Deer Park Primary School

Inspection Report Deer Park Primary School

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112651 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE LEA LEA 278983 Inspection number 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Colin Humphreys LI Reporting inspector

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

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New Road School address Primary Type of school S42 6TD Community School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01246 232696 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01246 232696 Fax number 337 Number on roll Mrs.Linda Du-Roe Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Tim Soar Headteacher 6 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278983 14 March 2006 - 4 to 11 15 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of schools and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Deer Park is a larger than average primary school, situated in the rural village of Wingerworth. It is a popular, oversubscribed school, with some children coming from outside the catchment area. The vast majority of the children are White British, but a small number are from a minority ethnic background. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is well below average and only a few have learning difficulties. Pupils start at the school with broadly average skills.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Deer Park Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Grade: 1

The inspectors and the school agree that this is an outstanding school, because all aspects of its work are at least good and some features are exemplary. The children reach very high standards and they make good progress all the way through the school. In the Reception classes they make an outstanding start. Children start at the school with attainment that is broadly average and leave at the age of eleven with well above average results. Children with learning difficulties make steady progress. The children's personal development is good with some outstanding features. Their behaviour is exemplary. Attendance is above average. Children have a positive attitude to their learning and aspire to do their best. They feel safe and enjoy school life and their moral and social development is excellent. Aspects of their spiritual and cultural development are not quite as strong. Teaching is good overall with some outstanding

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Grade: 1

aspects. More could be done to encourage children's independent learning skills and individual initiative. The curriculum is excellent and provides a wealth of enrichment opportunities. The staff take excellent care of the children and provide good additional support to those who fall behind in their learning. Aspects of leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher has made many positive improvements since the previous inspection but also maintained very high academic standards. He is supported very well by the deputy headteacher and senior leadership team, who all work together very effectively. The school's capacity for further improvement is excellent and the school provides very good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Improve the provision for the children's spiritual and cultural development further. - Create more opportunities for children to develop independent learning skills and individual initiative.

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Grade: 1

The standards reached by the children are outstandingly high and are well above national averages. In the Reception classes, the children make an outstanding start. The school has a history of exceptionally good results in national tests and many children reach the higher Level 3 when they are seven years olds and go on to achieve the higher Level 5 when they are eleven. These are the highest results that it is possible to achieve. The children generally meet the ambitious targets that the school sets them, and this is an exceptionally good achievement. The children make very good progress as they move through the school. They start with broadly average skills when they enter the Reception class and they leave the school with well above average ability. Those children who do not reach the highest levels still make good progress in relation to their capabilities. Children with learning difficulties make steady progress

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Grade: 1

because of the extra support they receive. 2 Inspection Report: Deer Park Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Grade: 2

The children's personal development is good with some outstanding features. A good teaching programme enables the children to grow well in confidence as learners. They have good self-esteem because they feel valued and respected by the adults in school. The children greatly enjoy coming to school and attendance rates are consistently above average. They apply themselves well in lessons and behave in an exemplary manner throughout the day. Children are effectively learning key skills in literacy, numeracy and science. They are very supportive of each other and the older children greatly enjoy their privileges, including helping younger children. Through the work of the school council, the children are beginning to use their voice to improve the school's facilities. The children have a particularly good awareness of how to stay safe and the needs of others. They are actively involved in supporting their local community

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Grade: 2

on special occasions such as at harvest time and by raising money for charities. The children understand the importance of taking regular exercise and eating healthy food. The children's moral and social development is excellent. School assemblies strongly support the children's understanding of right and wrong, although spiritual development is not such a strong feature of the school's work. For example, children have few chances to reflect and think deeply about life in assemblies. The quality of the relationships in school is outstanding. Children work very well together and aspire to achieve their best. They have a good understanding of their own cultural traditions, particularly in terms of art, literature and music. The school recognises, and the inspection team agrees, that more could be done to raise the children's awareness of cultures other than their own.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school that the quality of teaching is good overall with some outstanding practice which ensures that children make at least good progress in lessons. Teaching in the Reception classes is very effective so that most children acquire the expected skills, with a significant number achieving beyond these. Lessons are well planned with a range of suitably challenging activities which engage the interest of the children, although more could be done to encourage their independent learning skills and individual initiative. Particular strengths in the teaching lie in the positive relationships that are evident between teachers, adults and children and the emphasis placed on the promotion of children's personal development. As a result, classrooms are happy places where children enjoy learning. Good organisation and well-established routines ensure that most lessons move at a good pace, and as a consequence the

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Grade: 2

children often make excellent progress. Children with learning difficulties are identified early and receive good support from their teachers and teaching assistants so that they make steady progress towards their individual learning targets. The school has very good systems to assess and track the children's progress. The teachers know their 3 Inspection Report: Deer Park Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006 children well as individuals and with the information from assessments they are able to set clear individual and group targets which help the children to focus on what they have to learn to improve.

