Archdeacon Cambridge's Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Archdeacon Cambridge's Church of England Primary School

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102920 Unique Reference Number Richmond Upon Thames LEA LEA 276794 Inspection number 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006 Inspection dates Christopher Gray AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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The Green School address Primary Type of school Twickenham Voluntary aided School category TW2 5TU 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 020 8894 4777 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 020 8893 4762 Fax number 451 Number on roll Mr David King Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Janet Foster Headteacher 3 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276794 2 February 2006 - 3 to 11 3 February 2006 Inspection Report: Archdeacon Cambridge's Church of England Primary School, 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is bigger than most primary schools. The percentage of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average, though few pupils are at the early stages of learning English. Most pupils come from backgrounds that are more favourable than usual. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties is below average, though the proportion with statements of special educational need is similar to what is found in most schools. Children's attainment on entry to school is above what is expected.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Archdeacon Cambridge's Church of England Primary School, 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which gives good value for money. This is also the school's view. Pupils achieve and behave well because of good teaching. They are growing up as mature and responsible people, able to express and explain their opinions clearly. The school's effective use of drama plays a big part in developing these skills. Good care, guidance and support are given to pupils and the school makes very good use of its knowledge of pupils' attainment to help them improve. Pupils understand their targets and use them to make their work better. The school is well led and managed. The headteacher is a very strong leader and the work of the governing body is outstanding. The school has improved well since the last inspection, as shown by the successful drive to improve standards in mathematics, and has a good capacity to improve further.Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress because the provision

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Grade: 2

for their learning is good. By the time they enter Year 1, the great majority of pupils reach the goals expected of them and many exceed them.Pupils achieve well and reach high standards in English, mathematics and science because of good teaching and because they work hard in lessons. Standards in information and communications technology (ICT) are as expected. They are not higher because teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to use their computer skills in other subjects. Teaching is good overall, though it varies from outstanding to satisfactory in different classes.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Raise standards in ICT by providing pupils with more chances to use their skills in different subjects;* Use staff development and training to achieve greater consistency in the quality of teaching.

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Grade: 2

Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress because the provision for their learning is good. Older pupils reach consistently high standards in English, mathematics and science. This is because they have good attitudes to learning and are well taught overall. Pupils make good progress throughout the school. Writing has been a focus in recent terms and this work has borne fruit. Pupils in Year 2 were seen evaluating their own writing and using their targets effectively to improve it. All groups of pupils achieve at similarly good rates and most meet the very challenging targets set for them. Standards in ICT are not as high as they could be because pupils do not have enough opportunities for developing their skills in a range of subjects.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy school because they have good attitudes to learning and enjoy school. Their attendance is good. They understand the value of rules and their behaviour in 2 Inspection Report: Archdeacon Cambridge's Church of England Primary School, 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006 lessons and the playground is good, with a few minor exceptions.Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They acquire a good understanding of different faiths, cultures and lifestyles. Pupils learn to co-operate and work as a team through various activities, clubs and community events that the school supports. As a result they leave the school as mature and sensible people, well adjusted for their next stage of learning.Pupils demonstrate responsibility through an effective school council, which is well regarded by other pupils and represents their views. Pupils of all ages understand how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and can explain the benefits

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Grade: 2

of exercise and good diet. They are well informed on topics such as road safety, drugs and alcohol abuse and follow safe practices when working with equipment in school. Pupils willingly help with fund raising at summer fairs and charity events. This contributes to pupils' good personal qualities so that they understand about working roles in future life.

