Stoneraise School

112122 Unique Reference Number Cumbria LEA 278854 Inspection number 28 February 2006 to 1 March 2006 Inspection dates Mr Joe Clark Reporting inspector

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

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Durdar School address Primary Type of school Carlisle Community School category Cumbria, CA5 7AT 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01228 607803 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01228 607804 Fax number 118 Number on roll Mr Mike McNally Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Andrew Mason Headteacher 1 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278854 28 February 2006 - 3 to 11 1 March 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

Stoneraise is a smaller than average Primary school with an attached Nursery shared with another provider. The school is situated in a rural location on the outskirts of Carlisle. A minority of children come from surrounding hamlets but most come from more built up areas in Carlisle. Roughly half of the children come from areas of social and economic deprivation. The proportion of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average. Almost all children have English as their home language. When children join Reception their skills and knowledge are as expected for their age. There is a high level of mobility in the school population. The school has a 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: Stoneraise School, 28 February 2006 to 1 March 2006

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Grade: 3

The school judges its effectiveness to be satisfactory and inspectors agree. The sound provision made for children’s early learning in the Nursery and Reception classes gives them a solid start to school. Although achievement fluctuates as children move through the school, progress overall is satisfactory. Standards by the end of Year 6 are in line with the national average. Children’s personal development is good. They behave well, have good attitudes, and take on an excellent range of opportunities to exercise responsibility willingly and enthusiastically. Children feel safe and well cared for. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. However, children are not sufficiently involved in assessing how well they are doing in lessons and are not challenged enough in Key Stage 2. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher manages the heavy workload of a small school well, but knowing how

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Grade: 3

well children achieve requires a greater whole-school focus and the governing body, although very supportive, do not have a secure enough view of how well children achieve. Improvement since the previous inspection is good and there is sound capacity for further improvement. The school provides satisfactory value for money. not applicable

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure children achieve better results at the end of Year 6 by setting more challenging targets. • Provide a greater focus in lessons on what children are expected to learn and involve children more in assessing how well they are doing. • Share the evidence for and focus more on how well the children achieve with the governing body.

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Grade: 3

Children join Reception with skills and knowledge at the levels expected for their age. The minority of children who have attended the Nursery join Reception with higher standards than other children, for example, in their manipulative skills when holding a pencil. Children make satisfactory progress as they move through the school and achieve average standards by the end of Year 6. In 2005, children in Year 2 reached standards that were above average, particularly in writing. There has been a steady improvement in standards at the end of Year 2 since 2003. A significant number of children join the school during Key Stage 2 so comparing the results from the end of Year 2 to Year 6 is not a reliable measure of their progress. However, there is some evidence that children over the last two years, particularly the more able, do not do as well as they should and the targets they are set for the end of Year 6 national tests

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Grade: 3

are too modest. Standards at the end of Year 6 are currently average in English, mathematics and science, although children do better in mathematics than English. 2 Inspection Report: Stoneraise School, 28 February 2006 to 1 March 2006 Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress as they move through the school.

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Grade: 2

Children’s personal development is good. The vast majority of children enjoy their learning and feel safe in school. They say bullying occurs now and again but is always effectively dealt with. Children behave well and have positive attitudes to learning. Attendance is above average. Opportunities to take and exercise responsibility are outstanding. From house captains, school council members, packed lunch monitors, door duty supervisors, and playground buddies, to junior sports leaders, opportunities exist at all levels for children to be active citizens. Children’s views are heard through the school council and acted upon; for example, when the school toilets were upgraded. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is good and has improved since the previous inspection. Their awareness of the wider community and the needs of others is heightened through charity and fundraising events. The encouragement

