St John's Chapel Primary School

Inspection Report St John's Chapel Primary School

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114064 Unique Reference Number Durham LEA 279304 Inspection number 14 February 2006 to 15 February 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Rosemary Rodger Reporting inspector

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

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Burnfoot School address Primary Type of school St John's Chapel Community School category Weardale, Bishop Auckland DL13 1QH 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01388 537332 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01388 537332 Fax number 61 Number on roll Mr Mark Oliphant Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Geoff Hoodless Headteacher 1 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279304 14 February 2006 - 4 to 11 15 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 an additional inspector.

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Description of the school

The school is situated in Weardale and serves a remote rural area which is mixed socially and economically. A very small proportion of pupils are eligible for a free school meal. An above average proportion of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. All pupils are white British. The school was awarded a Healthy School, Arts Mark Gold and Sports Active Mark Gold awards in the past two years.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St John's Chapel Primary School, 14 February 2006 to 15 February 2006

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Grade: 3

The inspection team disagree with the school’s overall judgement of its effectiveness: this is a satisfactory school with some good features. The pupils make satisfactory progress in Key Stage 2 and their achievement in the national tests in English, mathematics and science is satisfactory. There is currently some underachievement in reading in Key Stage 2. Personal development and well-being are good. Pupils like the smallness of the school. They feel safe and value the encouragement to take part in sport to keep fit. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory with consistently good teaching in Key Stage 1 and the Foundation Stage. It resulted in above average attainment in Year 2 in the 2005 national tests. There are too many assessment procedures with the result the progress of pupils is not tracked effectively. The curriculum is generally good because of the many opportunities for enrichment through a very comprehensive

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Grade: 3

range of out of school activities and visits locally and further afield. Care, guidance and support are good. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are generally well supported. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The school is central to the community and works with parents and outside agencies. However, there is insufficient attention given to pupils’ achievement in the evaluation of the school’s work and through the performance management system. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory. The school has the capacity to improve and gives satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve standards of literacy in Key Stage 2 by teaching reading systematically everyday. • Simplify the assessment system and make more effective use of assessment to track the progress of individual pupils. • Introduce strategies for raising achievement and incorporate them in school self-evaluation, including performance management.

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Grade: 3

The children’s attainment on entry to the Reception class is generally below average. By the time they start in Year 1, many have reached the early learning goals in all areas of learning and achieve well. Children make good progress in the Reception class because they benefit from working with older children in the same class and having well taught sessions in a small dedicated play area adjacent to the Key Stage 1 classroom. 2 Inspection Report: St John's Chapel Primary School, 14 February 2006 to 15 February 2006 The standards reached by pupils in Years 2 and 6 in the national tests vary from year to year because the number of pupils in each year group is variable and always small. In 2005, pupils in Year 2 reached standards that were above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. This continues the trend of the past five years and results from good teaching and learning. In Year 6, the standards reached in the

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Grade: 3

national tests met the school’s targets, for the average level, but fell short of the target for the higher level in English and mathematics. Achievement overall is satisfactory. Satisfactory progress is made in the two mixed age Key Stage 2 classes, although assessment information shows that some pupils are not making the expected progress in reading from Year 2. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make outstanding progress in Key Stage 1 but in Key Stage 2 they make the same satisfactory progress as their peers.

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Grade: 2

This is good. The school gives the personal development and well-being of pupils a high priority. This is warmly acknowledged by parents. Pupils behave well in classes and around the school. Attitudes to learning are generally good. Pupils thoroughly enjoy taking part in a wide range of enriching activities, such as gymnastics, music, art and design, cycling and sailing clubs after school. Residential activities and links with neighbouring schools are appreciated by the pupils. Attendance is slightly above average. The pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively. Links with the local churches are strong. This small, closely knit school provides a haven of tranquillity that helps to develop pupils’ personal qualities such as honesty and reflection. Older pupils take on a wide range of responsibilities that prepare them well for later life. Links with the community are well developed and

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Grade: 2

effective. Pupils take part in regular performances for their parents. In lessons, pupils’ attention is always drawn to potential safety issues and they say they are safe in school. The school travel plan has made coming to school safer and healthier by improvements to the entrance and the provision of a bicycle rack to encourage cycling to school.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. It is consistently good in the Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 and satisfactory in Key Stage 2. The teaching of the youngest children in the mixed age Reception and Key Stage 1 class caters well for their needs. Learning objectives are clearly displayed to the pupils, sometimes taking into account the mixed ages in each class. Learning is made effective by the use of well prepared resources and clear instructions to help pupils know what to do. A brisk pace maintains interest and motivation and contributes to good progress in Key Stage 1. In Key Stage 2, where teaching is less effective there is sometimes a 3 Inspection Report: St John's Chapel Primary School, 14 February 2006 to 15 February 2006 mismatch between the learning objectives and the work children are expected to do. There is also too little demonstration and there is no planned teaching of reading in

