Manuden Primary School

Inspection Report Manuden Primary School

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114979 Unique Reference Number ESSEX LEA LEA 279488 Inspection number 28 February 2006 to 28 February 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Robert McKeown LI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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The Street School address Primary Type of school CM23 1DE Community School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01279813370 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01279817065 Fax number 93 Number on roll Mrs.Karen Whatling Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Linda Talbot Headteacher 14 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279488 28 February 2006 - 4 to 11 28 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 one of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Manuden Primary School is a community school situated in a small village on the Essex and Hertfordshire border. Almost all children are from white British backgrounds. One child is at the early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language. No children are entitled to free school meals. The percentage of children who have learning difficulties and disabilities is lower than average for this size of school. There are three children with statements of special educational need. Most children start school with standards which are in line with those expected for their age. The school shares its accommodation with a pre-school playgroup which children attend before they start school. The headteacher has led the school for five years.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Manuden Primary School, 28 February 2006 to 28 February 2006

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Grade: 2

Manuden Primary School is a good school in which children achieve high standards in English, mathematics and science. The school judges itself similarly and knows what it has to do to improve its overall effectiveness. Most parents who sent back the inspection questionnaire are pleased with the education the school provides and know that their children are doing well. Children make very good progress in the first few years at school and this means they achieve outstanding results in Year 2. Overall, teaching and learning are consistently good and sometimes outstanding. The very good teaching of the oldest children ensures that exceptionally high standards are maintained in the national tests in Year 6. All children are well-cared for and their contributions are valued. Staff work well together to ensure that individual children are fully included and that those that may require additional support make suitable

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Grade: 2

progress. Children enjoy school and immerse themselves fully in the outstanding range of very good curricular and enrichment activities provided for them. They regard school as a small and friendly place, somewhere where they are able to express themselves fully. Leadership and management of the headteacher and the school's leadership team are good. They are determined to ensure that all children reach their full potential. There are suitable plans in place to improve further the subject leaders' contribution to school improvement. Leaders appreciate that the school has not fully exploited the potential of using ICT in teaching and learning. The school has moved forward effectively since its last inspection and is well placed to continue to improve. It offers good value for money.

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Grade: 1

Overall, standards are consistently well-above average. At the end of Year 2 in 2005, standards were significantly above national levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Results have been consistently and exceptionally high in recent years. Similarly high results were achieved in Year 6 in the national tests in 2005 in English, mathematics and science. Boys and girls did equally well in each year group. Targets set for Year 6 children for the next three years indicate that these high standards will be maintained. When children enter Reception the school's data indicate that standards are about average. Children make very good progress in their first year and by the time children enter Year 1 most are achieving at or above the level expected for their age. In Years 1 and 2 children make very good progress and this results in the exceptionally high achievement in the national tests in Year 2. Older children continue to make good

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Grade: 1

progress. Progress in Years 5 and 6 is very good and many children achieve the higher Level 5 in English, mathematics and science at the end of Year 6. Children with additional needs make good progress. The consistently high standards and achievement match teachers' high expectations and are the result of very good teaching. The school's approach to tracking children's progress is extremely thorough and teachers ensure that all children achieve as well as they can. The school is not content to rest 2 Inspection Report: Manuden Primary School, 28 February 2006 to 28 February 2006 on this success and actions to raise standards even further are clearly identified in the school's improvement plan.

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Grade: 2

The school supports children's personal development and well-being very effectively. Children have good attitudes and they enjoy coming to school. They express themselves confidently and get on well together. They particularly like the fact that they all know each other and they feel comfortable in the school's friendly atmosphere. They believe their teachers encourage them to reach high standards. Behaviour is good overall. Incidents of bullying are rare and are dealt with effectively. Attendance is above average. The amount of unauthorised absence is higher than usual as the school takes a robust line on authorising absence for holidays during term time. The school provides very well for children's spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. Children's views are expressed and represented in an elected school council. One older school council member summed up her love of the school by stating that each time she ends

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Grade: 2

a school year she believes it couldn't be bettered but in the following year it is. Children say they feel safe and learn how to make healthy choices. Older children have the chance to learn about safe practices and healthy lifestyles. The school makes free fruit available to younger children and healthier meals have been introduced at lunchtime. The snacks eaten by some older children during morning break are less healthy. Children are encouraged to be active and many take part in the very good range of physical activities within and beyond the school day. Children enjoy learning and involve themselves enthusiastically with the wealth of different experiences the school offers them. Many contribute to the life of the school, for instance, through taking part in musical performances and acting as play-leaders at break-times. Children develop a good range of basic and personal skills and take part in enterprise projects to ensure

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Grade: 2

their future social and economic well-being. They gain a good understanding of the importance of helping others by raising funds for charities. Links with the local community are strong, the highlight being the school allotment where children grow their own garden produce.

