Whittingham Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Whittingham Church of England First School

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122279 Unique Reference Number Northumberland LEA 281216 Inspection number 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Sheila Mawer Reporting inspector

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

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Whittingham School address First Type of school Alnwick Voluntary controlled School category Northumberland, NE66 4UP 3 to 9 Age range of pupils 01665 574222 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01665 574763 Fax number 71 Number on roll Mr Chris Blythe Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Pauline Molloy Headteacher 1 December 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281216 5 July 2006 - 3 to 9 6 July 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 Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Whittingham First School is a small school serving a wide rural catchment area. Many pupils are bussed into school each day. There are 16 children who attend the Nursery part time. Below average numbers take free meals and a similar proportion have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. All are from White British backgrounds. Social and economic features are average. Attainment to the Nursery varies each year but is broadly average. The headteacher has been in post for a year and is the only full-time member of staff.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Whittingham Church of England First School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that provides its pupils with a good standard of education. It offers good value for money. The school modestly understates its effectiveness in most areas. It is successful in promoting outstanding personal development and care. Parents are fully justified in their confidence in the school when they say, ‘this is a wonderful school, with excellent standing in the community and where children make noticeable progress’. Pupils achieve well by the end of Year 4. They make good progress to reach above average standards in English and science and average standards in mathematics. The school is beginning to address the weakness in mathematics through better teaching, but standards are not high enough yet. Good teaching in the Foundation Stage helps children make good progress and at least to attain and often exceed the standards expected for their age. In Year 2, progress has been good in halting a decline in

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Grade: 2

standards last year and helping pupils to catch up. Pupils learn well through good teaching. Assessment is good. Marking is weaker and individual target setting is not established. This means that pupils have fewer opportunities to know how well they are doing. The good curriculum provides considerable enrichment. Leadership and management are good. The leadership team and governors work well together. They have brought about good improvements and addressed weaknesses from the previous inspection. They are moving the school forward with a clear understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. The capacity for further improvement is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards further in mathematics. • Establish opportunities through marking and target setting for pupils to know and be involved in what they have learnt and where to improve.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good and standards are above average overall. However, standards in mathematics are average and achievement is satisfactory. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress and nearly all enter Year 1 having achieved the early learning goals. Half of them are already working on the National Curriculum. In Key Stage 1, the pupils make good progress and by the age of seven reach above average standards in reading, writing and speaking and listening. The proportion reaching higher levels has increased. This represents a significant improvement from the test results last year, which were below average. In mathematics, standards are average. Pupils in Year 2 have made good progress in mathematics during the current 2 Inspection Report: Whittingham Church of England First School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 year, following some disruption to their education earlier in Key Stage 1 which slowed

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Grade: 2

their progress. Pupils in Year 4 make good progress in meeting their targets in reading and writing. Standards are above average. Progress in mathematics is satisfactory and standards are average. The lower standards are due to some weakness in mental calculation skills and a lack of challenge for more able pupils. In previous years, however, the targets in mathematics were met and pupils made good progress. Standards in science are above average through a good focus on developing investigation skills. In information and communication technology (ICT), standards are just above average. • Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress.

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Grade: 1

Personal development is outstanding. It is given a high priority in the school and has had a very positive impact on pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils learn about different faiths and other countries to gain a good understanding of cultures other than their own. Attitudes, behaviour and relationships are exemplary. Pupils appreciate everything the school provides and enjoy their learning considerably. This is reinforced through good attendance. Presentation of work has improved since the previous inspection. The school has used an excellent range of initiatives to ensure that pupils keep safe and fully engage in a healthy lifestyle. All eagerly take part in ‘wake and shake’ sessions and the many sporting activities that keep them fit. Pupils make an excellent contribution to the community through regular participation in local events and fund raising. The school council works effectively and has recently

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Grade: 1

improved outdoor facilities for play. Monitors around the school are responsible and effective. Excellent participation with local schools through sporting and musical events equips the pupils well for the future.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good and enable pupils to make good progress. Relationships are excellent and this helps them to work hard. All teachers are confident in their subject knowledge and lessons move on at a lively pace through good questioning skills. Challenging texts such as ‘Dear Greenpeace’ are used in Years 3 and 4 not only to extend ideas for writing but also to consider environmental issues. Assessment information is used well in English to plan for different ages and abilities. 3 Inspection Report: Whittingham Church of England First School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 Good teaching overall in mathematics is beginning to address the weakness in standards. For example, in Years 1 and 2, the teacher used the interactive whiteboard very effectively to explain new learning and help the pupils to carry out problem solving with accuracy and skill. The examination of pupils’ work in mathematics shows that

