Woodmansey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection Report Woodmansey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

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117999 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire LEA 280209 Inspection number 4 April 2006 to 4 April 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Lynne Read Reporting inspector

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

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Hull Road School address Primary Type of school Woodmansey Voluntary controlled School category Beverley, HU17 0TH 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01482 862186 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01482 862186 Fax number 36 Number on roll Mr David Bowden Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Ms Ann Stoney Headteacher 1 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280209 4 April 2006 - 3 to 11 4 April 2006 Inspection Report: Woodmansey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 April 2006 to 4 April 2006

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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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This small primary school close to Beverley in the East Riding of Yorkshire has a recently opened nursery unit attached with part-time places for children from the age of three. All pupils are of white British heritage. The percentage of pupils entitled to free school meals is around average. When the children enter the Nursery, their attainment is generally average for their age. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is around average. A very small proportion of pupils has a statement of special educational need. Many pupils change schools part way through their primary education. There were no Year 6 pupils on roll at the time of the inspection.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Woodmansey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 April 2006 to 4 April 2006

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Grade: 3

Woodmansey Primary School provides a satisfactory standard of education. Value for money is satisfactory. The school judges its overall effectiveness to be good; the reason for the difference is that its own evaluation is based more on what it has to offer rather than outcomes, such as standards and pupils’ progress. Several good features of the school’s work include pupils’ personal development, the enrichment of the curriculum and care and support for the children. Teaching is good in the infants and satisfactory in the juniors. Standards are average when pupils join the school and slightly above when they leave. Progress is satisfactory overall but pupils make good progress in the infants. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress. Pupils make slower progress in the juniors because the level of challenge in lessons is not as consistently high as it is in the infants. Standards in writing are lower than those in

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Grade: 3

reading and this is identified as a matter for improvement in the juniors. Provision and progress in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception classes) are satisfactory but the children do not have enough opportunity for developing their early writing skills. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The school uses outside agencies well to help pupils learn and good account is taken of pupils’ and parents’ views when making decisions. Improvements since the previous inspection are good. Standards and subject management have improved well. The school has the capacity to improve further. not applicable

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality of pupils’ writing in the juniors; providing more opportunities for them to write at length. • Give the children in the Foundation Stage more opportunities for early writing. • Raise expectations of achievement in the junior classes by setting challenging targets for all pupils.

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Grade: 3

The pupils’ overall achievement is satisfactory. When children enter the Nursery, their overall attainment is average. Children make satisfactory overall progress in the areas of learning of the Foundation Stage curriculum and good progress in their personal development. Most reach the standards expected for their age by the start of Year 1. The results of national tests vary from one year to another because the numbers in each year group are so small and one pupil with a learning difficulty, or one with high ability, can make a large difference to the overall result. However, the Year 2 results are generally above average, as they were in 2005, and pupils make good progress, especially in the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics. In Year 6, standards are usually average, although they showed improvement in 2005 and were slightly above average. There were no Year 6 pupils during the inspection; the oldest pupils

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Grade: 3

2 Inspection Report: Woodmansey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 April 2006 to 4 April 2006 were in Year 5 and they are making satisfactory progress. Progress is slower in the juniors than it is in the infants because targets for learning are less challenging in Years 3 to 5. Throughout school, reading is a strength but writing in the juniors is a weakness. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress throughout the school. Boys and girls do equally well in lessons and those who enter school part-way through their education settle quickly and make the same progress as other pupils.

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Grade: 2

Personal development is good and is a strength of the school. Pupils enjoy their work and behave well. Attendance is above average. Pupils with emotional difficulties are well supported and cope well with the academic and social aspects of school life. Relationships are very good and pupils respond positively to the care shown by their teachers. Pupils feel safe in school, and say that bullying is rare and, if it occurs, it is dealt with swiftly. They benefit from the school’s emphasis on healthy eating and physical exercise and understand the consequences of lifestyle choices. In recognition of the good work done, Woodmansey holds the Healthy Schools award. Spiritual, social and moral development is good. Good links with the church help to instil a sense of spirituality in school. Pupils have a strong moral sense and are generous in their support for charities. Cultural development is satisfactory. Pupils explore cultural influences

