to achieve well. • Target setting in lessons and the marking of pupils’ work also needs attention so that pupils understand how they can improve their work.

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Commentary

12 A good emphasis on developing literacy skills in all subjects helps pupils to achieve highly in this area. For example, in a science lesson in Year 6, the teacher effectively encouraged pupils to describe their observations of burning materials using precise language. One pupil responded to paper burning by saying, ‘The flames grew larger and it gave off a gas.’ Similarly, in most lessons, teachers develop pupils’ writing skills well by providing good opportunities to develop a range of styles. This is evident in pupils’ books for history and geography. However, teaching does not sufficiently develop the skills of numeracy and ICT in other subjects.

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Commentary

13 In all lessons, teachers have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. As a result, they behave very well. However, very good behaviour is also due to the good teaching methods teachers use to engage and encourage pupils. For example, in the best lessons teachers use ‘talk partners’ to make sure all pupils get the chance to share their ideas. In lessons that are satisfactory, teachers tend to ask general questions of the class and only the few who put up their hand to answer get to share their ideas. The involvement of pupils was high in a good Year 5/6 English lesson because of the good match of activities to their differing learning needs. Teachers challenge pupils well in the best lessons and this leads to high achievement. In the lessons where achievement is at its highest, the teaching methods help pupils to learn new skills well. Pupils are productive and put in a great deal of effort to their

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Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 12 work. For example, in a Year 1/ 2 mathematics lesson, the teacher gave pupils challenging work on using bar graphs to find out information and they quickly became engrossed in their work, discussing the answers with each other well.

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Commentary

14 In almost all lessons, teachers make activities varied and interesting for pupils. In the best lessons, teachers encourage pupils to work together at points during the lesson so that they can develop their thoughts and ideas well. They also find good opportunities for pupils to work by themselves so they can apply their writing skills well. This leads to high response levels from all pupils and helps them to achieve well. In less effective lessons, there is too much teacher talk and questioning is restricted to a specific answer that requires little thinking. In these lessons, responses from pupils are limited.

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Commentary

15 Lesson plans devised by teachers do not sufficiently focus on the National Curriculum levels pupils are working at. There is also too little emphasis on the use of learning targets. Because of this, pupils do not always know what they should be working on to improve. The marking of pupils’ work and the information about thier past achievements to plan work is not sufficiently rigorous. This makes it difficult for teachers to know how to get the best out of pupils, and for pupils to know what they do well and how they can improve.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 15 lessons

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Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

0 0 9 6 0 0 0 The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen. The majority of teaching in lessons was good. All teaching was never less than satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The involvement in the group of small schools in the area that work together enhances the curriculum. • There is a broad range of extra-curricular activities. • The accommodation and range of resources are good. • The provision for pupils with special educational needs is good. • The most able pupils are challenged well. • The consistency and depth of study in non-core subjects is unsatisfactory. • There is a need to develop pupils’ numeracy and ICT skills across the curriculum.

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Commentary

16 The school provides a satisfactory range of learning opportunities for pupils, with particular strengths in the provision for literacy and numeracy. The school has successfully implemented the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and there is good use of pupils’ literacy skills across the curriculum. Teaching in mixed-age classes is good because of the good use of local authority plans. The school’s involvement in the local small schools and Longridge clusters enhances the curriculum through joint ventures and the sharing of good practice. Sporting activities between the schools in the cluster, including rounders, football, netball and swimming, are a great success. Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 13 17 The school provides a good range of opportunities for enrichment through extra-curricular activities and support for learning outside the school day. Activities include French and

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Commentary

Spanish clubs, fencing and chess. The school’s participation in sport and the arts is good. There is a greatly enjoyed annual residential visit to Tower Wood in Cumbria for all pupils in Years 5 and 6.

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Commentary

18 The quality of accommodation is very good. All staff work very hard to maintain and enhance the very attractive working environment. The outdoor play area for reception-aged children is particularly good as is the space available in the classrooms. All staff are currently working in partnership with the local community to acquire funding for a proposed recreation centre. The school’s resources to meet the needs of the curriculum are very good. For example, each member of staff has access to a laptop computer.

