Stoke Goldington Church of England School

Inspection Report Stoke Goldington Church of England First School

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110408 Unique Reference Number Milton Keynes LEA LEA 278425 Inspection number 16 May 2006 to 16 May 2006 Inspection dates Barbara Atcheson AI Reporting inspector

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

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25 High Street School address First Type of school Stoke Goldington Voluntary controlled School category Newport Pagnell MK16 8NP 4 to 8 Age range of pupils 01908 551253 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01908 551253 Fax number 27 Number on roll Mr Gary Twyford Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Susan Judd Headteacher 27 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278425 16 May 2006 - 4 to 8 16 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The majority of pupils who come to this very small rural school are from middle income, home-owning families. Almost all are of White British heritage and very few are entitled to free school meals. There are two pupils with statements for their learning disabilities. The school has strong links with its parish church. The present head teacher is retiring in July 2006. As a part of local reorganisation the school will enter into partnership with another first school in September 2006.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Stoke Goldington Church of England First School, 16 May 2006 to 16 May 2006

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Grade: 2

The inspector agrees with senior management, governors, pupils and parents that this is a good school which gives good value for money. One parent wrote, 'Our children could not ask for a better start to their education'. The school has outstanding strengths in pupils' personal development and well-being and in the high quality care, guidance and support it provides. Provision for pupils with learning disabilities is exceptionally good. Achievement and standards are good. Children in the Foundation Stage benefit from good provision, make good progress and achieve well by the end of their reception year. Standards continue to rise so that by the end of Year 2 attainment is well above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Over the past five years standards have risen steadily and a large majority of pupils exceed the levels expected for their age. Good teaching ensures that all pupils make good progress because they are motivated

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Grade: 2

and learning is made relevant. Teaching is especially effective for the more able and those with learning disabilities. Well focused assessment ensures that the learning needs of all pupils are met. However not all pupils are clear about their next steps in learning because target setting is not sharp enough. Joined handwriting is not sufficiently promoted and this detracts from the quality of pupils' written work. Effective leadership and management have been successful in creating a committed team who are ambitious for the pupils' success. The school improvement plan sets the correct agenda and as a result there is a good track record of improvement and steadily rising standards demonstrating the school's capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Develop the use of target setting so that all pupils are clear about their next steps in learning. • Improve the quality of pupils' writing through the promotion of joined handwriting.

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Grade: 2

Pupils start school with average standards and make good progress to attain above average standards in all areas of learning by the end of reception. Standards continue to rise as pupils get older so that by the end of Year 2, they are well above average in reading, writing and mathematics. School data indicates that as a result of good teaching, all pupils make good progress across all subjects. Standards have risen steadily over the past five years with a large majority of pupils reaching the higher levels by the end of Year 3. Pupils meet the challenging targets set by the school. Boys and girls do equally well. Pupils know their own targets but are not clear about what they need to do to improve. More able pupils achieve well because their targets are more challenging. One boy 2 Inspection Report: Stoke Goldington Church of England First School, 16 May 2006 to 16 May 2006 said, 'I really enjoy my lessons because they are challenging'. Pupils with learning

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Grade: 2

disabilities make good progress as a result of high quality of provision.

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Grade: 1

The personal development of pupils is outstanding. One parent writes, 'This is a very happy school (...) children are enthusiastic about all aspects of school life'. Behaviour is very good and attendance is above average. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. In such a small school everyone plays their part. Pupils choose playground equipment and are proud of special responsibilities such as showing prospective pupils round the school. Pupils know about keeping safe and healthy. One girl said, 'We need healthy food to help us grow and give us energy.' A local safety centre provides an excellent chance to participate in real-life scenarios. As part of the village community, pupils perform plays and contribute to the newsletters. Charity fund raising helps pupils to consider the needs of the wider world. Pupils' economic well-being is enhanced by the good progress they make in English and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good and fosters positive attitudes amongst the pupils. They work hard, responding enthusiastically to challenging work. One girl said that she enjoyed completing a character profile because, 'You can learn to describe things better yourself'. Thorough planning and preparation linked to the good use of resources motivates pupils and makes learning relevant. For example, reception children enthusiastically counted out real coins to the value of 10p before writing price-labels and using the money to purchase the items needed to plant their beans. Support staff are highly skilled in prompting and encouraging pupils, particularly those with learning disabilities, so that they are able to participate fully in lessons. More able pupils benefit from the challenges provided through grouping by ability and make good progress. Although marking often fosters improvement, pupils are not always clear about their next steps in learning. Most basic skills are taught thoroughly but