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Grade: 1

The quality of the curriculum is excellent. Attractive displays in classrooms and around the school illustrate children's work in the full range of subjects. The curriculum for the Foundation Stage children is very good and ensures that they are well prepared for future learning. Throughout the school there is a strong emphasis on promoting personal and social development so that the children have a good understanding of keeping healthy and of citizenship. The curriculum is particularly well enriched with a wide ranging programme of visits and visitors to school such as authors, poets and theatre groups and an excellent range of out-of-class activities including music and various sports clubs. These attract many children and make a strong contribution to their learning and enjoyment. Their enjoyment of learning is further enhanced by planned theme weeks such as the recent 'speaking and listening' week. Children also

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Grade: 1

have good opportunities to learn to play orchestral instruments and to learn French. The curriculum for children with learning difficulties is carefully adjusted to meet their needs. Those children who have been identified with specific gifts and talents are also well supported and encouraged to develop their skills through a good range of special activities.

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Grade: 1

The school provides an excellent caring and supportive environment in which children feel happy and safe. All adults look after children well. Incidents of bullying are extremely rare and good procedures are in place to deal with any, should they occur. Children know that adults will listen to any concerns they might have. Procedures for child protection are secure and regular training takes place. Health and safety procedures are effective with checks on possible risks to children's safety carried out regularly. All staff have recently undertaken first aid training. A good programme for health education ensures that children know how to stay fit and learn why substances such as tobacco and alcohol are dangerous. The school works effectively with outside agencies to support children with special educational needs. The school has developed very good procedures to assess and monitor children's academic and social progress.

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Grade: 1

These are used well to identify and support children who are experiencing learning difficulties as early as possible and also to set all children helpful individual and group targets. Children clearly know these targets and have a clear understanding of what they need to do to improve their work further. The school has good links with the parents, who are fully involved in their child's education and strongly support the view that their children are safe and well cared for at the school. 4 Inspection Report: Deer Park Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 March 2006

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Grade: 1

Many aspects of leadership and management are outstandingly good, which is why the children achieve so well. The headteacher has a clear vision to develop a continually improving school. He has the confidence of the governors, staff and parents. He has skilfully ensured that very high academic standards have been maintained, whilst the curriculum has been significantly improved to provide the children with a more broadly based and exciting curriculum. This has been a considerable achievement. He is supported very well by the recently appointed deputy headteacher and senior leadership team, who work together very effectively. They have developed effective structures and systems that are firmly focused on standards and achievement and the school runs efficiently at both operational and strategic levels. There are very secure systems for whole-school planning and review. The quality of the school's self evaluation is

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Grade: 1

excellent and so the school knows where further improvements can be made. Subject managers understand their role well and are properly held to account for their area of responsibility. Governance is good. The governors have greatly improved the contribution they make to the school's work and there are secure systems for them to monitor the school's work. The chair of governors has a clear understanding of the school's strengths and provides valuable support to the leadership of the school. The school has made effective use of a parent questionnaire to make sure the school knows the parents' views. The school's capacity for further improvement is excellent and the school provides very good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Deer Park Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 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: Deer Park Primary School, 14 March 2006 to 15 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 1 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 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 1 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 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 2 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 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 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 1 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

When we visited your school recently we had a lovely time, because everyone was friendly and made us feel welcome. So thank you for that. We found your school to be outstanding. It was very clear that you enjoy school and are happy there. You make very good progress in your learning and many of you achieve very high standards in your work, much higher than in most primary schools. Your behaviour was excellent and everyone, including teachers, other adults and children, all work together really well. You are very lucky. Remember to thank your teachers and helpers for all they do for you, because they work very hard. Mr Soar is a very good headteacher who has greatly helped the school improve by making sure that you are given more interesting and exciting things to do. He and the teachers are always looking for ways to make things better. They look after you very well at school and they listen to what you have

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to say. They are good at helping you in lots of ways. We have said that the school should try and find more ways for you to show what you can do without their help. We also think that you should learn more about other cultures and be given more opportunities to reflect deeply on life. Of course, if the school is to continue to do well, then you must play your part by continuing to work hard. All the inspectors wish you the very best for the future.

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