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Commentary

19 The school provides well for pupils who have special educational needs. The co-ordinator is enthusiastic and knowledgeable having attended a range of training courses appropriate to the challenges of her role. All pupils make good progress with work matched to their abilities and support staff work very effectively to meet their needs. The early identification of individual needs means that good strategies are in place to monitor achievement. The co- ordinator works well with other members of staff giving advice and support when appropriate. Regular reviews of pupils’ individual education plans mean that parents are well informed about their child’s progress.

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Commentary

20 The majority of more able pupils make good use of their skills and excel at investigative work in numeracy, relishing the challenge of solving mathematical problems. In literacy, the descriptive language of the most able is of a very high standard. Achievement in subjects other than English, mathematics and science is not as high as it could be. This is because planning for these subjects lacks depth and makes insufficient use of numeracy and ICT skills.

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Care, guidance and support

Pupils are well cared for and good attention is paid to their welfare, health and safety. They receive satisfactory support and guidance, and the school council provides a good forum for involving them in the work of the school and the school council is a committed group that has a strong say about school routines.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are good procedures to ensure that pupils work in a healthy and safe environment. • There is good involvement of pupils in the work of the school through the school council.

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Commentary

21 The school continues to care well for its pupils. The good relationships, which exist between adults and pupils, make pupils feel safe and valued. The school has good procedures to ensure pupils’ welfare and safety and for child protection. Governors assist the school very effectively in matters relating to issues of health and safety such as risk assessments. A governor has recently helped the school to complete a good audit of disabled access. Parents are pleased with the good care that the school takes of their children and the way in which the school helps their children settle happily when they join the school.

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Commentary

22 The school consults pupils well through the school council. In conversation, council members said that they feel that the school listens to them, takes account of their views and also discusses and explains the reasons for school decisions. The council provides very good opportunities for pupils to take on responsibility and exercise initiative. Council members are responsible for the fruit stall they run at break and they produce a school Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 14 newspaper. The first issue contains some well-written interviews with some of the youngest pupils in the school.

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Commentary

23 The school council has representatives from different classes helping to make important decisions about all aspects of school life. This is a powerful body with forthright views. They feel comfortable about talking about different aspects of the school’s work and have already affected changes to, for example, lunchtime and playtime arrangements. The pupils who are members of the council feed back their views and deliberations to the rest of the class. There is a suggestions box with items looked at and considered very seriously at meetings. The school council gives pupils a strong sense of ‘ownership’ over day-to-day matters and they have already looked at issues associated with bullying, selling fruit at break times and the types of games that are acceptable on the playground.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has a good partnership with parents. Very good links with the community and other schools extend pupils’ experiences well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents’ support for their children’s learning and in ensuring good attendance has a positive impact on the pupils’ achievement. • Parents and other members of the community provide very good support for the school through the Parent, Teacher and Friends Association (PTFA) and by helping in classes. • The school regularly consults with parents and keeps them well informed but there are inconsistencies in the quality of communication. • The school is welcoming to parents but a significant minority of parents consider that not all teachers are equally approachable.

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Commentary

24 Parents are proud of their school and appreciate the way in which teachers help their children to make good progress, both academically and socially. Parents are very interested in their children’s education: they ensure their children attend regularly and provide good support for reading and homework. Four parents and community members provide valuable and regular help in the classrooms. There is a very active and successful PTFA, which holds popular social and fund-raising events. They have raised generous sums of money for the school, providing a variety of resources as well as to help subsidise school trips.

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Commentary

25 The school keeps parents well informed about school events through friendly newsletters. Regular information sheets on the curriculum keep parents informed about what their children are studying each term. Although the majority of parents feel that they are well informed about their children’s progress, about a quarter disagree. The school provides two consultation evenings each year, which is a similar pattern to that in most primary schools. Annual reports on pupils’ progress are satisfactory. One concern is that about a quarter of parents do not feel comfortable approaching the school with problems or complaints. The headteacher is very open and welcoming and most parents have no hesitation in speaking to her. Teachers are regularly out in the playground before and after school, which provides an opportunity for parents to talk to them. However there is a perception amongst some parents that they cannot approach all teachers with equal ease. This inconsistency means that some

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parents do not feel able to approach their child’s teacher if they have concerns.

