Morpeth All Saints Church of England Aided First School

Inspection Report Morpeth All Saints Church of England Aided First School

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122297 Unique Reference Number Northumberland LEA 281223 Inspection number 9 March 2006 to 10 March 2006 Inspection dates Mr Graeme Clarke Reporting inspector

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

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Pinewood Drive School address First Type of school Lancaster Park Voluntary aided School category Morpeth, Northumberland NE61 3RD 3 to 9 Age range of pupils

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01670 512803 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01670 512803 Fax number 188 Number on roll Rev Robert McLean Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Kathleen Pringle Headteacher 1 October 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281223 9 March 2006 - 3 to 9 10 March 2006 Inspection Report: Morpeth All Saints Church of England Aided First School, 9 March 2006 to 10 March 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 two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school serves an area of social and economic advantage. Its roll has fallen in recent years. A well below average number of children are entitled to free school meals. The proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is also well below average. Almost all pupils are of white British origins. A small number are from Bangladeshi and other Asian backgrounds, and for a few, English is not their first language. The school holds the Silver Artsmark and the Investors in People award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Morpeth All Saints Church of England Aided First School, 9 March 2006 to 10 March 2006

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school’s view that it provides a good standard of education. High quality teaching in the Foundation Stage helps children make very good progress from their broadly average initial attainment, and reach above average standards. Good and sometimes outstanding teaching continues in Years 1 and 2, and standards improve significantly to above average. Last year, at the end of Year 4, standards were well above Northumberland’s average, but boys’ writing and girls’ mathematics fell below the school’s expectations. Currently, much teaching in Years 3 and 4 is good and pupils achieve well. Personal development and well-being are good. Pupils enjoy school and their attendance is good. The school provides good care and support and promotes good spiritual, social, moral and cultural development. Taking into account pupils’ starting points and their high attainment in Year 4, the school uses its resources exceptionally

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Grade: 2

well and gives very good value for money. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher’s effective leadership sustains the Christian ethos and sets a good tone for pupils’ learning and development. The headteacher and senior leaders have an accurate grasp of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. All but one of the issues raised in the last inspection have been dealt with successfully. Many parents have concerns about communication from the school and are unaware of how pupils’ views are taken into account. They appreciate that their children enjoy school, make good progress and are safe and cared for. The school’s capacity for further improvement is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise boys’ attainment in writing and girls’ attainment in mathematics. • Raise the quality of the less effective teaching towards the level of the best in the school.

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Grade: 2

Standards and achievement are good. Children join the nursery with individual attainments that range from below to above average for their age. They make very good progress in the nursery and reception class (Foundation Stage), and overall standards are above average when they begin Year 1. Most continue to make very good progress throughout Years 1 and 2. In 2005, results maintained a rising trend and were significantly above average in all the Year 2 tests. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 continue their good progress and achievement. Last year, test results in Year 4 were well above the average for Northumberland. Most pupils did better than or as well as expected on the basis of their Year 2 attainments, although fewer than anticipated met the schools own very challenging targets, especially in 2 Inspection Report: Morpeth All Saints Church of England Aided First School, 9 March 2006 to 10 March 2006 writing. The school rightly identifies that boys’ writing is not as accomplished as that

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Grade: 2

of girls, and that boys do better in mathematics. Currently, many pupils in Years 1 to 4 continue to make very good progress, achieve well and maintain a high standard of work for their age. Pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, or who are learning English as an additional language, also make very good progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. Pupils say they really enjoy coming to school. Their attendance is above the national average and attitudes to learning are exemplary. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They show a high level of social awareness and willingly shoulder responsibility. The buddy arrangement, where older pupils help and support younger children, works very well. Pupils are very well behaved in and out of lessons, and exceptionally polite and courteous. They care greatly about each other and staff. Pupils have a very good understanding of a healthy lifestyle. Many take up opportunities for exercise and sport, both in lessons and after school. Pupils feel very safe and secure. They are confident their views will be listened to and valued by adults. They willingly contribute to school society, for example, through the school council, and readily support charitable appeals. Pupils develop a good understanding of other

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Grade: 2

faiths and cultures. Their good grounding in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology, and in skills for working together, prepares them well for their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall. Some teaching in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2 is outstanding. Teachers are well organised and use time effectively to create a purposeful climate for learning. They successfully combine high and ambitious expectations with enthusiasm, energy and expertise. Teachers very effectively encourage pupils to work together; for example, by using ‘talking partners’ to explore new ideas, knowledge and emerging skills. This helps all pupils to value each other’s contributions and to play a full part in lessons. Teachers are outstanding role models, which reinforces the courteous and respectful relationships between pupils and staff, and supports good learning. The conclusions to lessons are skilfully managed and of great value. Because pupils are taught to reflect together on what they have learned, they know how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