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Grade: 2

there is room for improvement in promoting joined handwriting.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. Physical education (PE) has improved since the last inspection. More activities are timetabled and the provision of a PE specialist has improved pupils' development and skills. Despite the size of the school, the curriculum is appropriately 3 Inspection Report: Stoke Goldington Church of England First School, 16 May 2006 to 16 May 2006 varied to meet the needs of all pupils and is reviewed regularly to reflect the changes of intake. The local environment is used well, linking subjects such as art, science, history and geography to give relevance to learning. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used well across the whole curriculum. Pupils show that they are capable of doing neat joined handwriting in their handwriting books. However, it is not evident in other work. Extra curricular activities such as violins, rambling, cycling together with a well-planned programme of visits and visitors enrich the curriculum and add enjoyment to learning.

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Grade: 2

Personal, health and social education successfully promotes positive attitudes, helps pupils to understand that they belong to a community and ensures that pupils keep healthy and stay safe.

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Grade: 1

The care, guidance and support given to pupils are outstanding. Parents enthuse about a warm, friendly school that instils confidence in their children at every stage of their schooling. The care shown for all pupils is excellent and ensures that everyone has full access to the curriculum. Procedures for child protection, risk assessment and health and safety are robust and staff training is fully up to date. Links with outside agencies are most effective in providing additional support particularly for pupils with learning disabilities. Monitoring of pupils' academic and personal development is mostly good. The school regularly assesses pupils' progress and keeps helpful records of progress which it shares with parents. The parents comment that their children are prepared very well for the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher shows good leadership through her clear vision for improvement and commitment to promoting high standards. This vision is shared by the staff and as a result all pupils make good progress and standards have risen over the past five years. A robust programme of monitoring and evaluation by the headteacher ensures that teaching improves consistently. The impact of well-focussed training on developing basic skills has been reflected in an improvement on the quality of pupils' learning. For example, games brought back from a course on creative mathematics have added real enjoyment and helped pupils to improve their recognition of doubles. However, more remains to be done to ensure greater consistency in developing pupils' handwriting and in improving target setting. Good systems for tracking pupils' performance mean that learning is well-tailored to their needs. There is a positive

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Grade: 2

ethos, everyone is valued and equal opportunities are promoted effectively. 4 Inspection Report: Stoke Goldington Church of England First School, 16 May 2006 to 16 May 2006 Governors make well considered strategic judgements which have significant impact on the school's direction. Their decision to enter into partnership with another first school has addressed the difficulties posed by reorganisation and the retirement of the present headteacher whilst providing new opportunities which may widen the scope of opportunities for both staff and pupils. Financial management is good. Self-evaluation is accurate and well-founded enabling the school to identify where improvements are needed. Strategic plans include relevant priorities and because success criteria are measurable and reviewed regularly they form an incisive tool in school development. This together with the full response to the issues raised by the

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Grade: 2

last inspection indicates that the school has good capacity to move forward. 5 Inspection Report: Stoke Goldington Church of England First School, 16 May 2006 to 16 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: Stoke Goldington Church of England First School, 16 May 2006 to 16 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 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 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 2 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 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

Children I should like to thank you all for being so kind, polite and helpful on my recent visit. Your parents and carers are right in thinking that you go to a good school. You clearly enjoy being at school and you behave very well. You are very friendly towards each other and your teachers. Your teachers care very well for you and help you to be safe and healthy. Other adults who help in lessons are very good at supporting you so that everyone can join in. There are a couple of things that will make your school even better. I know that you all work hard because lessons are exciting and as a result you are all doing well. However you could improve even more by making sure that your handwriting is joined. I would also like teachers to make sure that you know exactly what you have to do to improve your work. Thank you once again for looking after me so well on my visit. Mrs Barbara Atcheson (Additional Inspector)

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