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26 The majority of parents agree that the school consults well with them but about a quarter of parents consider this is not the case and that the school does not take account of their suggestions and concerns. The school invites parents to a “meet the head” forum once a term. This is a very useful means of two-way dialogue, even though only about twelve Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 15 parents come to most meetings. The school has responded to several of parents’ suggestions. For example, because of parents’ requests, parent consultation meetings are now longer.

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Commentary

27 At the parents’ meeting and through the questionnaires many parents expressed concerns about a variety of matters, including homework and home reading records. This points to inconsistencies in communication and the need for the school to explore these concerns. For example, some parents do not think that the home reading record is helpful and would like guidance that is more specific so that they can help their children.

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Commentary

28 The school has many good links with the community, which enrich pupils’ experience. These include close links with the local church, the Ribchester music festival and visits from professional artists and other members of the community. Participation in the Preston music festival is an important musical experience for pupils and enables them to meet pupils from urban schools. The school’s good links with the clusters of schools to which it belongs also provide broadening experiences for pupils. For example, during the multi-cultural week held last year, Year 6 pupils participated in a Fair Trade game with pupils from other schools.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The governors are very effective and support the school’s work well. • The headteacher has successfully helped the staff to focus on raising achievement. • There is good tracking of pupils’ progress but this information is not always used to plan lessons. • Good systems check the quality of teaching and learning • Governors make good use of ‘best value’ statements to help them determine that the school is giving good value for money.

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Commentary

29 The governors are a very dedicated and experienced group who see the school as central to this thriving village community. Many have been associated with the school for many years and there is a strong sense of community spirit generated through the governing body. Apart from their supportive role, the governors also appropriately challenge the school’s leadership. They are fully aware of national and local expectations and have a firm view that pupils should be achieving well. They fully appreciate the difference between attainment and achievement and are therefore alert to the progress being made by pupils of different abilities. They are a very efficient group who conduct meetings in a very business-like way and give careful consideration to the potential outcomes of their decisions. They know the school’s strengths and weaknesses well and have already been involved in discussions about improving

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Commentary

standards in science as well as looking at the way pupils’ basic skills are impacting on other subjects across the curriculum.

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Commentary

30 The headteacher exerts effective leadership and gives staff a strong direction when it comes to maximising pupils’ potential. As a relative new headteacher she has managed the integration of new and established staff well. This is after a long period when there was no permanent headteacher at the school. The headteacher has helped to establish a strong sense of teamwork. This has been created as a result of all staff being very dedicated to ensuring that all pupils achieve to their full potential. The school’s ethos is predominated by all staff knowing each pupil well, especially their academic potential. The headteacher is dedicated to seeing the school at the heart of the community and is therefore determined that the school is fully involved in community affairs, such as art weeks and music weeks. The Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 16 headteacher has managed change well. One example of this has been the implementation

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Commentary

of the Foundation Stage of learning. Because of the relatively small number of pupils, each child gets a good level of adult support. This has had the impact of ensuring that children, from a young age, make good progress.

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Commentary

31 Although he senior management team make sound use of the available data to help set targets for pupils, this is not consistently established in the school. The school works closely with local education authority in helping to set realistic targets for the future and this close working relationship is also extended to monitoring teaching and learning. All staff are provided with regular information about their performance and targets are set for them. There is a good link between the monitoring activities and the establishment of the school improvement plan. Good quality self-evaluation has resulted in the school accurately identifying the broadening the curriculum as a major target for improvement.

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Commentary

32 Within a small school the burden of subject leadership is great with most staff carrying at least two major subject responsibilities. The staff are very conscientious and have worked hard at keeping abreast of all new national and local initiatives. However, there is a need to give consideration to making the roles more efficient and take into account staff workload The senior management team has already given some consideration to this issue and it needs to continue to prioritise this as part of its future deliberations.

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Commentary

33 The governors are very clear about ‘best value’ principles and employ them when looking at resourcing implications on an annual basis. A good example of the way the governors have checked on the impact of their decisions in relation to pupils’ achievement has been their determination to keep the reception aged children as a single aged group with no pupils from other year groups so that these children can have a very good start to their school life. They check on the impact this decision is having on the progress made by these young children and quantify the costs against the outcomes. This is just one example of the governors’ alertness to this issue.

