Witnesham Primary School

Inspection Report Witnesham Primary School

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124618 Unique Reference Number SUFFOLK LEA LEA 281766 Inspection number 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 Inspection dates Mrs. Helen Ranger LI Reporting inspector

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

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High Road School address Primary Type of school IP6 9EX Community School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01473785252 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01473785492 Fax number 92 Number on roll Mrs.K Lacey Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Christine Gough Headteacher 18 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281766 19 October 2005 - 4 to 11 20 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Witnesham Primary is a smaller than average school. It mainly serves Witnesham and the surrounding villages, although about a quarter of pupils come from outside this area as a result of parental choice. Pupils come from a broad range of social and economic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties is average. Almost all pupils in the school come from White British backgrounds and all speak English as their first language. The youngest children join the Reception class with knowledge and skills that are broadly average for their age.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Witnesham Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 2

Witnesham Primary rightly judges itself to be a good school. The youngest children are given a secure start in the Reception year where provision meets their needs well. Pupils are taught well throughout the school and make good progress. The oldest often reach standards that exceed national averages. The school makes exceptionally good provision for pupils' personal development and cares effectively for all individuals. The adults in the school work well together as a team and are led very well by the headteacher who is highly respected by staff, pupils and parents. The staff work closely with the governors who give valuable and effective support. Finances are tight but the budget is planned in detail with a clear focus on what will benefit the pupils. The school gives good value for money. It has efficient ways of evaluating its success and well-considered plans for its continuing development. These rightly include further

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Grade: 2

improvements to the provision for information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. There are also plans to involve pupils more consistently in assessing and improving their learning. There is an excellent partnership with parents who speak highly of the school's provision and support their children's education well. The school has continued to move forward well since its last inspection and shows a good capacity for further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Carry out the planned improvements to the teaching and learning of ICT and the provision of ICT resources. - Involve pupils more effectively in their learning by establishing consistency when setting targets for improvement.

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Grade: 2

From an average starting point when they join the school, children in the Reception age group make good progress and, overall, exceed the nationally expected levels by the end of the year. In Key Stage 1 pupils' progress in English and mathematics have exceeded national averages and standards are good in Year 2 assessments. Year 6 pupils regularly achieve above average standards in national tests and meet the challenging targets set for them. The school's tracking of achievement shows that pupils make good progress in relation to their capabilities. This includes those who have learning difficulties. Sometimes there are slight differences in how well boys do compared with girls, but these are not significant An outstanding feature of the school is the high standard of reading in all age groups. Reading has a high priority and is taught very well. Standards in ICT are similar to those expected nationally. The school

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Grade: 2

wants to update and extend its resources for the subject so that teachers can make even better use of ICT to support pupils' learning and enable them to make greater progress. 2 Inspection Report: Witnesham Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and how the school encourages this are outstanding. Parents speak very highly of this aspect of the school and feel that their children are encouraged to become mature young people who enjoy learning and care about others. The inspection endorses these views. Behaviour is good in classrooms and pupils learn in a lively and positive atmosphere. In the playground behaviour is exemplary. All age groups mix very well and older pupils are very good role models for younger ones. The oldest pupils respond very well to frequent opportunities to take responsibility and organise activities in school. They contribute to a class council that ensures they are involved in relevant decision-making. There is a strong and very effective emphasis on healthy living. Pupils understand the importance of a good diet and regular exercise and learn about keeping safe in and out of school. They develop strong basic academic

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Grade: 1

and social skills that prepare them well for later life. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. It is promoted, for example, by close links with local churches and imaginative projects in personal, social and religious education which help to prepare pupils for living in a diverse modern society. Attendance levels are high and punctuality is good.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are taught well. The school has made good improvements to the provision for the youngest children, which was not as strong as other age groups at the time of the previous inspection. It is now good and securely combines activities led by adults with those that the children choose for themselves. Lessons for all age groups maintain pupils' interest. Good planning caters for the wide age range in each class. The team of teaching assistants makes a valuable contribution, supporting individuals and groups in a wide range of activities. They give good support to pupils who have learning difficulties. The teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants ensures pupils receive regular support and feedback on their work. Teachers use an effective range of assessment systems to check progress. They have started to identify learning targets for individuals and groups. Where these are in use, they support pupils well. There are

