Idle CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Idle CofE Primary School

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107320 Unique Reference Number Bradford LEA 277743 Inspection number 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Linda Murphy CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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

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Boothroyd Drive School address Primary Type of school Bradford Voluntary aided School category West Yorkshire BD10 8LU 5 to 11 Age range of pupils 01274 410111 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01274 410984 Fax number 201 Number on roll Mrs J Schur Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Bowers Headteacher 22 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277743 21 June 2006 - 5 to 11 22 June 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This school serves the village of Idle and the local area to the north west of Bradford. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average. The percentage of pupils who are entitled to free school meals is below average. Most pupils are of White British heritage: a small proportion is from minority ethnic groups and a few are learning English as an additional language. There have been many changes to staffing since the last inspection. The school was led by an acting headteacher for one year prior to his appointment to the permanent headship in January 2006. At the time of this inspection an acting deputy headteacher was in post.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Idle CofE Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that provides good value for money. Pupils achieve well and reach standards that are above average by the end of Year 6. This is because the quality of teaching and learning is good overall. In the Reception class, the pupils make good progress because the curriculum meets their needs well and teaching is of good quality. Because of the many changes of staff, the pupils' achievement in Key Stage 1 is satisfactory rather than good. In this key stage, the good improvements overall since the last inspection have been a little slower to take root: recent improvements have yet to be reflected in higher standards and precisely matched work to the needs of the most able. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory at Key Stage 1. Throughout the school, the quality of pupils' handwriting lets them down. The school is well led and managed: it is accurate with its self-evaluation and has

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Grade: 2

expertise at prioritising and implementing development. A key feature is the analyses and evaluation of data and its use to raise standards. The school has a good capacity to improve further. Within a strong Christian ethos staff encourage pupils to, 'Never settle for less than the best'. Staff provide a good level of care and, as a result, pupils behave well, have good attitudes to learning and have much tolerance and respect for others. Their spiritual development is outstanding and pupils have great joy in school life. The curriculum is of good quality and enjoyable. It promotes in pupils a love of learning which spills over into their personal lives through the well attended and outstanding range of school clubs.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards at Key Stage 1 and provide more challenge for the higher attainers in this part of the school. • Develop the quality of handwriting so that pupils write fluently and with speed.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' achievement is good. It is best in the Reception class and at Key Stage 2. From an average starting point, pupils achieve well in the Reception class and at Key Stage 2: most of these pupils reach standards that are above average. For example, pupils in the Reception class are well prepared for their work in the National Curriculum. At Year 6, a good proportion of pupils attain standards higher than is typically expected for their age in English, mathematics and science and mostly meet challenging targets. At Key Stage 1, pupils make satisfactory progress overall. A dip in the school's test results in 2005 for pupils in Year 2 is attributable to many changes of staff, which adversely affected the continuity of pupils' learning. The school has taken action so that these same pupils now in Year 3 are taught for much of the time in a smaller class and in small groups to accelerate their progress. For the present Year 2, developments

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Grade: 2

to improve the quality of pupils' learning have begun but have not yet come to fruition in terms of higher standards. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and 2 Inspection Report: Idle CofE Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 those learning English as an additional language make the same progress as other pupils in their class.

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Grade: 2

This is good. Pupils live life to the full, have fun and enjoy school: attendance is good and pupils behave well. The school celebrates and draws on the diverse background of pupils to share and value experiences such as Thai music and Indian dancing. Creative choices and mini-enterprises develop good skills for pupils' future economic well-being. Pupils develop their tenacity because, as one pupil explained, 'You have to stick with what you choose'. Spiritual development is outstanding, supporting the strong Christian ethos of the school. Pupils revel in the pride the school has in them, 'because it shows I have a purpose'. Social development is good and enhanced by a residential visit for older pupils and many responsibilities in school. The performing arts are strong: 'the school really encourages our talents', said one pupil. Pupils are energetic and understand the importance of healthy eating and exercise: 'Nobody just sits in the

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Grade: 2

playground, everyone's always running around and playing sport.' The school council reflects the outstanding contribution pupils make to the neighbourhood and international charities. 'We're not just about benefiting the school, we want to help the community', one pupil explained.