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Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

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Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 302,645 Balance from previous year 34,901 Total expenditure 301,452 Balance carried forward to the next 36,094 Expenditure per pupil 2,817 Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 17

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Overall, provision in the Foundation Stage is good

34 There are only 10 children in the reception class and they are taught as one group. Most of the children attended a nursery together. When they first join the school the personal and academic attainment of at least half the children is above that expected for their age. There are appropriate induction procedures in place with parents invited to a number of meetings at the school before their children start in September.

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Overall, provision in the Foundation Stage is good

35 The vast majority of children achieve well in the reception class, which validates the school’s decision to keep a small group together for their first year at school. The quality of the outdoor environment and the space within the reception classroom help children to achieve well and make good progress. The class is well supported by a talented nursery nurse who works very effectively with the class teacher. There has been a significant improvement since the previous inspection when the provision was unsatisfactory.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Clear set procedures and routines enable children to share and take turns. • The level of support and care shown by children towards each other is good.

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Commentary

36 The staff recognise that although most children start with well-established skills in this area, which include good manners and respecting property, there are always individuals who find it difficult to take turns or share. This was noted when observing children working with the teacher during the inspection. There is very effective teaching in these circumstances, which helps the individual to recognise the importance of sharing and taking turns. The good teaching overall for this area of learning helps children make good progress and for most to have met or exceeded the learning goal by the end of the reception year. Children are provided with an increasing amount of responsibility and autonomy as they mature. The use of ‘circle time’ (a time when children sit together and talk about a specific topic) is helping children to listen to each other and to be patient and wait for their turn. The level of support

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Commentary

provided for children who have physical disabilities is very good.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children speak with fluency and confidence. • Many children are reading at levels that are well beyond the expectations of the nationally agreed early learning goals. • Children join their writing and can copy down a list or write notes, as needed. Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 18

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Commentary

37 The vast majority of children are confident when it comes to talking out in front of others in their class. If they have a view about something then staff ensure that they are provided with a chance to express it. There is a great deal of confidence amongst the children and this is helping them to develop their language and communication skills. There is a high priority given to reading skills with many children successfully learning to recognise a number of key words and to recognise all letters before they finish their reception year. They also recognise environmental print, such as, ‘house for sale’ and know that certain logos are associated with certain goods. Children make good progress in this area of learning by the time they finish their reception year and the vast majority meet or exceed the learning goals. The good teaching is responsible for this. Staff maximise opportunities for children to write for a variety

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Commentary

of purposes. During occasions when children are involved in play, for example, children are keen to record what individuals want to eat and drink. Children practise writing letters in the air on a daily basis as part of the on-going focus on handwriting and presentation.

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MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Many children count and order numbers up to 50. • Children are helped to understand the vocabulary associated with mathematics.

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Commentary

38 Daily number lessons help children to be very secure about their knowledge of number. They are able to count up to 50 and know the values of all numbers up to 20. Many of the more able children are far more knowledgeable than this and can count up to 100, count in patterns of twos and even threes and have good understanding about adding and subtracting numbers up to 20. The vast majority of children are exceeding the early learning goal for this area by the time they finish in the reception class. Good teaching, which is putting demands on children, helps this to happen with children making good progress as a result. There is good emphasis on using the correct vocabulary. Children are able to cope with terms such as ‘greater’ or ‘less than’ and they use number fans very successfully when working in whole class groups to do this. Children are also able to show good strategies when measuring using an arbitrary unit, such as a ribbon. Children are able to check if items in the classroom

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Commentary

measure ‘more’ or ‘less’ than the ribbon. There is much time dedicated to using mathematics in the environment with good work being carried out by the nursery nurse to help children appreciate one-to-one relationships when setting the table for a meal or when thinking about how much to charge for specific items.

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KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is good use made of the local area to promote learning in this area. • There is good access to computers to help children become confident in using this facility.

