Carswell Community Primary School

Inspection Report Carswell Community Primary School

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123080 Unique Reference Number Oxfordshire LEA LEA 281397 Inspection number 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005 Inspection dates Jeffrey White AI Reporting inspector

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

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Bostock Road School address Primary Type of school Abingdon Community School category Oxfordshire OX14 1DP 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01235521578 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01235521578 Fax number 261 Number on roll Karen Cackett Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Susan Gore Headteacher 6 November 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281397 20 October 2005 - 3 to 11 21 October 2005 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 three additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Attainment on entry to the nursery is broadly well below average. Most pupils are white British. About 10 percent are of minority ethnic origin and about half of these do not have English as their first language. Thirty percent of pupils come from military families who live at the local Army Barracks. A higher than average number of pupils join the school during the Junior years. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD) is above 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: Carswell Community Primary School, 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005

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Grade: 3

The inspection's findings confirm the school's view that it is satisfactory overall. After a period of considerable staffing instability the school is improving quickly and it has some significant strengths.Overall standards and achievement are satisfactory but are rising because of good teaching. The Foundation Stage provides the youngest children with a good start to their education and overall their progress is good. Throughout the school pupils' personal development is promoted well and their behaviour and attitudes are good. The quality of care, guidance and support is good overall. The curriculum is satisfactory and is enriched well by a good range of extra-curricular activities. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall but the headteacher's leadership is good. Considerable improvements to the buildings and site have contributed very significantly to pupils' personal and academic development. Value

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Grade: 3

for money is good. The school has improved well since its last inspection and its capacity to improve further is good.Assessment and marking are adequate overall but not used consistently enough to help pupils' improve their work. Opportunities for pupils to write creatively and at length are not regular enough. Monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning are now back on track after a period of derailment but are not yet rigorous enough to improve teaching further.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Make better use of assessment and marking to raise standards further.* Give pupils more opportunities to write creatively and at length.* Implement more rigorous monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher and staff are meeting with some success in ameliorating the significant barriers that impede pupils' learning. For example, there is a high turnover of pupils and a growing number of pupils with LDD. In the latest national tests pupils in Year 6 reached average standards overall and the school met its challenging targets. Achievement was satisfactory over time and good in reading. In the tests for pupils aged seven, results over time have remained close to the national average. However, an increase in the number of pupils with LDD contributed to standards dipping in 2004. In the work seen in lessons throughout the school standards were mainly average but progress was good because of the effective teaching. Objectives for pupils' learning have become sharper and are helping progress to improve quickly. Although good improvements have been made in writing there are too few opportunities for pupils

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Grade: 3

to write at length.Although overall standards in the Foundation Stage are below average progress is good and very good in personal, social and emotional development, and physical development. In these areas of learning children are on course to reach the expected goals. Pupils with LDD achieve as well as their peers and pupils of minority 2 Inspection Report: Carswell Community Primary School, 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005 ethnic origin are achieving similarly. The most able pupils reached their expected targets in the latest tests.

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Grade: 2

The quality of the pupils' personal development is good. This development begins in the Foundation Stage where the children benefit from the school's thoughtfully planned nurture programme. The mutually respectful relationships and good behaviour are positive features of the school. The School Council is a developing feature. Members are elected from each class and meet regularly to suggest improvements that can be made to life in school and how they might contribute to life in the wider community. They are well aware of their responsibility as citizens. Their fund raising has benefited communities in Africa as well as local charities and school projects such as improving the quality of the school library and the playground facilities. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They have responsible attitudes to issues such as respect and understanding of cultural and religious diversity. They are kind to

