Sytchampton Endowed Primary School

Inspection Report Sytchampton Endowed First School

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116916 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire LEA 279947 Inspection number 16 January 2006 to 16 January 2006 Inspection dates Lorna Brackstone RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Sytchampton School address First Type of school Stourport-on-Severn Voluntary aided School category Worcestershire DY13 9SX 5 to 9 Age range of pupils 01905 620418 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01905 621309 Fax number 114 Number on roll Dr Stephanie Gait Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Cynthia Evans Headteacher 13 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279947 16 January 2006 - 5 to 9 16 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This small school is about halfway between Worcester and Kidderminster. The socio-economic characteristics of the immediate area are very favourable but the children who attend the school come from a very wide range of backgrounds. Most families are of White British origin and a few come from the local Traveller community. There are also a significant minority of pupils who use English as an additional language. When the children start school, their attainment is as expected for their age group.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Sytchampton Endowed First School, 16 January 2006 to 16 January 2006

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school that provides very good value for money. Pupils receive an extremely rich curriculum, excellent teaching and very high quality care, support and guidance. Leadership and management are outstanding and teamwork is exceptional. As a result, overall achievement is very good in their academic work and personal development. However, targets for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities need to be more consistent and sharper in focus. The quality of the Foundation Stage provision is good and children achieve well in the Reception class. The school is aware that it needs to create a safe and secure outdoor learning area for use as an integral part of its provision. The ways in which the school works in partnership with others to promote pupils’ well-being is very good. The school knows itself well. It has a very realistic picture of its successes and areas for improvement. Inspectors found the school’s overall effectiveness to be outstanding

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Grade: 1

because its self-evaluation measures and improvement planning are very good. Teachers understand that they need to develop systems to share best practice. The school has made good progress since the last inspection and has the secure capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Ensure greater consistency in setting targets in the individual education plans for pupils who have learning difficulties and disabilities. •Share examples of the best practice of teaching and learning with all members of staff. •Ensure the youngest children have a safe and secure outdoor area that can be used as an integral part of the school day.

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Grade: 1

Provision to promote the basic skills is outstanding. This means that pupils are very well prepared for their future education and work life because overall achievement is very good. Achievement is good in the Reception class and by the time they start Year 1 most will have attained or exceeded the early learning goals for the Foundation Stage. Pupils make very good progress in Years 1 and 2 and their achievement across the curriculum is outstanding. This is reflected in the Year 2 national tests where standards are high, despite a dip in 2005 when more pupils had learning difficulties and disabilities. The very good progress is maintained in Years 3 and 4 where standards are very high in every subject and pupil achievement is outstanding. Literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills are used very well across the curriculum to support these outstanding standards. In the past, boys have not

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Grade: 1

attained as well as girls but, because the school has worked on rectifying this, the gap has narrowed considerably. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress and, as a result, achieve average standards. Traveller pupils and those who 2 Inspection Report: Sytchampton Endowed First School, 16 January 2006 to 16 January 2006 use English as an additional language are well supported in their learning and make good progress.

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Grade: 1

The pupils’ overall personal development and well-being is outstanding. Assemblies are used extremely well to discuss moral and social issues and to promote whole school reflection. Pupils show very high quality respect for the beliefs and values of others through a well planned curriculum, visits to different places of worship and contributions from parents of different ethnic backgrounds. Pupils’ attitudes are exemplary. They are extremely enthusiastic about their learning and enjoy all aspects of school life. Attendance is outstanding. The pupils have very good relationships with each other, work well together and talk confidently and happily to visitors. They are well prepared for their future life by contributing to school improvements and taking part in formal elections for the student council. They contribute to the wider community by proudly taking part in the ‘Eco’ project, local competitions, festivals and exhibitions.

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Grade: 1

Behaviour is outstanding. They look after each other in school and when in need of a friend can always go to a member of staff or a ‘friendship buddy’. Children use equipment safely and understand dangers to avoid. They understand the importance of eating a healthy diet and taking regular exercise to keep them fit.