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Commentary

39 Children start school with good general knowledge. Many have visited places outside the British Isles and can appreciate differences in temperature and to a certain extent culture in Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 19 the places they have visited. Children are very confident when it comes to using computers and use the mouse to move the cursor to an appropriate place. They are familiar with the terminology associated with computers and are secure in using a range of programs because they have a good recognition of key words they have to look out for. Children are helped to widen their cultural understanding by using books, such as ‘Handa’s Surprise’, to help them have an appreciation of traditions other than their own. Good use is made of the locality to help children appreciate why there is a need for different types of shops and why their village has many hotels. They are also helped to recognise the difference between old

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Commentary

and new and appreciate that their parents and grandparents would have played with different toys to the ones they play with. Good teaching helps children make good progress in this area and therefore many exceed the learning goals by the time they finish their reception year.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• A very well established outdoor area is used well to promote children’s physical skills. • Table-top activities, especially small world play, are well used to develop children’s manipulative skills.

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Commentary

40 The well-established outdoor area enables the children to be challenged physically. Good use is made of this facility on a daily basis to enable all children to have access to outside education. The children also have access to the school hall where they have a chance to dance and play organised games. The children quickly become proficient at using a full range of wheeled toys and their physical skills are enhanced by the challenges that are presented to them by staff that constantly change the outside environment so that they meet different obstacles. Desktop activities, which are planned for each day, help children to develop their finer manipulative skills. Children regularly trace, model with playdough, construct buildings using small building blocks and have several opportunities to write. They also have regular access to the computer, which adds to the demands made on their manipulative skills. The

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Commentary

teaching is good enabling children to make good progress and for many to attain beyond the learning goals by the time they finish their reception year.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is good attention to developing children’s role play and good play environments set up to help promote this area of learning. • There is good attention to art activities to help children’s creative development.

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Commentary

41 There is a high priority given to children’s creative development. In one example, the classroom had a space station set up and the children ‘explored’ Mars. During this time they collected an alien and dropped him off on Jupiter. Children are familiar with the names of planets, which further demonstrates that they have a very good general knowledge. The play environment has recently been set up as a travel agency, a camping holiday and a historical seaside. This width of experience further enhances the children’s already well-developed Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 20 creative skills. Children are provided with many opportunities to draw and paint and most children show clear preferences for one or the other by the time they finish their reception year. Children have access to a range of musical instruments and can play a tune and repeat it with some confidence. The opportunities provided for the children are carefully planned and

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Commentary

show that the good teaching is having a positive impact on children’s achievement in this area. As a result many have exceeded the learning goal for this area of learning by the time they finish their reception year.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards in reading and writing are high with pupils achieving well. • Good use is made of pupils’ oral skills to help aid their learning. • The teaching is good and helping pupils to learn and achieve effectively. • More able pupils’ writing is of a very good standard. • The school has implemented the National Literacy Strategy well and there is good attention to the needs of all pupils in each lesson. • There is effective use of literacy across the curriculum, especially in geography, history and science.

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Commentary

42 For the past few years standards have been high with almost all pupils attaining the levels expected for their age in the National Curriculum tests at Year 2 and Year 6. A significant number in each cohort is attaining at the higher levels and being responsible for standards being well above the national average. The indicators are that pupils start school with communication, language and literacy skills better than expected for their age and then they make good progress so that by the time they finish Year 6 a vast majority are attaining well beyond the level expected for their age. There is also good achievement amongst pupils of different abilities and backgrounds. More able pupils, for example do particularly well in the National Curriculum tests for Year 6. The present Year 2 and Year 6 pupils are maintaining this good position.

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Commentary

43 Pupils have a wide descriptive vocabulary, which they use to good effect when answering questions in lessons. They have a confidence about them which stems from their familiarity with speaking to adults and explaining themselves. This is very helpful to pupils in lessons in other subjects. When reading aloud pupils are confident to use different voices for different characters and their expression is a strong part of their reading. They are also very fluent when reading and are very clear when explaining what has happened in their stories so far. Similarly, when they write stories pupils have a wide vocabulary to draw upon and they have good knowledge of Standard English that enhances the quality of their writing. During class discussions, pupils use clear and concise language and draw upon their extensive general knowledge to make debates and discussions interesting.

