Wiggonby CofE School

Inspection Report Wiggonby Church of England School

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112309 Unique Reference Number Cumbria LEA 278899 Inspection number 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Pat Kime Reporting inspector

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

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Wiggonby School address Primary Type of school Wigton Voluntary aided School category Cumbria CA7 0JR 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01697 342752 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01697 342752 Fax number 44 Number on roll Mrs Zoe Ferguson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Headteacher 1 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278899 13 June 2006 - 4 to 11 13 June 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This very small school is located several miles west of Carlisle. It serves an extensive rural area and more than half the pupils come to school by bus. No pupil is in receipt of a free school meal. An above average proportion has learning difficulties and/or disabilities. No pupil is from a minority ethnic group and all speak English as their first language. Pupils’ level of attainment when they start school varies greatly but taken overall is broadly average. Pupils are taught mainly in two classes, one for those in the Reception year and Key Stage 1 and the other for Key Stage 2, though smaller groups are formed for some lessons. Suitable arrangements have been made to minimise disruption to pupils’ learning pending the appointment of a new headteacher. The long-serving headteacher retired shortly before the inspection. At the time of inspection, an acting headteacher had been in post for almost a week.

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Description of the school

Nursery sessions are run on the premises by a voluntary provider. School staff played a significant part in establishing this provision. The school’s budget is augmented by a significant annual contribution from its Trust Fund.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Wiggonby Church of England School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Wiggonby C of E School provides a good education and gives good value for money. Teaching is good and there is a very caring family atmosphere. Pupils of all abilities make good progress academically and in their personal development, and standards are high. Inspection confirms the school’s view of its effectiveness. A high percentage of parents, nearly 80%, returned the inspection questionnaire. They have a very positive view of the school. Pupils enjoy school very much and they work hard. Staff know the pupils very well and nurture every one, helping them grow into thoughtful, caring and responsible young people. Provision in the Foundation Stage (Reception year) is good so children get a good start. They build well on this and standards are above average at the end of both Key Stage 1 (infants) and Key Stage 2 (juniors). Pupils do interesting work but links between subjects, particularly for the older pupils, could be planned more tightly. Teaching is

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Grade: 2

good overall, and pupils’ progress is tracked carefully, but the approach to day-to-day assessment, marking of work and setting targets for pupils’ learning is not consistent through the school. Leadership and management are satisfactory. They have ensured good provision and high standards. The key issues for action from the previous inspection have been dealt with and other improvements have been made. Nonetheless, the school’s evaluation of its performance lacks rigour and its plan for further improvement is weak. Key staff recognise these shortcomings and have the capacity to bring about improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Strengthen leadership and management by: • evaluating the school’s work more rigorously and creating a more coherent plan for further improvement • increasing the governing body’s involvement in evaluation of the school’s work and planning for improvement. • Improve the use of assessment and setting of targets for pupils’ learning in Key Stage 2. • Further develop the planning of work which links several subjects in Key Stage 2.

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Grade: 2

Pupils do well and standards are high. What children can do when they start in Reception varies greatly between individuals and cohorts. The school’s records show that, whatever their starting point, children make good progress in the Foundation Stage. By the end of the Reception year, the vast majority reach the national targets for children their age and several exceed them. 2 Inspection Report: Wiggonby Church of England School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006 Good teaching in Key Stage 1 ensures continued good progress for all pupils. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of this key stage have been above average for several years. Data show that pupils have made at least satisfactory progress in Key Stage 2 and the quality of teaching seen during the inspection suggests that this is likely to continue. Standards at the end of this key stage have been above average in English, mathematics

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Grade: 2

and science, though progress has been less good in mathematics for a few years. Teachers’ assessments of the standards attained by the current Year 6 pupils show that the targets set for them were suitably challenging and are likely to be met. Standards in mathematics are higher this year, reflecting a greater focus on the problem-solving aspect of the subject and additional challenge for the more able. Throughout the school, more able pupils reach above average standards. Those who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the lower achieving pupils also make good progress, often reaching an average standard. Some work was seen in other subjects and all was of at least an average standard. Examples of good work were seen in music, information and communication technology (ICT), and art and design.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make very good progress in their personal development. By the time they leave the school, they are caring, responsible young people who consider the needs of others in the school community and the wider world. They take responsibility for tasks around school and have a very good degree of independence. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good overall. Pupils’ outstanding behaviour aids learning and the school’s relaxed yet purposeful atmosphere. Pupils listen very attentively to their teachers, get on with their work without fuss and cooperate well. Relationships are very harmonious. Pupils’ cultural awareness, including the understanding of cultural diversity is good. Pupils have a very good understanding of how their fundraising to buy goats and fog catchers helps farmers in Africa. The school has promoted healthy living very successfully, particularly in relation to diet. Pupils are enthusiastic about exercise and healthy eating. They take plenty of

