Malvern Wells CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Malvern Wells CofE Primary School

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116902 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire LEA 279938 Inspection number 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006 Inspection dates Andrew Watters HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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263 Wells Road School address Primary Type of school Malvern Voluntary aided School category Worcestershire WR14 4HF 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01684 561179 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01684 891245 Fax number 104 Number on roll Mr Michael Bowker Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr K Wright Headteacher 3 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279938 13 June 2006 - 4 to 11 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI). Discussions were held with the headteacher, chair of governors, the school council and other pupils and adults who work in the school. Sixty-four inspection questionnaires were received from parents, which is just under an 80% response rate. As well as observing lessons in every classroom, HMI met with the teaching staff at the beginning of the day and again at the end of the inspection in order to provide a brief summary of the outcomes of the inspection. A full feedback was first given to the headteacher, vice-chair of governors and a representative from the local authority.

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Description of the school

This popular and successful school is situated on the slopes of the Malvern Hills, close to the town of Malvern in Worcestershire. Its social and economic context is generally very favourable and many pupils come from outside the immediate area. The proportion of pupils who are on the school’s register of special educational needs is broadly in line with the national average and no pupils are eligible for free school meals. Nearly all pupils are of White British origin. When children enter the school, their attainment is usually 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: Malvern Wells CofE Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a successful and effective school where pupils’ achievement is good and standards are high. Its church status and emphasis on the spiritual and emotional development of all pupils are exemplary features of its day-to-day work. The school enjoys the confidence of parents, with over 90% of families who returned inspection questionnaires responding very positively. One parent said ‘I have been really impressed with all aspects of the school. There is a real sense that the school is keen to continually improve and offer the children the best opportunities and experiences.’ Two other parents summed up their views in this way: ‘We believe that the school is so good that we have recommended it to five separate families, who have since secured places for their children at the school.’ It is difficult to imagine a higher accolade from parents than this. Under the headteacher’s good and effective leadership there is clearly no room for

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Grade: 2

complacency. A strong drive for academic excellence, coupled with outstanding provision for the pupils’ personal development and well-being, ensures that pupils are happy, secure, safe and well cared for. This is a school at ease with itself where the principles of tolerance, social responsibility, respect and enjoyment are shown well in its day-to-day work. The school community is extremely welcoming and rightly proud of its achievements. The pupils clearly enjoy coming to school. They are enthusiastic, well behaved, considerate and courteous. Their relationships with each other and their teachers are very good. School and class councils enable pupils to make an important contribution to how the school is run. Members of the council spoke eagerly about their plans to achieve ‘eco school’ status and give higher priority to ‘green’ issues. The pupils have great confidence in the adults who work with them, knowing that their views and

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Grade: 2

opinions will be listened to and valued. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall with some outstanding features, such as the teachers’ high level of professionalism, support for each other and care for the pupils. Assessment information is used well to check how each pupil is doing, to make changes to lesson planning and to set challenging targets for improvement. The school’s priorities for doing even better and securing outstanding achievement are accurate. Two of the most important priorities are to help the more able pupils achieve consistently highly and sharpening the role of subject leaders in monitoring teaching and learning. The quality of strategic planning is good. The school improvement plan provides a good framework for further development and reflects the headteacher’s determination to continue the school’s journey towards achieving and then maintaining excellence in all aspects of its work. The governing body knows the school well and maintains a

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Grade: 2

regular check on the pupils’ achievements and their personal well-being. The school gives good value for money, has made very good improvement since the previous inspection and has an excellent capacity for further improvement. 2 Inspection Report: Malvern Wells CofE Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006 ‘Malvern Wells Primary School has provided my children with an excellent start in their educational life. It is a school where every child does matter and the children are encouraged to fulfil their potential. The progress in my children academically, socially and emotionally has been remarkable.’ This is a fitting quote from another parent and provides a really good summary of the school’s effectiveness.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve very well throughout the school. Rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics are good overall with some pupils making exceptional progress. The results of national tests show that high standards and good achievement are maintained from year to year. All the pupils in Key Stage 1 and a significant majority in Key Stage 2 reach the levels expected for their age. Many pupils do even better and achieve above average standards. The school’s own assessment data reflects this positive picture.

