Churchdown Parton Manor Infant School

Inspection Report Churchdown Parton Manor Infant School

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115511 Unique Reference Number Gloucestershire LEA 279613 Inspection number 2 May 2006 to 2 May 2006 Inspection dates Lorna Brackstone AI Reporting inspector

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

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Craven Drive School address Infant Type of school Churchdown Community School category Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL3 2AG 4 to 7 Age range of pupils

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01452 712214 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01452 712214 Fax number 134 Number on roll Mrs Maureen Smith Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Rosemary Hughes Headteacher 20 September 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279613 2 May 2006 - 4 to 7 2 May 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

This small school serves the large village of Churchdown, situated between Cheltenham and Gloucester. Its catchment area is very mixed; there are two social housing estates, a permanent site for Travellers and some private housing. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and those who have learning difficulties or disabilities is above average. The school has a stable population and nearly all those who start in Reception remain in the school until Year 2. When pupils start school, their attainment is broadly below expected levels.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Churchdown Parton Manor Infant School, 2 May 2006 to 2 May 2006

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Grade: 3

Inspection evidence supports the school’s view that its overall effectiveness is satisfactory. In Reception, the staff have recently benefited from support from the local authority and this has ensured that the quality of provision is satisfactory. Children achieve satisfactorily in their learning and in their personal development in Reception. In Key Stage 1, standards and achievement are satisfactory. The outcomes of their personal development are good. Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep healthy and safe. Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Good attention is given to sharing learning intentions with the pupils. The consistent teaching of word sounds and letter formation is raising standards in writing. However, not all activities planned fully meet the needs of all the pupils or engage them sufficiently well in their learning. Recently introduced assessment procedures are beginning to provide the school with clearer information

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Grade: 3

about pupils’ progress but these are not fully established or consistent throughout the school. The curriculum is satisfactory and pupils particularly enjoy their visits out of school. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher ensures that staff take good care of the pupils. As one parent explained, ‘the committed staff and leadership treat the children as individuals and nurture them’. Partnerships with the Early Years Centre and the Junior School are good, which results in smooth transitions for the pupils. The senior staff satisfactorily collect information about the quality of teaching and learning and are starting to use it to share good features and identify where improvements could be made. However, the new systems and processes now in place are not being monitored closely enough. Since the last inspection, the headteacher has successfully dealt with difficult staffing issues. She now has a supportive team securely in place and, given the involvement

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Grade: 3

by the local authority, the school shows that the capacity for further improvement is satisfactory. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

•improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that planning is consistent within each year group, and engage the pupils more actively in the learning process •use the information gained from the marking of work and pupil assessments to ensure that the work set meets the individual needs of the pupils •maintain regular and secure monitoring procedures so that pupil achievement and teaching and learning can be systematically evaluated and the information gained used to further improve provision and standards. 2 Inspection Report: Churchdown Parton Manor Infant School, 2 May 2006 to 2 May 2006

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory overall. Standards vary from year to year because the attainment on entry in Reception is very diverse. Pupils who took national tests in 2005 started school with expected levels of attainment and achieved average standards. Progress for these pupils was satisfactory in Reception and in Years 1 and 2. Pupils in the current Year 2 started school with levels of attainment below those expected for this age group. Although their standards are not exceptionally low, they are below average. However, pupils’ achievements reflect satisfactory progress and they have met the realistic targets set for them on entry into school. Pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities achieve satisfactorily because they are supported well by their individual education action plans. The good input from the Traveller support assistant ensures that these pupils make steady progress and achieve satisfactorily.

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Grade: 2

The school provides well for pupils’ personal development and well-being. The majority of pupils have good relationships with the adults in school. They like their teachers and say that they help them to learn. This makes a significant contribution to their positive attitudes to the school. Attendance is satisfactory overall. The school works very hard at encouraging regular attendance. Links with the Traveller support service and the educational welfare officer make a significant contribution to this. Pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is satisfactory. Behaviour in class and around the school is satisfactory overall. Although no unkind behaviour or bullying was seen during the inspection, pupils say that it does sometimes occur. However, they feel confident that it is dealt with effectively. Younger pupils say that they appreciate the Year 2 pupils who act as ‘playground pals’ to support

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Grade: 2

those who are lonely or unhappy at playtime. The class council system in Year 2 support pupils’ understanding of the democratic process effectively. An example of their work is the introduction of new outdoor play equipment and playground markings. All pupils respond enthusiastically to the numerous opportunities that they are given to raise money for charity, including the purchase of a school magazine produced by Year 2 children twice yearly. Pupils have a good understanding of healthy eating and personal safety. They are satisfactorily prepared for their future economic well-being through the emphasis that the school puts on the basic skills of literacy and numeracy. 3 Inspection Report: Churchdown Parton Manor Infant School, 2 May 2006 to 2 May 2006

