Newport Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School

Inspection Report Newport Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School

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123489 Unique Reference Number Telford and Wrekin LEA 281490 Inspection number 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 Inspection dates David Carrington AI Reporting inspector

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

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Avenue Road School address Junior Type of school Newport Voluntary controlled School category Shropshire TF10 7EA 7 to 11 Age range of pupils 01952 811410 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01952 811410 Fax number 365 Number on roll Mr M F Miles Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs M Phillips Headteacher 22 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281490 5 July 2006 - 7 to 11 6 July 2006 Inspection Report: Newport Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Newport C of E is a larger-than-average junior school that serves Newport and surrounding parishes. A tenth of the pupils are entitled to free school meals, which is below average. About a quarter of the pupils have learning difficulties. A very small number are from minority ethnic backgrounds and very few have English as an additional language. When pupils start in Year 3 there is a spread of ability, with a considerable number of more-able learners, though the overall level is average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Newport Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006

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Grade: 1

Newport Church of England Junior is an outstanding school. It has an impressive track record of pupils’ achievement in both their academic studies and their personal development. The school is a harmonious and enjoyable place to work and the pupils are keen to point out why they learn so effectively. They lay this firmly at the feet of the staff and say that without their excellent care, support and guidance their work would not be as successful. Standards are above average and in some subjects, such as science, they are high. Standards in writing are rising well as a result of the effective focus on speaking, listening and thinking skills, though they are not yet at the high level that the school seeks. However, all pupils make rapid progress in school because their work is meticulously planned to match their level of achievement and to provide a challenging and very stimulating range of tasks. Teaching quality is outstanding because

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Grade: 1

expectations of work and behaviour are consistently high and pupils are given every chance to self-assess their own work. They reach the very challenging, but not oppressive, targets that are set for them. The pupils set their own high expectations for their learning and are determined to meet them. The school’s many strengths stem from the outstanding quality of leadership and management. The headteacher is determined that all pupils will do well in all aspects of their life in school. She has enabled all staff and the governors to make a full contribution to the effective running of the school. School self-evaluation of its performance is rigorous, accurate and reliable, though it tends to be a little cautious. The school’s judgements are in line with those of inspectors. The school has made excellent improvement since the previous inspection and has great capacity to maintain its improvement. It gives outstanding value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Continue the work to improve standards of speaking and listening in order to give pupils the advanced thinking skills necessary for evocative writing.

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Grade: 1

Standards are consistently above average and pupils’ achievement is outstanding. Results have improved year-on-year and in some subjects they are high. In science, for example, there are very few primary schools with higher results. The pupils’ achievement in physical education, sporting activities and music demonstrates the rounded nature of pupils’ successes. Standards in writing have lagged behind other subjects for a while. The school recognised this quickly and introduced what is turning out to be an effective programme to improve the quality of writing through the development of pupils’ speaking, listening and thinking skills. This work is not yet 2 Inspection Report: Newport Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 complete, though there has been good improvement to standards of writing in the last year. All pupils achieve at a consistently first-rate pace. The challenge for more-able pupils

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Grade: 1

is very evident in lessons and in their past work. The pupils enjoy the many challenges set for them and they work very hard to reach their targets, whether set by the school or by themselves. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities have carefully planned programmes of individual work that are based on thorough assessment of their needs. They are proud of their results and most do particularly well in their tests.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. Pupils really enjoy coming to school, and this is reflected in their very high attendance. They talk very enthusiastically about the many practical activities teachers plan to make learning interesting and fun and say there is nothing they would want to change. Pupils’ excellent behaviour, attitudes to work and relationships with others help create a happy learning environment and contribute very well to their overall success. Through the work of their ‘PSHE committee’, pupils are involved in decision making and are particularly proud of their improvements for playtime activities. Pupils are successfully taught about safe and healthy lifestyles, and the healthy lunchtime menus and numerous sporting activities contribute well to this. Pupils demonstrate a wide range of social skills and willingly take on responsibilities

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Grade: 1

as, for example, playground buddies. They show care for the environment through their Britain in Bloom and Green Club activities. Performing for local residents, raising funds for charities and learning about other cultures develop pupils’ awareness of the community beyond school. By the time they leave the school, pupils are confident, articulate individuals with personal and academic skills that prepare them very well for the next stage of their education and the world of work.

