Thomas Jolyffe Primary School

Inspection Report Thomas Jolyffe Primary School

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125525 Unique Reference Number Warwickshire LEA 281952 Inspection number 1 March 2006 to 2 March 2006 Inspection dates Jacqueline Ikin AI Reporting inspector

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

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Clopton Road School address Primary Type of school Stratford-upon-Avon Community School category Warwickshire CV37 6TE 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01789 267015 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01789 267015 Fax number 370 Number on roll Ms Juila Salmon Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr D Eric Davies BA Headteacher 30 October 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281952 1 March 2006 - 4 to 11 2 March 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a large school. Nearly all of the pupils are White British, with a few from other ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is broadly average. Few of these pupils are at an early stage of English acquisition. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities is below average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Thomas Jolyffe Primary School, 1 March 2006 to 2 March 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. It provides well for pupils’ personal and academic growth and gives good value for money. Most pupils achieve well and standards are above average. Standards of behaviour are very good. A strong work ethic is evident throughout the school. Teaching and learning are good, although pupils are sometimes over dependent on the adults who work with them for things that they should be able to do for themselves. The curriculum is good and it includes an exceptional range of extra-curricular activities. However, opportunities are missed to ensure that pupils are fully prepared for life in a culturally diverse society. The needs of all pupils are met, including those of the most able pupils, those who speak English as an additional language and those with learning difficulties and disabilities. Pupils receive good quality care and guidance and there are good partnerships with agencies outside the

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Grade: 2

school. Provision in Reception is good overall and the children achieve well. Most reach the standards expected for their age. Good systems for reviewing its performance mean the school has an accurate view of how well it is doing. Strong leadership and management have helped the school improve at a good rate and there is much potential to sustain improvement in the future.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that pupils’ skills of independent learning are developed progressively as they move through the school. • Ensure the curriculum gives more opportunities for pupils to learn about a range of different cultures.

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Grade: 2

When children enter the school in Reception, attainment is broadly average. They achieve well as they move through the school to reach above average standards. The school has high expectations of all its pupils and successfully meets the challenging targets that it sets itself. The school is good at analysing the results of national tests to identify areas for improvement. It uses the information gained well to help drive up standards further. For example, a focus on spelling has improved standards in writing and a greater emphasis on investigative science is improving standards in science. The school recognises more still could be done in these areas. Pupils of all abilities and different ethnic and social backgrounds do equally well. Those who speak English as an additional language make good progress because of the good arrangements that are made for them to learn English. The most able children reach

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Grade: 2

the challenging goals that are set for them. Those with learning difficulties and disabilities successfully reach the targets that are set for them. 2 Inspection Report: Thomas Jolyffe Primary School, 1 March 2006 to 2 March 2006

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Grade: 2

Personal development is good and results in confident, well behaved pupils who have very good relationships with their teachers and with each other. The school has a strong work ethos and this contributes to pupils’ positive attitudes and their enthusiasm for learning. They enjoy school and their attendance is good. One girl said ‘we are so lucky to be in this school’. Pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is good. The ‘House’ system and school council support pupils’ understanding of the democratic process effectively. Through the responsibilities they are given and charity work they carry out pupils gain a good awareness of contributing to the immediate and wider community. The good initiative that pupils demonstrate as part of their responsibilities around the school is not always evident in lessons. On occasions, pupils are too reliant on the adults who work with them for things that they should be able to do for

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Grade: 2

themselves. Pupils’ cultural development is satisfactory overall. However, opportunities for them to learn about the arts and cultural traditions from ethnic minority groups are more limited. Pupils have a clear understanding of healthy eating and personal safety. They are prepared well for future life through the good emphasis that the school places on them acquiring the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Three lessons seen during the inspection were outstanding. Teaching in the Reception is good overall. Most teachers have very good relationships with their pupils and have very high expectations of them. They make use of a good range of lively and interesting methods to capture pupils’ interest and help them to learn. For example, Year 1 pupils enjoyed learning how to combine letter sounds by correcting a puppet that kept making reading mistakes. Extremely clear explanations and highly skilled questioning are features of the best lessons. This approach guides pupils towards detailed discussion that helps them, for example, in complex problem solving tasks. Pupils do not always have enough opportunities to develop the skills that they need for independent learning, such as asking their own questions and evaluating their own work. Well briefed teaching assistants make a

