St Peter's Church of England (VC) Junior School

Inspection Report Fairfield Endowed CofE (C) Junior School

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112806 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE LEA LEA 279027 Inspection number 5 June 2006 to 6 June 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Martin Newell AI Reporting inspector

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

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Boarstone Lane School address Junior Type of school SK17 7NA Voluntary controlled School category 7 to 11 Age range of pupils 0129822551 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0129822551 Fax number 226 Number on roll Mrs.Caitlin Bisknell Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Margaret Buckley Headteacher 4 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279027 5 June 2006 - 7 to 11 6 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Fairfield is an average sized junior school which is situated just out of the town centre of Buxton. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties are a little above the national average. The percentage of pupils who have statements of special educational needs is well above average. Almost all pupils are White British and a very small percentage of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds are at an early stage of acquiring English. Attainment on entry is above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Fairfield Endowed CofE (C) Junior School, 5 June 2006 to 6 June 2006

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Grade: 4

The overall effectiveness of the school is currently inadequate because pupils do not reach the standards and fulfil the potential of which they are capable. The school judges its overall effectiveness as satisfactory with some good aspects. This paints too positive a picture although there are strengths on which the school can build. Teaching overall is currently satisfactory and there are examples of good and outstanding teaching but it is evident that teaching could be stronger and particular weaknesses in teaching and assessment over time have contributed to pupils' underachievement. Leadership and management of the school have not played a rigorous or effective enough role in evaluating performance and tackling underachievement. Improvement since the last inspection has been unsatisfactory. Nevertheless, the introduction of new improvement strategies, particularly in teaching and assessment and the

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Grade: 4

commitment by school leaders to eliminate weaknesses, indicate that there is now a satisfactory capacity to improve. The school provides inadequate value for money. The pupils' personal development, their behaviour and attitudes, the curriculum and the care for pupils are all satisfactory. The school provides a good range of enrichment opportunities and satisfactorily promotes the importance of pupils keeping fit and healthy. Attendance remains consistently below the national average. In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement because it is performing less well than in all the circumstances it could be reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a Notice to Improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to pupil achievement and leadership and management.

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What the school should do to improve further

In order to improve pupils' standards and achievement the school should: - ensure the senior management team, subject leaders and governors rigorously monitor school, pupil and staff performance - seek to improve the quality of teaching and learning so it more regularly matches that of the best practice - make the best use of test and assessment data to impact more significantly on how well pupils achieve - continue to work with parents and carers to improve attendance rates.

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Grade: 4

Overall the achievement and standards of pupils, including those with learning difficulties, are inadequate. Assessment data indicates that pupils start school with standards that are above average. National test data and the school's assessment data shows that when pupils leave school standards overall in 2004 and 2005 were significantly below the national average. The value added data which tracks pupils' progress from Year 2 to Year 6 indicates that achievement has been in decline since 2003 and in 2005 was significantly lower than found in most schools. The school, with intensive and effective support from the local authority (LA), has introduced a number 2 Inspection Report: Fairfield Endowed CofE (C) Junior School, 5 June 2006 to 6 June 2006 of innovative and well planned initiatives aimed at improving pupil achievement, particularly in reading and writing. The shoots of success are beginning to show but

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Grade: 4

there is still work to be done to ensure that pupils make consistent progress as they move through the school. Standards for the current Year 6 pupils are higher than in previous years and are close to the national average. However, achievement over time for these pupils has still not been good enough given their attainment levels when they started at the school. The targets that the school sets are not always realistic and as a result there are years when targets are not met and other years when they are exceeded.

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Grade: 3

Personal development and pupils' well being are satisfactory. Behaviour is satisfactory and most pupils get on well together. The school's Positive Play initiative has contributed well to the fall in the number of pupil exclusions and to increasing pupils' self-esteem. Discussions with pupils indicate that staff tackle bullying issues well and that anti-bullying initiatives in school are increasing their awareness of how to stay safe. Pupils' attitudes to learning are satisfactory and are good when teaching captures their interest. However a number of pupils are too passive in their learning and other activities, as seen when many older pupils chose not to sing familiar hymns in assembly. Attendance is below average, and affected by the poor turnout of a small minority of pupils. Provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their feelings and experiences and to

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Grade: 3

examine how their actions may impact on others. A satisfactory range of activities extends their understanding of the local culture but more could be done to develop awareness of multi-cultural aspects of life. Pupils make a sound contribution to the school and local community, although opportunities to lead the well established school council are restricted because its running and organisation are too adult dominated. Pupils have a good awareness of how to keep fit and healthy but the school does not offer sufficient opportunities for pupils to run enterprise initiatives that could add to their future economic well being.

