Twyford St Mary's Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Twyford St Mary's Church of England Primary School

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116320 Unique Reference Number Hampshire LEA LEA 279791 Inspection number 1 December 2005 to 2 December 2005 Inspection dates Nicola Davies AI Reporting inspector

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

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School Road School address Primary Type of school Twyford Voluntary controlled School category Winchester SO21 1QQ 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01962713358 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01962714313 Fax number 139 Number on roll Mrs J Lomas Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs S Hunns Headteacher 13 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279791 1 December 2005 - 4 to 11 2 December 2005 Inspection Report: Twyford St Mary's Church of England Primary School, 1 December 2005 to 2 December 2005

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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

Twyford St Mary's Church of England Primary School is a small school in a village near Winchester. It has 139 pupils on roll. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage and very few are from minority ethnic backgrounds. Three pupils are at an early stage of learning English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is average. Very few pupils are entitled to free school meals. A relatively high proportion of pupils join or leave the school at different points. For example, only one third of the current Year 6 pupils joined the school in Reception or at the start of Year 1. This high 'pupil mobility' along with declining local birth rates means that the numbers of pupils in different year groups varies considerably. There are more boys than girls in the school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Twyford St Mary's Church of England Primary School, 1 December 2005 to 2 December 2005

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Grade: 2

Twyford St Mary's is an effective school that gives good value for money. This confirms the school's own view and that of parents who value the education it provides. Concern for each pupil and careful attention to their individual needs creates a caring and responsible school community. As pupils say, the school is very friendly, fair and 'everyone gets along'. Teaching and learning are good in the Foundation Stage which means that pupils get a good start to their education. A broad curriculum which includes a wide range of additional experiences enhances pupils' learning, enjoyment and growing maturity. As a result, pupils make good progress and generally exceed expected standards by the end of their time at the school. The school has responded effectively to recent underachievement. It does not yet monitor the impact of initiatives on pupils' progress closely enough. Leadership and management are good because the

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Grade: 2

headteacher provides clear direction which is focussed on continuing to improve standards. The work of this village school is well supported by the committed staff, governors and the local community. The school evaluates its strengths and weaknesses well and has already identified the most important things it needs to do to get even better. However, the school does not yet involve parents and pupils systematically in this evaluation. Recent improvements indicate that the school is well placed to improve in the future.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Continue to improve standards of achievement by monitoring the effectiveness of initiatives in more detail * Involve parents and pupils systematically in identifying the school's strengths and weaknesses.

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Grade: 2

Achievement and standards are good. Most children entering the Foundation Stage have above average skills in areas of learning such as language or mathematics. They do not all have such strong social, emotional, physical or creative skills. Staff provide very good opportunities for pupils to learn in a stimulating and safe environment. As a result, pupils make good progress and most exceed the national goals which children are expected to reach by the age of five.Results in national tests vary as Twyford St Mary's is a small school, but are generally above average. The school sets challenging targets which it usually meets. There was some underachievement evident in Year 6 national tests in 2004 which the school has successfully addressed. The most recent results show a marked improvement with well above average standards and a significant increase in the number of pupils achieving the higher levels they should. Pupils are

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Grade: 2

making good progress. There are no significant differences between the achievement of boys and girls. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress, as do the very small number of pupils learning English as an additional language 2 Inspection Report: Twyford St Mary's Church of England Primary School, 1 December 2005 to 2 December 2005

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy school, join in activities enthusiastically and behave well. Attendance is above average. Pupils say that bullying is not a problem and they know what to do about it if it occurs. They learn to co-operate well with each other. For example, children in the Reception class enjoy being 'response partners' which they say means 'helping each other, but not telling the answers'. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. There are strong links with schools in Wales, Uganda and Germany which enhance pupils' understanding of other cultures. For example, pupils learn the value of bilingualism through experiencing a lesson taught in Welsh when they visit their Welsh partner school. The school places a high priority on valuing and developing all pupils as individuals. This helps pupils grow in confidence and independence during their time at the school and has the full support of parents. The elected school council

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Grade: 2

makes a thoughtful contribution to the running of the school.Pupils understand that it is important to stay safe, have a healthy lifestyle and the school encourages them to take responsibility for themselves and others. All Year 6 pupils are challenged to identify their own personal, sporting, learning and community goals. They raise money for charities and help the local community. As a result, pupils grow in maturity and are well prepared for the next phase of their education.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good overall which supports the school's evaluation. Teachers have clear routines which encourage good behaviour and attention to learning. They use resources and questions well to capture pupils' interest. Lessons are brisk and teachers plan a variety of different activities which cater for pupils' different ways of learning. They identify each pupil's next steps as targets which pupils know and aim to meet. As a result, pupils make good progress. Teachers work hard to develop pupils' independence and encourage them to reflect thoughtfully on their progress at the end of lessons. For example, at the end of one lesson on reported speech, pairs of pupils compared what they had learned. One pupil hadn't been aware of indirect speech before the lesson whereas the other was now really clear about how to manipulate tenses to convert direct speech into indirect speech. Throughout the school, teachers monitor

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Grade: 2

pupils' progress and quickly identify potential learning difficulties. Skilful teaching assistants and other specialists provide effective additional support for pupils who find learning more difficult.

