Todmorden CofE J, I & N School

Inspection Report Todmorden CofE Junior and Infant School

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107556 Unique Reference Number Calderdale LEA 277774 Inspection number 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Kath Halifax 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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Burnley Road School address Primary Type of school Todmorden Voluntary aided School category Lancashire OL14 7BS 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01706 812019 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01706 818967 Fax number 159 Number on roll Rev Canon Peter Calvert Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr C Wightman Headteacher 4 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277774 21 June 2006 - 4 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 is situated close to the centre of the town and serves an area of high unemployment. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage with a small number of second-generation Asian families, all of whom speak English. The number of pupils in receipt of free school meals is above average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average. The school has been awarded the Quality Mark, Healthy Schools, Investors in People and Investors in Pupils Awards.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Todmorden CofE Junior and Infant School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Inspection findings agree with the school's evaluation that this is a good school, which provides good value for money and has the capacity to continue to improve. Standards are above average and pupils achieve well because of effective teaching and a good curriculum. Equally, good leadership and management are focused on pupils' learning and personal development. Good improvement has been made in addressing the issues identified by the previous inspection, so standards have risen year-on-year as a result of high expectations and the way pupils' progress is tracked. Good provision in the Foundation Stage gives young children a good start to their school career and enables them to make positive progress. While pupils' progress is good overall, there is room for improvement in mathematical problem-solving in Years 3 and 4, and in writing for higher attaining pupils by Year 2. Pupils progress well in their personal development

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Grade: 2

as a result of the good provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils enjoy school. They are very well behaved and make an excellent contribution to the school, local and wider communities. Attendance is satisfactory, and improving because of the work of the home-to-school liaison officer. Good support and guidance provides security for pupils, many of whom are vulnerable because of family circumstances. Parents think highly of the school, particularly appreciating its Christian values and the standards pupils achieve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve achievement in mathematical problem-solving in Years 3 and 4 so pupils make equally good progress in all subjects. • Improve standards in writing for higher achieving pupils by Year 2 to match their achievements in other subjects.

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Grade: 2

By Year 6, standards are above average and achievement is good. On entry to the school, though there are considerable variances in each year group, overall attainment is below average, and is especially weak in the areas of language, social development and knowledge of the world. Nevertheless, as a result of effective teaching and a broad and well planned curriculum, children make good progress in the Foundation Stage. Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1, so that by Year 2 standards are broadly average. Higher attaining pupils do not achieve as well in writing as they do in mathematics and reading. Progress in Years 3 and 4 is good overall, but weaknesses in problem-solving mean pupils do not achieve as well in mathematics as they do in other subjects. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who are gifted achieve well because of individual programmes and the support they

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Grade: 2

receive. At the time of the last inspection, achievement in information and communication technology was unsatisfactory. Pupils in all age groups make good progress; 2 Inspection Report: Todmorden CofE Junior and Infant School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 achievement is now good. Pupils make good use of technology to present and record work in other subjects. However, in Years 3 to 6 they have little experience of the 'model and control' element of the subject. The school has recognised this, with plans well advanced to remedy the situation.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Attendance is satisfactory. Pupils enjoy school and their self-confidence blossoms. Many children in the Foundation Stage arrive with limited social skills but soon become self-confident, happy learners in the welcoming yet challenging environment. Pupils are polite and work hard in lessons. They show respect for others and, through work with the police, have a good awareness of justice. Behaviour is good. By Year 6, pupils demonstrate maturity and self-assurance and have acquired skills and attitudes to help them be successful in their future lives. Pupils' spiritual, moral and social development is good. Their cultural development is satisfactory. Managers recognise that more could be done to prepare pupils for life in a multicultural society. Pupils learn to work safely and endeavour to live a healthy lifestyle, choosing nutritious food and, despite limited playground space, taking regular

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Grade: 2

exercise. Pupils contribute well to school life as junior safety officers, and through the busy school council. Councillors listen carefully to class representatives and discuss points constructively. Their suggestions have led to improvements including more outdoor play equipment. Pupils' contribution to the community is outstanding. Considerable donations have been made to charity, including to third world countries. Pupils speak proudly of their part in the 'Todmorden Pride' and 'Todmorden in Bloom' projects. Inspired by assemblies, pupils have written letters locally and nationally discouraging the use of child labour to produce footballs, hoping that their actions will affect the wider world community.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is consistently good. Pupils benefit from confident teachers who provide interesting lessons that are carefully matched to each pupil's capabilities, thus enabling all to make progress. Teachers plan their lessons conscientiously. However, support staff are not always used as effectively as they might be to aid pupils' learning. Teachers are no longer apprehensive of technology and make very good use of interactive whiteboards to motivate pupils and maintain their interest. Furthermore, they now encourage pupils to use computers to aid their learning in other subjects, for example when drawing a circuit diagram in science. This has progressed pupils' 3 Inspection Report: Todmorden CofE Junior and Infant School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006 learning. The teaching of writing has improved considerably over the past two years through a number of initiatives. As a result, pupils have produced a good volume of

