Church Lench CofE First School

Inspection Report Church Lench CofE First School

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116792 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire LEA 279901 Inspection number 27 June 2006 to 28 June 2006 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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Main Street School address First Type of school Church Lench Voluntary controlled School category Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 4UE 4 to 10 Age range of pupils

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01386 870297 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01386 871933 Fax number 63 Number on roll Mr Phillip Cordelle Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Miss H M Bainbridge Headteacher 7 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279901 27 June 2006 - 4 to 10 28 June 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI). Discussions were held with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, a governor, the school’s local authority (LA) patch inspector, the school council and other pupils and adults who work in the school. Sixteen inspection questionnaires were received from parents, which is just under a 34% response rate. HMI observed lessons in each classroom and discussed his findings with teachers. A range of documents and pupils’ work were scrutinised.

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Description of the school

Church Lench First is a small school situated in the village of Church Lench, not far from Evesham. Many pupils live in the village and nearby, with a significant proportion coming from out of the immediate area. The majority of the pupils are White British, with 19% from a Gypsy/Roma background. No families currently claim free school meals for their children and 20% are on the school’s register of special educational needs. There is a significant level of pupil mobility. Over a four year period, between Year 2 and Year 5 over half the pupils either left or joined the school. The current mobility rate is 15%. The school serves an area of high social affluence. On entry, pupils’ attainment varies from above average to below. It is currently above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Church Lench CofE First School, 27 June 2006 to 28 June 2006

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Grade: 3

The school judges its overall effectiveness as satisfactory and HMI agrees, although there is also agreement that the school could and should be doing better. The pupils are well cared for in a very safe, secure and welcoming school community, which emphasises strong family values based on the school’s Christian and church foundation. The pupils’ personal, social and emotional development is given a high priority and is good. This is reflected in their confident, relaxed manner, and delightful and engaging conversations. It is no surprise that their behaviour is generally good and that many have positive attitudes. The good curriculum reflects the school’s commitment to providing a rich and varied range of opportunities for all pupils. The school grounds are an excellent learning environment in which the pupils can play confidently with enjoyment. The quality of provision and standards in the Foundation Stage are good.

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Grade: 3

Parents are very supportive. One parent said, ‘The school is extremely happy. The children are looked after very well by the caring staff and teachers’. The headteacher provides sound leadership, has a clear understanding of what needs to be improved and is determined that her vision of excellence should be achieved. She knows the school’s strengths and weaknesses and recognises that although standards, achievement and teaching are satisfactory, the quality of teaching and learning is not good enough for the pupils’ achievements to be higher. This is particularly the case in writing and mathematics, for the higher-attaining pupils and the pupils in Key Stage 2. Monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance are satisfactory but not sufficiently rigorous. As a result, some important weaknesses in teaching persist and this is impeding the pupils’ academic progress. The school development plan is a good framework for further improvement and accurately

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Grade: 3

identifies the need to strengthen the role of the deputy headteacher in leading and managing the school. Strategic planning is secure and governance is satisfactory. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory and the school provides satisfactory value for money. Whilst the headteacher is clearly demonstrating a good capacity to bring about further improvement, the school’s overall capacity is satisfactory.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Increase the proportion of good and outstanding teaching and raise expectations of what the pupils are capable of achieving • Increase the rate of pupils’ progress and raise pupils’ achievements, particularly in writing and mathematics for the more able pupils and those in Key Stage 2 • Strengthen monitoring and evaluation of the school’s performance and improve the role of the deputy headteacher in leading and managing the school. 2 Inspection Report: Church Lench CofE First School, 27 June 2006 to 28 June 2006

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Grade: 3

Standards and the pupils’ achievements are good in the Foundation Stage and Year 1 and satisfactory overall. Most pupils do well in the end of Key Stage 1 national assessments and nearly all reach the level expected for their age. Some pupils exceed this, particularly in writing and reading. Standards overall are in line with what is expected for the pupils’ ages although few pupils do better than this. Rates of progress are satisfactory overall but could be better, particularly in writing in Key Stage 2 and mathematics overall. The school agrees that many pupils are capable of learning at a faster rate and achieving more, especially the higher-attaining pupils and the older pupils in Key Stage 2. End-of-year targets for improvement are generally challenging although the pupils’ work in lessons does not always reflect sufficiently high expectations. The pupils from Traveller families make satisfactory, and sometimes

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Grade: 2

The pupils’ personal development and well-being are good as is the provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school’s Christian values and church foundation are reflected well in the pupils’ considerate behaviour for each other and for visitors. Behaviour is generally good and most pupils have very positive attitudes, except when their work lacks challenge and interest, particularly in Key Stage 2. Pupils are unfailingly courteous and polite and extremely good-humoured in conversation. They generally enjoy coming to school and really appreciate the opportunities for play and relaxation provided by the outdoor areas, which are of very high quality. They understand the importance of adopting healthy lifestyles and the need for personal safety, having confidence in the adults who work with them and knowing that their opinions and views will be listened to and valued. Attendance is

