Roberttown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School

Inspection Report Roberttown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School

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107721 Unique Reference Number Kirklees LEA 277821 Inspection number 19 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 Inspection dates Mr Joe Peacock 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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Church Road School address Primary Type of school Roberttown Voluntary controlled School category Liversedge, West Yorkshire WF15 8BE 5 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01924 325723 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01924 325724 Fax number 227 Number on roll Ms S Major Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs J Laycock-Smith Headteacher 19 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277821 19 June 2006 - 5 to 11 20 June 2006 Inspection Report: Roberttown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is situated in a rural village to the north of Huddersfield. It is broadly average in size with almost all the pupils coming from a White British background. About a third of the pupils who attend are from outside the normal catchment area. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals and the number with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is well below average. The school has Investors in People, Investors in Pupils and Healthy School awards.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Roberttown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school with some strong features. It provides satisfactory value for money. Inspection judgements mostly agree with the school's self-evaluation. However, insufficient account was taken of pupils' achievement when the school made judgements about the quality of teaching and its leadership and management. As a result, these two aspects are judged to be satisfactory rather than good. The curriculum is good. Care support and guidance are good rather than outstanding as there are some aspects that still need to be improved. Pupils' personal development is an outstanding feature of the school and their attendance is well above average. Most of the issues from the last inspection have been dealt with effectively, but standards in science remain an area requiring improvement. The headteacher and staff are determined to raise standards and, as a result of their collective efforts, the capacity

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Grade: 3

to improve further is satisfactory. Pupils' achievement is satisfactory overall. Quality and standards in the Foundation Stage and achievement in Years 1 and 2 are good. Achievement in Years 3 to 6 is satisfactory. Overall standards are above average throughout the school. However, in Years 3 to 6, standards in mathematics and science tend to be lower than in English. Leadership and management are satisfactory, overall. The headteacher is ably supported by key staff who work well together as a team. Governance is satisfactory. Governors are committed to the school but are not yet sufficiently involved in monitoring standards and the quality of all aspects of provision. Although the majority of parents are satisfied, a significant number report that their views are not being heard or taken into account by the school.

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What the school should do to improve further

In order to raise overall standards and the rate of pupils' progress in Key Stage 2, the headteacher, staff and governors should: • raise standards in mathematics and science by Year 6 • involve governors more in monitoring the effectiveness of the school • improve the levels of communication and dialogue between the school and parents.

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Grade: 3

Overall, pupils' achievement is satisfactory. Most enter the school with skills that are broadly in line with those expected. Progress is good in the Foundation Stage where children achieve well in all areas of their learning. In Years 1 and 2, they continue to progress well in reading and writing but make only satisfactory progress in mathematics. Standards in reading and writing were significantly above average from 2003 to 2005. Standards in mathematics fell over these three years, though the trend has been significantly reversed this year with improvements in the quality of teaching. 2 Inspection Report: Roberttown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June Pupils make satisfactory progress in Years 3 to 6. They generally maintain the high standards attained in Years 1 and 2, although test results over the period from 2003 to 2005 show some lack of progress, in separate years, in different subjects. Overall,

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Grade: 3

pupils achieve better in English than in mathematics and science. This is a direct result of school strategies to improve standards in English. Similar strategies are in place to bring about improvement in mathematics and science. Achievement levels have been low but they are set to rise this year with improvements at all levels of ability. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities achieve well overall. However, in those lessons where they are not supported by teaching assistants, these pupils achieve only satisfactorily.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being is outstanding. The strong spiritual life of the school shapes relationships, behaviour and attitudes. This is a caring community, where pupils feel accepted, safe and valued. Parents much appreciate this. Many pupils flourish in the secure family environment. They receive regular praise, making them well aware of their many achievements. They develop very positive work habits for the future. Levels of attendance and punctuality are high. Healthy lifestyles ensure fit bodies and alert minds. Pupils willingly accept many responsibilities around the school. This is exemplified by the 'Befrienders', older pupils who provide a listening ear or support for those seeking help or reassurance. Increasingly, older pupils accept responsibility for their own learning. Some pupils serve on the very active school council. They seek the views of others, suggest improvements and bring about changes.

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Grade: 1

Pupils play their part in village life. For example, having made a wreath, pupils attended the annual Remembrance service and spoke to former soldiers, as one pupil explained, '. to say thank you and to pay our respects'.

