Bridstow CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Bridstow CofE Primary School

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116869 Unique Reference Number Herefordshire LEA 279928 Inspection number 13 March 2006 to 13 March 2006 Inspection dates Ian Knight AI Reporting inspector

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

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Bridstow School address Primary Type of school Ross-on-Wye Voluntary aided School category Herefordshire HR9 6PZ 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01989 562623 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01989 564 662 Fax number 99 Number on roll Mr Andrew Morris Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Paul Sockett Headteacher 20 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279928 13 March 2006 - 4 to 11 13 March 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

This small voluntary aided Church of England School serves the village of Bridstow near Ross-on-Wye and the surrounding area of Herefordshire. Almost all pupils are White British, with a few who are of mixed heritage. No pupils are believed to speak English as an additional language. Few pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities is about average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bridstow CofE Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 13 March 2006

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Grade: 3

Inspectors confirm the school’s view that it provides a satisfactory education for its pupils and offers satisfactory value for money. In Reception, children make good progress from broadly average starting points as a result of good teaching and a well-planned curriculum. Progress throughout Years 1 to 6 is satisfactory and pupils leave school having achieved average standards for their age. Although teaching in Years 1 to 6 is satisfactory, planning is based on a curriculum that does not make enough meaningful links between subjects. Consequently, opportunities are lost to make teaching efficient and to really cement learning. This particularly affects the most capable in the class because they are not always given suitably challenging work. Parents and pupils report that the school provides a remarkably positive and supportive atmosphere in which pupils can learn and grow. The quality of care and guidance

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Grade: 3

provided by the school is excellent and results in pupils’ outstanding personal development, including their exemplary behaviour. They enjoy lessons, get on well with adults and each other, and the playground is a sea of smiling faces at playtime. The school values each individual highly and makes strenuous efforts to meet all their needs. The headteacher has a clear vision for the school, but in the past he had a very heavy teaching load that severely limited the time available to drive improvements vigorously. As a result, the checking of the school’s work was largely informal and this has led to a lack of rigour in plans for improving the school. Nevertheless, the school’s strengths and weaknesses are accurately identified and the modest improvement in achievement shows that the capacity to improve is satisfactory.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Improve the achievement of more able pupils by ensuring they are always given suitably challenging work. •Create meaningful links between subjects so as to make planning and teaching more efficient. •Ensure that the results of monitoring and evaluation activities are used more rigorously to identify key priorities for improvement, and that the school improvement plan includes specific actions and criteria by which to measure their success.

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Grade: 3

Children enter Reception with standards that are within the average range. They make good progress, especially in their personal and social development, and most have attained the expected standards when they enter Year 1. Pupils make satisfactory progress in Years 1 and 2 and attain average standards. There has been a modest trend of improvement in standards over the last few years. Satisfactory progress continues throughout Years 3 to 6 and standards in Year 6 are also average. Following a period of modest improvement, Year 6 test results fell in 2005, although those pupils achieved well in mathematics. However, as year groups are small, judgements cannot be based 2 Inspection Report: Bridstow CofE Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 13 March 2006 on one year’s results. The school sets challenging targets for performance, based on pupils’ prior attainment, and is on track to meet them this year. Although progress is restricted in Years 1 to 6 by the way in which the curriculum is

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Grade: 3

organised, no groups underachieve significantly. Nevertheless, the most capable are not consistently challenged enough. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are supported effectively in classes to make the same satisfactory progress as their peers.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development is outstanding. They are extremely friendly, polite and confident learners who behave exceptionally well. The school successfully fosters very positive relationships between adults and pupils of all ages. As one pupil exclaimed, ‘The people are the best thing about this school!’. The headteacher’s positive example is followed by all adults, ensuring that pupils feel part of a caring family. As a result, pupils really enjoy coming to school and talk with pleasure about their lessons. Attendance is above average. Strong Christian values permeate school life and pupils have a mature sense of right and wrong. They have a good knowledge of their own culture and a secure knowledge of other cultures, although this could be stronger. Different values, such as friendship, are used as foci for learning so pupils have a good understanding of the needs of others. All this contributes to their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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Grade: 1

development. From the time they start school, pupils develop a good understanding of the importance of staying safe and healthy. They make a good contribution to the community. For example, older pupils have a good sense of their role as young citizens within the school through their voice in the school council and take their responsibilities for gathering the views of their younger friends seriously. Pupils are prepared well for life beyond school and are developing good basic skills, for example when running the tuck shop, which will help equip them for their future working lives.

