Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School

Inspection Report Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School

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116913 Unique Reference Number Herefordshire LEA 279944 Inspection number 29 March 2006 to 29 March 2006 Inspection dates Graham Sims AI Reporting inspector

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

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Staunton-on-Wye School address Primary Type of school Hereford Voluntary aided School category Herefordshire HR4 7NF 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01981 500331 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01981 500331 Fax number 63 Number on roll Mr Steve Grist Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Margaret Jones Headteacher 27 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279944 29 March 2006 - 4 to 11 29 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

Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School is a small rural village school with three mixed-age classes. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. The social and economic circumstances of their parents vary widely but are broadly average overall. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is similar to the national average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School, 29 March 2006 to 29 March 2006

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Grade: 2

Staunton Primary School is a good school with some outstanding features. Throughout the school, pupils of all abilities achieve well. The school has identified relative weaknesses in writing and aspects of mathematics, but is tackling these imaginatively and effectively. The school provides well for its youngest pupils, who achieve above average standards in some areas of learning. Pupils’ personal development is good. Pupils are friendly, polite and well behaved. Their development as responsible citizens and their understanding of health issues are excellent. The school is a happy, exciting place in which to live and learn. Pupils’ obvious enjoyment of school is heavily influenced by the outstanding practical opportunities, which committed and enthusiastic staff provide for them to develop their understanding of the natural environment and sustainable development. With just a little more thought as to how these opportunities could be harnessed more

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Grade: 2

effectively to developing pupils’ skills in writing and mathematics, the good teaching, good curriculum and good care, guidance and support could be even better. The school is led and managed well. The staff work together very closely as an effective team. They have a very good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development and an accurate perception of how good the school is. They are keen to innovate, not in a run-of-the-mill way, but in ways that stimulate real interest and a desire to learn. The school provides good value for money and certainly has the capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Make fuller use of existing learning opportunities to improve the quality of pupils’ writing and their ability to apply their mathematical skills.

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Grade: 2

Throughout the school, pupils of all abilities achieve well. In a typical year, children’s skills are broadly average when they join the Reception and are generally better than this when they start Year 1. Children make particularly good progress in their personal, social and emotional development and in developing an interest in learning. The small number of pupils and the differing nature of each year group lead to variations in standards from one year to the next. Over the last few years, standards have varied from average to well above average. Standards in the current Year 6 have improved from below average to average. In Year 2, they have improved from average to above average. Pupils make good progress because the staff know what individual pupils need to improve and then provide work that meets these needs. The school sets itself challenging targets, although it did not achieve them in 2005.

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Grade: 2

Careful analysis revealed weaknesses in pupils’ writing and their ability to apply their 2 Inspection Report: Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School, 29 March 2006 to 29 March 2006 mathematical skills. Effective action has been taken to improve these aspects, although more time is needed for it to have a bigger impact on standards. Pupils make particularly good progress in aspects of learning that are not subject to national testing. For example, they have an excellent understanding of environmental issues and sustainable development. They develop inquisitive and enquiring minds and a very good ability to devise and carry out investigative and practical work.

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Grade: 2

The pupils’ personal development is good. They are very enthusiastic about their school and the many interesting activities provided for them, particularly their visits, outdoor days and walks. Their appreciation of the natural environment, their concern for those who are less well off, their excellent relationships with the staff and their good behaviour indicate good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Although they admit to occasional misbehaviour, pupils feel safe in school and say that there is no bullying. The level of attendance is satisfactory, but is adversely affected by the number of families who take holidays during term time. The school places a very strong emphasis on developing pupils’ understanding of what it means to lead a healthy lifestyle and pupils have an excellent understanding of such issues. They are also well aware of safe practices. Pupils make an excellent contribution

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Grade: 2

to running the school. All are involved in helping to make the school an ecologically friendly place and greatly enjoy helping in the school garden and harvesting its produce. Older pupils act as reading partners for the younger ones and care for them in other ways. The emphasis on practical activity helps pupils to develop a good degree of self-confidence and independence that lays solid foundations for their future well-being.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers have good subject knowledge and provide good quality learning experiences for all pupils. They use a wide range of strategies to motivate and stimulate pupils. As a result, pupils are keen to learn and apply themselves well to their tasks. A significant factor which helps pupils to achieve well is the way teachers link strands of work from different subjects. For example, when harvesting vegetables from the school’s organic garden, pupils weigh these and record the results. However, teachers do not always make the most of such opportunities to consolidate and develop pupils’ writing skills. Pupils demonstrate a good level of independence in their learning, for example, devising and carrying out investigations in science. Lessons challenge pupils, including the more able, well. Teaching assistants work well in partnership with teachers to ensure

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Grade: 2

that pupils learn effectively. They provide good support for pupils with learning 3 Inspection Report: Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School, 29 March 2006 to 29 March 2006 difficulties and disabilities which helps them to take a full part in lessons and make good progress. Despite the inconvenience and unsuitability of many parts of the building, staff work hard to make the classrooms attractive and stimulating learning environments through the display of many good quality examples of pupils’ work.