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Commentary

44 Teachers are confident when teaching literacy because they have a firm understanding of the principles that underpin the national strategy. In each classroom there are helpful points displayed to aid readers and writers. The emphasis on creating a literacy environment in each classroom is well understood and followed by each teacher. Tasks that follow the main introduction take full account of the needs of pupils of different abilities and are one of the strongest features of the teaching. There is also effective use of classroom assistants or Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 21 additional adults who work in each classroom. Each lesson starts with the teacher clarifying with the pupils what it is they are expected to learn. There is also effective use of summary sessions to check how successful the learning intentions have been. Work is set at a challenging level, as in the Year 5/6 class when pupils wrote their own pieces based on the

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Commentary

style and historical setting of Nicholas Nickleby. The pupils’ responses were very impressive with many showing how the lesson had challenged them. One pupil, for example, wrote ‘A sharp, shrill cry filled the air, punctuating the stillness of the evening.’

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Commentary

45 More able pupils, in particular, write pieces of stunning poetry and interesting and exciting stories. They make very good use of their confident oral skills to achieve very high standards in writing. Year 2 pupils’ stories, for example, follow a well structured and organised sequenced with good awareness of the audience. There is clever use of asides to capture the reader’s attention and mature use of a range of sentence structures, with short sharp sentences being used for effect alongside longer, more descriptive sentences. By the time they are in Year 6 pupils know how to capture the reader immediately with sparkling openings that set the scene. They also use language imaginatively to help the reader find out more about the personalities of the main characters. For example, one pupil used, ‘Oh, yea,’ snarled Gemma sceptically’, to help the reader find out more about Gemma’s personality. There is also very clever use of time shifts to help explain why the main characters had

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Commentary

dilemmas. Creativity is a strong feature which is summed up beautifully in an example of a poem entitled ‘Before the days of Noah’ which goes on to explain how animals had different characteristics.

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Commentary

46 Effective implementation of the National Literacy Strategy is a key feature of much of the literacy teaching. Teachers are very secure in their planning and draw upon the strategy’s guidelines effectively to help them in their planning and assessing. There can be a tendency to keep pupils for too long on the carpet when some are itching to get on with their tasks. However, in contrast to this is there is very good attention to the needs of pupils of different ability during the main tasks. Review sessions are effectively used to help with on-going progress checks. The effective implementation of the strategy has resulted in a good deal of consistency in the teachers’ approach. However, this consistency now needs to be directed by more effective use of targets in all classes.

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Language and literacy across the curriculum

47 Although a large proportion of time is spent on developing pupils’ basic skills, there is good use of literacy skills in science, history, geography and religious education. The pupils are often required to carry out independent research to support work in these areas. This often results in them reading extensively or finding information from the Internet. Pupils often make good use of their written skills when explaining how an experiment went in science or when describing events in history or religious education. The reason why subjects such as history and geography are not as well provided for is that there is not sufficient time allocated for pupils to pursue, in full, topics that they have started to research.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards and achievement are high due to the good quality of teaching • Pupils relish solving mathematical problems and there are many good opportunities to do so. This is helping pupils to achieve well. • The use of numeracy across the curriculum is unsatisfactory. Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 22

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Commentary

48 Standards in mathematics are consistently high across the school. National test results in Year 2 are well above average. Work seen during the inspection shows that attainment in the current Year 2 class is above the national average. Pupils multiply and divide by 10 accurately. They also complete complicated sequences of numbers, some of which contain negative numbers and fractions. They solve a range of problems presented in a practical context and their ability to work out what the question is asking them to do is a strength of the current Year 2 pupils. Test results for 2003 show that standards in Year 6 were well above the national average. Attainment in the current Year 6 class is also well above the national average. Year 6 pupils are happy to tackle even the most difficult challenges. For example, they find the sum of a range of numbers, subtracting from the total all the prime numbers

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Commentary

they have spotted. They also work out missing angles, displaying their knowledge of triangles and quadrilaterals. The most able pupils understand pie charts and use their knowledge of percentages to calculate each segment.

