Mitcheldean Endowed Primary School

Inspection Report Mitcheldean Endowed Primary School

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115693 Unique Reference Number Gloucestershire LEA 279655 Inspection number 6 July 2006 to 7 July 2006 Inspection dates Paul Sadler AI Reporting inspector

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

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Hawker Hill School address Primary Type of school Mitcheldean Voluntary aided School category Gloucestershire GL17 0BS 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01594 542240 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01594 542240 Fax number 225 Number on roll Reverend R G Sturman Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr J Naylor Headteacher 12 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279655 6 July 2006 - 4 to 11 7 July 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 is a primary school of average size. The governors’ admission policy allows all children resident in the village of Mitcheldean to attend this Church of England Aided school. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties or with disabilities is low. There are few pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds. All pupils speak English as their first language.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Mitcheldean Endowed Primary School, 6 July 2006 to 7 July 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which provides good value for money. To quote a parent, ‘we could not ask for a better school for our children.’ Pupils make good progress in their work and attain above average standards, having started at the school with average levels of skills and understanding. There is evidence that test results in English at the end of Year 6 in 2006 improved greatly from the average results of 2005. Pupils’ personal development is good, a particularly effective aspect being the way the school develops their self-confidence. As a result, behaviour is outstanding, as are relationships between pupils and with adults. Attendance is above average. Links with the church are used well to develop pupils’ sense of community. Teaching is good, especially teachers’ high expectations of what pupils can achieve. There is a varied and well-balanced curriculum where particularly good use is made of relevant and interesting material to develop pupils’ skills of literacy and numeracy

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Grade: 2

through all subjects. Pupils are very well cared for. Effective use is made of data to plan work in literacy, but this has not yet been extended to other subjects. Leadership and management are good; leaders and managers have a clear vision for a school, underpinned by Christian principles and open to all. They have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and its effectiveness, which is confirmed by the findings of the inspection. The Reception class provides a good standard of education but the lack of a secure outdoor play space for these pupils is a weakness. The school has improved significantly since the last inspection and the skills and experience are available within the staff team to enable further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide a secure outdoor area to enhance the physical and social development of pupils in the Reception class. • Extend to other subjects the effective use made of data in literacy to identify pupils’ progress and to plan appropriate work.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress and attain high standards in their work. They start school with average levels of skills and understanding and by the end of the Reception year most have achieved the goals set for pupils of that age, representing good progress. Most, for instance, can read and write a simple sentence. At the end of Year 2, pupils continue to attain above average standards. Most can read fluently and are beginning to write in paragraphs and use speech correctly. Again, this is good progress which also continues in Years 3 to 6. In the national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2005, standards attained were above average in mathematics and science, but were average in English. Preliminary results for 2006 suggest that the school has successfully tackled the lower standards in writing, as there has been significant improvement and challenging targets have been met. Standards in information and communication

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Grade: 2

2 Inspection Report: Mitcheldean Endowed Primary School, 6 July 2006 to 7 July 2006 technology (ICT), which were lower than in other subjects at the last inspection, have improved; for instance, older pupils gave a presentation to governors using the interactive whiteboard. All pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, make equally good progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good. There is a calm atmosphere of friendliness and respect for each other amongst both adults and pupils, and this makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal development and well-being. Younger children have well-developed personal, social and emotional skills and they work happily together. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is outstanding and pupils feel safe and happy. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Attendance is above average. Pupils have a satisfactory understanding of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. They enjoy physical exercise and many take part in the extra-curricular sports activities on offer to them. They sensibly explained the need to move to shady areas during hot weather and eat healthy snacks at break time. They are eager to take responsibilities and the school council feels that their suggestions are valued. For example, they

