Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection Report Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

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115154 Unique Reference Number ESSEX LEA LEA 279526 Inspection number 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Paul Cosway LI Reporting inspector

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

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Brentwood Road School address Primary Type of school CM13 3NU Voluntary aided School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01277810218 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01277810173 Fax number 204 Number on roll Mrs.Kathy Baker Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Kevin Imbush Headteacher 12 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279526 13 March 2006 - 4 to 11 14 March 2006 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March 2006

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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

Ingrave Johnstone Primary School is average in size. It serves two small villages between Brentwood and Basildon, in Essex. The local population represents a wide mix of social backgrounds, but it is a generally advantaged one. The number of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. Pupils are almost all of White British heritage. No pupils are at the early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities, including those with statements, is below average. At the time of the inspection, an acting headteacher had been in charge of the school for two terms, pending the arrival of the newly appointed head.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school's judgement that its overall effectiveness is good and it gives good value for money. Pupils have excellent attitudes towards learning and their behaviour is outstanding. They make good progress from their above average attainment when they enter the school, so that standards at the end of Year 6 have been well above average in the national tests in recent years. Teaching is good overall and some is outstanding. However, the school is aware that more able pupils could achieve even higher standards. The acting headteacher has focused on improving their performance this year and this is leading to standards rising even further. Provision is good in the Foundation Stage and children in the Reception class achieve well as a result. Through the school, pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities also make good progress. The personal development of the pupils is outstanding, partly because

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Grade: 2

of the excellent relationships in the school and the very good control that teachers have of their classes. The pupils want to learn and they like and respect their teachers. In their turn, the teachers care for and support their pupils very well indeed and teach interesting lessons. The pupils enjoy school where they feel well cared for and secure. Almost all parents are pleased, 'Our children enjoy school and thrive here'. The school has good procedures in place for tracking the progress of pupils and this is shared with pupils to help them understand what they need to do to improve their work. Attendance is average. It would be higher if parents did not take their children on holiday in term time. The school is well led and managed. Staff work well together to support the headteacher in providing a good quality education. The acting headteacher has identified what needs to be done to ensure that the school continues to improve,

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Grade: 2

and the subject leaders monitor teaching and its impact on learning effectively. The governors make a good contribution to the running of the school and its future development. Issues identified in the previous inspection have been addressed successfully. Given the good systems for self review and the team work and commitment of all involved with the school, it is well placed to continue to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Continue to develop teaching and learning approaches that challenge and extend the more able pupils so that their work improves at a faster rate.

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Grade: 2

Pupils start school with standards that are generally above average. Pupils achieve well so that by the end of Year 2 standards are clearly above average. At the end of Year 6 standards were well above average in English, mathematics and science in 2005 and are likely to be very high indeed in 2006. Achievement is good overall and improving. Most pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, make good progress. However some more able pupils have not been making as much progress as they could because the work they were given has not always been challenging 2 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March enough. In the Foundation Stage, all the children will meet the goals that are set for their age. Most will exceed them. They make good progress, gaining in confidence and social skills as well as developing good skills in literacy and numeracy. At the end

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Grade: 2

of Year 2, standards in writing are particularly high. The recently formed booster classes in Year 6 are working well to raise achievement. These classes are small and pupils are working at levels appropriate to their needs. Improved provision is leading to more pupils reaching Level 5 in English, mathematics and science this year than last. The school exceeded the targets set for the end of Year 6 in 2005. The current Year 6 is a more able class and the school is set to meet its much more challenging targets for this year group in 2006. Standards are also high in art and history, because of the good provision for these subjects.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. They have very positive attitudes to their learning and are very enthusiastic and well-motivated. Pupils are proud of their school and a distinctive feature is their great enjoyment of learning. Pupils are sensible and mature. Their behaviour in lessons and around the school is outstanding. They are very caring and supportive towards each other. They say that bullying is almost unheard of and is dealt with quickly when it occurs. Attendance is average. Provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good, although more could be done to promote their learning about cultures that are different from their own. The school ensures that pupils know how to keep safe and take good care of themselves. They are also very knowledgeable about how to eat healthily and the value of regular exercise. Pupils make a good contribution to their own community