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good quality curriculum with some outstanding features, which make a significant contribution to pupils’ achievement. All statutory requirements are met. The way in which aspects of the curriculum are linked in some areas is outstanding. For example, the school integrates work in the organic garden with pupils’ learning in food technology, when they use the vegetables and wheat grown in the garden to make a harvest celebration lunch. The science curriculum is greatly enriched by the wide variety of environmental and sustainable development projects, the quality of which has been recognised through the highest level Eco-school award. Pupils learn how to recycle materials through compost heaps and other routes. Pupils have many good quality opportunities to use information and communication technology to support their learning in subjects such as science, history and geography. However, not enough emphasis is given to the development of pupils’ writing skills

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Grade: 2

through the teaching of these other subjects. Provision for music is very good, and all older pupils learn to play at least one musical instrument. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities are supported through changes to the curriculum to match their individual needs. More able pupils are extended through opportunities to work with older pupils. Children in the Foundation Stage have access to a rich curriculum that makes very good use of the outdoor areas.

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Grade: 2

Based on their excellent knowledge of each individual pupil, staff provide good care, guidance and support for the pupils. A strong emphasis is placed on health and safety, and pupils understand the rules well. For example, when transporting waste to the school compost bins they know that they must wear protective gloves. Thorough risk assessments are carried out, and child protection procedures are secure. The school has appropriate systems for carrying out checks on the suitability of people working in the school. Assessment information is used effectively to set challenging targets for all pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities, and good systems are in place to track pupils’ progress. Whilst teachers often provide good guidance for pupils when marking their work, they do not always give pupils enough time to review their work, absorb the guidance and learn from their mistakes. Pupils with learning difficulties or

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Grade: 2

disabilities receive good support from teaching assistants, enabling them to be fully included in lessons. 4 Inspection Report: Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School, 29 March 2006 to 29 March 2006

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good, and the school’s evaluation of its own performance is accurate and perceptive. There is a strong commitment to meeting the needs of individual pupils. Staff are effective subject leaders. They work together very well to implement new projects, sharing a corporate enthusiasm and commitment and a real desire to bring about improvement. Since the previous inspection, higher standards at the end of Year 2 and the school’s wholehearted involvement in various projects indicate the effectiveness of the school’s efforts to improve. However, staff do not always spot the potential of such projects to improve key skills such as writing. Nevertheless, weaknesses in performance have been analysed carefully and sensible actions have been undertaken this year to improve the quality of pupils’ writing and the way they apply their mathematical skills. The school takes note of parents’ views through a parental survey and through excellent

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Grade: 2

informal contact with parents on a day-to-day basis. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and appreciate the education provided for their children. Governors are supportive of the school and have recently improved mechanisms to become better informed about what is happening within the curriculum. There is good capacity for further improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School, 29 March 2006 to 29 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: Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School, 29 March 2006 to 29 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 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 3 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 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 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 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

Dear Pupils, We greatly enjoyed visiting your school. Thank you for making us feel so welcome and for talking to us. You think your school is good – so do we! These are the things we liked best: •You work hard, participate well in lessons and collaborate with each other, and these factors are helping you to make good progress and to achieve well •You are polite, friendly, well behaved and helpful, and this makes it a pleasure to be in your school •You know a great deal about the environment and how to stay healthy, and you all contribute to making your school an environmentally friendly place •You have good teachers who provide some really interesting activities for you which help you to develop self-confidence and become independent learners •The staff care for you well, and you feel safe in school •The school is well run and the staff work very hard to develop new initiatives and to ensure that there are always things to interest

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you. Although many of you reach good standards in your work, we think that the quality of your writing and some of your work in mathematics could be even better, so we have asked your teachers to provide more opportunities for you to practise these skills. They have already introduced some new ideas to help you in these areas and we are sure that you will respond well to whatever the teachers ask you to do. We were very impressed with the way you help in the school garden and use the crops that you grow. We hope that you have a bumper harvest this year, and that you continue to enjoy your school as much in the future as you so obviously have up to now. Yours sincerely, Mr Graham Sims Lead Inspector

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