Cumberworth Church of England Voluntary Aided First School

Inspection Report Cumberworth Church of England Voluntary Aided First School

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107741 Unique Reference Number Kirklees LEA 277828 Inspection number 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005 Inspection dates Mr Jeffery Plumb 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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Cumberworth Lane School address Primary Type of school Upper Cumberworth Voluntary aided School category Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD8 8NU 5 to 10 Age range of pupils

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01484 222726 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01484 222726 Fax number 97 Number on roll Mr Rob Winter Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Lynne Rutter Headteacher 15 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277828 5 October 2005 - 5 to 10 6 October 2005 Inspection Report: Cumberworth Church of England Voluntary Aided First School, 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005

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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 one additional inspector.

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Description of the school

Cumberworth C of E (VA) School is situated in a small village on the outskirts of Huddersfield. It provides full-time education for 97 children between the ages of 4 to 10. The nine Reception children (six of whom are Foundation Stage) are taught in a class with Year 1 children. The school is smaller than average. The number of children eligible for free school meals is below the national average. On entering Year 1 children have skills above those expected for their age. The number of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below the national average. There are few minority ethnic children and none are at an early stage of learning English. The school has recently gained the Activemark award and is currently working towards the Healthy Schools award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Cumberworth Church of England Voluntary Aided First School, 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with outstanding features. Children make good progress and reach above average standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science because of good teaching. The enjoyment and fun children receive from their learning are outstanding because of the exciting, interesting and challenging activities they are given. However, Reception children are not given sufficient opportunities to initiate their own learning and develop independence skills. The quality of care is outstanding and children appreciate the help and support they receive from adults to assist their learning. Children's behaviour and their personal development are also outstanding; the raising of awareness of cultural diversity is a particular strength. The school is well led by a team committed to the safety, well-being and the highest achievement for all children. The school gives good value for money. The capacity to improve further

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What the school should do to improve further

Improve the quality of provision for Reception children by: • ensuring that the planning builds in more opportunities for children to initiate their own learning.

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Grade: 2

Children in the Reception class make good progress and reach standards above those expected nationally. This good progress is sustained throughout the school. By age seven, standards are well above the national average in reading, writing, mathematics and science. Standards dipped in writing in the national test for seven-year-olds in 2004 but because of robust action taken by the school they were well above average in 2005. Throughout Years 3 to 5, children continue to make good progress and achieve well in relation to challenging targets. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) have improved since the last inspection and are in line with the national expectation by age seven. The school recognises standards could be better in ICT and is implementing a plan to raise them. A strong feature of the school is art and design where standards are very high and children from Reception to Year 5 make outstanding progress.

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Grade: 2

Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress. Those with poor co-ordination improve significantly because of an imaginative programme of physical activity provided for them before school starts each morning. Parents of children with reading difficulties are thrilled with the progress their children make using a fun programme for teaching 'blends'. The school is very successful at enabling boys to achieve particularly well as readers and writers, as well as girls, because it consistently focuses on using boy friendly strategies to motivate them and sustain 2 Inspection Report: Cumberworth Church of England Voluntary Aided First School, 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005 their interest. Gifted and talented children are challenged and so progress well. The few minority ethnic children make very good progress and achieve very high standards.

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Grade: 1

Children enjoy school and find learning fun. Their attitudes to learning are overwhelmingly positive and they work very hard in lessons. Behaviour in lessons and during play is outstanding. Children feel safe, describing this as a school where: 'there are no bullies, just mates', and 'a place where we know our mates will help us if we are stuck'. Attendance is above the national average because children love coming to school and this makes a valuable contribution to their good progress. The school has a vibrant school council which enables children's views to be heard and acted upon. It contributes very effectively to their sense of community and promotes their understanding of the importance of being good citizens. The opportunities for children to organise fund raising events such as 'Jeans for Genes Day' develop their economic well-being very effectively. The initiative taken by Year 5 children to appoint

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Grade: 1

play buddies to ensure that no child is left without friends during playtime is particularly impressive. Older children develop important work-related skills as they manage the school library so smoothly. Spiritual development, within a Christian ethos, is outstanding, as is moral development. Children understand this to be a school where: 'we do not have rules just expectations'. Cultural awareness is promoted exceptionally well in all subjects. The school is particularly successful in promoting children's understanding of cultural diversity through the introduction of French lessons; visiting Indian dance and music demonstrations; and activities such as preparing, cooking and tasting Greek food. The school successfully promotes a healthy lifestyle: children are encouraged to eat healthy food and excellent provision is made for physical exercise. Work done by the school on raising children's awareness of the harmful effects of alcohol abuse has been

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Grade: 1

identified as exemplar material at the recent National Conference for personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) advisers.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good overall. It ranges from satisfactory to outstanding. Relationships are excellent and because teachers make learning enjoyable through interesting and exciting activities children make good progress. Praise is used very effectively to build children's confidence. Whilst the teaching of Reception children is satisfactory, they are not always enabled to take ownership of their learning because the lessons are too teacher directed. 3 Inspection Report: Cumberworth Church of England Voluntary Aided First School, 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005 Teachers give clear instructions. When they are not sure if children have understood they are skilful at asking probing questions to find out exactly what help they need. Children are clear about what is expected of them when put into group activities. Teachers are adept at gathering ideas from the children and building on them. They use their expert subject knowledge effectively to enable children to produce high

