Ilam CofE (VA) Primary School

Inspection Report Ilam CofE (VA) Primary School

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124337 Unique Reference Number Staffordshire LEA 281695 Inspection number 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 Inspection dates Susan Orpin AI Reporting inspector

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

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Ilam School address Primary Type of school Ashbourne Voluntary aided School category Derbyshire DE6 2AZ 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01335 350316 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01335 350316 Fax number 70 Number on roll Mr Nick Smith Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Les Biddulph Headteacher 12 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281695 20 June 2006 - 4 to 11 20 June 2006 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Ilam is a very small, rural Church of England primary school. Pupils are mainly White British, all with English as their first language. The percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. Numbers eligible for free school meals are well below average. More pupils join the school after the Reception Year than is usual.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ilam CofE (VA) Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school – as it judges itself to be. It is a happy place where the staff work well as a team and pupils flourish because of the good level of care they receive. Good teaching helps pupils to achieve well and standards are exceptionally high by the time they leave. Pupils make rapid progress in Years 5 and 6 because teaching here ensures that the work is well adapted to the needs of different groups. Progress is slower in Years 3 and 4. This is reflected in the school’s own tracking data and is because assessments of pupils’ prior learning are not as well used in these years to adapt work to the progress pupils have made and their different abilities. Most pupils know what their targets are but some are not as sure as they should be about what they are aiming for and how to improve their work, particularly in writing. Provision for the children in Reception is good and they make good progress. Children’s

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Grade: 2

skills in communication and their confidence are particularly well promoted through good teaching. By the time they start in Year 1, children’s attainment exceeds the goals expected for their age in all areas of learning and pupils continue to make good progress through Years 1 and 2. Pupils’ personal development and their well-being are good. Pupils very much enjoy school and their behaviour is excellent. The pupils’ understanding of different cultures is not as well developed as it might be. Leadership and management are good and so is the school’s self-evaluation. The school provides good value for money. It knows where it needs to improve and has the capacity to do so. This has been demonstrated by the improvements in standards since the previous inspection.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that the assessments made of pupils’ progress are used more effectively to plan their next steps for learning through Years 3 and 4, so that all pupils make consistent progress. • Ensure that pupils know what they are aiming for and how to improve, especially their writing.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ achievement is good. Children start school with attainment that is often higher than might be expected. They make good progress in Reception, particularly in language, and gain confidence so that by the time they join Year 1, they exceed the goals expected for their age in all areas of learning. Pupils make good progress in Years 1 and 2. Although standards for the current Year 2 are average, this represents good achievement for this group of pupils. Their standards are slightly higher in mathematics and slightly lower in writing. In Years 3 and 4, whilst 2 Inspection Report: Ilam CofE (VA) Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 achievement is satisfactory, the rate of some pupils’ progress slows because assessments are not used sufficiently in planning the teaching and learning. The work is either too easy or too hard for pupils at times. However, pupils’ rate of progress increases rapidly

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Grade: 2

in Years 5 and 6. By the end of Year 6, pupils are achieving exceptionally high standards. The school is on track to meet the targets set for Year 6, which are suitably challenging. Standards in science are particularly high. The school has recognised that standards in writing are slightly lower and improving pupils’ achievement in this area has been identified as a priority. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress towards their individual targets.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, social, moral and cultural development, is good. Their enjoyment of school is outstanding and this is reflected in their good attendance and positive attitudes. Their behaviour is excellent. Reception children respond well to adults’ high expectations, learning to cooperate, share and to take turns. Pupils thoroughly enjoy the times when they go on residential visits where they learn an appropriate range of skills to help develop their independence. Pupils reflect well on what they learn from visits, including those to the church. However, their understanding of different cultures is less well developed than that of their own. Pupils know how to keep healthy and safe. They take full advantage of the wide range of sporting activities to keep fit and they make healthy choices about what to eat at lunchtime. Through their active involvement in the local community, including