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Grade: 2

around the world and respect beliefs and customs different from their own. They are less well informed, however, about the varied range of cultures in British society. Pupils play an important part in decision-making through their elected school council. For example, they are currently engaged in raising funds for new playground equipment.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Teaching in the infants is good because the teacher makes effective use of assessment to set clear and high expectations of what each pupil should achieve. In the juniors, the lessons seen during the inspection were good but evidence from pupils’ written work and their progress over the years shows that teaching and learning are satisfactory. This is because the lessons do not provide consistently good challenge for the pupils. In the new Foundation Stage unit, the children learn satisfactorily and develop their independence and a sense of curiosity. However, there are not enough opportunities for them to engage in early writing skills. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported and make good progress. Throughout the school, pupils benefit from opportunities to collaborate with pupils from other schools through computer networking facilities. In all classes, praise

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Grade: 3

and good relationships inspire pupils to work hard and develop positive attitudes to 3 Inspection Report: Woodmansey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 April 2006 to 4 April 2006 learning. Teachers give good help and advice through the marking of the pupils’ work and oral feedback in lessons, which helps them to improve their work.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It is well planned to meet the needs of pupils in the mixed-age classes, and includes French lessons. Lesson planning for the Infant pupils links subjects together well and this provides good opportunities for pupils to consolidate their vocabulary and writing skills. Good opportunities to practise reading, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) run through subject planning in the Juniors but there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to write at length. In the Foundation Stage, the children do not have enough practice at writing. An outdoor area is planned to extend provision for the Foundation Stage but, at present, the limited space outside restricts the scope of the teacher’s planning for physical activities. The curriculum is enriched well by an interesting range of activities out of school, including good opportunities to engage in sports. Good links with the community, a

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Grade: 3

wide range of visitors to the school, and many visits to places of educational interest also broaden pupils’ experiences.

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory overall. The care and support for pupils’ personal development are good. Parents appreciate that all pupils are known well and valued as individuals. Children in the Foundation Stage make a positive start to school life because of the good care taken to help them settle. Health and safety arrangements are effective. Risk assessments cover all aspects of everyday school life and visits so that staff and managers are well informed and equipped to cope with potential problems. Child protection procedures are secure and all pupils’ special needs, including those of a medical nature, are met. Systems for tracking pupils’ progress are well established and the staff know the standards that pupils reach. The guidance provided to help pupils improve is good in the infants. In the juniors, however, pupils are not clear about how they can improve their learning in English and mathematics.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory overall with a strong sense of pride in the school. The headteacher is instrumental in promoting good personal development and ensuring that all groups of pupils have equal opportunities. Staff work very well as a team and share a commitment to raising standards. 4 Inspection Report: Woodmansey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 April 2006 to 4 April 2006 Many of the governors are newly appointed; they are keen to develop their responsibility to monitor and evaluate the school’s performance and are undertaking training to enable them to do this effectively. At present, governance is satisfactory and all statutory requirements are met. The school’s self-evaluation tends to be too generous but it ensures that the school has a clear idea of its strengths and weaknesses and that there is a detailed plan of action to make improvements. Teachers and managers have been successful in raising

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Grade: 3

standards, especially over the last three years, but appreciate that there is further potential to improve progress in the juniors. The school’s improvement plan has also resulted in the new Nursery provision for three-year-olds. The work of the subject managers has improved since the previous inspection and they now have a more secure overview of provision. Based on this record of past improvement, the school clearly has the capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Woodmansey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 April 2006 to 4 April 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: Woodmansey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 4 April 2006 to 4 April 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 3 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 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 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 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 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 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 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 Woodmansey Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Hull Road Woodmansey Beverley HU17 0TH 5 April 2006 Dear Children Thank you very much for the very warm welcome you gave me when I visited your school. The conversations that I had with groups and individuals were very interesting and I enjoyed watching you at work. You said that lots of things were good about your school and I agree. I list some of these below. You enjoy the lessons that your teachers plan for you and work hard. You behave well and are polite and friendly. You enjoy the good range of sports and physical exercise on offer and know how to stay healthy. Your teachers take good care to keep you safe and happy. You contribute to some very interesting displays of work around school. You are making a difference to your school through your sensible suggestions and the work

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

of your school council. I was impressed by the progress made by the children in the Infants as they work towards their challenging targets. I think it would be good for all of you to have this sort of challenge in every year group. The Infants also have some useful cards showing them how they can improve their work and a similar system would be useful for the older ones. You are learning all the essential writing skills in your English lessons but do not have enough time to practise them. I have, therefore, asked your teachers to provide more opportunities for writing. I have also asked the teachers in Nursery and Reception to give the children more opportunities for writing. Thank you once again for helping me so much with the inspection. I hope that you will continue to work hard and enjoy your new playground equipment when it arrives. Yours sincerely Mrs Lynne Read (Lead inspector)

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