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Grade: 2

quality writing across all subjects. Hands on learning and role play contribute significantly to children's good progress. In a Year 1/2 literacy lesson, children built up an amazingly rich bank of words to use in a story about the beach, because as they explored the sand with their fingers and listened to the sound of waves and seagulls in the background, their imagination and sense of enjoyment was enhanced. Words such as 'the thundering waves crashing on the rocks' rolled off their lips and flowed onto their paper. Teaching assistants very effectively support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and enable them to succeed and be fully included in lessons. All staff are skilful at managing the rare instances of 'tricky behaviour' and so keep all children on task. As confirmed by parents, higher attaining children are challenged in their learning and so make good progress. Children's work is checked very carefully and the information gathered from marking

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Grade: 2

is used very effectively in the school's planning for raising standards. Children are set very clear targets to improve their work and teachers meticulously monitor their progress against these.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good overall with some outstanding features. The PSHCE curriculum is outstanding. Education about relationships and drug education contribute exceptionally well to promoting children's awareness of the importance of adopting a safe lifestyle. The 'creative curriculum' in Years 3, 4 and 5 promotes enjoyment and excellence in learning and makes a valuable contribution to raising children's awareness of cultural diversity. The national literacy and numeracy strategies are implemented exceptionally well and writing, in particular, is very well developed through all subjects. The school is adept at motivating boys to write well. Good planning ensures that ICT skills are developed across all subjects. Curriculum planning for Reception children has improved since the last inspection and is now satisfactory. However, more opportunities are needed to enable children to initiate their own learning. Learning through play for the Reception

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Grade: 2

children, though, is much better than at the time of the last inspection. Excellent use is made of visits and visitors to enhance the curriculum. During the inspection, children in Years 4 and 5 joined with a partner school to work with an author as part of the strategy to improve writing. They said: 'we really found the day to be fantastic'. There is a wide range of clubs after school which very successfully enrich the curriculum. 4 Inspection Report: Cumberworth Church of England Voluntary Aided First School, 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005

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Grade: 1

The quality of care is outstanding. In this school the needs of every child are known and catered for. All children are valued. Teachers regularly review children's progress and use this information to raise the achievement of every child. They know what makes each child 'tick' and plan accordingly to bring the best out of each child. Reception children are well supported in settling into school and children in Year 5 are prepared well to move on to their middle school. External agencies are used very effectively to support children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Children say, eagerly, that they feel safe at school with no fear of being bullied. They consider all staff to be caring, friendly and supportive. They trust staff and are confident to approach them if they are bothered about anything. Robust child protection procedures are in place. Risk assessments are thorough, as evidenced by the travel

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Grade: 1

plan for the Year 4/5 visit out of school during the inspection. The early morning club for children with poor coordination is an outstanding feature of care and support. Through fun activities, the coordination of these children improves very significantly. The grassed area is used during play to promote exercise and makes a valuable contribution to children's health. After school clubs, described as 'fantastic' by the children contribute very well to their enjoyment, health and well-being. Strong links with support agencies and other local schools ensure the needs of all children are met well.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good, a judgement that concurs with the school's own self-evaluation. The quality of care and commitment to the highest achievement for all children is at the heart of the headteacher's leadership. Her vision is shared by an effective team of staff who encourage each other well. Together they ensure that the school is run efficiently. This teamwork creates a positive ethos, promoting effective learning for all and enables all to achieve their full potential. The school has effective systems for checking its performance and for taking action to improve. The headteacher, staff and governors evaluate the school well. Information about achievement and from questionnaires sent out to parents and the children gives them a clear picture of how well the school is doing. The school improvement plan is a good management tool to bring about improvement and the whole school community

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Grade: 2

are involved in shaping the priorities on the plan. Effective use is made of resources. The governors give good support and challenge to the school. There are link governors to all areas of the curriculum who have a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development in their subjects. 5 Inspection Report: Cumberworth Church of England Voluntary Aided First School, 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005 .

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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: Cumberworth Church of England Voluntary Aided First School, 5 October 2005 to 6 October 2005

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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 3 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 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 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 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 2 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 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 your friendly welcome. You were so polite to me as a visitor and keen to tell me what you love about your school. I enjoyed visiting your school and it was a pleasure to talk with you and your teachers. What I liked most about your school - Your hard work, excellent behaviour and enjoyment of learning. - Your headteacher manages your school very well and each of you is known to her as an individual. - The care, guidance and support provided for you are excellent. - Those of you who find your work difficult are exceptionally well supported. - Your good writing and the very good work in your mathematics and science books. - You enjoy your clubs and they make a very valuable contribution to help you keep fit and healthy. - Your teachers and other staff know what works well in your school and what needs to be done to improve it further. - I agree with your parents' view that this is a good school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

What I have asked your school to do now - Improve the opportunities for children under five to become more independent in their learning. I know that your teachers are keen to make this an even better school. Please keep up your enthusiasm for learning and help them to make this an outstanding school.

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