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Grade: 1

This is a very strong feature of provision. The pupils have positive attitudes and their attendance is excellent. They are really enthusiastic in lessons when their work is challenging and engages their interest. They are very caring towards each other and appreciate the secure and safe environment provided for them. One of the Year 6 pupils said ‘The best thing about this school is that everyone looks after everyone else and you’re really encouraged to talk about your feelings.’ Great emphasis is given to the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, which is very good. The headteacher believes passionately in nurturing pupils’ spiritual awareness through understanding themselves and cultures and faiths different from their own. In this, the school has been very successful. Education for health and safety is very good.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. As a result, the pupils achieve well and many reach high standards. Lessons are enjoyable and nearly always engage the pupils’ interest and challenge their thinking. Teachers are really successful in providing the pupils with a good range of stimulating contexts for their work. One parent said about the teaching: ‘We cannot praise the school enough. The teachers…..and headteacher….. are so attentive to the requirements of our children.’ 3 Inspection Report: Malvern Wells CofE Primary School, 13 June 2006 to 13 June 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is carefully designed to match the number of classes and the mixed ages in each. Recent changes to the admissions policy for the youngest children have had a very positive impact on their development and achievement. There is a very good range of extra-curricular activities, including sports clubs, dance and a French club. The French club must be effective: ‘Bonjour monsieur inspector,’ said one boy as I chatted to pupils in the dining room! The school band achieves very high standards and was a delightful welcome to the inspection.

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Grade: 1

The school provides a high level of care, support and guidance for the pupils. The headteacher says ‘The pastoral care of pupils….is an excellent aspect of our work…..we are very effective in nurturing pupils’ well-being and their personal development.’ HMI couldn’t agree more. Pupils are involved with assessing their own learning and many reach challenging targets. This is shown well by the number of pupils who make good and exceptional progress. Pupils feel well supported and confident. They really value their security and safety.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and some aspects are outstanding. The headteacher is a great role model for all teachers. He has many excellent personal and leadership qualities. He is good humoured, listens well and provides good support and care to all adults and pupils. He is a strong advocate of the school’s church status and has high aspirations for the school to achieve excellence in all that it does. Arrangements for monitoring and evaluation are good and the headteacher recognises that further work may be needed to ensure that areas for development identified from lesson observations are followed up quickly and systematically. The school is well led and managed and the headteacher receives good support from the senior teacher. 4 Inspection Report: Malvern Wells CofE Primary 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. 5 Inspection Report: Malvern Wells CofE Primary 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 2 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 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 1 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 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 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 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 making me feel so welcome when I visited your school. I really enjoyed talking with you and hearing how much you enjoy coming to school and appreciate all the interesting and exciting things you do. Many of you told me that you feel very safe and secure and know that you can trust your teachers and other adults when you need to speak with them about any worries that you might have. I am very pleased to tell you that you are really lucky and go to a good school, which is what you told me! Mr Wright, all the teachers and adults who work in school with you make sure that you are looked after well and have the confidence to do your best in lessons. You clearly like your teachers and all the other adults who help you get on well with your work. I can see that they also like being with you. You are all very friendly and cheerful and really keen to talk about your work. I am impressed by the way you look after each other and take on responsibilities around the school. Your school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and class councils are a great idea and it is really good to see how you all take part in making your school an even better place to be. I hope that you soon become an ‘eco school’ which is what your school council is working hard to achieve. Mr Wright and your teachers are really determined to carry on improving your school and make things even better for you. They have lots of good ideas as to how they will do this. Of course, they will need your help and support as well as your parents’. I shall take away lots of good memories about your school and have really enjoyed the time I spent with you. Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly.

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