St Alphege Church of England Infant and Nursery School

Inspection Report St Alphege Church of England Infant and Nursery School

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104090 Unique Reference Number Solihull LEA 277067 Inspection number 2 May 2006 to 3 May 2006 Inspection dates David Driscoll AI Reporting inspector

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

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New Road School address Primary Type of school Solihull Voluntary aided School category West Midlands B91 3DW 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0121 7050443 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0121 7040514 Fax number 280 Number on roll Mr Ron Herd Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Joanna Slough Headteacher 5 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277067 2 May 2006 - 3 to 11 3 May 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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

Although only of average size for a primary school, St Alphege is very large for a school that caters only for nursery and infant pupils. It serves a relatively affluent area of Solihull, although more pupils are coming from further afield every year. The pupils are representative of those in most other primary schools, although standards on entry to the school are above average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is a little below average as is the proportion from minority ethnic groups.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Alphege Church of England Infant and Nursery School, 2 May 2006 to 3 May 2006

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Grade: 1

The school provides an outstanding education and value for money, a judgement in keeping with its managers’ own assessment. Pupils of all ages make excellent progress, both in terms of their academic standards and their personal development. They leave the school with standards that are exceptionally high. Provision in the Foundation Stage is outstanding. Pupils make excellent progress as a result of exemplary teaching and start Year 1 with standards that are well above average for their age. As in all years, there is a strong commitment from staff to ensuring that all pupils reach their full potential and, in pursuit of this, staff have excellent procedures for assessing, tracking and monitoring children’s progress. Parents rightly have a very high opinion of the school and the way it is run. Teaching is of the highest quality because staff know the pupils so well. They carefully match their teaching methods to ways that

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Grade: 1

they know will help individuals learn best. Pupils are exceptionally happy at school because they are very well cared for and looked after. Despite the outstanding quality of provision, the headteacher and all staff are not complacent. They work very closely with parents to identify even the smallest areas where improvements can be made. Their efforts are always successful. The excellent use of data ensures that managers can check the school’s progress over time, and ensure that it continues to go from strength to strength, as it has since it was last inspected.

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What the school should do to improve further

This is an outstanding school in all respects, with no areas for improvement.

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Grade: 1

Pupils make outstanding progress, regardless of their background or ability. When children start in the Nursery their standards are generally above those expected for their age. They develop a wide range of skills with excellent progress in their independence and listening skills. Children in the Reception classes make excellent progress, particularly in communication, language and literacy, and in emotional, social and personal development. Most start Year 1 with standards that are well above those expected for their age. Many engage in meaningful discussions with adults, are able to write independently, and make good attempts at spelling. By the end of Year 2 pupils have made outstanding progress and leave with standards that are exceptionally high. In most years more than half the pupils reach Level 3 in reading, writing and mathematics. Results in 2005 were not quite as high as those in previous years, but

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Grade: 1

still represent excellent progress for the pupils concerned. Of the very small number of pupils who made only satisfactory progress, the great majority had not attended the school’s Nursery. Each year the school meets or exceeds its targets for each subject, despite having set targets that are much higher than those that would usually be expected, given pupils’ standards on joining the school. 2 Inspection Report: St Alphege Church of England Infant and Nursery School, 2 May 2006 to 3 May 2006

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. Pupils thoroughly enjoy their time at school. As one said, ‘We love it here, we do lots and it’s fun!’ Their social skills develop significantly as they move through the school; pupils are given increasing responsibility via the school council and they rise to the challenge enthusiastically. For example, they suggested ways of reducing the mess left after lunch by introducing a sticker reward system for each table. This has been very effective. Pupils feel proud of what they have achieved and are also very clear that they can influence decisions made in the school. Relationships between pupils are excellent, as are their behaviour and attitudes. They leave the school confident and with a clear understanding of right and wrong. Bullying and racism are exceedingly rare. Pupils know the things they can do to help themselves

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Grade: 1

and others stay safe. Pupils regularly celebrate the diversity of faiths and cultures which are represented locally and in school. Developing an awareness of different cultures is a natural part of the daily curriculum and so pupils are very aware of different traditions, religions, music and art, for example. Pupils accept and understand the differences they see around them and are very respectful towards each other, whatever their background or particular needs. Pupils throughout the school are taught the importance of healthy lifestyles especially well. All pupils understand the importance of regular exercise and eating healthily. The improvement of their basic skills equips them exceptionally well for life in the future. Attendance has improved dramatically because of several measures which include clear guidelines to parents about not taking holidays in term time and reward systems using local businesses for good attendance.

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Grade: 1

Attendance is now well above the national average.

