Bladon Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Bladon Church of England Primary School

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123119 Unique Reference Number Oxfordshire LEA LEA 281405 Inspection number 29 November 2005 to 30 November 2005 Inspection dates Christopher Parker AI Reporting inspector

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

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Park Street School address Primary Type of school Bladon Voluntary controlled School category Woodstock OX20 1RW 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01993 811192 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01993 811192 Fax number 57 Number on roll Mr R Banks Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs S Hawker Headteacher 13 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281405 29 November 2005 - 4 to 11 30 November 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 an additional inspector.

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Description of the school

Bladon Primary School is much smaller than most schools. It serves a rural community. Pupils come from a variety of social backgrounds, and their attainment on entry varies widely from year to year. Very few take free school meals and almost all are of White British heritage. Fewer pupils than usual have learning difficulties and disabilities. There are no pupils with statements of special educational needs.The proportion pupils joining the school after the reception year is higher than usual. Last year, over a third of the pupils in Year 6 joined the school after Year 3.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Bladon Church of England Primary School, 29 November 2005 to 30 November 2005

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Grade: 2

The school judges its overall effectiveness to be good. The inspection supports this view. Standards and achievement are good because the pupils are well taught. The curriculum is interesting and pupils enjoy lessons. The youngest children receive a good start to their education because of the interesting range of activities designed for them and the support they are given.The pupils' personal development is outstanding. They are confident and considerate to one another and behave very well. Care and welfare is good. Pupils are successfully guided and helped to meet the challenging targets set for them. Older pupils are given many responsibilities and set their own targets to improve their work.The headteacher leads the school effectively. It is well managed and runs very smoothly. The school carefully monitors its performance, but judgements about success and effectiveness are not sharp enough. Not enough attention is given to evaluating the impact of initiatives to raise standards

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Grade: 2

and improve provision.The school has successfully maintained its many strong features and improved them. It has the capacity to make further improvements and provides good value for money. Parents are very pleased with the school. One parent wrote, 'Bladon children are very well prepared for the wider world...'.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Sharpen self-evaluation so that it focuses on the impact of the school's work.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Standards fluctuate from year to year because the number of pupils in most year groups is very small. Over the last few years standards have been above average overall. Dips in results are always investigated and action is taken. The school has focused its efforts on improving the standard of the pupils' writing. As a result, standards in English improved markedly in the most recent national tests at the end of Year 6. A third of the pupils reached the higher levels in English and mathematics and two thirds in science. The school carefully tracks the progress of each pupil to help them reach their challenging targets. The pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress towards their targets because they are well supported.

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Grade: 1

The pupils' personal development is outstanding. They take full advantage of the many opportunities the school offers them. The ethos of the school is exemplified by the very high expectations of behaviour and pupils' consideration for others. When asked about bullying, they agreed unanimously, 'There is never any trouble and if there was it would be sorted out quickly'. The pupils say they feel safe in school. Behaviour is very good and attendance well above average. The pupils speak animatedly 2 Inspection Report: Bladon Church of England Primary School, 29 November 2005 to 30 November 2005 about their work and how they enjoy lessons, after-school activities, trips and visits. They know about the benefits of a healthy diet. Some cycle to school as part of the travel plan which they helped to formulate. The school council plays an active role in bringing about improvement, such as the addition of a new bicycle shed. Pupils arrange

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Grade: 1

charity events and manage the fund-raising which prepares them well for their future economic well-being.The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The pupils are given many responsibilities because, as one pupil commented, 'The teachers trust us'. They have a good understanding and respect for their own and other cultural traditions through visits to a Hindu Temple and a Synagogue, and through links with schools in France and Spain.

