Callow End CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Callow End CofE Primary School

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116789 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire LEA 279900 Inspection number 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 Inspection dates Andrew Watters HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Callow End School address Primary Type of school Worcester Voluntary controlled School category Worcestershire WR2 4TE 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01905 830337 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01905 830337 Fax number 85 Number on roll Ms Helen Jepson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Sue Sawle Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279900 19 October 2005 - 4 to 11 20 October 2005 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 (HMI).

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Description of the school

The school is situated in the village of Callow End, a rural location a few miles to the south-west of Worcester. Most homes are privately owned and some are owned by housing associations. The majority of the pupils are of White British origin. The school is popular with parents and half the pupils come from outside the village and the immediate area. The pupils’ attainment on entry is consistently average to above average. It is generally good overall.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 3

The school judges its overall effectiveness as satisfactory and HMI agree. Although there is good provision for the pupils’ personal development and their care, the higher-attaining pupils do not achieve well enough and standards in writing are too low. In mathematics and science, standards are at least satisfactory and often good. Standards in reading are generally high and above average. In each key stage, while the results of national tests are usually good or very good, the pupils’ achievements are inconsistent. In some year groups, they make exceptional progress while in others they make little or no progress at all. Standards and provision in the Foundation Stage are satisfactory. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The school is a welcoming community that has a strong family ethos. Its distinct Christian foundation is reflected well. The pupils are exceptionally well behaved and have very positive attitudes. Parents

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Grade: 3

are overwhelmingly positive and supportive. The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory. The headteacher provides thoughtful and positive leadership and has high expectations for further improvement. Governors are developing their role satisfactorily and teachers are gaining a better insight into what needs to be done to improve their work. Monitoring and self-evaluation are satisfactory. The school’s priorities for improvement are accurate and sharply focused on eliminating weaknesses. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory. The school gives satisfactory value for money and its capacity to improve is satisfactory.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in writing for all pupils. • Ensure that all pupils’ achievements are consistently good or better and increase the rate of progress for the higher-attaining pupils. • Strengthen the quality of teaching.

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Grade: 3

Except in writing, standards are either in line with or above what is expected for the pupils’ ages. At Key Stage 1 the results of national tests have generally been good, although in 2005 they fell slightly in reading and mathematics and very few pupils reached the higher levels. At Key Stage 2 the school’s 2005 test results were exceptionally good in reading, mathematics and science. In each subject all pupils reached the level expected for their age. In science nine out of ten pupils achieved above-average standards and seven out of ten did so in reading and mathematics. Standards in writing are too low and below average, particularly in Key Stage 2. The value added to the pupils’ achievements is inconsistent. For example, the Year 6 pupils who left the school in 2005 made exceptional progress in reading and mathematics 2 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 3

during their time in Years 5 and 6, but between Years 2 and 4 over half the pupils made little or no progress. This general pattern of achievement was repeated for the pupils who are currently in Year 6. Similarly, while pupils in Year 5 made generally satisfactory progress in reading and writing between Years 2 and 4, their achievement in mathematics was poor. The relatively lower-attaining pupils and pupils of average ability make satisfactory and often good progress meeting their challenging targets. However, given their starting points and capabilities, the higher-attaining pupils are not achieving as well as they could and their targets are not sufficiently challenging. Grade: 3

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Grade: 2

The provision for the pupils’ personal development and their well-being is good. The pupils enjoy coming to school and relationships are very good. They feel safe and have confidence in the adults who work with them. Because of this they express their feelings knowing that their opinions will be valued. Their behaviour and attitudes to learning are excellent. They are extremely polite, cooperative, good humoured and eager to talk about their work. They understand the importance of eating healthily and regular exercise. Attendance is good. The school council is a valued means for the pupils to contribute to the improvement of their school; for example, their views led to assemblies becoming more interesting and the playground being improved. Residential trips and other visits reinforce the social skills which equip them well for the world of work. The provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is good and is

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Grade: 2

satisfactory for their cultural development. The school’s distinct Christian ethos is promoted well in assemblies and in the care shown by adults and pupils towards each other. The pupils have opportunities to learn about other faiths, by visiting different places of worship. This helps them learn about life in other countries. They are involved in local community events such as fund raising for charities, both at home and abroad, and the school choir visits local nursing homes. Grade: 2

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning ranges from good to unsatisfactory. Overall it is satisfactory. This confirms the school’s view. All teachers have excellent relationships with the pupils and have high expectations for their behaviour. Teachers’ instructions and explanations are usually clear and helpful. The pupils are encouraged to work independently and in small groups, which they do really well. However, the variability in the quality of teaching is limiting the pupils’ achievements overall, particularly the very able pupils, who are often not challenged enough by their work. In some years the pupils’ progress is very slow while in other years it is outstanding. Day-to-day 3 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 assessment is generally not used well enough to match the pupils’ work to their different starting points and the pupils are not always told how to improve their work,