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Grade: 2

The pupils enjoy the broad and interesting range of work they do. The Foundation stage is a stimulating place which encourages the younger children to learn. The school 3 Inspection Report: Twyford St Mary's Church of England Primary School, 1 December 2005 to 2 December 2005 strikes a good balance between the 'core' subjects of English and mathematics and other subjects such as history, geography and music. These subjects are mostly taught by teachers with a special interest which means that pupils make good progress. The scope of physical education activities is limited by the size of the school hall. Visitors and local visits add interest and richness to the curriculum and contribute well to pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school provides a good range of extra curricular activities which pupils enjoy and which contribute to their progress. For example, all pupils auditioning for concerts are provided with written

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Grade: 2

feedback which encourages them to keep practising to improve. The school also organises regular residential visits which deepen pupils' understanding of the curriculum, encourage their independence and prepare them well for the next phase of their education.

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Grade: 2

From their first days at the school, pupils are well-known to staff and their individual needs are very carefully considered. The school makes good arrangements to ensure new pupils are made welcome. Teachers meet parents regularly to discuss their children's progress or share concerns. The school works hard to communicate with parents so that they are able to help their children to achieve, for example by letting them know their children's targets. However not all parents feel they have enough 'say' in their child's education. Procedures for child protection are appropriate and the arrangements for dealing with accidents and illnesses are good. Sensitive and effective care is given to vulnerable pupils utilising support services where necessary. The school identifies pupils with potential difficulties quickly and provides good support for their specific difficulties. The school also works well with external agencies which

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Grade: 2

provide specialist guidance and advice. Parents of pupils with special educational needs are kept fully informed.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good which tallies with the school's own evaluation. The headteacher provides clear and committed direction to the school which is clearly focussed on continuing to raise standards. Teachers and other staff work well together as a team. As a result, the pupils who are not achieving ad well as they could are identified and are addressed effectively so that all pupils are making the progress they should. Subject co-ordinators observe teaching in their subjects and monitor the work that pupils do. Senior managers support teachers to set challenging targets and use assessment data to track pupils' achievements. However, the school does not yet use this data as well as it could to track the impact of changes in teaching provision on learning and progress across year groups. The school runs smoothly with the support of capable senior managers and administrative staff. Finance is well

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Grade: 2

managed despite the difficulties of budgeting effectively for small and variable numbers of pupils. The knowledgeable governors are very supportive of the school and have 4 Inspection Report: Twyford St Mary's Church of England Primary School, 1 December 2005 to 2 December 2005 been involved in evaluating its strengths and weaknesses. Effective self-evaluation means the school has already identified much of what it needs to do to get even better. However, it has not yet fully involved parents and pupils in this process to ensure that everyone has a shared vision of its strengths and weaknesses. Recent improvements and strong team work indicate that the school is well placed to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Twyford St Mary's Church of England Primary School, 1 December 2005 to 2 December 2005 .

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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: Twyford St Mary's Church of England Primary School, 1 December 2005 to 2 December 2005

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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 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 2 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 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

This letter is to thank you for welcoming me to your school recently. I really enjoyed seeing how you worked and talking to so many of you. You helped me find out lots of things about the school that I could not have discovered without you.I agree with you, your teachers and your parents that you go to a good school. I was pleased to see how well you behave in lessons and how well you get on with each other. Your teachers take good care of you and work hard to make your lessons interesting. They give you the chance to do lots of different activities. This is one of the reasons why you enjoy school and are keen to learn new things. Your teachers also spend a lot of time thinking about each of you as individuals and making sure that you grow more confident and mature. Giving you a chance to think about how well you have done in each lesson is part of the way they do this. They also arrange for you to have lots of different

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

experiences as you go through the school. The head teacher, teachers and the governors at your school are always looking for ways that they can make the school even better. I have suggested they keep a close eye on changes they make so they can work out which ones help you do as well as you can. I have also suggested they regularly ask you and your parents to tell them about the good (and the not so good) things about the school. I am sure you and your parents will have lots of interesting ideas on this. I was sorry I couldn't watch you rehearse at the Church but I hope your Christmas play went well.

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