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall and have a number of good features. Routines and procedures are well established and the children are generally well managed to ensure that the maximum use is made of the time available for learning. Teachers share the purpose of the lessons with the pupils well. The work that the school is doing to improve the consistency of teaching in writing is having a beneficial effect on standards and achievement in the subject. However, weaknesses occur when there is not enough planning for pupils’ different needs. The quality of marking is not always as precise as it should be and the involvement of the children in assessing their own work varies between classes. Teaching assistants provide valuable support for pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities. The Traveller support assistant is effective in working with pupils to ensure that they have every opportunity to make

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Grade: 3

progress. Assessment is satisfactory overall. The new procedures for writing are good and are beginning to contribute to better planning and more precise target setting. However, assessment and target setting in reading, mathematics and science are not yet as rigorous as they should be. New assessment procedures for the Reception classes have not yet had time to impact on attainment and progress. Assessment for pupils from the Travelling community is used effectively to identify the needs of these pupils when they first join the school.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory and meets national requirements. Links between different subjects have been introduced and as a result, pupils apply their skills such as literacy and numeracy in different lessons. The local authority has recently worked with the school to ensure that a satisfactory Foundation Stage curriculum is provided in Reception. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are supported by the targets set in their individual education plans. Travellers are encouraged to build on their own experiences to help them achieve satisfactorily. Visits and trips are also used to promote interest and enjoyment for all the pupils, and pupils spoke enthusiastically about them. For example, visits to the seaside, a nearby theatre, forests and farms help their learning in literacy, history and geography. This ensures that there is a sense of purpose in all activities. There is a satisfactory range of extra-curricular activities, including gardening,

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Grade: 3

recorder, art and craft, and sporting clubs.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support for pupils are good. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and are confident that their children are safe and well cared for and 4 Inspection Report: Churchdown Parton Manor Infant School, 2 May 2006 to 2 May 2006 given good support for personal difficulties. There are good arrangements for ensuring pupils’ health, safety and welfare, and effective child protection procedures are in place. The school places great importance on promoting healthy lifestyles which effectively shape pupils’ positive attitudes to health, diet and physical activities. It works effectively with outside agencies to support pupils who need their help. For example, links with the behavioural support service have resulted in improvements in behaviour over the last year. The links that the school has with the Traveller support service have proved effective in improving their involvement in their children’s learning.

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Grade: 2

Liaison with the Early Years Centre and junior school supports pupils’ transition. Procedures for supporting pupils’ academic progress are satisfactory overall, although they are relatively new and vary within subjects and year groups. Consequently, they are not yet having an impact on standards and achievement.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher successfully ensures that pupils grow into confident individuals who are all fully involved in the life of the school. She has ensured that the standards attained and the quality of teaching and learning are being checked more effectively. However, the information gathered from this monitoring is not being used well enough to improve pupil progress. The good support provided by the local authority has enabled recent improvements to take place, such as the better provision in Reception and a more focused role for the supportive governors. The governors have started to understand the need to challenge decisions and actions taken by senior staff. This is evident in the work of the committee for standards who are being supported by the local authority in checking the quality of teaching and learning. The school, in conjunction with the local authority, has

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Grade: 3

evaluated its performance accurately. Parents appreciate the way in which they are consulted but the involvement of pupils and governors in decision-making has been limited. The school has the capacity to improve because staff are well focused on raising standards. 5 Inspection Report: Churchdown Parton Manor Infant School, 2 May 2006 to 2 May 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: Churchdown Parton Manor Infant School, 2 May 2006 to 2 May 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 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 3 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 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 the part you played in the inspection of your school. We very much enjoyed meeting you and getting to know your school. These are the things that are good about your school: •You are looked after well and like your teachers. •Those of you who have particular learning needs are given good support. •You have a good understanding of how to keep healthy and safe. •Staff and governors are working closely with experts to improve your school. •Your parents are very happy with the school. These are the things we have asked the school to do to make it even better: •Make sure that lessons within each year group are similar and that they include opportunities for you to be more involved in your learning. •Use the information teachers get from marking and checking your work to help set activities that meet all your needs. •Make sure that the progress you make and the teaching you receive are checked regularly.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you again for helping us find out more about your school, and best wishes for the future.

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