Tibberton CofE First School

Inspection Report Tibberton CofE First School

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116851 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire LEA 279921 Inspection number 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006 Inspection dates David Cox AI Reporting inspector

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

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Plough Road School address First Type of school Tibberton Voluntary controlled School category Droitwich, Worcestershire WR9 7NL 5 to 9 Age range of pupils

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01905 345284 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01905 345284 Fax number 54 Number on roll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs H Gratland Headteacher 27 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279921 13 June 2006 - 5 to 9 13 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Tibberton Church of England First School is a smaller-than-average first school. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The percentage of pupils who have learning difficulties is below average but varies significantly from year to year. In some year groups the number of pupils who joined or left the school in the last academic year other than at the normal admission time was higher than normal. The headteacher is part of a ‘job share’ scheme and is in school for three days a week. For the rest of the time, the school is managed by an acting headteacher.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Tibberton CofE First School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good education and has some outstanding features. This judgement matches the school’s own analysis. Pupils achieve well because good teaching and learning meet the vast majority of their needs well. By Year 4, standards are exceptionally high overall and pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education and their future life. Although higher than the national average, standards are not quite as high in mathematics. The school has correctly identified that pupils have not always been provided with enough opportunities to develop their skills of investigation in mathematics in the past. More-able pupils and those with learning difficulties make exceedingly good progress because they are very well supported and teachers set challenging work for them. Provision in Reception is good and, as a result of good teaching, many children achieve well beyond what they are expected to reach

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Grade: 2

by Year 1. Pupils feel safe and are extremely well cared for. Pupils behave very well in lessons and at playtime, and this contributes to the positive school ethos. They are keen to tell visitors how much they enjoy life at school. Pupils are encouraged to express their opinions through the school council and by completing questionnaires. They say there is very little they would change about the school and are always encouraged to do their best by their teachers and other adults. The school goes to considerable lengths to ensure that all pupils are treated equally. Together with a good curriculum, these factors ensure that pupils thoroughly enjoy their time at school and develop good personal and social skills. Programmes of regular exercise and a wide range of out-of-school sporting activities enable pupils to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Their concern for others is demonstrated by the many charity events they organise and their

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Grade: 2

positive contribution to the local and wider community. Attendance is satisfactory and the school is working hard with a small minority of parents to improve it further. This is a well led and managed school. The headteacher and the acting headteacher provide good leadership. Together, they form a strong team that is forging ahead with innovation and consolidation of good practice. This team has a good grasp of the strengths of the school and the areas for development. They have worked hard to develop consistency and high expectations across the whole school in order to raise standards. Leaders have shown that they can move the school forward and also maintain its strengths. Subject leaders currently have had a limited role in monitoring the work in their subjects due to staff absence. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

Raise standards in mathematics by providing pupils with more opportunities to develop their skills of investigation. Continue to work closely with parents to improve attendance. Re-establish the role of the subject leaders in monitoring and evaluating the work in their subjects. 2 Inspection Report: Tibberton CofE First School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress as they move through the school and they achieve well in relation to their starting points. When children start school in Reception they have the skills and knowledge typical of four-year-olds. They make good progress and, by the end of the Reception Year, many achieve beyond the goals for learning expected of children of this age. Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2. This is reflected in the results of the Year 2 tests in 2005, which were exceptionally high in reading and writing, although not quite as high in mathematics, and in the exceptionally high standards of pupils’ current work. Their good progress continues throughout Years 3 and 4 and standards are exceptionally high by the end of Year 4. More- able pupils make outstanding progress, as do the pupils with learning difficulties. Results have continued to rise since the last inspection because of the challenging targets for improvement that are set and met

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Grade: 2

each year. This means that almost all pupils are doing as well as they can.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are good. Pupils enjoy being at school, they behave exceptionally well and teachers encourage them to work hard. Pupils develop their social skills very well. They concentrate carefully, developing good listening skills, and they treat both adults and their peers with respect. Pupils develop a good understanding of other people’s differences, for example, through African drumming sessions, but their contact with people from a range of other cultures is more limited. They say that incidences of bullying are rare and they know how to stay safe and get help if it is needed. Pupils support charities such as Barnardo’s and have good links with the local community, including the church. Pupils’ and parents’ views are taken very seriously. Pupils are asked their opinions both formally, through the school council and questionnaires, but also informally such

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Grade: 2

as before and after school as teachers always make time to talk to them. Pupils know that they can influence the decisions made on a range of matters, from the state of the toilets to playtime behaviour, and are keen to take responsibility for many aspects of school life. Through its regular contacts with parents, the school encourages them to ensure that pupils have a balanced diet and adopt healthy lifestyles. Pupils respond positively and enjoy showing visitors the healthy foods they bring to school. Attendance is around the national average. The school has good systems to monitor this so that any problems can be tackled. However, a small minority of parents continue to take their children on holiday in term time, which means that pupils miss valuable work. 3 Inspection Report: Tibberton CofE First School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. As a result, the vast majority of pupils enjoy coming to school and make good progress. In Reception, teachers use exciting and innovative techniques such as ‘brain gym’ to motivate and improve pupils’ concentration. Teachers know their pupils well. Teachers make very good use of assessment information to plan carefully and match work to the needs of pupils. They use their good subject knowledge to engage and motivate pupils. Teachers also use computers effectively to promote learning. For example, in a Year 1/2 lesson, the teacher used a computer to illustrate to pupils how to approach more complex multiplication calculations. The pupils not only found this exciting but it also helped them to identify the processes needed to solve similar problems. Pupils’ behaviour is managed skilfully by staff and pupils respond very positively to the praise and encouragement they receive.

