Ashleigh CofE (VC) Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 9 Feb 2006

Inspection Report Ashleigh CofE Primary School

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113386 Unique Reference Number Devon LEA 279157 Inspection number 8 February 2006 to 9 February 2006 Inspection dates Laurie Lewin AI Reporting inspector

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

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Bevan Road School address Primary Type of school Barnstaple Voluntary controlled School category Devon EX32 8LJ 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01271 345149 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01271 329367 Fax number 294 Number on roll Rev Michael Jones Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Mark Henderson Headteacher 4 December 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279157 8 February 2006 - 3 to 11 9 February 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is an average size school. Most pupils are White British, with a few pupils coming from other cultural backgrounds. A high proportion of pupils come from home backgrounds where there is a significant level of social deprivation. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is well above average. The attainment of children on entry to school is well below the expected level.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ashleigh CofE Primary School, 8 February 2006 to 9 February 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It has moved forward at a good pace since the last inspection because it is well led and managed. Strong provision in the Foundation Stage helps children achieve well, progressing from attaining well below the expected levels when they start school, to below the expected levels by the beginning of Year 1. Good teaching throughout the rest of the school enables pupils to progress well so that they attain average standards by the age of 7 and slightly above average standards by the age of 11. However, more able pupils in Years 3 to 6 do not always progress as well as they should, especially in mathematics. The strong support, guidance and care for pupils results in them behaving well and developing as confident individuals. Pupils are happy at school, feel safe and enjoy interesting work provided for them within a well enriched curriculum. The headteacher has done a good job of developing an

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Grade: 2

atmosphere in which staff and governors work together as a good team. This ensures there is plenty of potential to keep the school improving. The school’s accurate self-evaluation of its effectiveness is confirmed by inspection findings and it provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Ensure teachers in Years 3 to 6 set work which challenges more able pupils sufficiently, especially in mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well. Children make good progress in the nursery and reception classes from their low starting points, but are still attaining below the expected levels by the time they start Year 1. Good teaching ensures that good progress is sustained throughout the rest of the school so that by the age of 7 pupils reach average standards and slightly above average standards by the age of 11. Achievement dipped over the last two years in Year 6 as a result of staffing difficulties. Leadership and management have now resolved this problem and inspection evidence confirms that pupils now mainly achieve well in this age group. Pupils with additional needs make good progress. However, more able pupils do not always progress as well as they should in Years 3 to 6, and this is particularly the case in mathematics. Their progress is hampered by the fact that they are not always sufficiently challenged by the activities provided. The

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Grade: 2

school sets challenging targets for Year 6 pupils’ attainment. These targets are met in English but not in mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Personal development is good. The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is good so that pupils behave well and gain a sensitive awareness 2 Inspection Report: Ashleigh CofE Primary School, 8 February 2006 to 9 February 2006 to issues in the world around them. The strong emphasis that the school places on valuing the achievements of all individuals results in pupils becoming confident learners who have a lot of respect for each other’s views. Pupils enjoy school and their attendance is satisfactory. Those spoken to say they feel they get lots of interesting things to do. They also said that they feel the school has good systems to encourage all individuals to behave well. They appreciate the fact that adults listen to and act on their views. Pupils carry out their responsibilities conscientiously. They gain a good understanding of the value of contributing, for example, through projects that involve

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Grade: 2

them in planning and carrying out charity fund raising activities. Work in lessons such as mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) helps all pupils gain suitable skills for coping with everyday life and their future well-being. However, they do not have sufficient awareness of handling and working with small budgets. Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay fit and healthy through the strong emphasis that the school places on these areas within the curriculum and activities provided.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good and result in pupils throughout the school achieving well. In the nursery and reception classes, staff are particularly adept at helping children progress well with their personal, social and emotional development and language skills. Throughout the school, teachers form strong relationships with pupils and are especially skilled in helping individuals develop confidence and self-esteem. Teachers plan interesting and well structured lessons. Pupils appreciate this and say, ‘We get cool stuff to do’ and ‘Teachers really help you to understand things’. Teachers make good use of their interactive whiteboards to present work clearly and attractively and this motivates pupils and helps them to understand new ideas quickly. Teachers and teaching assistants work well to support pupils with additional needs. However, expectations for what the more able pupils can achieve are not always set high enough