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Grade: 2

the church and Dovedale House, pupils gain a good understanding of how they can make a difference to their community. Their success in learning basic skills and their ability to work together effectively set them up very well for the future.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers capture the classes’ enthusiasm for learning and use questions skilfully to help deepen pupils’ understanding. The purposes of lessons are made clear, as in a Years 1 and 2 literacy lesson where the teacher explained that the class would learn to scan text, and gave different challenging targets to each group. Tasks are interesting and relevant, such as the World Cup football card game used to help Years 3 and 4 pupils learn how to write instructions. Teaching assistants are used effectively, sharing a common approach that has been planned well with teachers. In Reception, children are taught well so they are interested and enjoy learning. Pupils continue to be taught well in Years 1 and 2, creatively grouped so they learn with others of similar ability. In Years 3 and 4, teaching does not fully take account of 3 Inspection Report: Ilam CofE (VA) Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006

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Grade: 2

pupils’ different abilities. Information from assessments is not used enough to vary tasks. Expectations are not as high as they should be for some pupils and so their progress slows. In Years 5 and 6, there is more consistent challenge, so pupils’ progress accelerates. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, but they do not always give pupils clear guidance on what to do next, particularly in writing. Consequently, some pupils continue to make the same mistakes in spelling and punctuation or are unsure of exactly what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and taught through relevant topics that make the work interesting. Careful planning ensures that pupils in mixed age classes cover the full range of work. In most classes, the curriculum is well adapted to meet most pupils’ needs. A good programme of personal, social and health education supports pupils’ personal development and teaches them to stay healthy and safe. Although pupils are developing good skills in ICT, some opportunities are missed for pupils to use these in other subjects. An excellent range of visits and clubs enriches the curriculum and supports pupils’ personal development. Many take part in sporting, drama and musical activities, as well as learning French.

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Grade: 2

The quality of care, guidance and support for pupils is good and contributes to their enjoyment of school and sense of well-being. Children are helped to settle into Reception well and liaison with the local secondary school helps pupils transfer smoothly to their new school. Parents are confident that their children are safe and well cared for. Pupils value the support they receive and the views of many are reflected in the comment of one pupil who said ‘Everyone here is nice and there is no bullying.’ The arrangements for the safety and protection of pupils are good. The importance given to promoting a healthy lifestyle effectively shapes pupils’ attitudes to health, including diet and exercise. Guidance for pupils in their work is generally good but there is room for improvement, especially in helping them to understand what their targets are and how to improve against them.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good, ensuring a firm focus on pupils’ personal development and good achievement in their work. The headteacher knows individual pupils very well and has a clear view of their needs and what needs to be done to improve the school. He provides clear direction and is well supported by the senior 4 Inspection Report: Ilam CofE (VA) Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 teacher in day-to-day management. There are detailed records to track pupils’ achievement and these are used effectively to target additional help. However, these need to be updated more regularly, which the school plans to do. Governance is good. Governors are very supportive and have helped the school to become a focal point of its community. The role of the subject coordinators is developing well, given the demands made on the small number of staff, most of whom are part time. The school’s self-evaluation is well informed by checks made on teaching and learning. This gives

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Grade: 2

the school an accurate picture of where improvements are needed. The school actively involves pupils, governors and parents by taking note of their views and acting on them, for example, recent consultations have led to a review of school uniform. The school has a good track record of achieving its aims. Its capacity to improve further is reflected in the improvement in the standards pupils have achieved since the previous inspection. 5 Inspection Report: Ilam CofE (VA) Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 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: Ilam CofE (VA) Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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

Thank you very much for the warm welcome you gave us when we visited your school. Your school is a very friendly and happy place and we enjoyed meeting you. This is what we found out about your school: You enjoy coming to school, work hard, achieve well and reach high standards by the time you leave. Your behaviour is excellent and you are making a difference to your community. You are taught well and the grown-ups are good at helping you learn and keeping you safe and healthy. The people in charge of the school want the best for you. We have asked them to make sure that the work you do in Years 3 and 4 helps you to learn a bit faster. We have also asked your teachers to be very clear in helping you know exactly what you have to do to improve. Your school gives you a good start and the grown-ups are rightly proud of you. You can help to make your school even better by continuing your outstanding efforts.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We wish you all the best for the future.

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