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Grade: 1

and are very aware of local traditions. This is typified by their participation in the annual May Fete and in the school's drama and musical productions.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good overall, with some that is outstanding, and as a result pupils make good progress. Teachers have excellent relationships with their pupils. Because the pupils are so keen to learn and teachers have such excellent control of them, teachers can provide an excellent range of learning activities that keeps the pupils interested and enthusiastic with minimal fuss and no disruption. They can move from whole class teaching, to small group work, to drama activities seamlessly all within a single lesson. Learning support assistants are used effectively and teachers match the work to meet the needs of pupils with differing levels of ability. However, more able pupils are not always challenged enough. Adult support is often given to the less able pupils to give them confidence and additional guidance, but more able pupils are not always given sufficient adult attention to extend their thinking and challenge them. Pupils work

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Grade: 2

hard and greatly enjoy their lessons. In a literacy lesson on 'The Iron Man', for example, 3 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March a Year 3 class moved into the hall and acted out the beginning of the story, discussing it and writing notes to help them with their writing. Their concentration, collaboration and ability to make useful independent notes were very impressive.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum for Years 1 to 6 and for the Reception class is good. It meets all the requirements for teaching the National Curriculum and religious education. It also meets the personal and academic needs of pupils of all abilities and backgrounds well. The curriculum enables pupils to acquire the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology very well. They use these skills effectively to support their learning in many subjects. Because of this, pupils are well placed to contribute to their future economic well-being. In addition to developing these basic skills the school also provides pupils with a good range of stimulating first-hand learning experiences in many subjects. These experiences include special subject and theme days, for example in art and design, drama and history. The school provides a very good programme of extra-curricular activities that enhances pupils' learning.

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Grade: 2

These activities include art, choir, cross-country, dance, drama, environmental club, football and netball.

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Grade: 1

The school provides pupils with outstanding care, guidance and support. The arrangements to ensure child protection are well-established and secure. Pupils of all ages eagerly explain how much they enjoy being at the school. They express great confidence in their teachers and are particularly grateful for the very good support they receive. Members of the school council are very proud of the contribution they make to the school's community. They ensure that pupils' views are heard and acted upon. Provision for children with learning difficulties and disabilities is good and these children make good progress. Generally, staff support pupils' personal and academic development very well and are very aware of pupils' needs. Pupils' progress is assessed thoroughly and accurately. Teachers also take great care to ensure that pupils are well-informed about how well they progressing and about what they need to do to

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The acting headteacher has made an outstanding contribution in the short time that he has been in post. He has demonstrated an excellent understanding of what the school does well and where it needs to improve. He has already begun to target the more able pupils in Year 6, for example, and has made a significant difference to the progress that they are making. This work is to be extended further down the school. Subject leaders look in detail at 4 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March the quality of pupils' work and monitor the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects thoroughly. This has resulted in a number of improvements in teaching, such as an increase in the range of media used in art lessons. Parent questionnaires and pupil surveys form an important part of the school's self-evaluation procedures, which

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Grade: 2

are good overall. The school is good at keeping parents informed about events and about their children's progress. However, a minority is concerned that the school does not do enough to seek their views or to take account of their suggestions and concerns. The governing body is supportive of the school and has a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. The school has improved in all areas identified as weaknesses in the last report. Consequently the school's capacity to improve is good. 5 Inspection Report: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March .

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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: Ingrave Johnstone Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 14 March

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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 1 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 1 The behaviour of learners NA 3 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 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 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 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 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

Thank you very much for all the help you gave to the inspectors when we visited your school. We greatly enjoyed talking to you and visiting your lessons. These are the things we thought were good about your school. - We think you work very hard and do very well by the time you leave Year 6. You reach standards well above those in many other schools. - Your behaviour is excellent. You are kind, helpful and polite. - You enjoy school. This is partly because your teachers are so good and helpful. They work hard to find interesting things for you to do. - Your headteacher and all the staff are doing a good job in improving the school and making it an even better place for you. We have suggested something that will help make the school even better. - We think some of you could learn even more if you were given work that is even more difficult! Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly. Make the most of your time

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