Baschurch CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Baschurch CofE Primary School

p.1

123534 Unique Reference Number Shropshire LEA 281500 Inspection number 17 January 2006 to 18 January 2006 Inspection dates Mary Hamby HMI Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Eyton Lane School address Primary Type of school Baschurch Voluntary aided School category Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY4 2AU 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

p.1

01939 260443 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01939 260443 Fax number 183 Number on roll Mrs Barbara Craig Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Paul Tutchener Headteacher 6 December 1999 Date of previous inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281500 17 January 2006 - 4 to 11 18 January 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of schools and an Additional Inspector.

p.3

Description of the school

This is a smaller than average school, which serves the village of Baschurch and the surrounding area. The proportion of children who are entitled to receive free school meals is lower than average, as is the proportion of children with learning difficulties and disabilities. There is no nursery in the school, and so many of the children have only two terms in the Reception class before entering Year 1. At the time of the inspection the headteacher was working part time, four days a week, in preparation for his forthcoming retirement.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Baschurch CofE Primary School, 17 January 2006 to 18 January 2006

p.3

Grade: 2

This is a school that judges itself to be good and inspection evidence supports this judgement. It provides good value for money. The school has an impressive record of good standards. Standards in the Reception class are higher than average and the children make good progress from when they start school. In the rest of the school most pupils make good progress but the more capable children are not doing as well as they should. Teaching is good. Most of it takes account of the children’s targets, but the whole class sessions do not provide enough challenge for the more able children. The teaching assistants provide good support to individual children, but their expertise is not used effectively in whole class lessons. The outstanding personal development of the children contributes to their enjoyment of school and their eagerness to become responsible citizens of the future. All the children feel that they are cared for and identify the many other positive features of

p.4

Grade: 2

the school. The school has started to identify its strengths and weaknesses and to act on this information to bring about improvement. The systems for tracking progress are developing but assessment information is not analysed effectively enough to ensure that all children are making the progress they should. There are adequate systems in place for most aspects of the care and welfare of pupils, but procedures for fire practices are not good enough. There is a commitment to improvement from the whole staff team, who work well with supportive governors and parents. However, despite this clear commitment, leadership skills have not improved enough since the last inspection. The subject leaders have made a start on checking the quality of teaching and learning for their subjects but this lacks rigour. The school has made reasonable progress since the last inspection and has satisfactory capacity to improve further.

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• ensure that teaching provides sufficient challenge for the more able children and that whole class times are more effective • improve the systems for tracking children’s progress • develop systems for checking the quality of teaching and learning • improve fire practices and ensure that they are recorded properly.

p.4

Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school’s judgement that achievement and standards are good for most of the children. The children enter school well prepared for learning. They make good progress, and by the end of their Reception Year reach standards 2 Inspection Report: Baschurch CofE Primary School, 17 January 2006 to 18 January 2006 that are higher than average. Progress through Year 1 and Year 2 is good, but the more able pupils are not working at a fast enough rate. Over the last five years, the school’s results in the Key Stage 2 national tests have been significantly better than the national average; last year’s science results were particularly high. Despite this impressive record, there are a few children in each class who are not achieving as well as they could, particularly in English. Some of the higher attaining children make only satisfactory progress, and are clearly capable of doing better. In contrast, children who have learning difficulties make consistently good

p.4

Grade: 2

progress and are served well by the school.

p.5

Grade: 1

The children’s personal development is outstanding. They are keen to come to school and their attendance is well above average. They think the school promotes ‘fair play’, with one child suggesting ‘we treat others like we want to be treated ourselves’. They have a strong sense of right and wrong and draw on the school’s Christian ethos when deciding their class rules. Standards of behaviour are very good, with only a very few incidents of mischief when tasks lack challenge. The children enjoy taking responsibility and making a contribution to their community through experiences such as membership of the school council. The children are on course to become responsible citizens. This is developed very effectively through the strong moral principles that they are taught and through opportunities for them to show initiative and enterprise. They are developing an understanding of the world of commerce through schemes such as making and selling

p.5

Grade: 1

labels so that envelopes can be reused. The school encourages the children to develop healthy lifestyles, not only through the curriculum but also through a wide range of sporting activities and clubs. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. The strong emphasis on environmental awareness enables pupils to stand back and reflect on their place in the wider world and learn how they can become guardians of it. They do this very well. For example, one child talked enthusiastically about her love of the small creatures in the school pond, whilst another talked about the pleasure he finds looking after the school chickens.

p.5

Grade: 2

The teaching is good in most respects. The teachers enjoy excellent relationships with their pupils and command their respect. Most of the pupils show rapt attention when working in small groups, but a few of them daydream in whole class periods. The teachers have good subject knowledge and use this well when marking work. The 3 Inspection Report: Baschurch CofE Primary School, 17 January 2006 to 18 January 2006 children are rightly pleased with the care their teachers give to marking their work because, as they say, it helps them to know what to do next. The teaching assistants make a good contribution to the learning of individual children and small groups, but their contribution to whole class times is not effective enough. Some lessons are guided well by an effective plan, which helps to promote learning well. However, in other instances planning is too sketchy and does not identify how the lesson will build on

p.5

Grade: 2

what the children already know. Thus, for some of the more able children, the questioning lacks challenge and the work is not hard enough.