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Grade: 1

The quality of teaching is outstanding and has many features that make high quality learning a consistent element in all lessons. The needs of individual pupils are carefully gained from assessments and used well by teachers when planning lessons. Pupils are given clear targets for the next stage in their learning. They understand these targets and work towards them with high levels of enthusiasm and motivation. However, the targets that teachers write in the individual education plans for those with learning difficulties are not always as useful as they might be. All lessons start with clear explanation of the overall objectives of the lesson and this is reviewed at the end. Pupils are able to gauge the extent of their progress and they are further helped by the constructive feedback given by teachers and teaching assistants. Helpful comments in the marking of pupils’ work provide further, very useful guidance on how work can

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Grade: 1

be improved. Teachers communicate tremendous enthusiasm for what they are teaching. This is infectious and results in pupils who love learning and are highly stimulated by what they experience. In addition, teachers also provide an excellent flow of information between school and home and this helps parents and carers make a significant contribution to the pupils’ progress in learning. 3 Inspection Report: Sytchampton Endowed First School, 16 January 2006 to 16 January 2006

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Grade: 1

The learning opportunities provided are outstanding. The exciting range of experiences contributes much to the pupils’ enjoyment of the school and what they do and learn. Meticulous planning ensures that pupils’ learning constantly builds on what has gone before and there is a clear progression between the good provision for the Foundation Stage and the National Curriculum. The planning also identifies very clearly the opportunities for pupils to use their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills in other subjects. Whilst many of the Foundation Stage skills are very well developed in weekly activities in the adjoining wood, the school knows that a safe and secure outdoor area is needed and has plans to provide it. There is an exceptional level of innovation and creativity in the curriculum. Whole days are allocated for exploring themes in subjects such as art, music and dance, resulting in work of very high standards. A very wide range of clubs and activities is provided

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Grade: 1

beyond the school day. Golf, ocarina tuition and card games are just some examples of the great variety offered. The Year 4 residential visit, although having a focus on adventurous activities and ICT, also has significant impact on pupils’ personal development. The outcomes of the curriculum, in both academic and social terms, are of a consistently high quality.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are outstanding and contribute very strongly to pupils’ well-being, progress and enjoyment of learning. The school is committed to providing a safe and secure environment. Regular health and safety and risk assessments are carried out. Child protection issues are fully understood and adhered to. All pupils are well cared for, supported and valued. The quality of advice and guidance given to pupils and parents about health, safety, well-being and academic and personal progress is excellent. Individual targets are set and pupils’ progress is regularly checked. Additional support from within the school or from external agencies is provided for those who need it and, as a result, these pupils progress very well in their personal and academic development. One parent wrote that ‘the whole atmosphere at the school is very caring…. I would strongly recommend it to anyone wanting their child

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Grade: 1

to be educated in a well disciplined and caring environment.’

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Grade: 1

The outstanding leadership and management of the school are continually focused on reaching high standards and promoting the personal development and well-being of its learners. The exemplary vision of the headteacher and high quality teamwork ensures that all pupils have equal access to the excellent provision. Management procedures are efficient and effective and resources are deployed to secure the best 4 Inspection Report: Sytchampton Endowed First School, 16 January 2006 to 16 January 2006 outcomes for the pupils. Self-evaluation systems are very good. There are thorough systems for monitoring pupils’ standards and progress. Data is used extremely well to identify pupils’ learning needs and effective support enables all pupils to achieve successfully. Although the staff share the quality of teaching and learning through work sampling and informal staff discussion, there is no regular sharing of best practice.

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Grade: 1

The school has made good improvements since the last inspection and has a good capacity to improve even further. Governors are very involved in the life of the school and provide good levels of challenge based on expertise and knowledge. Everyone, including parents, pupils and governors, feels involved and valued in the decision-making process. 5 Inspection Report: Sytchampton Endowed First School, 16 January 2006 to 16 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: Sytchampton Endowed First School, 16 January 2006 to 16 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 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA NA The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 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 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 1 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 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 1 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 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 1 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

Sytchampton Endowed First School Sytchampton Stourport-on-Severn Worcestershire DY13 9SX 16 January 2006 Dear Children I am writing to thank you for making us feel welcome in your school and for helping us with our questions. We really enjoyed chatting to you and found everything you said very interesting. I thought you would like to know what we found out about you and the school. What we liked most about your school •You come to school regularly and enjoy your lessons. •You do very well in your learning and know a great deal of information about a lot of different subjects. •Teachers make your lessons very interesting and help you to prepare for when you are older and start work. •You behave very sensibly and look after each other very well. •You take on responsibilities very well and provide sensible ideas about how you can improve your school. •The headteacher and the members of staff make sure that you get the very best opportunities and they look after you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

very well. What we have asked the school to do •Make sure those children who have learning difficulties and disabilities are given plans that enable them to achieve more success. •Find ways of recording and sharing the very good teaching that takes place in school. •Ensure that the youngest children have access to a safe and secure outdoor area that can be used as part of the school day. Thank you again for helping us find out about your school. Best wishes Mrs Brackstone and Dr Lee.

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