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Grade: 2

satisfactory. Pupils make an excellent contribution to the local community through their involvement in village, church and parish activities. They are developing a good level of skills and personal qualities which should contribute well to their future social and economic well-being.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning ranges from good to inadequate and is satisfactory overall. Lessons are generally well structured and relationships are always positive. The pupils enjoy work that is interesting and imaginative, and when this occurs, they achieve high standards, such as writing about the story of The Selfish Giant in the Reception and Year 1 class. In the most successful lessons, teachers’ explanations and instructions are clear and helpful and they intervene frequently to remind the pupils 3 Inspection Report: Church Lench CofE First School, 27 June 2006 to 28 June 2006 what they are expected to learn. Learning is stimulating and exciting and pupils show an eagerness to do well. However, there is not enough consistently good and outstanding teaching and too much that is mediocre, where the pupils’ work is not sufficiently challenging and fails to engage their interest and kindle their enthusiasm.

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Grade: 3

In lessons where the pupils do not make enough progress, teachers’ expectations are too low, the pupils’ work is not matched well enough to their different capabilities and the pace of learning is too slow. Teaching assistants make a generally positive contribution to improving the quality of pupils’ learning but they are not always deployed effectively in whole-class sessions.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is broad and balanced and has many good features. These include: a wide range of extra-curricular activities, which are well attended by the pupils; visits to places of interest; a residential visit to Malvern Outdoor Centre; French, sports and music teaching, and an emphasis on tolerance, racial equality and compassion, particularly through the personal, social and health education programme of work. There is satisfactory provision for literacy and numeracy although the school recognises that pupils’ achievement in writing and mathematics should be higher. The curriculum has been adapted well to meet the specific needs of pupils from Traveller families, who make a positive contribution to the school community.

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Grade: 2

The pupils are cared for extremely well. This is shown particularly effectively in the high level of commitment for ensuring the pupils’ safety, both in the school grounds and when the pupils visit places of interest in the wider community. Support for the pupils’ social and emotional development is very strong and this is helping the pupils to develop confidently as well-rounded young people. This is complemented well by the school’s good relationship with parents and the care taken to involve them with their children’s work. The arrangements for safeguarding the pupils are robust, and risk assessments are carefully attended to. There are good links with outside agencies, such as the Evesham High School Sports Partnership and the support services for travelling families. Academic guidance is improving and is satisfactory.

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Grade: 3

The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory overall. The headteacher has a clear vision for the school’s continuing improvement. She cares passionately about the young people in her care, is resilient and determined to raise the quality of education from satisfactory to outstanding. This is a significant challenge but one which the school is well placed to achieve. The headteacher’s self-evaluation of the 4 Inspection Report: Church Lench CofE First School, 27 June 2006 to 28 June 2006 school’s performance is accurate and she has made a sound start in tackling the school’s most pressing priorities. The governors’ decision to release the headteacher from her teaching commitment to enable her to drive improvements at a faster rate is appropriate, but has not yet had a sufficiently positive impact. Subject leadership is satisfactory overall although current planning for raising standards in literacy is unsatisfactory. Arrangements for monitoring

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Grade: 3

and evaluation are satisfactory but not sufficiently rigorous. The headteacher regularly checks the quality of teaching and gives teachers helpful feedback about their work, although it is not always clear how important points for development will be followed up. The role of the deputy headteacher in leading and managing the school is underdeveloped and is not providing the headteacher with sufficiently effective support. Assessment information is used satisfactorily to track the pupils’ progress and achievements from year to year, although evaluating the impact of teaching on the pupils’ achievements in lessons has not been given enough priority. The governing body keeps a watchful eye on the school, and carries out its statutory duties well. Strategic planning is satisfactory and ensures that pupils, parents and governors have a say in what the school does well and what it needs to do to improve further.

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Grade: 3

5 Inspection Report: Church Lench CofE First School, 27 June 2006 to 28 June 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: Church Lench CofE First School, 27 June 2006 to 28 June 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 3 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 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 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 3 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 1 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 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 welcoming me to your school and showing me around the lovely outdoor areas you use for playing and working. You told me how much you appreciate your school, particularly the opportunities to join after-school clubs and take part in other interesting activities, like swimming, visits to places of interest, and for some of you, the residential visit to Malvern, which was obviously a great success! I had a good time talking with your teachers and I was pleased to see how well they and you get on together. All the adults who work in school with you make sure that you are safe and well looked after. You told me that you appreciate this and the fact that they always listen carefully to what you have to say. I really enjoyed talking with you and visiting your lessons. You are all very friendly, cheerful, polite and good humoured. This really helped me find out all the things I needed to know about

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your work and how well you are doing. Some of you in Key Stage 2 told me that you really enjoy coming to school but sometimes your work isn’t very interesting and it doesn’t make you think very hard. I could see that and it’s one of the things I’ve asked Miss Bainbridge and the teachers to improve so that you can do even better, particularly in writing and mathematics. I also talked to Miss Bainbridge about checking lessons and your work even more carefully and making sure that she has enough help to do this. Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly.

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