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Grade: 2

The quality of pupils' learning is good because, overall, the teaching is strong. It mostly takes account of the needs of all groups of learners. The deployment of well trained teaching assistants adds much to the pace of pupils' learning. Relationships are good and built upon to engage pupils in a good variety of tasks. There are plenty of opportunities for pupils to work in groups, with partners and independently, and to develop a good understanding of the different ways in which one can learn. This represents good improvement since the last inspection. Homework plays a big part in developing pupils' independence in learning and is used well: parental support is usually strong, for example, reflected in the good quality independent studies the older pupils produce. It is the quality of planning, the level of expectation and challenge and the depth of discussion that marks the good teaching in the Reception class and Key Stage

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Grade: 2

2 from the satisfactory teaching found at Key Stage 1. In all classes the teaching of handwriting is not as good as it should be to bring about a fluent and legible script of which the pupils can be proud. 3 Inspection Report: Idle CofE Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006

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Grade: 2

A good range of activities meets the pupils' needs across the school. Extra-curricular provision is outstanding: many pupils work with a range of adults at a host of different activities which promotes a sense of community. Careful planning develops pupils understanding and skills in a structured way and this also benefits pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. Importance is given to literacy and numeracy. Strengthening pupils' reading has led to above average standards in reading by Year 6 and is a step towards even better writing. Visitors and visits enrich the curriculum and expand the pupils' experience of life and enjoyment in learning. On Fridays, pupils enjoy making choices from an extremely broad set of creative activities, which 'successfully sends the pupils home for the weekend with a buzz - it is an investment in the quality of life for the pupils'.

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Grade: 2

Improvements to the accommodation support the curriculum well.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils is good. Staff place a high priority in ensuring that pupils are kept safe and healthy and respond to the needs of individual pupils very well. Arrangements for child protection are effective. Pupils, including the most vulnerable, appreciate the support they receive from the pupil involvement officer who gives guidance to families and pupils on attendance, punctuality and homework. Parents value this aspect of the school's work. The use of assessment to guide pupils' academic progress and inform learning targets in lessons is good. There are some inconsistencies across the school in the precision of targets in individual education plans. Pupils' smooth progress through the school, from their induction to the move to secondary education is marked by the high standard of pastoral care.

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Grade: 2

Although only in post for a short time the headteacher, with the support of the school community, has established a track record of improvement. For example, standards have risen by Year 6. This represents good improvement since the last inspection and shows a good capacity to improve. The headteacher has a clear vision of what is required and how to achieve this. The account taken of parental and pupils' views, and careful monitoring and evaluation, are important factors in the school's good leadership and management at all levels. Friendly and welcoming caretaking and administrative staff are well organised. Effective use of technology supports management and leaves more time for the headteacher to concentrate on developing a good quality of education. His own teaching is inspiring, sets high expectations and provides an excellent role model. The governing body knows the school's strengths and which areas to develop.

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Grade: 2

It is conscientious when appointing staff to ensure that they are well placed within the school to provide the best deal possible for pupils. For example, the innovative 4 Inspection Report: Idle CofE Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 way in which teaching assistants are deployed to teach groups of pupils enables their subject expertise to be drawn upon well to the benefit of the pupils. The school develops the aptitudes and skills of staff to the benefit of pupils. The school promotes pupils' personal development and well-being within a Christian context and sees this as paramount to the development of pupils' independence in learning, creativity and development as good citizens. 5 Inspection Report: Idle CofE Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 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: Idle CofE Primary School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 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 1 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 2 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 playing your part in the inspection by being so friendly and helpful and talking to us about your school. This is what we found out. - You are well behaved, really like school and take your responsibilities seriously. Older pupils take really good care of the younger children. - You are proud of what you achieve and are good at performing plays, raps and dance. - Overall, you make good progress in lessons because the teaching is good. - The headteacher has good ideas about how to make the school even better. - Your parents are pleased that they chose this school for you. - You give a lot of time and energy to the school and local community. The next step for the school to take is to: - make sure that pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 learn at a faster rate and that challenging work is set for them - improve your handwriting. You can help by always doing your best.

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