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Grade: 1

Teaching is outstanding, so pupils in all years learn at a much faster rate than usually seen. The exceptional quality and accuracy of the assessment of pupils leads to staff knowing the pupils very well indeed. They know the methods that work best with individuals, so use several different ways of teaching very demanding topics. ‘Directions’, for example, are taught using plans, lists, computer simulations and physically walking a route, all at the same time, with each method matched to the individual pupil. In a short time, all pupils have a firm grasp of the concept and the language involved, and understand when they can apply the concept. Pupils thoroughly enjoy being given difficult work to do. Staff are relaxed and confident with their pupils. Teachers readily accept corrections, suggested by Pupils, if they make an ‘error’, such as calling a vertex a corner. Teachers and support staff are exceptionally good at

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Grade: 1

spotting the one or two pupils who may not have completely understood what is being taught, helped by pupils’ selfconfidence in being able to say that they do not understand. Staff are swift to react in such instances, changing their method or giving 3 Inspection Report: St Alphege Church of England Infant and Nursery School, 2 May 2006 to 3 May 2006 extra time to individuals after lessons have finished. Pupils are routinely asked how to make the work harder next lesson, and they always come up with ideas. The excellent resources, including a purpose built soft playroom and a well landscaped outdoor play area, contribute to the excellent learning in the Foundation Stage.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding in many respects. It is extremely well planned so that from one year to another, as well as during each year, pupils make excellent progress. The curriculum is very varied but there is much reinforcement so that, for example, pupils are encouraged to look at spellings during their mathematics lessons, while during literacy lessons they develop an understanding of biology and the natural world. The work is carefully matched to the very varied needs of the pupils and teachers know pupils extremely well so that each pupil is encouraged to improve in different ways. Almost all pupils participate in the extensive variety of clubs and activities beyond the school day, many of which are sport based and help pupils to understand about healthy living. The school also has a very good range of residential activities which many pupils participate in and which help them to develop both socially and physically. When

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Grade: 1

interviewed, several pupils said that these trips were some of the things they loved about the school.

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Grade: 1

The school cares for and supports pupils extremely well. The school encourages parents to form a partnership with them which in turn encourages high expectations and achievements. For example, the school recognised that several parents wanted more help with supporting their children with mathematics, so it developed an information leaflet to aid them. Advice on everything, from dealing with medical conditions to academic performance, is easily accessible in the school. Parents also regularly help out in classrooms, so raising their awareness of how best their children learn. Children starting Nursery settle in well because of the highly effective induction procedures which include visits to their pre-school play groups, interviews with parents and staggered admissions. Academic guidance is very good. Pupils are very clear about how they are performing and they are regularly asked to evaluate their own work or

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Grade: 1

someone else’s so that they develop a very good sense of how to improve. Teachers know pupils’ individual strengths and weaknesses exceptionally well so all pupils have very specific targets and make excellent progress. Child protection and health and safety procedures are very robust. The school has adapted its buildings to be fully accessible. The school works successfully with outside agencies to help its pupils and parents get the support they need. 4 Inspection Report: St Alphege Church of England Infant and Nursery School, 2 May 2006 to 3 May 2006

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The key to the school’s success is the way that parents, governors and all staff work as a team. The vital role of parents in this team has been supported exceptionally well, with clear guidance on the best ways that parents can support their children’s learning both at school and at home. The parents’ council and twice yearly questionnaires provide a highly detailed picture of parents’ views. Policies are clear for all to understand, because they are concise and written specifically for the school; all are clear about their roles and responsibilities. The outstanding assessment systems lead to a school that knows the progress made by every pupil and is able to pinpoint exactly what needs to be done to improve standards still further. The headteacher is expert with the data and knows the exceptional nature of the school’s performance, and the reasons behind it. Nevertheless,

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Grade: 1

there is a complete absence of complacency as the school continually strives to improve. Boys’ reading, for example, was not as good as girls’, so the school overhauled the way that reading was taught and the resources available. Progress in reading is now outstanding, both for boys and girls. The key issues from the previous inspection have been dealt with so well that they are now considerable strengths. 5 Inspection Report: St Alphege Church of England Infant and Nursery School, 2 May 2006 to 3 May 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. 6 Inspection Report: St Alphege Church of England Infant and Nursery School, 2 May 2006 to 3 May 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 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 1 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 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 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 1 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 1 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 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 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 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

Dear Children I have asked Mrs Slough to read this to you after our visit to your school. ‘This is the best school in the universe’ was one of the first things that you told me. The second thing was how upset one of you had been when you were ill, because you could not come to school. I can’t tell you if this really is the best school in the universe, because I haven’t been to them all, but I do know that your school is very special indeed. You have so many grown-ups doing all they can to make sure you are happy and learning lots of new things. Everybody helps. The cooks make sure you have healthy food that is delicious; the cleaners keep the school looking beautiful and the grownups who teach you make sure you know how to work and play together. They know that you love being asked to do really hard things, so they give you more and more difficult work as you get older. You know that if you get stuck or upset, there is

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

always someone there to help. The grown-ups also help your mums and dads to teach you even more when you are at home. Usually, we can find things that could be even better, but, like you, we are finding it very hard to think of anything that could be done that is not already happening. Your reading, writing and maths are really, really good. You have very good manners and know how to talk to grown-ups. You love coming to school, because it is such fun. We wish we could visit you more often, because you made us feel as happy as you do. Thank you so much for helping us with our work. Best wishes Mr Driscoll (Lead inspector) PS. If you did your spelling homework on the back of the form we sent to your parents, please tell me and I will send a copy back to you!

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