Drakes' Broughton St Barnabas CofE First and Middle SchoolOfsted inspection, 17 Jan 2006

Inspection Report St Barnabas CofE First and Middle School

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116862 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire LEA 279923 Inspection number 16 January 2006 to 17 January 2006 Inspection dates David Westall AI Reporting inspector

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

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Stonebow Road School address Primary Type of school Pershore Voluntary controlled School category Worcestershire WR10 2AW 4 to 12 Age range of pupils 01905 840366 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01905 841043 Fax number 401 Number on roll Mr John Driscoll Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Charlie Lupton Headteacher 11 October 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279923 16 January 2006 - 4 to 12 17 January 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is in a village near Pershore. The socio-economic circumstances of most parents are favourable and there is a very low take-up of free school meals. Few pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The percentage of pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities is average. Children’s overall standards are usually a little higher than in most schools on entry to Reception. The school’s numbers increase significantly in Year 5 when pupils join the school from other first schools in the local area.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Barnabas CofE First and Middle School, 16 January 2006 to 17 January 2006

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Grade: 4

In accordance with section 13(3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. The overall effectiveness of the school is inadequate and it provides unsatisfactory value for money. Pupils achieve well in the Foundation Stage and generally exceed the standards expected of them because of the good provision for their overall development. Effective teaching also enables pupils to make good progress in Years 1 and 2, and to reach standards that are significantly better than most schools in Year 2. However, underachievement is widespread in Years 3 to 6. The results in the national tests at the end of Year 6 show that pupils have made insufficient progress in each of the last

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Grade: 4

three years. Standards in the tests in 2005 were only average. This sustained underachievement results from too much unsatisfactory teaching. Teachers often expect too little of their pupils, especially the most capable. The pupils make reasonable progress in Year 7. Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and attendance are good, and their personal development is successfully promoted by the school. The leadership and management of the school are inadequate and have too little impact on pupils’ achievement in Years 3 to 6. Self-evaluation procedures lack rigour, improvement planning is weak and deficiencies in teaching and learning have not been properly tackled. The quality of teaching and pupils’ progress in Years 3 to 6 has declined since the last inspection.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Improve the quality of teaching in Years 3 to 6 in English, mathematics and science in order to challenge all pupils effectively, particularly the most capable, and to raise standards. •Improve leadership and management at all levels by implementing more rigorous procedures for evaluating the school’s effectiveness in eradicating underachievement.

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Grade: 4

Pupils’ achievement is unsatisfactory. While pupils do well in Reception and Years 1 and 2, they underachieve in Years 3 to 6. Pupils’ progress is satisfactory in Year 7 but they do not make up lost ground. 2 Inspection Report: St Barnabas CofE First and Middle School, 16 January 2006 to 17 January 2006 Pupils make good progress in Reception and Years 1 and 2. As a consequence, standards in the national tests in Year 2 in 2004 and 2005 were significantly above average and reflected the pupils’ good achievement. In Years 3 to 6, pupils make insufficient progress because the teaching is not good enough. Standards in the national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2005 were broadly average in English and science, and below average in mathematics. These results were very low when matched against the achievements of these pupils when in Year 2, including for pupils who joined the school at the beginning of Year 5. Results in 2003

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Grade: 4

and 2004 also demonstrated pupils’ unsatisfactory progress. Standards remain broadly average in Year 7, reflecting the legacy of underachievement from Years 3 to 6. The progress made by pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities is satisfactory in Years 3 to 6 and is good in other years. The most capable pupils underachieve from Years 3 to 6 because their work is often too easy. Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds generally make the same progress as their classmates.

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Grade: 2

The school is successful in its promotion of pupils’ personal development and well-being. Pupils are happy to come to school and are keen to learn. They behave well, even when expected to listen to their teachers for too long. Rates of attendance are good. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils learn to respect each other and celebrate each other’s achievements, including in ‘Praise Assemblies’. The school council is very active; pupils feel it enables them to make a valuable contribution to their school life and environment. For example, they have helped to improve the playground resources and to introduce storage lockers into school. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles. Older pupils enjoy taking responsibility for the younger pupils and often help to supervise their play. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to use their initiative and to

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Grade: 2

make decisions during lessons. Fund raising successfully promotes pupils’ social awareness and sometimes enables them to manage simple budgets.

