Cuddington Primary School

Inspection Report Cuddington Primary School

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111059 Unique Reference Number Cheshire LEA 278586 Inspection number 16 January 2006 to 17 January 2006 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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Ash Road School address Primary Type of school Cuddington Community School category Northwich, Cheshire CW8 2NY 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01606 883045 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01606 889488 Fax number 155 Number on roll Mr Mark Butcher Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs R Laidlow Headteacher 7 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278586 16 January 2006 - 4 to 11 17 January 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

Cuddington Primary School provides education for children living in the villages of Cuddington and Sandiway; a newly built primary school on the nearby Kingsmead housing development has resulted in falling numbers in the past four years. The school is smaller than average. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is below the national average but has risen in recent years. On entering Year 1, most pupils have skills expected for children of their age. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below the national average. There are few minority ethnic pupils; none is at an early stage of learning English. There is a private nursery on the school site and also a Network Club, both run by a private company, which provide 'wrap around care' for children aged 3 to 11 from 8am to 6pm. The school has achieved: the 'Artsmark'; 'Eco Status'; and 'Healthy Schools' Awards and the nationally

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Description of the school

recognised 'Investors in People Award' for staff development.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Cuddington Primary School, 16 January 2006 to 17 January 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with some outstanding features. Children under five make good progress and have plenty of opportunities to initiate their learning through play. Pupils make good progress in English and mathematics and a higher percentage of Year 6 pupils reach well above average standards than found nationally. Pupils' progress in science is satisfactory. Progress in art, music and drama is very good and standards are very high in these subjects. The enjoyment and fun pupils receive from their learning are outstanding because of the exciting, stimulating and challenging activities they are given. Teaching is good overall. However, not all teachers are yet confident in their use of the recently installed interactive whiteboards to support them in their teaching. On the rare occasion where teaching is no better than satisfactory, the pace drops and learning is impeded as a consequence. Attitudes to learning and behaviour are

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Grade: 2

outstanding as is pupils' personal development. The promotion of pupils' health and safety is excellent. The range of clubs makes a very valuable contribution to pupils' learning. The quality of care is outstanding and pupils greatly appreciate the help and support they receive from adults to assist their learning; they are crystal clear about what they need to do to improve their work. The school is well led and managed; it provides good value for money. The capacity for further improvement is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve teachers' confidence and consistency in use of the newly installed interactive whiteboards to support their teaching, and improve learning by ensuring good quality training in interactive whiteboard use. • Continue to implement the plan to raise standards in science.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. The vast majority of children reach the expectations for their age in Reception; this demonstrates good progress. Higher attaining children exceed these expectations. Pupils make good progress with their reading, writing and mathematics throughout Years 1 and 2. Too few pupils took the national tests for 7 year olds in 2005 to draw meaningful comparisons with national standards, but there has been an upward trend over five years at the highest level available for 7 year olds. Throughout Key Stage 2 pupils continue to make good progress in English and mathematics. Again the national test results in 2005 must be treated with caution because of the small number of pupils and the significant gender imbalance, but the percentage of pupils in Year 6 who reached the highest level open to them exceeded the national average. Those who dipped below the average standard for their age made good progress measured against their starting point.

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Grade: 2

Progress in science is satisfactory and standards are rising because of effective strategies being put in place by the school. By Year 6, pupils reach the standard expected nationally in information and communication technology (ICT), because of 2 Inspection Report: Cuddington Primary School, 16 January 2006 to 17 January 2006 the good progress they have made over the past two years due to specialist teaching. Progress in art and design, music and drama is very good and standards are very high in these subjects. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make rapid gains, particularly in reading and writing because of the high quality, targeted support they receive. Those with challenging behaviour related to their learning difficulty gain in confidence, settle down to work and achieve well. The few minority ethnic pupils achieve well. As supported by parents' views, gifted and talented pupils reach high standards because

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Grade: 2

they are stretched and given opportunities to attend classes at the local secondary school.

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Grade: 1

The school modestly evaluates this area as good. Inspectors judge it as outstanding. Pupils enjoy school. Their attitudes to learning are overwhelmingly positive. Pupils said, 'We love to learn because lessons are made fun'. Behaviour is outstanding. Pupils feel safe: bullying is rare and when it does occur it is quickly sorted out by teachers. Attendance is above the national average. The school has a vibrant school council which enables pupils' views to be heard and acted upon. In addition there is a ''Play Buddy Group' in Year 5 which represents the views of pupils across the school and makes sensible decisions about how the playground can be improved. This opportunity develops their sense of economic well-being as they raise and manage funds quite independently to improve the school environment. Social and moral development is outstanding. Older pupils have an excellent understanding of the importance of their actions as members of the school community.