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Grade: 2

in Years 3 to 6. Too often, these pupils are given the same work to do as the rest of the class, particularly in mathematics lessons. The school has very clear systems for checking and recording pupils’ progress and teachers use this information satisfactorily to help them set targets for pupils’ performance. However, sometimes these targets lack precision. Also, while pupils’ work is marked regularly, the marking does not place enough emphasis on showing pupils how to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum provision is good. Activities planned for the nursery and reception classes are carefully matched to children’s needs to help all individuals get off to a good start in school. Throughout the rest of the school, the strong emphasis placed on ensuring that projects are made as interesting as possible helps to maximise pupils’ 3 Inspection Report: Ashleigh CofE Primary School, 8 February 2006 to 9 February 2006 enjoyment in learning. The school makes particularly good provision for promoting pupils’ social and emotional education and has a good range of resources to support these aspects of learning. This makes a strong contribution to pupils’ personal development and knowledge of how to stay healthy and safe. The curriculum is well enriched by a good range of extra activities such as visits, activity days and the after school and lunch time clubs. Strong links with local secondary schools boost teaching

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Grade: 2

in science, design and technology and French. Although sound provision is made for pupils to gain the necessary ICT skills, not enough opportunities are provided for them to promote these skills in other subjects.

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Grade: 2

The provision for care, guidance and support of pupils is good. Good induction procedures ensure that children settle quickly when they start school. Throughout the school, the close relationships established between adults and pupils ensure that all individuals are carefully monitored and encouraged. Pupils confirmed this saying, ‘There is always someone to talk to if you have a problem’. Pupils feel safe and secure at all times. Those with learning difficulties or disabilities are well supported by staff and good use is made of external support agencies to reinforce this support where necessary. All child protection procedures are fully in place and understood by the staff. Pupils confirm that incidents of bullying are rare and well dealt with by staff if they do occur. All staff work very closely together to make this a very caring and nurturing school. Staff do not always use assessment information precisely enough

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Grade: 2

when they set targets to guide individual pupils through the next steps in their work.

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Grade: 2

The school is well led and managed. The headteacher provides very clear educational direction. He has worked well with his leadership team to move the school forward at a good pace and ensure that standards keep improving. All areas of the school’s provision have been strengthened over recent years. In particular, the improved links with parents have significantly helped pupils’ learning. Governance of the school is good with governors playing a full part in monitoring the quality of provision. The headteacher works well to ensure that all staff and governors feel their contributions are valued. As a result, they work together as a strong team. Staff, governors, parents and pupils are all fully involved in evaluating how well the school is performing and devising plans for future development. The school’s self-evaluation is accurate. The strong commitment and enthusiasm of the staff and governors and their good track

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Grade: 2

record of developing the school mean there is a good capacity for them to sustain improvement in the future. 4 Inspection Report: Ashleigh CofE Primary School, 8 February 2006 to 9 February 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. 5 Inspection Report: Ashleigh CofE Primary School, 8 February 2006 to 9 February 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 3 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 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 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 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 2 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 3 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

Dear Pupils I am writing to let you know how much we enjoyed coming to visit your school. Thank you for making us so welcome and helping us during the school inspection. We especially enjoyed hearing about the activities you said you enjoyed. We were impressed by the things we saw and here are some of them. •You work very hard in lessons and show a lot of interest in the work. •You mostly make good progress in the work that you do. •Your behaviour is good and your school is a very friendly place. •You like your teachers and you told us that they work really hard to make lessons as interesting as possible. We also think that teaching is good. •You appreciate all of the extra, interesting activities that the school provides for you. •We think the school takes care of you well. •We were very impressed to see how knowledgeable you are about the need to eat healthy foods and stay fit. •We think that your headteacher does a good job of organising the school,

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

helping everybody to work together and helping you all to become successful. To make things even better in the future, we have asked the teachers to improve lessons in the junior classes. This should help some of you make faster progress, especially those of you who find the work in mathematics too easy. Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly when we came to see you. Yours faithfully Laurie Lewin Lead Inspector

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