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Grade: 3

Although there are variations between classes, the overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Good teaching for Reception children is firmly rooted in a clear understanding of how they learn and uses imaginative methods to keep learning fresh. In all classes, good relationships between teachers and pupils, and between pupils themselves, enable lessons to proceed in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Searching questions that test pupils’ understanding are used effectively, although explanations are occasionally not clear enough for pupils to be sure what they need to do. 3 Inspection Report: Bridstow CofE Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 13 March 2006 Assessment and tracking data are used to identify pupils in danger of underachievement and in setting targets, initially in writing. The targets help pupils understand how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve. They even remind each other

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Grade: 3

about their targets! The marking of their work is helpful for pupils and also helps inform teachers’ future planning. However, the school has identified that the planning for lessons in classes with two year groups in them is often too detailed to be workable and has a particular impact on the progress of the most capable. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities and lower attainers are supported well, lessening the impact of the overcrowded curriculum on their progress.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. Children in Reception get off to a flying start through a well planned range of practical first-hand experiences. Although all National Curriculum subjects are taught in Years 1 to 6, not enough links are made between subjects so that time is not used as efficiently as it could be. This does not affect pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities as much as others because of the good support they receive in lessons. However, it does have an impact on the consistency of challenge that the most capable receive. The school is rightly reviewing the current plans. There is a good range of clubs, such as art, country dancing, football and music. A good programme of personal, social and health education ensures that pupils learn how to make sensible choices and develop very respectful personal relationships.

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Grade: 1

The quality of the school’s care guidance and support is outstanding. The school provides a very friendly and calm learning environment underpinned by Christian values, in which pupils are highly valued and respected as individuals. Pupils’ safety is paramount. Child protection and health and safety arrangements are robust and staff vetting is meticulous. Parents are very happy with the care their children receive. Relationships between adults and pupils are first rate so that pupils are very confident to seek adult advice or support when they need it. Support for vulnerable pupils and those with complex needs is a particular strength. The school works very closely with external agencies and parents to ensure that pupils’ needs are met. Marking and support in lessons provide pupils with good guidance about how to improve the quality of their work. The use of individual learning targets is developing

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Grade: 1

well. Pupils like the writing targets and say, ‘They help to remind us’. They particularly value marking each other’s work because, ‘It gives us something to think about’. 4 Inspection Report: Bridstow CofE Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 13 March 2006

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. There is a strong sense of teamwork between the headteacher and the whole school family. They share a clearly articulated vision of a school in which all individuals are valued. This is clearly evident in classrooms and is a significant factor in the outstanding personal development of pupils in the school. Until this school year, the headteacher had a very heavy teaching load and this had a significant impact on the actions he could take to really drive the school forward. As a result, activities to check the quality of the school’s work were mainly informal and did not always result in written reports or actions. Observations of teaching this year, however, have been carried out rigorously, clearly identifying both strengths and areas for improvement. This, together with the modest improvement in the school’s results, indicates the school has a satisfactory capacity for further improvement.

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Grade: 3

The school’s self-evaluation is satisfactory. The current improvement plan is more workable than previous plans and is the result of appropriate consultation with parents and other interested parties. It includes a rigorous analysis of performance data but it is not clear how this has been used in deciding its priorities. Also lacking in clarity are the actions to support those priorities and how their success might be measured. The chair of governors has a very clear knowledge of the school and understands its strengths and weaknesses very well. Governors in general are very supportive and have the pupils’ best interests at heart. Their role in holding the school to account is developing well. 5 Inspection Report: Bridstow CofE Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 13 March 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: Bridstow CofE Primary School, 13 March 2006 to 13 March 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 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 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 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 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 2 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 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

Thank you for being so polite and welcoming when we came to your school. We really enjoyed talking to you and looking at your work. It was lovely to see your happy, smiling faces at playtime, even though it was cold! I am writing to tell you what we thought about your school. We were pleased to see that you all get along so well together. The adults really care about every one of you. They also help you to behave really well and enjoy school. This helps your teachers in lessons. Reception children do well because they have lots of interesting activities to do. However, there are things we think would help the school to get better. The plans teachers use to help them teach you have too much in them and the quickest learners don’t always learn as much as they could. The school is already working to improve this, and we’ve asked them to carry on with that. Your headteacher wasn’t able until recently to check just how well the school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

is doing because he spent so much time teaching. He’s got more time now, so we’ve asked him to do this so that he can decide what needs to be done to make the school even better

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