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Grade: 2

Teachers have not always provided tasks that enabled pupils to further extend their skills of investigation in mathematics. This resulted in standards in mathematics in 2005 not being quite as high as in other subjects, although still higher than the national average. The school has recently introduced successful strategies to remedy this situation, although these measures have not been in place long enough yet to have had a full impact.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. In Reception, children are given plenty of opportunities to work collaboratively and build their social skills in problem-solving activities. The programme for personal, social and health education is a particular strength of the curriculum and gives pupils many opportunities to develop their personal and interpersonal skills through participation in innovative schemes. For example, pupils start morning registration in the school hall with clapping games or ‘beat competence.’ The curriculum is enhanced by a good range of extra activities. Pupils benefit from several sports clubs, regular trips and visits which are well attended and allow them to develop physically and emotionally. They are encouraged to appreciate environmental issues through activities such as developing their own nature park in the school grounds. The curriculum is planned well to cover national requirements, and includes plans to

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Grade: 2

introduce French from next year. Schemes of work to meet the needs of individual pupils are very well developed. The school has correctly identified areas that it needs to focus on further, such as providing more investigative approaches in mathematics. In addition, the curriculum does not provide enough opportunities for pupils to learn about people from a range of other cultures. 4 Inspection Report: Tibberton CofE First School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006

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Grade: 1

The outstanding quality of care, guidance and support contributes very effectively to pupils’ enjoyment of school and their good achievement. Staff know pupils very well and this is reflected in the high quality care they provide. Parents are pleased that pupils feel safe and enjoy their time at school. Pupils are carefully supervised both inside and out so that accidents are rare. The teachers know their pupils’ strengths and weaknesses and plan carefully to help those with learning difficulties and those who are very able or gifted. Pupils’ progress is carefully tracked. They know how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve because the teachers take every opportunity to discuss these with them. This helps them to achieve well and attain high standards. Child protection and health and safety procedures are robust and comply with local requirements. Any pupils who are at risk are identified and supported very well. The

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Grade: 1

school works successfully with outside agencies to help its pupils get any support they may need.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher leads the school well and she is effectively supported by the acting headteacher. All leaders adhere to clear and agreed strategies for improvement which focus primarily on raising pupils’ performance through improved teaching. As a result, the school ensures that pupils are treated equally well. The headteacher is very good at evaluating and acting on the outcomes of rigorous monitoring. Her approach has been central in bringing about improvement in standards, achievement and maintaining the pupils’ good personal development since the last inspection. School self-evaluation is accurate and decisive action is taken to improve areas of weakness. Leaders have shown that they can move the school forward and also maintain its strengths. The school is exploring how to re-establish the subject management responsibilities of subject leaders as they currently have a limited role

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Grade: 2

in monitoring and supporting the development of teaching in their areas of responsibility, due to staff absences. The school is well supported by parents and many take an active role in the school. Parents’ views are sought and acted upon. A small minority of parents expressed concern with the number of temporary staff being needed this year to cover long term staff absence. Inspectors agree that there has been a particularly high proportion of staff absence this year but all absences have been for an appropriate reason. This situation has been managed very well by the school, and pupils’ standards and achievement continue to improve and remain exceptionally high. The governing body has been reconstituted recently and is developing its working relationship with the school. Governors are supportive of the school and have a sound 5 Inspection Report: Tibberton CofE First School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006

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Grade: 2

knowledge and understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They fulfil their statutory duties well. 6 Inspection Report: Tibberton CofE First School, 13 June 2006 to 13 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. 7 Inspection Report: Tibberton CofE First School, 13 June 2006 to 13 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 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 1 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 1 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 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 1 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 1 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 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

As you know, we visited your school recently to find out how well the school is doing. We would like to thank you for looking after us so well. We enjoyed talking to so many of you during play time and lunch time about your school, the work you have done and how much you enjoy coming to school. What we found that is really good about your school You behave extremely well and you enjoy being at school. You do well at school because of the good teaching. Your school is a healthy and very safe place to be and you help each other when there are problems. Teachers and other staff in the school look after you very well. Your teachers and other adults are ensuring that you do lots of exciting activities. The people who run your school know what it does well and what needs to be even better. What we have asked your school to do now Help some of you to do better in mathematics. Work closely with your parents to ensure that

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

everyone attends school regularly. Help staff to check regularly the work in their subjects across the school. Thank you once again for your help.

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