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Grade: 2

given to developing their arithmetical skills which they use in many practical ways; for example, being responsible for the accounting of charity money, contributes well to their future economic well being. Children put into practice the good advice they receive about safety issues and healthy lifestyles. They talk enthusiastically about the excellent healthy meals the school provides. Over 90% of children take a school lunch most days.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Teachers know their children well and positive relationships encourage and motivate children to want to learn. Good use is made of teacher expertise, for example, in French. The methods used to help children learn are generally good but there is sometimes insufficient practical work in science, restricting the standards children can reach. Lessons are generally well planned and the use of questioning is well established. However, in some lessons children are not always given sufficient thinking time before an answer is expected. Although target setting is in place, targets are not always challenging enough, particularly for the more able children and in some lessons teachers do not always focus strongly enough on what children are expected to have learned by the end of the lesson. Marking is positive and encouraging but the children themselves are not involved enough in the assessment

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Grade: 3

process. Teaching assistants are well deployed and give effective support, particularly to children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. 3 Inspection Report: Stoneraise School, 28 February 2006 to 1 March 2006

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory and relevant to the needs of children. The provision for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good. The Foundation Stage curriculum is well planned, and in Years 1 to 6 a good allocation of time is given to the basic skills of literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology (ICT), although there is not always enough time spent developing practical skills in science. There are some effective examples of imaginative planning to enhance the curriculum, for example through events such as science weeks, but this is underdeveloped. Significant improvements in the ICT curriculum mean that computer skills are now an integral part of learning. The curriculum is also enriched through access to French and a good range of after-school activities, particularly in sport. A thoughtfully compiled programme for personal, social and health education and

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Grade: 3

citizenship ensures that children have a good understanding of safety issues and healthy living.

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Grade: 3

The quality of the care, guidance and support the school provides for its children is satisfactory overall. Children are well cared for and feel safe. Teachers and other staff are sensitive to the needs of all children and know their individual personal circumstances very well. They provide very good role models, engendering mutual respect that fosters good relationships all round. Staff are well trained in the essential policies and practices that keep children safe. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities receive high quality support from teaching assistants. The Foundation Stage provides an effective introduction into the routines of school life. The guidance children receive on how to improve their academic work and achieve the highest possible standards is inconsistent. The targets children are set are not always challenging enough and there is insufficient emphasis on children achieving the highest possible

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The school is accurate in its own evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses. The headteacher successfully combines a heavy teaching commitment with maintaining a well run and organised school. The Foundation Stage, and provision for children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, are well managed. However, the standards children achieve are not given a high enough priority. Parents are consulted regularly and their views sought. They have confidence in the school and support it in many practical ways, for example, in utilising their skills and expertise in the maintenance and enhancement of the accommodation. Links with other local schools are good. Governance is satisfactory. Governors work hard in providing effective support and encouragement to the school 4 Inspection Report: Stoneraise School, 28 February 2006 to 1 March 2006 and they ensure all statutory requirements are met. However, they do not question

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Grade: 3

the school sufficiently about the children’s achievement. Financial management is good. The school has made good improvement since the previous inspection and is well placed to continue to improve in the future. 5 Inspection Report: Stoneraise School, 28 February 2006 to 1 March 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: Stoneraise School, 28 February 2006 to 1 March 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 2 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 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 3 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 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 3 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 Stoneraise School Durdar Carlisle Cumbria CA5 7AT 2 March 2006 Dear Children Thank you very much for making me so welcome when I visited your school recently. I really appreciated the help you gave me, especially in sharing your work and your ideas about the school. I was pleased to see how much you enjoyed school and how hard you worked. I was impressed with your politeness and the way you respect each other and all the adults in the school. It was great to see you receive your rewards at the merit assembly. Keep up the good work. The standards you achieve in Year 6 in English, mathematics and science are OK but I think you can do better. More of you should to be aiming for the very highest levels and from now on this is what your teachers are going to demand from you. I’m not sure you all know what it is you are expected to have learned by the end of each lesson but this is going to be spelled

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

out to you in future. You like your teachers, and especially your headteacher, because they help you not only with your work but with your other problems too. The teaching assistants also work hard to help you and we could see how much you appreciated their help and support. Continue to do your best and we know you will succeed. Thank you once again for being so friendly and helpful. Yours sincerely Joe Clark Lead inspector

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