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Grade: 2

initiated the purchase of play equipment for use during lunchtime. Pupils are keen to raise money for a variety of charities and participate in local community events such as singing at church services and the village carnival. Participation in group activities and their overall attainment in basic skills ensure pupils can make good progress in developing the skills they will need in later life.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good. Teachers plan work that is appropriately challenging for all pupils. In the Reception class there is a good mix of activities to develop pupils’ skills. Older children are taught through activities whose purpose is clear, a good example being where Year 6 pupils were asked to construct a radio advertisement for biscuits. This enabled them to think about various ways of writing persuasively. Teachers use interactive whiteboards and questioning very well, but sometimes they give direct explanations that are too lengthy, resulting in some restlessness. Work is marked well, with helpful comments about how pupils can improve their work. Teaching assistants are used well to support pupils with their learning, especially in the Reception class.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. The school provides an interesting, well balanced curriculum for all pupils. Links between subjects are being developed well. One pupil said what 3 Inspection Report: Mitcheldean Endowed Primary School, 6 July 2006 to 7 July 2006 she liked best about school was the ‘cool design and technology activities we do.’ Provision for ICT, which is reliant in part on the resources of the local secondary school, is satisfactory. The Foundation Stage curriculum is good. It is planned to enable pupils to achieve their goals and provides good opportunities to learn through play. However, there is no secure outdoor play area and no wheeled toys to encourage physical development. There is a good range of extra-curricular activities, including sport, music and creative arts. Pupils enjoy participating in inter-school tournaments, music and dance festivals. They speak enthusiastically about the activities available to them. Visits to places of

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Grade: 2

interest and visitors are carefully planned and linked well to the curriculum, and older pupils benefit in their personal development from attending residential visits.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. All pupils are extremely well cared for and their needs are well known to staff. Child protection procedures are fully in place and risk assessments are thorough. The comprehensive personal, social and health education programme ensures pupils have a good awareness of the need to stay safe and care for their environment. The school makes good use of outside agencies to support pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. Individual education plans have clear, measurable targets and are regularly reviewed. Pupils with learning difficulties are supported well in class and when withdrawn for additional support in small targeted groups. The school has a satisfactory system for setting challenging targets for most pupils in Key Stage 2. Teachers and pupils, in older classes, use these effectively to assess individual pieces of work, and to set targets to improve further. Assessment information

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Grade: 2

is used well in literacy to identify those pupils requiring additional support, but this is not yet fully effective in other areas of the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. Leaders and managers have created a strong Christian ethos which values individual strengths and promotes self-confidence. There is a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, including of the quality of teaching, which is monitored effectively. Parents and pupils are consulted and their views acted upon. For example, parents’ requests have resulted in more educational visits and peripatetic music tuition being made available and the school council is a good channel for pupils’ views to be heard. Effective action has been taken to improve, for example, standards of English through identification and rectification of previous shortcomings. In other areas, such as in making provision for ICT and for younger pupils to learn through outdoor play, the need has been recognised but action has been rather slow. 4 Inspection Report: Mitcheldean Endowed Primary School, 6 July 2006 to 7 July 2006

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Grade: 2

Subject leadership of literacy is very effective. In other subjects it is less so, but is developing. Subject leaders are beginning to use data well to identify any underachievement and to plan appropriate work. Governors support the school well. The school has made good improvement since the last inspection and the right blend of experience exists within the staff for this to continue. 5 Inspection Report: Mitcheldean Endowed Primary School, 6 July 2006 to 7 July 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: Mitcheldean Endowed Primary School, 6 July 2006 to 7 July 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 2 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 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 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 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

We very much enjoyed talking and listening to you and seeing your work when we visited your school recently. We want to thank you for spending the time to do this. This letter is to tell you what we thought of your school and how it can be even better. We think your school is a good one. These are some of the best things we found about the school. You make good progress in your work and some is of a very high standard. We particularly enjoyed the work Year 6 were doing in designing a radio advertisement. You are taught well and all the adults in the school look after you very well. You are very confident and talk to each other and to adults in a mature way. Your behaviour is very good indeed and you work well together. You do a lot of things to help other people, both in the village and across the world, for instance through raising money for charity. Your parents agree with us that it is a good school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

To improve the school further, we have asked the school to give the Reception class an area where they can play with wheeled toys as part of the lessons, and to make sure that the good way in which pupils having difficulties in literacy are spotted is used in other subjects.

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