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Grade: 1

Teaching and learning are outstanding. According to the pupils, what makes learning special is the range of subjects covered and the interesting way in which teachers unfold the themes. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils, which is shown in their insistence on exemplary behaviour and a dedicated approach to work. Classrooms are very settled places of productive and purposeful learning. There is an unusual degree of consistency in the quality of learning. This was demonstrated in the ‘Heartstone’ poetry session in each of the Year 6 classes. In all three lessons the teachers and teaching assistants had developed excellent relationships 3 Inspection Report: Newport Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006 with the pupils and were very successful in urging them on to best achievement. The pupils responded enthusiastically and in one case made the poem more meaningful

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Grade: 1

by setting it in song, developing it as a dialogue or rapping it to a rhythm. The current focus on giving pupils opportunities to talk to each other about their learning is paying dividends in improving the quality of speaking, listening and thinking. The investigative nature of science, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT) lessons is contributing well to this process and is making learning more personal, engaging and interesting for the pupils.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is second to none and provides pupils of all abilities with a high level of challenge and a rich range of academic and practical experiences. The way in which the curriculum is modified to meet specific learning needs is a major contributory factor to the excellent progress pupils make. Creativity is strongly supported by excellent provision for music, design and technology and art, including the opportunity to work with a potter. Very good provision for personal development promotes pupils’ self-esteem and confidence. Opportunities for spiritual development are frequent and provide pupils with opportunities for reflection. Well-considered links between subjects, such as science and physical education in the ‘Whizz Kids Project’, make learning more exciting for pupils. ICT is used very well to support learning in other subjects, for example, research and high quality presentation of work on St Lucia by Year 6 pupils.

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Grade: 1

Pupils appreciate the impressive range of ‘special days’, residential visits, visitors, clubs and musical and sporting activities which enhance the curriculum, and they take part in large numbers, regardless of abilities. The school cricket team achieved outstanding success in the West Midlands regional primary schools’ cricket competition on the first day of inspection. It is due to play in the national final at Trent Bridge towards the end of term.

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Grade: 1

The school provides an outstanding level of care, guidance and support for all its pupils. The partnership of teachers, support staff and other agencies contributes very effectively to the pupils’ very good achievement and personal development. Child protection procedures and risk assessments are securely in place and all pupils are safeguarded very thoroughly. Looked-after children and those who might be vulnerable are given extremely sensitive and successful guidance. Behaviour is very well managed. Pupils feel safe and secure; they say that the systems for rewarding good work and behaviour really spur them on to do even better and are confident that teachers are always there to help them. Pupils’ progress is painstakingly tracked and recorded. Pupils clearly know their targets, know how to improve their work and are fully involved in assessing their own learning. 4 Inspection Report: Newport Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior School, 5 July 2006 to 6 July 2006

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Grade: 1

Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are given very effective support that enables them to achieve at a very brisk rate.

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Grade: 1

Excellent leadership and management by the headteacher, governors and senior staff ensure that pupils make outstanding progress. The school’s clear and accurate evaluation of its work forms a secure basis for detailed and well- constructed improvement planning and ambitious target setting. The school’s self-evaluation is consistent with the judgements of inspection. The headteacher’s purposeful leadership is focused on raising standards and promoting pupils’ development as responsible citizens. She is very well supported by a challenging and committed governing body. Governors work hard to secure best value for the school, especially in the recent extensive building work. Financial management is sound. The senior management team monitors and co-ordinates the work of the school extremely effectively and the staff work as a united team. The school has made excellent progress since the previous inspection, especially in terms of pupils’ achievement, and

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Grade: 1

the school has full capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Newport Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior 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: Newport Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior 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 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA NA The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 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 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 1 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 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 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 1 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 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 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 1 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 giving us a warm and friendly welcome when we visited school recently. We were impressed with your politeness and good nature. We found many very good things in school •You work hard, learn quickly and do well in your studies. •You get on well together and you take really good care of each other. •Your behaviour is exemplary. •(You told us you like being challenged, so, can you find the meaning of exemplary?) •Your teachers make sure you have lots of interesting things to learn. •All the adults in school look after you very carefully. •Your teachers check very thoroughly that you are reaching your targets. •Your headteacher wants you all to do your best and works very hard to make sure that you do. We think that there is one important thing for your school to improve further •Make sure that your writing is as good as your speaking, listening and thinking. Because we write about a lot of good things in our report, some of you may want to read it

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

when it is sent to your homes. Look out for the line about Trent Bridge. Do you know where it is and why it is called this? Good luck for the future.

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