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Grade: 3

the timetabled silent reading session. Teaching assistants provide good support for pupils with learning difficulties. The use of information and communications technology (ICT) to assist teaching through, for example, planning lessons or using whiteboard technology is underdeveloped. Assessment procedures are cumbersome and do not provide an effective enough system to track progress against the sub-levels of each National Curriculum target for individual pupils. There is insufficient reference to pupils’ targets for improvement in day to day marking to give them a clear idea of what they need to do to improve their work.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum that complies with all statutory requirements. A particular strength is the way in which the local community is used as a learning resource through, for example, the use of the local village for geographical work, and of a local reservoir for sailing. There has also been a residential visit to France. The high priority given to healthy living has earned the Gold Active Mark award and lies behind the successful travel plan introduced to encourage pupils to cycle or walk to school more safely. The immediate outdoor environment of the school has a fitness trail to encourage pupils to recognise the value of keeping fit. Steps to broaden the curriculum by introducing greater creativity are much appreciated by the pupils, who said ‘our favourite subjects are art and design, design and technology and physical education: they are the best.’

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Grade: 2

The arrangements to care for, support and guide the pupils are good. Health and safety procedures and risk assessments are carried out well. Child protection procedures are properly followed and all staff are trained to deal with problems should they arise. Vulnerable pupils, including those with learning difficulties, looked after pupils and others with particular social and emotional needs are given good support, especially by the headteacher and support staff. As a result, they adjust to the demands of the classroom well. Pupils have targets to help them to improve their work, but this is much more thorough and better linked to learning outcomes in Key Stage 1 than in Key Stage 2. Pupils are prepared well for their next stage of education, especially those with learning difficulties because of the close liaison and visits by staff. 4 Inspection Report: St John's Chapel Primary School, 14 February 2006 to 15 February 2006

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall, with good features in effective team working, the healthy school environment and the effective links with the community. The headteacher’s passion for the outdoor environment has produced a variety of successful bids to fund improvements in recent years. There is a caring, supportive ethos pervading the life of the school and the needs of individual pupils are generally met well. However, there is a lack of rigour in analysing assessment data to identify individual pupils who need additional support. The achievement of pupils as they go through school in basic literacy and numeracy skills is not given a high enough priority and the school’s performance management system fails to pick this up. School self-evaluation has been introduced only recently and this has led to some over optimistic judgements. Governors value the strong links the school has built with

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Grade: 3

the community and use their skills to good effect to encourage various initiatives. The chair of governors is very committed and gives readily of his time to support the headteacher. The school has made satisfactory improvements since the last inspection and has the capacity to improve. The school provides satisfactory value for money. 5 Inspection Report: St John's Chapel Primary School, 14 February 2006 to 15 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. 6 Inspection Report: St John's Chapel Primary School, 14 February 2006 to 15 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 3 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 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 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 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 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 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 2 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 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 The School Council St John's Chapel Primary School Burnfoot St John's Chapel Weardale Bishop Auckland DL13 1QH 14 February 2006 Dear Children Thank you for helping to make my visit to your school so enjoyable. I liked having the chance to talk to all Year 6, the School Council and to some more of you in lessons. I am going to tell you what I liked about your school and some of the ways it could be even better. What I liked about your school You are so lucky to have so many opportunities to keep fit and healthy by attending clubs and having such a big outdoor play area with equipment to keep you fit. Your teachers look after you and care for you well in school. The youngest children in school have a good area for playing in. It will be even better when the plans for their own outdoor playground are started and finished.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The use of the village to help you learn about the jobs your parents and others do was very interesting. The school council are very sensible and make sure that you always have someone to turn to if you are upset at playtime. What I would like to see improved Some of you said you did not like the books you have to read in school. I agree that it would be a good idea if you have someone helping you with your reading in Years 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and checking that you read interesting books. When teachers mark your work they do not always tell you how to make it better. If you had your targets in your books and when you read in small groups you would know what to do to be even better.

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Annex B

I hope you continue to enjoy your time at school and work hard all the time. Yours faithfully Rosemary Rodger Lead Inspector

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