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Grade: 4

The quality of teaching is unsatisfactory. While good teaching enables pupils to do well in Reception and Years 1 and 2, there is too much unsatisfactory teaching to enable pupils to make sufficient progress from Years 3 to 6. The exception is in Year 5, where the teaching is mainly good. Teaching is satisfactory in Year 7. 3 Inspection Report: St Barnabas CofE First and Middle School, 16 January 2006 to 17 January 2006 The most effective teachers match work well to pupils’ needs. They use questions skilfully to develop pupils’ thinking and ensure that lessons are lively and move at a good pace. Unsatisfactory teaching is characterised by lessons that proceed too slowly, usually because the pupils are expected to listen passively for extended periods. Often the work lacks challenge for too many pupils, including the most capable, and they mark time as a result. Questions are not used well enough to check pupils’ understanding

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Grade: 4

or to challenge their thinking. Teachers’ expectations of pupils are often too low, and pupils have few opportunities to develop their own ideas. Assessment procedures have been improved recently and are used well in the younger classes. While they are beginning to assist the progress of some of the older pupils, work is still not matched accurately to pupils’ needs in too many lessons.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It covers the required range of subjects for pupils in Years 1 to 7 and caters well for reception children. The curriculum is sound for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities. However, in Years 3 to 6, teachers’ planning does not consistently meet all pupils’ learning needs, as it takes insufficient account of what they are capable of achieving, particularly the most able. A strong emphasis is given to pupils’ personal development, and satisfactory attention is given to sex education and the development of pupils’ awareness of the dangers of drugs. Provision for the arts is particularly good and the school has achieved the Artsmark Gold award. Pupils' learning is also enriched by a good range of educational visits, including residential trips for pupils in Years 4, 5 and 7, as well as interesting visitors to the school. A good number of clubs are organised, and the school has been awarded the Activemark

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Grade: 3

Gold for its emphasis on sporting activities.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory. Pupils are well cared for and given sound guidance about the importance of developing healthy lifestyles and staying safe. Staff have a good knowledge of pupils’ social and emotional needs, and provide good support for their personal development. Support for pupils’ academic development is more variable. There are strengths in Reception and Years 1 and 2, and the needs of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are accurately assessed. However, there are weaknesses in Years 3 to 6 because relatively new systems for tracking pupils’ progress have not been used consistently to raise teachers’ expectations and to improve the achievement of particular groups of pupils, especially the most capable. Child protection procedures are rigorous and all members of staff know what to do if they feel a child is at risk. There are good links with parents, carers and support

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Grade: 3

4 Inspection Report: St Barnabas CofE First and Middle School, 16 January 2006 to 17 January 2006 agencies, which help to ensure that relevant information is shared. Parents are pleased with the help their children receive when they first start school.

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Grade: 4

The leadership and management of the school are unsatisfactory and have too little impact on the quality of education provided for the pupils. While the school fosters pupils’ personal development successfully, the quality of teaching has been allowed to decline since the last inspection, together with the progress of a significant number of pupils. The school does not evaluate its effectiveness adequately. As a result, it has an unrealistically positive view of its performance and is complacent. The weaknesses in pupils’ progress have not been targeted with enough tenacity and rigour. The quality of teaching is not adequately checked by the headteacher, deputy headteacher or the subject leaders for English, mathematics and science. As a consequence, the school is in a weak position to identify and eradicate the deficiencies that restrict the pupils’ progress. Strategic planning is weak. The school improvement plan is not sufficiently focused

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Grade: 4

on the need to improve teaching. Most initiatives lack adequate success criteria, including the specific impact expected on pupils’ learning, and have no timescales for their completion. As a result, planning has too little impact and does not make effective use of financial resources. The governing body is developing its monitoring role but is not yet sufficiently effective in holding the school to account. 5 Inspection Report: St Barnabas CofE First and Middle School, 16 January 2006 to 17 January 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: St Barnabas CofE First and Middle School, 16 January 2006 to 17 January 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 4 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA No The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA No Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 4 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 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 3 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 4 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 4 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 4 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 4 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 Yes 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 us into your school, and for being so friendly, polite and helpful. Here is a list of some of the good things we found out: •You enjoy school, like your teachers and have lots of friends. •You behave well in lessons and at all other times. •The adults in the school take good care of you. •Children in the Reception class and in Years 1 and 2 are making good progress in their lessons because they are taught well. We also found some important areas that are not as good as they should be. We think the school needs some extra help to make sure that it: •Provides harder work for many of you in Years 3 to 6 so that you can make faster progress in English, mathematics and science. •Checks how well it is doing more sharply so that the headteacher and his senior staff are in a better position to help you achieve your best. We hope that the school quickly improves so that all children can do as well as they are able.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you again for your kindness when we visited you.

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