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Grade: 2

Pupils progress well because teachers make very good use of what they know about each pupil's stage of learning in planning the next steps, especially in English and mathematics. Lessons are interesting and fun, and drama is used well in this respect. Pupils in Year 4 were enthused by acting out a scene about injustice and went on to express their views and respond to others in a mature and thoughtful way. Interactive whiteboards are generally used well to give clear visual examples which help pupils understand more readily. The quality of teaching varies from class to class, a fact that some parents commented on. No unsatisfactory teaching was observed, but examples of outstanding teaching in some classes sit alongside teaching which is only satisfactory in others. The school is working to iron out inconsistencies and plans have been made to use the examples of the best teaching in developing the satisfactory.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and meets the needs of pupils effectively. Some aspects are very good. Good subject policies and curriculum documents help to achieve consistency and continuity between year groups. All pupils, including those with learning difficulties and those who tend to find work easy, are provided with a balanced range of tasks. Low attaining pupils in Year 2, for example, matched words, reinforcing word recognition, whilst those with high ability discussed alliteration and the role of prefixes in determining meanings.A good emphasis on literacy and numeracy provides pupils with a firm foundation for their lives and future study. Opportunities for pupils to develop their ICT skills, although satisfactory, are not yet consistently planned for in other subjects. Provision for personal and health education is helping pupils to develop as responsible and thinking individuals.A very good range of extra-curricular clubs and

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Grade: 2

activities develop pupils' interests in drama, the arts, music and sport. About one third 3 Inspection Report: Archdeacon Cambridge's Church of England Primary School, 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006 of the pupils take part in drama or arts extra-curricular clubs. Drama, music and dance activities each Christmas involve all pupils.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' care guidance and support are good. The school takes good care of all its pupils through very clear health, safety and welfare procedures. Child protection arrangements are good and widely understood. Risk assessments are effective and conscientiously observed.Pupils with learning difficulties are guided well. Assessment of all pupils' progress is very good, particularly the new profiling in English, mathematics and science. This enables teachers to plan an appropriate level of work for all pupils. This information is also used well to give extra support to any who might not be on course to meet their targets. Bilingual pupils are given good support to improve their fluency in English.The school's code of behaviour ensures that pupils feel secure and free from racism or bullying. There is a clear culture of mutual respect and pupils receive good personal support and guidance. Pupils express confidence in their teachers and teaching

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Grade: 2

assistants, knowing that any problem will be dealt with fairly.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. Governance is outstanding. Governors have an excellent understanding of their roles and responsibilities, helping to steer the school towards realising a clear, shared vision. This vision sees all pupils as high achievers, very well cared for and involved in an extensive range of extra-curricular activities. Governors' very effective, constructive challenge accelerates the pace of improvement.The school's management structure is changing. This is enabling it to focus more closely on improving on the good teaching and care currently provided. Managers understand their clearly-defined tasks and work together well on school improvement plan priorities. Subject leaders take responsibility for their areas and are effective in improving achievement.All aspects of school life are evaluated and appropriate steps are taken to make improvements. The headteacher's new system of

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Grade: 2

evaluating teaching - monitoring in the autumn term, Performance Management in spring, peer appraisal in summer - is proving effective, although some inconsistencies remain in the generally good quality of teaching. School self-evaluation is accurate and takes good account of the views of parents and pupils. Resources are good and are used well to improve standards.The headteacher provides very strong, thoughtful and caring leadership, supported by effective senior managers. Good improvement has been made since the last inspection, as is shown by the consistency of provision in the Foundation Stage. The school gives good value for money and has good capacity to improve further. 4 Inspection Report: Archdeacon Cambridge's Church of England Primary School, 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 5 Inspection Report: Archdeacon Cambridge's Church of England Primary School, 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 1 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming us to your school. We very much enjoyed our visit and the chance to talk to so many of you. Most of you behave well in lessons and round the school. This helps make the school a pleasant place to work. You and your parents agree that you enjoy your learning and that the school provides a good range of interesting activities, both during and outside lessons. Many of you are good at explaining your views and listening carefully to the opinions of others and this is helping you to grow into thoughtful people. You know how to keep safe and healthy and to respect the views and feelings of others.Teachers look after you well during your time in school and they have a good understanding of how you are learning and where you might have difficulties. This means they can plan lessons at the right level for each of you. Teaching is good and helps you to reach high standards in English, mathematics and science. This is also

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

because of your hard work. Many of you do not yet reach such high standards in ICT as you do in English or mathematics, and we have asked the school to give you more chance to develop your computer skills in all sorts of lessons. The headteacher is very good at her job and she is given excellent support by the school's governors. She has a team of senior managers who help her well. At the moment, they are working hard to make sure that all the lessons provided for you are of a similarly high quality and we have asked them to carry on with this work.

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