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Commentary

49 All pupils, including those with special educational needs and the most able achieve well. In Years 1 and 2, skills are successfully developed. A high level of challenge helps pupils to achieve highly, especially in their ability to use and apply skills. In Years 3 to 6, achievement is also good. By the time pupils reach the end of Year 6, standards are well above the national average and pupils have achieved much more than would be expected. Attitudes to mathematics are very good and this is helping pupils to achieve well.

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Commentary

50 Teaching and learning are good. Lessons are consistently good and this leads to high standards. Good teaching methods, such as the use of ‘talk partners’ and collaborative work engage and encourage pupils well. In the best lessons, well-planned activities meet the differing needs of all pupils. This leads to high achievement. However, in too many lessons, there is insufficient use of learning targets to help pupils understand what they are working towards. When targets are used, they are generally the same for all pupils. This is not sufficiently rigorous to have an impact on learning or achievement. In the best lessons, teachers challenge pupils well. They ask good questions that help pupils to apply their skills to practical situations. In a lesson in the Year 1 and 2 class, there was a particularly good level of challenge for the most able pupils. The teacher asked pupils to explain what a bar

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Commentary

graph was telling them and kept asking good questions until pupils understood the graph well. In a minority of lessons, however, teachers ask rather closed questions that do little to promote pupils’ thinking skills. In discussion with pupils, it is clear that they relish the challenge of solving mathematical problems. Teachers give many good opportunities to use and apply mathematical skills. In discussion with Year 6 pupils, one boy spent time working out a division problem declaring ‘Wow, that’s hard’ with an enthusiastic smile. The thought he put into the problem along with the excellent methods he employed meant he solved the problem accurately and was able to check the answer. Pupils’ work in books also reflects this very good level of mathematical skill.

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Mathematics across the curriculum

Despite the high standards in mathematics, there are unsatisfactory opportunities to develop numeracy skills in other subjects. In particular, many missed opportunities to develop mathematical skills in geography limit achievement in that subject.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 23 • Standards are well above national averages and pupils achieve well. • The quality of teaching is good. • Pupils’ attitudes to the subject are very good

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Commentary

51 Standards in Year 2 are well above the national average. Over half of pupils reach levels higher than are expected for this age. Pupils have a good knowledge of the main areas of science and talk enthusiastically about materials. They use this knowledge well to make sensible predictions. They also link the properties of materials to the suitability of their use. For example, in an investigation, three pupils described a piece of tissue paper as ‘flimsy’ and ‘not strong enough to hold any weight’. Standards in Year 6 are also well above the national average. In 2003, the Year 6 pupils made the expected progress based on their attainment when they were in Year 2. Pupils in Year 6 have a good knowledge of electricity and can apply this to investigations well. They also display a high level of understanding about micro organisms and how they can lead to illness. Pupils understand how to use evaporation to

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Commentary

52 Achievement is good. Pupils systematically build upon their skills, especially in scientific enquiry. As a result, they are good at applying their scientific knowledge and they investigate and observe well. However, achievement is not as high in the aspects of planning and posing questions, as they do not have many opportunities to do this.

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Commentary

53 Teaching is good and helps pupils to achieve well and to become confident investigators. In the best lessons, such as in the Year 1 and 2 class, the teacher provided many opportunities to work collaboratively. This promoted thinking skills well and helped pupils make predications as to which paper was the strongest. They then tested their ideas and discussed results, whilst the teacher challenged pupils well by asking a range of questions. Teaching methods are good. They engage pupils well and as a result, they are productive in their work and achieve a lot. Pupils’ attitudes are very good and teachers make the most of this by planning many opportunities for practical work. In some lessons, however, the practical work is too teacher led and this limits pupils’ ability to plan and devise tests of their own.

p.23

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The vast majority of pupils have skill levels that match the expectation for their age. • Pupils have access to a range of computers in each class. • The use of ICT to support other subjects is not yet fully developed.