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Grade: 3

Teaching in school is currently satisfactory with some good and outstanding practice. However, evidence from a scrutiny of pupils' books indicates that at times teaching is unsatisfactory because of a lack of challenge and low level of expectation in terms of the quality and quantity of work produced. Pupils' learning is at its best in one of the Year 6 classes when teaching is packed with pace and challenge and engages and captures the imagination of pupils from the start to the end of the lesson. Across the school teachers manage pupils well and always seek to establish positive relationships. Teaching assistants often contribute much to lessons but some teaching staff are not 3 Inspection Report: Fairfield Endowed CofE (C) Junior School, 5 June 2006 to 6 June 2006 always deployed to best effect to have the biggest impact on raising pupil achievement. Although teaching is often satisfactory in lessons it sometimes lacks urgency, vibrancy

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Grade: 3

or challenge to really get the pupils sufficiently motivated. On occasions introductions to lessons are too long and not enough opportunities are provided for pupils to flourish as active and independent learners. Appropriate procedures are now in place for assessing pupils' attainment but the school has previously made inadequate use of this information to set accurate targets or to rigorously track pupils' progress as they move though the school. Consequently underachievement has gone unchecked. The school is now addressing this issue with vigour and determination. There are some good examples of marking of pupils' work, for example in Year 3 and 6, although in other instances it is too variable and does not always make clear what is needed to improve.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory, broad and reasonably balanced. The school places proper emphasis on the continuing development of literacy and numeracy skills, and the use of pupils' computer skills in different subjects of the curriculum continues to develop well. Opportunities to develop pupils' writing skills across the curriculum are not consistently capitalised on. Provision made for pupils with learning difficulties is satisfactory although at times there is not enough challenge for the more able pupils. The good range of extra-curricular activities, visits and visitors add to pupils' educational experiences as well as supporting the school's push for healthy lifestyles and contribution to the wider community. Through its Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) programme, the school ensures that it meets the requirements for the provision of drug and alcohol awareness and relationships education.

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Grade: 3

The care, guidance and support of pupils is satisfactory. Pastoral support is satisfactory and safeguards pupils effectively. Staff know and care for the pupils well and pupils feel that there is always someone to turn to if they have a problem. Child protection procedures are secure and there are good links with external support agencies. Risk assessments and health and safety procedures are carried out effectively. The needs of pupils with learning difficulties are recognised and programmes of support involving teaching assistants and parents are planned appropriately. The school has recently identified important weaknesses in how it uses assessment information to track pupils' academic progress. Although improvements are now being seen, it is evident that over time there have not been good enough procedures in place to provide the kind of clear guidance that would enable pupils to achieve as well as they could.

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Grade: 3

4 Inspection Report: Fairfield Endowed CofE (C) Junior School, 5 June 2006 to 6 June 2006

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Grade: 4

The headteacher demonstrates much pastoral care and compassion for the school and the pupils. However, the leadership of the school has not led a drive to improve standards and pupil achievement in a rigorous or robust enough manner. In addition improvement since the last inspection has not been good enough because important weaknesses relating to standards, achievement and assessment remain. There has however been improvement in the provision for information and communication technology (ICT). As a result, standards in this subject have improved well. Recent intervention from the local authority has led to the school implementing more effective initiatives aimed at raising standards in reading, writing and mathematics and improving teaching and assessment. These are beginning to reap rewards, although much remains to be done. In addition restructuring of the senior management team has taken place.

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Grade: 4

Its role and that of subject leaders are now much more focused on their impact on improving pupil achievement. These factors indicate that the school has the capacity to improve. The governing body is very supportive of the school and is passionate about the school's place in the heart of the community. However, governors have not been effective enough in holding the school to account for its performance. The school's self-evaluation procedures, although accurate in some judgements, paint too positive a picture about the school. The headteacher has increasingly canvassed the views of pupils, parents and other stakeholders to inform the self-evaluation process but recognises that more still could be done. 5 Inspection Report: Fairfield Endowed CofE (C) Junior School, 5 June 2006 to 6 June 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: Fairfield Endowed CofE (C) Junior School, 5 June 2006 to 6 June 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 3 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA NA The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 4 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA No Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 How well do learners achieve? NA 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 4 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 3 The behaviour of learners NA 4 The attendance of learners NA 3 How well learners enjoy their education NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 3 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 4 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 4 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 4 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 4 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 4 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

You may remember that we visited your school recently and this letter is to tell you what we found. However, I would first of all like to take the opportunity to thank you all for making us welcome and for being helpful. We had the chance to talk to many pupils about what you like about the school and what you would like to see improved. It was good to hear that you feel that there is always someone to talk to if you have a problem and that when bullying does happen you are confident that adults will tackle it. We found that some lessons are exciting and fun, that staff care for you, that the school provides a good range of clubs and visits that you enjoy and that the school goes the extra mile to make you aware of the importance of keeping fit and healthy. Many of you behave well and are keen to learn but occasionally some of you could do even better! I have spoken to Mrs Buckley and staff about what is needed to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

make your school a better and more exciting place to learn. There are times when some of you do not always do as well as you could and so we have asked the school to make sure that: - teaching is always interesting, exciting and challenging and helps you to work to the best of your ability; - the progress you are making and the standards you reach are regularly checked by staff and governors; - attendance is better than it is at the moment. Mrs Buckley, the staff and governors want the school to improve. Having met you I am sure that you will want to play your part. I wish you all every success in the future and it was a pleasure to meet you.

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