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Grade: 2

The school would not be achieving such high standards if the teaching and learning were not consistently good. Some teaching is outstanding, particularly in the classes where many children make excellent progress and reach very high standards. Teachers keep a very tight check on children's progress and this ensures that extra support and challenge are provided when required. Teaching assistants are well-trained, work in close partnership with teachers and make a very valuable contribution to the good progress children make. A key feature of the outstanding teaching is the use of targets to help children improve their writing. A similar system is being introduced in 3 Inspection Report: Manuden Primary School, 28 February 2006 to 28 February 2006 mathematics. Teachers' use of ICT is improving. However, the full potential of the interactive whiteboards to enhance teaching, and children's use of computers to

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Grade: 2

support their learning in other subjects, is yet to be realised. Teachers' marking and children's presentation have improved since the last inspection. Older children have a good knowledge of the school's marking code and they are encouraged to evaluate the quality of their work.

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Grade: 1

The school provides a very good curriculum that caters well for all children and keeps them motivated and excited about their learning. The school succeeds in combining the achievement of high standards in English and mathematics with providing children with a full range of enjoyable learning experiences. The many visitors to school, cultural days, theme weeks and visits to the locality stimulate children's interest and extend their learning. Music and the creative arts are particularly strong with children having the chance to learn to play a musical instrument and take part in school productions. Visiting artists, such as the Bogolan artist from Mali, inspire children to produce high quality work. Older children are successful participants in inter-school competitions in team sport and public speaking. Children enjoy an excellent range of enrichment activities outside lessons including drama, active games, football, netball, athletics,

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Grade: 1

rounders, Latin and board games. The school is working with a local network of schools to develop planning by linking learning across subjects. This is already achieved effectively in literacy where children have regular opportunities to improve their writing skills in several subjects. Children in Year 6 talked knowledgably about how they had used mathematics, literacy and ICT skills in a very good geographical project on sustainability.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good level of care, guidance and support for children. All staff ensure that children learn in a very positive environment. Children are confident about taking any problems to their teachers and know that any incidents, such as bullying, will be dealt with firmly. The school has good partnerships with parents and works very well with outside agencies to ensure that individual needs are met. Children with special educational needs receive good support. Systems for identifying and protecting any children who might be at risk are good, and the school places appropriate emphasis on ensuring children's health and safety. A small number of questionnaires returned by parents revealed some concerns about behaviour. The inspector found behaviour to be very good on the day of the inspection and the school's procedures for supporting children with challenging behaviour to be secure. 4 Inspection Report: Manuden Primary School, 28 February 2006 to 28 February 2006

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Grade: 2

The school has maintained its good provision since its last inspection and continues to develop well because its leadership and management are good. The school's evaluation of its overall effectiveness is accurate. The headteacher and recently established leadership team have used the evaluation well to decide on key priorities for further improvement. Parents' and children's views contribute to this. There is a strong commitment to sustaining high standards, to making sure all children are included, and to continuing to provide children with rich and varied learning experiences. All staff work well together; support staff say that they enjoy working in the school and know their work is appreciated. Subject leadership in English and mathematics are very good; the monitoring and evaluation work carried out by the headteacher is systematic and thorough. While leadership in other subjects is satisfactory, there are good plans to ensure subject leaders become even more effective.

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Grade: 2

A sharper focus on checking teachers' and children's use of ICT, and developing closer links with the playgroup to match learning in the two years of the Foundation Stage, are two aspects the school plans to improve. Accommodation and resources are good. The school makes very good use of its limited space and manages to share its hall accommodation with the local playgroup. The governing body supports the school well. Many governors are recently appointed and they are developing their understanding of the governor's role. Some governors have visited the school to gain first-hand experience of the quality of education it provides. 5 Inspection Report: Manuden Primary School, 28 February 2006 to 28 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: Manuden Primary School, 28 February 2006 to 28 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 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 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 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 1 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 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 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 3 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

Thank you for making me feel so welcome when I visited your school. I enjoyed the day I spent with you. Overall, I think your school is very good. All the adults at your school care for you well and want you to succeed. I was pleased to see you working hard in all your lessons. Your teachers give you interesting work to do. I was impressed with your behaviour and the way you care for each other. Everyone was polite and helpful and you work and play well together. You achieve very good results in your English and mathematics tests, well done! I like the idea of having targets to help you improve your work and I think it's working well. I enjoyed talking to you and the school council about the things you do at Manuden. There are so many good things going on. I was really impressed with the playground leaders; they do a very important job helping you on the playground at break-times. The idea of having a school allotment is

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

great and the chance to work with a visiting artist and experience things like a Victorian Day is really fantastic. There are also lots of good clubs to go to; I hope you thank your teachers for organising them. I think you are very kind to raise money for charity. There were two things I asked Mrs Talbot to do. They were: to make sure you have enough opportunities to use the laptop computers in your classrooms; and to help your teachers use the smart-boards well when it fits with what you are learning. You have a lot to look forward to in the rest of this year, make sure you do your best and enjoy every minute.

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