p.6

Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school’s judgement that the curriculum is good. It has been adjusted to give more emphasis to sporting and musical experiences and this promotes enjoyment and enhances achievement. The children are enthusiastic about the other activities available in school, such as the wide range of clubs, and say how residential visits bring their learning to life. They are also keen to share their enthusiasm for opportunities to learn from visiting experts, who show them such things as Victorian clothes and cooking utensils. The curriculum for the Reception class helps the children to explore and learn successfully through play and guided activities. The curriculum offers opportunities to help the children to develop self-esteem; this is particularly valuable in helping children with learning difficulties to have confidence. However, aspects of the curriculum do not take sufficient account of the needs of the

p.6

Grade: 2

more able children. When topics are revisited, they are not always adjusted to take account of the fact that some children may have already covered them.

p.6

Grade: 3

The school has satisfactory procedures for safeguarding children. Staff are aware of child protection arrangements and there are good links with other agencies to promote childrens’ welfare. The children work and play together well, without fear of bullying, and most of them know that they can turn to an adult if they have concerns. Lunchtime supervisors know what is expected of them and are diligent in their duty of care. The school has regular fire drills, and the children understand these procedures but the school does not record these properly or analyse them to ensure that these procedures are effective. The school’s procedures for monitoring academic progress have improved since the last inspection but are still not good enough. Although standards are checked annually there are no effective systems through the year to see if the children are progressing at a good enough rate.

p.6

Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The leadership team works successfully with governors to provide very effectively for children’s personal development. The 4 Inspection Report: Baschurch CofE Primary School, 17 January 2006 to 18 January 2006 ethos of tolerance and respect is promoted very well by all with leadership responsibilities and there is a clear sense of teamwork in the school. The school is a warm, welcoming community and parents express their support for all aspects of the school’s work. The leadership team meets frequently but their meetings are not recorded and so it is difficult to track their impact on school improvement. The school leaders are developing their skills and show sound capacity to improve further. They have identified suitable priorities for development through a strategic plan. For example, they already knew that more attention needs to be given to higher attaining children.

p.6

Grade: 3

There has been reasonable progress since the last inspection. More account is now taken of the views of parents and information to them is clear and accessible. The children’s writing has improved, as has the provision for information and communication technology. Opportunities are now provided for subject leaders to visit lessons, but the reports following these opportunities are not sufficiently evaluative and their impact is not clear. Some subject leaders lack understanding of whole school issues, particularly regarding teaching and learning in the Reception Year and Key Stage 1. The governors are strongly supportive of the school and know it well because of their frequent visits and regular meetings. They have given careful consideration to the impending retirement of the headteacher to promote a successful handover to the prospective headteacher. They asked some of the children to be involved in the

p.7

Grade: 3

appointment by posing questions to the candidates. This was very helpful in helping to inform the governors’ decision and supported the personal development of the chosen children very well. 5 Inspection Report: Baschurch CofE Primary School, 17 January 2006 to 18 January 2006 .

p.7

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Baschurch CofE Primary School, 17 January 2006 to 18 January 2006

p.8

Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

p.9

learners?

NA 2 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 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

p.9

Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

p.9

Achievement and standards

NA 3 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

p.9

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 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 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

p.9

needs and interests of learners?

NA 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.9

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.

p.9

and supporting all learners?

NA 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 4 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 3 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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

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

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Children I am writing to you all about the visit that I made to your school with my colleagues Mrs Sharif HMI and Mrs Cotton AI. Can you remember that we came to look at all the work that you were doing and to talk to you and your teachers? We really enjoyed talking to you, and thought you were very friendly and appreciated the time that you gave up to talk to us. We would also like to thank your parents for filling in a form recording their views about your school. It helped us to get a good picture of your school in the short time we were there. There were lots of good things that we will remember about your school. These are that: • Mr Tutchener and all the teachers really care for you and want you to do well • you are very well behaved and polite • you are taught to care for each other and take a lead in caring for the environment • you work hard in lessons and play together very well • the governors keep a

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

good eye on the school to make sure everything runs smoothly • everyone in the schools gets on well with each other, which creates a pleasant atmosphere. While there are many good things about your school, we decided that there were some things that could make the school even better. These are that: • some children are not getting hard enough work and so they are not learning quickly enough, particularly at whole class times • when the teachers watch each other teach they need to write down the things that are working well and give each other tips about what could be done better • the teachers need to check up regularly on the progress that you are making • someone in school needs to write down what happens each time you have a fire practice to show that these go according to plan. You could help with some of these by telling the teacher if you are finding work too easy or too hard and by making sure you concentrate

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

hard at whole class times. Please remember to try your hardest all the time and continue to enjoy your school days. Best wishes from Mrs M E Hamby HMI

p.11