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Grade: 2

exercise in and out of school. They appreciate the healthy school meals and, encouraged by the school, they are proud of trying to eat the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Pupils know and understand safe day-to-day routines. Pupils are very well prepared for their future economic well-being. They develop very good social skills and personal attributes. They achieve good overall standards in key skills, literacy, numeracy, and ICT. Educational visits are designed to help them learn about manufacturing processes and the world of work and they have good opportunities to undertake enterprise projects. 3 Inspection Report: Wiggonby Church of England School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006 Pupils enjoy school very much. They say the teachers ‘make it fun’. They are particularly keen on the out-of-school sporting and musical activities and the educational visits. Attendance is above the national average.

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Grade: 2

The teaching and learning seen during the inspection was good overall. All was at least satisfactory. This picture of teaching is borne out by the work in pupils’ exercise books and by their good progress. Lessons have a clear purpose and staff use their very good knowledge of the pupils to match work to their different learning needs, despite the wide age-range in each class. The teaching in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 is lively and engaging. In the lesson observed, the teaching of phonics was precise and accurate and held all the pupils’ rapt attention. Teamwork is strong and support staff are used effectively with the Reception children so they have sufficient opportunities to learn through practical activities and purposeful play. Staff are used flexibly in Key Stage 2 to ‘play to their strengths’. This works quite well. For example, in a lesson with the older pupils, ICT was used well to support learning in geography. The teacher had very good

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Grade: 2

knowledge of the subject matter and high expectations. She questioned and challenged pupils very effectively and, as a result, they worked at a high level. The quality of marking and setting targets for pupils’ learning varies between the classes. In Key Stage 1, it makes clear how well the pupils have learned new work and frequently sets short-term targets so they know how they could do better. This ‘assessment for learning’ was not evident in Key Stage 2 where written comments did little to explain what was good about the work or how it could be better. Nevertheless, teachers use regular tests to keep good track of pupils’ progress throughout the school and they use the findings of these assessments to identify pupils who need extra help or greater challenge.

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Grade: 2

The school offers a good curriculum. It covers all that is required and is enriched by activities beyond lessons, such as clubs, educational visits and visitors to school, and joint activities with other small schools. The range of extra-curricular activities is good for a school this size. The work in each subject is carefully planned to ensure that pupils build knowledge and skills progressively. In Reception and Key Stage 1, much of the curriculum is taught through well-planned topics which link subjects. In Key Stage 2, some subjects are linked in this way but the planning of such cross-curricular work is not so rigorous across all subjects. 4 Inspection Report: Wiggonby Church of England School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils are cared for very well in the school’s caring family atmosphere. Staff know the pupils very well. They are alert to individual needs and provide sensitive and unobtrusive support when necessary. The arrangements for safeguarding pupils are good. Pastoral care is very good and academic support and guidance are satisfactory. The school goes to great lengths to ensure that pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and their families receive the support they need. This provision is very effective and many of these pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities reach an average standard. Specialist ‘catch up’ teaching is provided in-house. The arrangements for smooth transition from Nursery into the Reception class are very good.

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Grade: 3

The leadership and management of the school have succeeded in maintaining high standards and some improvements have been secured. The key issues for action in the previous inspection report have been dealt with. Where a need for improvement has been identified, staff’s strengths have been capitalised on to achieve it. The provision in mathematics has been enriched by a project, in partnership with other local schools, on problem solving. ICT has been enhanced by the purchase of ‘laptop’ computers. Nonetheless, the school’s approach to evaluating its performance and planning ahead for improvement is not systematic or coherent and the improvement plan is weak. Furthermore, governors are not greatly involved in evaluating the school’s performance and determining priorities for improvement. The acting headteacher knows what needs to be done to improve matters and, with the support of staff and the local authority,

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Grade: 3

she has the capacity to effect improvement. The school makes good use of its resources: staff, budget and accommodation. The additional monies from the Trust Fund are used primarily to enrich the curriculum and provide specialist teaching in music and to provide additional support staff. 5 Inspection Report: Wiggonby Church of England School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Wiggonby Church of England School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006

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