3 Inspection Report: Morpeth All Saints Church of England Aided First School, 9 March 2006 to 10 March 2006 Teachers rigorously assess pupils’ work and track their progress. They use their assessments to plan activities that are closely based on pupils’ earlier learning. This promotes and sustains good achievement by pupils with differing abilities. Where teaching is satisfactory, it is much more dominated by the teacher and gives fewer opportunities for independent learning. This slows the pace of learning, because pupils lose concentration.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It clearly reflects the school’s Christian ethos, meets statutory requirements and is well designed to benefit all pupils equally. A consistently strong focus on skill development in literacy and numeracy leads to good achievement. Good provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities ensures that they are all included in the life and work of the school and do well. Teachers identify concerns before they become entrenched and fine-tune activities and expectations to promote success for all. Assemblies, religious education and cross-curricular projects about life in other lands promote cultural development. Many very good opportunities enrich the curriculum. A wide range of instrumental music and sporting activities, school trips, including a residential experience for Year 4 pupils, and visitors, such as theatre groups and artists, further enhance pupils’ experience.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of its pupils and supports them well. Secure arrangements ensure pupils’ safety, and are regularly reviewed and updated. Pupils justifiably say they feel safe. They are confident to approach adults whenever they have any concerns. Pupils are also encouraged to develop self-help strategies; for example, by sharing their concerns with each other during discussion in ‘circle time’. Child-protection arrangements are well established and an ongoing training programme keeps all staff up-to-date on current procedures. The school fully supports the individual needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. It has highly effective arrangements for creating ability-based teaching groups, and tracking pupils’ achievement to keep them under review. Pupils have challenging individual learning targets and, as they move through the school, they are made aware of their progress and what they need

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management throughout the school are good. The leadership team makes a vital contribution to the positive climate for learning that all pupils thrive in and enjoy. The headteacher’s accurate evaluation of the school is based on diligent analysis and monitoring of work. Middle managers contribute to this process. They systematically evaluate aspects of the school’s work, such as literacy and mathematics, 4 Inspection Report: Morpeth All Saints Church of England Aided First School, 9 March 2006 to 10 March 2006 and are poised to widen their view of other subjects. They have identified aspects to address so as to raise achievement further. Governors too have a good grasp of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, based on reports from key staff and their own informal information gathering. However, they have yet to be fully involved in partnership with the leadership team to evaluate the school’s work. The school has

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Grade: 2

successfully tackled all but one of the issues raised at the last inspection. Information about pupils’ performance is now used in many subjects. The school tracks all pupils’ progress well, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Playground facilities are improved. Almost all parents are very satisfied with their children’s progress, their enjoyment of school and their sense of security. A large minority are unaware of how the school seeks their views, and those of pupils, and takes them into account. They are concerned that communication from the school is not all that it might be. However, the school has made very good progress in promoting openness and personal development, because here every child does matter. Its capacity for further improvement is good. Taking into account pupils’ starting points and their high attainment in Year 4, the school uses its resources exceptionally well and gives

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Grade: 2

very good value for money. 5 Inspection Report: Morpeth All Saints Church of England Aided First School, 9 March 2006 to 10 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: Morpeth All Saints Church of England Aided First School, 9 March 2006 to 10 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 1 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 1 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 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 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 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 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 Mrs Kathleen Pringle Morpeth All Saints Church of England Aided First School Pinewood Drive Lancaster Park Morpeth Northumberland NE61 3RD 13 March 2006 Dear Children We really enjoyed visiting your school for two days last week when we came to see how well you are doing. It was very important for us to find out what you do and also how you help with running the school. Thank you for helping us when we called into your classrooms to see you at work. You were always very polite and helpful. We were very impressed with the work that you do. We enjoyed talking to you when we met those of you on the school council and some of you at lunch-time. It was great to see how much you enjoy coming to school. What we liked about your school Yours is a good school with a very friendly atmosphere. It made us feel happy. Many of you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

are being taught very well and you make very good progress with your work. You are really well behaved, have good manners, and work hard. Mrs Pringle, Mrs Bryars, the other teachers and all the staff are very proud of you. You are safe and happy because all the adults in the school look after you very well. Mrs Pringle is a good headteacher. She, the governors and staff all want to help you, so please listen to what they say. What we think could be improved We’ve made some suggestions for the governors and Mrs Pringle to think about. We’ve asked them to find ways to help you do better in writing, especially the boys, and in mathematics, especially the girls. This is because test scores in the past have not been as high as they could be. We think you should be able to get higher marks. We’ve asked Mrs Pringle to make all your lessons as good as the best in the school. With best wishes to you all Graeme Clarke

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