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Grade: 2

The teaching is good. The teachers make it very clear what they expect the pupils to learn and modify the tasks they set to take account of different ages and abilities. Lessons are lively and interesting. For example, older pupils used the internet to help them identify and classify rocks. An animated debate ensued as they tried to determine whether granite was an igneous rock. The specialist teaching of singing demands high standards of the pupils and is very effective.The pupils writing skills are developed systematically because their teachers explain clearly, for example, the conventions for direct speech. They link this learning to stories by authors such as Roald Dahl so the pupils can see how direct speech is woven into the text. The marking and assessment of writing is very effective. The teachers make detailed comments on the pupils' work and set them clear targets to help them to improve. The pupils respond well and as a

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Grade: 2

result they make good progress. Classrooms are skilfully managed to ensure the needs of all groups are met. The youngest children are provided with good opportunities to participate in, for example, role play activities.

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Grade: 2

The school provides an interesting curriculum that motivates the pupils and promotes their enjoyment of learning. Good links are made between subjects such history and art. For example, Year 6 pupils talk knowledgeably about Picasso's views of war and why and how he painted Guernica. In science, the pupils learn about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse. Information and communication technology is used well, and Year 3 and 4 pupils have created their own animated films and added their own recorded voices. The pupils have good opportunities for physical exercise despite the lack of a space for indoor exercise. They make good use the local secondary school sports hall, have regular swimming lessons and older pupils play squash. After school games, singing, computer and gardening clubs further enhance the curriculum.The school adds considerable additional interest and enjoyment by arranging many trips, visits

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Grade: 2

and events. A recent residential visit is a highlight for many pupils. For others, it is 3 Inspection Report: Bladon Church of England Primary School, 29 November 2005 to 30 November 2005 their involvement as evacuees in a stage show to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of World War Two.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care provided for pupils is good. Arrangements for safeguarding pupils' welfare are secure. All adults in the school show a high level of commitment and competence in promoting the health and safety of the children. Procedures for child protection are fully in place and staff are trained to provide emergency first aid. The school is rightly proud of its caring ethos and adults and children confirm it is a happy community. Every pupil is treated as an individual and this contributes strongly to the 'family atmosphere' which parents value. One pupil, who joined the school in Year 5, appreciated how 'Everybody made me very welcome'.Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are supported well. The school works well with parents, keeping them fully informed. Other agencies provide additional support where it is necessary.The school has effective methods for keeping track of pupils' progress and these are used

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Grade: 2

to set challenging targets. The systems also identify any pupil who is not making as much progress as they should so that effective action can be taken.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good because the headteacher places a high priority on meeting the needs of each pupil through an interesting and enjoyable curriculum. As a result the pupils achieve well. The headteacher has established an ethos in which the pupils flourish with the effect that their personal development is outstanding. The school monitors its own work. For example, test results and assessments are analysed, the quality of teaching is checked and regular reports on the school's provision are made to the governing body. The views of parents and pupils are sought and acted upon. However, the evaluation of the school's performance is not accurate enough. Nevertheless, the school has maintained the many strong features identified at the time of the last inspection and continues to seek improvement. Continuing professional development is well organised and ensures that all staff are up to date and well

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Grade: 2

informed. The school is well placed to improve further.The governors steer the work of the school very effectively. They work successfully with the headteacher to continually improve the provision for the pupils. They have significantly improved the accommodation and are now seeking to secure the addition of a hall to enhance provision further. Statutory requirements are met with the exception of the publicising of the complaints procedure. 4 Inspection Report: Bladon Church of England Primary School, 29 November 2005 to 30 November 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. 5 Inspection Report: Bladon Church of England Primary School, 29 November 2005 to 30 November 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 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 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 1 The attendance of learners NA 1 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 1 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

This letter is to tell you about the findings of the recent inspection and to thank you for taking the time to talk to me about your school. You are able to learn in a very friendly and caring school. You behave very well. You told me that you enjoy lessons and feel safe at school. Some of you also said that the school provides lots of interesting opportunities and I agree. You are given responsibilities which you enjoy and carry out very well. The School Council represents your views well and the older children help in the smooth running of the school. The headteacher and teachers are helping you to do your best. They set you targets in your work and successfully teach you new things to help you to meet them. They make their lessons interesting and lively. You listen carefully, concentrate on your work and make good progress. The headteacher is leading the school well and always trying to make improvements. I have

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

asked her to look very carefully at the work of the school and to check that any changes are working well.

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