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Grade: 2

each other, feel safe and consider that all the staff are keen to support them and help them to do their best. The pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and enjoy the range of lessons and enrichment activities. Attendance and punctuality are good. The pupils are clear about how they benefit from attending the school and the part that a healthy diet and exercise play in their well-being. Their self-confidence is developing well especially in explaining their work.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall because pupils' achievement is improving over time and is good in lessons. Teachers not only promote pupils' learning well but also foster their personal development strongly. Teaching is good in the Foundation Stage and some features are outstanding. Activities are well planned and resourced and successfully challenge and motivate the children. Significant strengths are the promotion of personal, social and emotional development and children's physical development. Consequently achievement is very good in these areas.Lessons in general are well organised with suitable learning objectives. Teachers remind the pupils of the learning intentions and, in the best of the teaching, use questions skilfully to ascertain what pupils have learned. Teaching assistants (TAs) are deployed well and give good guidance and support to pupils. Relationships are good and pupils work diligently.

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Grade: 2

They make good progress irrespective of their abilities. Some of the marking of pupils' work is good because it indicates what they need to do to improve. However, this is not consistent practice. 3 Inspection Report: Carswell Community Primary School, 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory overall and meets the range of pupils' needs. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is good and enables children not only to develop key basic skills but also to work co-operatively and independently. The curriculum in the rest of the school is satisfactorily broad and balanced and consequently meets National Curriculum requirements. The school is meeting with some success in broadening the opportunities for creativity in music, art and dance. However, creativity and flair in pupils' work is sometimes restricted by work sheets that leave little opportunity for individual response, especially in writing. In general, the curriculum promotes good awareness of the need to be safe and healthy. A good range of extra-curricular activities enriches the curriculum. Visits and visitors add to and stimulate pupils' enjoyment of learning.

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Grade: 2

The staff work hard and effectively to ensure that the pupils feel well cared for and secure and provide them with good quality guidance and support. Health and safety procedures are regularly reviewed. Arrangements for child protection are good and all adults are made aware of their responsibilities. Parents are confident that their children are safe and secure.All the pupils are valued and the headteacher and staff are responsive to individual need and ensure equality of access and opportunity. Parental involvement in the school is developing and is particularly effective for those who have children with LDD. Pupils are given opportunities to assess their own understanding of their work. The school has identified the need to develop this further by making more effective use of assessment information to ensure pupils are challenged enough.

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Grade: 3

Two years ago the school went through a period of considerable staffing instability. The staffing situation is now more stable and the school is improving quickly. Staff morale is now high and the overall commitment to raising standards and achievement is strong because of the headteacher's good leadership. She is well supported by staff and the vast majority of parents. In the absence of a deputy headteacher she has wisely devolved some of the leadership and management responsibilities to other senior staff. This arrangement is working well and is ensuring that staff have a say in the school's direction. The views of parents are sought informally and formally. The governing body is relatively new and inexperienced but is keen to become more involved especially in taking account of the school's performance. Governors meet their requirements satisfactorily. Funds are managed efficiently and resources are used well to promote

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Grade: 3

learning and raise standards. The very significant improvements in the school's accommodation have greatly benefited pupils' achievements.The school has evaluated 4 Inspection Report: Carswell Community Primary School, 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005 its own performance thoroughly and it has good capacity to improve. Monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning are back on track but the school acknowledges that they are not yet thorough enough. Plans to improve them are identified in the school's clear improvement plan. 5 Inspection Report: Carswell Community Primary School, 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005 .

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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: Carswell Community Primary School, 20 October 2005 to 21 October 2005

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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 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 3 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 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 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 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

Thank you for your help during our visit to your school. We noticed that you work hard and behave well. You told us how much you like your school and you enjoy your lessons. The Foundation Stage provides a good start to your education and in the rest of the school you usually make good progress in your lessons. The headteacher and staff take good care of you and like to hear your views. Your headteacher is a good leader and with the teachers' and teaching assistants' help is working hard to make sure you make good progress. There are a few improvements that could be made with your help. Your writing could be better especially when you are writing independently We have asked your teachers to improve the way they mark your work so that you know how to improve it. The headteacher, governors and teachers are looking forward to visiting your classes to see you working.

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