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Grade: 1

The way in which Year 6 pupils are paired with children in Reception to support and help them is impressive. Spiritual and cultural development is good. The school successfully promotes a healthy lifestyle: pupils are encouraged to eat healthy food and excellent provision is made for physical exercise. The work done on promoting pupils' safety is outstanding: it includes teaching them how to avoid injury and about the harmful effects of smoking.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good overall. It ranges from good to satisfactory. It is consistently good for children under five. Pupils are confident to ask their teachers questions; relationships are excellent. Lessons are enjoyable and fun. Pupils are keen to learn. Teachers give clear instructions and carefully check that the pupils understand what is expected of them. Teachers gather ideas from the pupils by effective questioning; 3 Inspection Report: Cuddington Primary School, 16 January 2006 to 17 January 2006 these ideas are used well to move them on in their learning. Teachers' good subject knowledge is used effectively to increase pupils' knowledge. Challenge is good and pupils are stretched: particularly with their reading and mathematics. Good planning and effective use of teaching assistants ensure that the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well met. Effective strategies are used to motivate

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Grade: 2

pupils identified as gifted and talented. However, teacher confidence in the use of the interactive whiteboards is not yet consistent across all classes. On the rare occasion where teaching is only satisfactory the pace drops and learning time is wasted. Work is carefully marked and pupils are given good advice about what they need to do to improve. In English and mathematics pupil tracking is excellent: pupils are set clear targets to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good, as the school rightly judges; some features are outstanding. Planned well, it meets the needs of all pupils. Statutory requirements are met. The personal, social and health education and citizenship programme is outstanding. The school has been awarded the 'ECO Green Flag Award' for pupils' contribution to caring for the environment. Provision for the arts is strong and contributes effectively to pupils' enjoyment and excitement in learning. The national literacy and numeracy strategies are implemented well. ICT is incorporated into all subjects. The curriculum for the under fives is good. For pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities the good curriculum contributes to their rapid progress in reading. Excellent use is made of visits and visitors to enhance the curriculum; all pupils in Years 3 to 6 go on a residential visit. The range of after school clubs is amazing and makes

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Grade: 2

a valuable contribution to pupils' learning new skills through sporting, music and drama activities.

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Grade: 1

The quality of care is outstanding; a judgement better than the school's self-evaluation of good. The needs of every child are known and catered for. Teachers rigorously keep a check on pupils' personal and academic progress. The school draws well on external agencies to support pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. There is a 'nurture room' with a calm ambience where pupils who are upset can be temporarily taken out of a lesson and supported until they are ready to return. Children under five are effectively supported in settling into school. Year 6 pupils are well prepared to move on to Secondary School. Children say, eagerly, that they feel safe at school. They trust staff and are confident to talk with them if they are troubled. Robust child protection procedures are in place. Risk assessments are thorough. The early morning breakfast club is an outstanding feature of care; the many children who attend start the day with a healthy breakfast.

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Grade: 1

4 Inspection Report: Cuddington Primary School, 16 January 2006 to 17 January 2006

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good; a judgement better than the school's own evaluation of satisfactory. A commitment to the highest achievement and the best possible quality of care for all pupils lies at the heart of the headteacher's leadership. She has successfully managed the school through a period of long-term absence of a deputy by developing the skills and talents of the staff and deploying them effectively. The temporary appointment of two staff at assistant headteacher level and the re-structuring of staff into three curriculum teams have had a positive effect on raising standards. The headteacher's vision is shared by all staff. They work as a team, encourage each other and ensure that the school is run effectively. This teamwork creates a very positive ethos, promoting effective learning for all pupils. Subject leaders are effective and contribute well to raising standards. The school has robust systems for checking its performance and taking action to

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Grade: 2

improve. The school improvement plan and supporting action plans are good tools to manage change and bring about improvement. Financial planning is good. The governors give good support and challenge. They meet their statutory responsibilities. They know the school well and are, wisely, planning ahead for the financial impact of the school's falling roll. 5 Inspection Report: Cuddington Primary School, 16 January 2006 to 17 January 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: Cuddington Primary School, 16 January 2006 to 17 January 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 2 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 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 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 kind, polite and helpful welcome to us as visitors to your good school. You were so enthusiastic to tell us what you enjoy about school and how you are getting on with your work! It was a privilege to meet and talk with you and your dedicated teachers and teaching assistants. What we most like about your school - Your excellent attitude to learning, amazingly positive attitude to work and outstanding behaviour. - The way in which you care for one another. - The good progress you make in English and mathematics because you are well taught. - The care and support you are given by your teachers and teaching assistants. - The excellent clubs that make your learning exciting and fun. - The responsibility you take for making your school a happy and enjoyable place to be. - That your headteacher and staff work so effectively as a team to manage your school so well. - The hard work the school's staff do to ensure that you keep fit, healthy and safe.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

What we have asked your school to do now - To use the new interactive whiteboards more consistently to make your learning even more interesting and exciting. - To make sure you all do as well as you can in science.

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