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Commentary

54 Pupils’ skill level in ICT is in line with national expectations. This is an improving picture with pupils exhibiting improved ability to cope with a range of work using computers. However, as yet, the use of these skills across the curriculum is disappointing. This is something the school is aware of and working at improving. At present, Year 2 pupils are able to load and save work from, or to, their own folder. They can also use a full range of programs to support work in literacy and numeracy. Year 3/4 pupils are able to enter information onto a spreadsheet and then use their spreadsheets to find out information. They do this quickly and all are happy to experiment with using different fonts, styles and size of print. Year 6 pupils are able to produce a multi-media presentation. Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 24 55 There are now a number of computers accessible to pupils in each class. The school has

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Commentary

prioritised the resourcing of a number of computers in the reception class so that these young children can acquire ICT skills quickly and put them in a good position to develop their skills as they move through the school.

p.24

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

56 Not enough use is made of pupils’ ICT skills to support work in other areas of the curriculum. There are pockets of good examples to be seen throughout the school with programs being used to support the learning. One example was the use of ICT to support the understanding of syllables in a Year 3/ 4 literacy lesson.

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Geography and History

Standards and achievement in geography and history are satisfactory. However, the depth of study in these areas is not sufficient to allow pupils to achieve as highly as they do in English and mathematics. During the inspection, not enough lessons were seen to make an overall judgement on provision. However, discussions with pupils and the scrutiny of their work gave adequate information to make judgements about standards and achievement.

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Commentary

57 Work in pupils’ geography books is largely based on commercially produced worksheets. This gives a sound foundation in geographical knowledge but does little to develop the skills of enquiry. In discussion with pupils, they have a sound spread of knowledge but have limited skills in finding out about places. Pupils enthusiastically discuss their work and have good attitudes to the subject. Good use is made of literacy skills and this helps pupils to explain and present their work well. There are, however, many missed opportunities to use mathematics in geography and this limits achievement.

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Commentary

58 Pupils are equally positive about their work in history and literacy skills are used well to convey information about the past. They have a sound understanding of chronology and can sequence events in the past. By the time they reach Year 6, pupils have a sound historical knowledge but their use of enquiry skills is not as secure.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

Standards in art and design are unsatisfactory. Standards in design and technology, music and physical education are satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ skill level in art and design is unsatisfactory. • Time allocation for art and design and design and technology leave little opportunity for pupils to develop their skills.

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Commentary

59 The standards of pupils work in art and design is unsatisfactory. They are not being taught art and design skills and techniques in a progressive manner. This results in much of the completed art and design work being of a disappointing standard that does not enable pupils to reach their full potential. There is little evidence of pupils being systematically taught a full range of skills to help them use texture, tone, line or form in their artwork. There is not enough use made of the work of famous artists to help pupils understand the techniques employed Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 25 by these artists so that they can consider if any are suitable in their own work. There are pockets of better work, such as the work completed by older pupils on designing hats. However, much of the other work is not of a high enough quality to match the pupils’ capabilities. Examples of still life work, for example, show that pupils have not had access to

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Commentary

a range of pencils. The quality of painting is unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

60 Pupils’ skills in design and technology meet the nationally expected level. The school keeps close to the national guidelines for teaching this subject and the quality of work matches that expected. However, there is little evidence of pupils moving beyond these expected levels and the finished work is very similar for each pupil. The needs of more able pupils need greater consideration within this subject.

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Commentary

61 Standards in physical education and music are satisfactory. During the inspection it was not possible to see enough taught lessons to help make a judgement about the overall quality of teaching and achievement. However, although there is a regular allocation of time on the timetable for these subjects not enough time is dedicated to allow more able pupils to flourish in either subject.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Provision in personal, social and health education and citizenship is satisfactory.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

• Good teaching in this area develops pupils’ speaking and listening skills well. • Emotional literacy is promoted well.

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Commentary

62 Limited teaching was seen during the inspection but one lesson in the Year 3/4 class was particularly effective in developing pupils’ language skills. The class teacher asked for responses to pupils’ sad thoughts. Pupils listened very well to each other and provided some good responses.

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Commentary

63 This lesson also helped to develop pupils’ emotional literacy well, as some issues were sensitive. The class teacher was good at dealing with these issues sensitively and effectively. Ribchester St Wilfrid’s CE Primary School - 26

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 How inclusive the school is 3 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 4 Value for money provided by the school 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 2 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 4 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 4 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 3 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 4 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 3 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 2 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 3 The governance of the school 2 The leadership of the headteacher 3 The leadership of other key staff 4 The effectiveness of management 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

p.26