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Grade: 2

good plans to refine and extend the use of targets across the school so that all pupils are supported in this way in their learning of key skills. Teachers make efficient use of the school's existing ICT resources, and the new interactive whiteboard is used well. However, some of the older computers are rather outdated and less reliable than others and this restricts what pupils can do with them. There are good plans to improve ICT provision when the budget allows. 3 Inspection Report: Witnesham Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and has been developed well to meet the needs of mixed-age classes in this small school. The requirements of the National Curriculum are met in full. The school increasingly forges effective links between subjects to make learning more interesting and relevant to pupils. There is a strong focus on maintaining a broad curriculum. The school provides particularly well for music and drama, involving all pupils in these activities very effectively. The wide range of activities offered to pupils ensures that their personal development is good. Apart from weekly clubs such as those for sport, drama and chess, there are regular visits to places of interest. These include residential stays for older pupils. Pupils speak very highly of their 'African Adventure' trip that extended their cultural and geographical knowledge well, and also promoted skills of teamwork and leadership.

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Grade: 2

The school cares well for its pupils. Pupils say they feel well looked after and parents speak highly of the levels of care. Pupils who have learning difficulties are enabled to take a full part in activities because they are given effective support by adults. Arrangements for setting targets with pupils and listening to their ideas are good and there are plans to extend these further. Arrangements for child protection are firmly in place and the head and governors ensure that the school is a safe place for its pupils.

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Grade: 2

The school is led and managed well. The headteacher is very experienced and sets a very good lead. This has enabled the school to cope well with the changes in staffing of the past few years. Staff development has a high priority and has ensured that the school has kept pace with national and local initiatives which have continued to promote pupils' interest and progress. The governors give good support and contribute well to the school's long-term planning. They are dealing efficiently with the implications of a slight fall in the roll which has led to some current budget constraints. Over the past two years, the senior teachers have worked closely with the head in the school's development and give good support to their colleagues. Valuable contributions to the smooth running of the school and its extensive site are made by the very efficient administrative assistant and the caretaker. The school has a clear picture of how

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Grade: 2

effective it is and how it wants to improve further. Staff and governors are consulted well. The school maintains very positive links with other local schools to share good practice and make effective use of available resources. There is a highly effective partnership with parents and the parents' association that promotes close links between home and school and ensures that the children thrive. The school is well placed to continue to do well. The managers have a clear vision for the future. There is a strong 4 Inspection Report: Witnesham Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 October 2005 commitment to the well-being of the pupils that provides the community with an effective local school where all individuals are valued and included well. 5 Inspection Report: Witnesham Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 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: Witnesham Primary School, 19 October 2005 to 20 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 1 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 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 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 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 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 for welcoming me to your school and helping me to find out about it. This letter is to tell you about the most important things I saw during my visit. These are some of the best things - You enjoy coming to school very much and get on very well with the other children and with the adults in your school. - You do well in your lessons because your teachers and teaching assistants help you to learn well and give you plenty of attention when you need some help. - You behave very well and I was very impressed with how well you all get on in the playground. - Your headteacher is very good at making sure that all the adults and the governors help you to use your time at Witnesham School well. - You are given plenty of interesting activities, including clubs and visits outside school time, and these help you as you grow up. These are things that might be made a bit better - Some of your computers do not work as

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

well as the newer ones and I would like the school to keep trying to find ways to improve them for you. - Your teachers are starting to give you particular targets to help you improve your work and I would like them to make sure that this system works as well as possible. Keep enjoying all that your school offers you.

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