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Grade: 2

neatly presented and well organised work, but the writing of higher attaining pupils in Key Stage 1 lacks imagination because of their limited experiences. Similarly, while the teaching of mathematics is good overall, teaching and learning in problem-solving in Years 3 and 4 are not as good as they are in other aspects of the subject. The focus on assessment is contributing well to improved standards. Pupils refer with pride to the green highlights and praise in their work, and understand that they must concentrate on the red comments so they can improve further.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and meets legal requirements. The focus on numeracy and literacy has been successful in raising standards. Whole weeks spent on particular subjects through the 'blocking' of topics provide continuity in pupils' learning. A good programme of personal, social, health and citizenship education gives pupils a good understanding of the need to keep healthy, safe and to contribute to the school and to local and wider communities. The building and site continue to pose problems for outdoor activities. Pupils say, 'it would be brilliant to have a proper playground'. Staff work hard to ensure the lack of facilities does not affect achievement, even though this means moving lots of equipment to ensure children in the Foundation Stage make good gains in their physical development. Numerous well subscribed clubs and sporting links through the sport coordinator programme with a local secondary school allow

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Grade: 2

pupils to gain skills in a range of sports, including golf.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Appropriate checks are made to ensure the school is safe. Broadly suitable procedures for health and safety are in place, though there are minor omissions such as there not being notices informing where first aid boxes may be found and there are no staff who are qualified to administer first aid. Similarly, not all areas have notices giving directions in case of emergency evacuation. Staff know their pupils well and ensure that all aspects of their social development are good. Child protection procedures are in place, and pupils who are at risk are quickly given the support they need. The home-to-school liaison officer plays a key role in supporting pupils whose attendance needs to improve and those who have family problems. Good working relationships with other professionals help resolve problems. Teachers give pupils good guidance on how to behave appropriately and

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Grade: 2

how to improve their work. This is supported by the detailed tracking system recording pupils' progress. Pupils in Year 6 are well prepared for their transfer to secondary education. 4 Inspection Report: Todmorden CofE Junior and Infant School, 21 June 2006 to 22 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. Staff and pupils respect the hard working headteacher, reporting 'he always wants the best for the pupils and staff'. Both he and the deputy headteacher are good models as class teachers for other staff. Their lead in assessing pupils' learning has given teachers and pupils a greater understanding of what they do well and what needs to be improved. Alongside detailed systems to track and check pupils' progress, these are used effectively to set challenging targets for individual and whole school improvement. Governors are very supportive of the school and are not afraid to question if they think something could be done better. Together, the management team and governors have been successful in raising standards from well below average to above average. They have made good appointments, particularly that of the home-to-school liaison officer whose work in improving attendance is contributing to improved achievement for

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Grade: 2

pupils who previously had gaps in their learning. In addition, they have fostered a sense of pride in all pupils of themselves, their school and their town. Parents and pupils report they feel consulted in the school's development. The school improvement plan is suitably prioritised and prominently displayed so all can measure its effectiveness. Managers are accurate in their evaluation. This is recognised through external awards such as the Quality Mark, Investors in People and Investors in Pupils. Their in-depth knowledge of the school has resulted in good improvement since the last inspection and, with the enthusiasm and skill of staff, puts the school in a good position to continue to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Todmorden CofE Junior and Infant 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: Todmorden CofE Junior and Infant 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 3 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 welcoming us to your school and for being so polite and friendly. We enjoyed meeting you, eating lunch with you and joining you at break time. We were especially pleased to see how well behaved you are at break times, even though you have very little playground space. What we liked most about your school - You work hard and behave well. - Your achievement is good and you reach high standards because you have good teachers and a good headteacher. - Young children in the Reception class get a really good start to their school career. - You do a lot of good work for the church, 'Tod' and people in third world countries. What we have asked your teachers to do now - Make sure more able pupils in the infants do as well in their writing as they do in maths and reading. - Make sure pupils in Years 3 and 4 do better in solving maths problems. We enjoyed our short time with you and wish you well for the future.

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