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Grade: 3

The overall quality of teaching and learning, taking into account pupils' achievement from Years 3 to 6, is satisfactory. There are, however, many examples of good teaching with some outstanding in Year 6. In the well resourced Foundation Stage, the quality of teaching is good. The teacher and teaching assistant provide children with exciting and interesting activities that ensure that they make good progress. Where teaching is most effective, challenging tasks are set which are relevant to pupils' interests and good use is made of the new interactive whiteboards to engage pupils' interest. In most lessons, teachers successfully plan tasks that make good links between different subjects. These are particularly effective in promoting pupils' writing skills and contribute significantly to their good achievement in English. Teachers are effectively improving standards in mathematics and science. Where learning is not as

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Grade: 3

3 Inspection Report: Roberttown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June effective, pupils have too limited opportunities to work practically. This is particularly evident in science, because some teachers are not providing sufficient opportunities for pupils to investigate or conduct their own experiments. All teachers carefully assess pupils' progress. They use the information well to set challenging targets. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are generally well provided for by teachers and teaching assistants who demonstrate a good range of specialist teaching skills.

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Grade: 2

The school's good curriculum meets statutory requirements. The Foundation Stage curriculum draws its inspiration from some unusual and highly stimulating activities. The curriculum in Years 1 and 2 extends this provision well, with particularly good links between subjects. Although work in Years 3 to 6 is more subject-based, days are set aside to explore whole school topics, such as 'heroes and heroines'. These events are greatly enjoyed. There is good provision for those pupils who find learning difficult. Those with particular gifts or talents are identified in a wide range of academic, artistic and sporting areas. Older pupils develop their French speaking skills well. Education for personal and social development is well organised and promotes healthy and safe lifestyles. A good range of educational visits, including exciting opportunities for outdoor pursuits, supports pupils' learning and personal development. The wide range

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Grade: 2

of well attended extra-curricular clubs enhances the provision.

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Grade: 2

The good quality of care, guidance and support provided for pupils makes a significant contribution towards their outstanding personal development. Positive relationships ensure that pupils are confident about who they can turn to for help. Child protection procedures are thorough and pupils say they feel safe in school. Most parents agree with this view. Risk assessments are carried out with meticulous attention to detail and support the school's health and safety systems. To make this aspect outstanding, further improvements to the outdoor provision for children in the Reception class are required. The school tracks pupils' progress carefully and assessment information provides a firm base for setting pupils well matched targets to improve their work. Specific targets for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are clearly stated and understood by them. Children in the Foundation Stage are supported well, giving them a particularly

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Grade: 2

good start to their education. Pupils in Year 6 are very well prepared for transfer to secondary school.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory with some good features. The headteacher is ably supported by her deputy and other key staff, who demonstrate a strong 4 Inspection Report: Roberttown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June commitment to raise standards. There are good procedures in place to monitor and evaluate standards and to check on pupils' progress. The Foundation Stage and provision for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are particularly well managed. An innovative and effective way of monitoring and evaluating the different subjects has recently been introduced with staff working in teams. This successfully draws on the collective expertise of staff, including newly qualified teachers. As a result, the school has a clear picture of its strengths and priorities for development. The school's capacity to improve further is satisfactory.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher and staff have the support of most parents. A significant number, however, are anxious about their children's progress and are concerned that their views are not being taken into account by the school. Governors carry out their role satisfactorily. Most are loyal supporters of the school and keen to become more involved in helping to bring about improvement, especially in standards. The time is right for governors to strengthen their role and help to monitor the effectiveness of all aspects of provision. 5 Inspection Report: Roberttown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June .

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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: Roberttown Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School, 19 June 2006 to 20 June

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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 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 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 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 3 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 3 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 helping us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to everyone and looking at your work. The things that we particularly liked are listed below. - How well you all behave in lessons. You all seem to enjoy coming to school so much and this shows in your very good attendance. - The effective way your headteacher, supported by her deputy, and all staff, work as a team. We saw lots of good teaching and your teachers have some very efficient ways of checking how well you are doing. - The good start that you all have in the Reception class. We thought that some of the things that you had to do like following your teacher through the swamp or using torches were really exciting and interesting. - The good opportunities that you have to learn new things in school such as French and the many after-school clubs that there are for you to enjoy. - We were very impressed with how well you are cared for and supported by all the staff,

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

especially those of you who find learning some things difficult. This has a big effect on how well you learn. We are asking your headteacher, staff and governors to concentrate on improving three things in particular: - how well the juniors do in mathematics and science - all your governors need to try and help the school staff more in finding ways to make your school even better - your teachers and parents need to work more closely together to make sure that everything possible is being done to make your school the best in the area. Thank you again for helping us with the inspection. We really enjoyed our two days with you.

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