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Grade: 3

particularly in writing. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used satisfactorily in each class to illustrate important teaching points. Teaching assistants make a satisfactory contribution to helping the pupils improve their work although on occasions they are not involved enough with accelerating the pupils’ learning, for example, in whole-class sessions. Grade: 3

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is varied and interesting. It meets external requirements and provides a broad and balanced range of activities, for example the residential trip for pupils in Years 5 and 6 and the Forest School initiative, where the pupils learn about caring for the environment. Visitors to school are much appreciated by the pupils, particularly the theatre, arts and history groups which make a positive contribution to the pupils’ personal and creative development. The increased use of the computer suite is helping raise standards in ICT. There is a good range of extra-curricular activities, such as sports groups, ICT, choir, dance and arts clubs. These are popular and well attended. The pupils’ singing is excellent! Boys and girls represent the school in a variety of mixed sports teams and this reflects well the school’s equal opportunities and inclusion policies. Most pupils are served well by the curriculum, although the provision for the

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Grade: 3

able pupils, a quarter of the school, is not good enough and the provision in writing is unsatisfactory. Grade: 3

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Grade: 3

The school provides a good level of care for the pupils and satisfactory guidance and support. There are good arrangements for safeguarding the pupils and child protection procedures are reviewed regularly. Risk assessments are well attended to and checked annually or more frequently where required, for example, moving large furniture from the hall for physical education lessons. The school buildings and outside areas are well maintained and provide a safe and secure learning environment. This is much appreciated by the pupils, who take pride in the school’s friendly atmosphere. Homework and annual reports keep parents informed about their children’s progress. Curricular targets are shared with parents each term, although this does not include how well the children are achieving based on their starting points. The guidance and support for the lower-attaining pupils are generally good but the higher-attaining

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Grade: 3

pupils are not given sufficiently challenging targets. Grade: 3 4 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 3

The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory. This confirms the school’s view. The headteacher provides thoughtful and positive leadership. Under her careful guidance the school’s strong family ethos has been nurtured and a rigorous focus on standards and achievement has recently been established. She has accurately identified the school’s most pressing priorities and is determined to accelerate the rate of progress towards eliminating areas of weakness. She understands that the school should be doing better and meeting the needs and aspirations of all groups of pupils. Her high expectations for improvement and building on the school’s existing strengths are clear and unequivocal. The school’s capacity to improve is satisfactory. The headteacher has produced a good analysis of assessment information which shows where pupils are doing very well and where they have not made enough progress.

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Grade: 3

Targets are set for all pupils and arrangements for tracking their progress have recently been established. Monitoring and self-evaluation are satisfactory but not yet systematic and rigorous enough, particularly the monitoring of teaching and learning. Parent questionnaires and pupil surveys are an important part of the school’s self-evaluation procedures. For example, parents overwhelmingly supported recent changes to the school’s behaviour policy. The governing body is developing and improving its role. The chair of governors, who is relatively new to the position, has a clear understanding of what the governors need to do to help them meet their statutory responsibilities, particularly to hold the school to account for the standards achieved by the pupils. Grade: 3 5 Inspection Report: Callow End CofE Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 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: Callow End CofE Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 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 3 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 2 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 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 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 3 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

Callow End Church of England Primary School Callow End Worcester Worcestershire WR2 4TE 20 October 2005 Dear Children Thank you for welcoming me to your school. I really enjoyed talking with you and visiting your lessons. You are all very polite, cheerful and helpful. For the two days I was with you I felt a part of your school. Thank you for sharing your work with me. I could see that you all try really hard to do your best and help each other, in the classrooms and on the playground. Well done! I enjoyed hearing about what you like in school and how much you appreciate all the things that you do. I thought your singing in assembly was brilliant! I also enjoyed talking with your teachers and was very pleased to see how well they and you got on together. Your teachers, the headteacher and all the other adults in school work hard to make sure that you are safe and enjoy coming to school. I have asked Mrs Sawle and your teachers to do a few things that should help you do even

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

better than you are doing now. First of all I think that you need some more help to make sure that your writing gets better. Secondly some of you need to be given work that is a bit more interesting and challenging, to make you think even harder than you are doing now! And last of all I want your teachers to make sure that all of you do as well as you can right through your life at the school. Thank you again for being so cheerful and friendly! Yours sincerely Andrew Watters Her Majesty’s Inspector

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