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Grade: 2

expectations are sometimes too low in planning work for the more able. Where the teaching of the mental starter is only satisfactory, the pupils are not given the challenge of the best lessons to solve mental calculations quickly and accurately. Assessment procedures are good and the school is in the early stages of introducing individual targets. Marking is not helping pupils sufficiently to know how well they are doing or to identify areas for improvement.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and supports effective teaching and learning. Provision for those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is good, ensuring their needs are fully met. The Foundation Stage curriculum is good and plans are well advanced for an outdoor area to extend opportunities for physical development. Meaningful links are made between subjects, which makes the curriculum broad and creative. In Years 1 and 2, for example, a good geography lesson on ‘Barnaby Bear’ helped pupils to learn mapping skills, sing in French, make a collage and write a postcard home. However, numeracy and ICT skills are not used enough across the curriculum to help raise standards further in these subjects. Opportunities for enrichment are excellent through very good extra-curricular activities and a wide range of visits and visitors. Special themed days, such as ‘World Book Day’ add interest and enjoyment for pupils. The Healthy Schools Award and the review of

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Grade: 2

personal, social and health education has strengthened the curriculum considerably and had a very positive impact on the personal development of the pupils.

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Grade: 2

Provision is good, with some outstanding features. A high level of care is promoted through a strong Christian ethos and very positive relationships. Parents hold the school in high regard and comments such as, ‘staff show great empathy and dedication in their support for the pupils’ reflect the outstanding care. Robust arrangements are made for health and safety. Good child protection procedures are in place. Effective links are made with a range of local agencies to promote pupils’ health, safety and welfare. Support staff are well trained and knowledgeable about pupils’ personal needs and the routines of school life. This ensures an orderly environment at lunch and break times. Advice on how well pupils are doing in meeting their individual targets is not established. Therefore pupils are not involved in setting and reviewing their own targets. 4 Inspection Report: Whittingham Church of England First School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has, in a very short time, raised standards significantly in Key Stage 1 and created a good climate for learning and further improvements. She has united the dedicated staff with a strong sense of purpose and enriched the personal development and care for learners. Subject leaders play an important role in the management and evaluation of the school. Rigorous monitoring has resulted in good standards in English, but there is more to do to improve mathematics. Evaluation procedures are good. The school’s improvement plan sets out a clear agenda for improvement. The weakness in mathematics has been identified through the effective tracking of progress. The views of children, parents, staff and governors are used to draw up the improvement plan. Governors are fully involved in partnership with the headteacher in evaluating the work of the school. For example, they were

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Grade: 2

instrumental in devising and evaluating the questionnaires sent to parents to determine their views of the school. They hold the headteacher in high regard but are not afraid to challenge her, or to take difficult decisions in the best interests of the school. Good leadership skills at all levels in school and the headteacher’s ability to raise standards quickly and effectively provide the school with a good basis for improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Whittingham Church of England First School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 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: Whittingham Church of England First School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 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 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 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 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 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

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 To the pupils of: Whittingham Church of England First School Whittingham Alnwick Northumberland NE66 4UP 5 July 2006 Dear Pupils I would like to thank you all for making me feel so welcome and giving me lots of help when I visited your school recently. I enjoyed my visit and especially finding out how much you all enjoy your learning at the school. I agree with the headteacher and governors that your school is good and has many strengths. I particularly like your excellent behaviour and how well you and all adults really care for each other in the school. Because you work so hard in lessons and the teaching is good, you are making good progress in your learning. You are lucky to have excellent school meals as well as lots of clubs and activities that help you to keep really healthy. Your headteacher, as well as the other staff and governors, are working hard to make the school

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

even better by helping you to make more progress in your numeracy lessons. They are also going to improve the way they mark your work and involve you more in knowing how well you are doing. They will do this by setting individual targets for you to work towards in English, mathematics and science. Good luck to you all in the future. Yours sincerely Mrs Sheila Mawer Lead Inspector

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