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Grade: 2

significant contribution to pupils’ learning. For example, they provide good support for pupils in information and communication technology (ICT) lessons in Years 3 to 6 and good support for pupils who speak English as an additional language throughout the school. Teaching for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is good. They benefit from being able to work in small groups, often led by teaching assistants. There are good systems to check how well pupils are progressing and teachers use the information gained well to plan future lessons. 3 Inspection Report: Thomas Jolyffe Primary School, 1 March 2006 to 2 March 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is well planned to meet the wide range of pupils’ abilities, needs and interests and there are good arrangements to ensure that all pupils have access to learning. The well structured programme of work for literacy and numeracy makes a significant contribution to the progress that pupils make and the standards that they achieve. However, there is not enough planning for progression in the skills of independent learning and increasing their understanding of cultural diversity. Good links are made between subjects when appropriate, and good use is made of English, mathematics and ICT in other subjects. The curriculum for reception-aged pupils is well planned. The strong emphasis the school puts on developing pupils’ personal and social skills contributes well to their understanding of safe and healthy lifestyles. The exceptional range of educational outings and extra-curricular activities makes a very

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Grade: 2

effective contribution to the pupils’ learning, particularly in sport and the arts. Pupils say that they really appreciate the wide variety of activities that are offered and they support them with enthusiasm.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support for pupils are good. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school and are confident that their children are safe, well cared for and well educated. Both parents and pupils report that children are well supported when they experience personal difficulties. There are good arrangements for ensuring pupils’ health, safety and welfare, with regular reviews of their effectiveness. Good child protection procedures are in place. The school places great importance on promoting healthy lifestyles, which effectively shape pupils’ attitudes to health, diet and physical activities. The school works well with outside agencies to support pupils who need their help. Induction procedures are good and are supported well by the good links that the school has with the nursery on the school site. Procedures for monitoring pupils’ academic and personal progress are good. The rigour of the guidance that

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Grade: 2

pupils receive when their work is marked varies between classes from satisfactory to good.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school are good. The headteacher’s strong and efficient leadership has enabled the school to improve at a good rate. He has created a strong sense of team work throughout the school. Staff in senior positions are fully involved in the management of the school and they lead their curriculum areas well. Subject leaders also do a good job, and provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is well managed. Self-evaluation is good and involves all those who have an interest in the school’s work. It is used well to accurately identify where improvements are needed. The regular monitoring of teaching and learning 4 Inspection Report: Thomas Jolyffe Primary School, 1 March 2006 to 2 March 2006 includes good advice on how teachers can improve their work. This makes an important contribution to the quality of teaching and the standards achieved. The governance

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Grade: 2

of the school is good. Governors are fully involved in all aspects of school life and have a clear and accurate view of its work. Financial management is good. The headteacher is particularly skilled in accessing additional funding from a range of different sources to improve provision for pupils. The recent improvements to the accommodation are an example of this. The school benefits from a hard working parent teacher association which raises a significant amount of money for the school. All the resources available are effectively deployed to ensure that the school gives good value for money. It has a good capacity to improve in the future. 5 Inspection Report: Thomas Jolyffe Primary School, 1 March 2006 to 2 March 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: Thomas Jolyffe Primary School, 1 March 2006 to 2 March 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 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 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 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 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

3 March 2006 Dear Pupils Thank you for making us feel so welcome when we visited your school. We enjoyed coming into lessons and assembly and watching you learn and play. We especially enjoyed talking to you and agree with you that you have a good school. What we liked most about your school: • You behave very well both in lessons and when you are in the playground. • You work hard and always try to do your best. • Your teachers make lessons interesting and are good at helping you to learn. • There are some extremely good activities after school and you support them very well. • You make good progress and your work is good. • Your headteacher runs the school well and all the staff work really hard to make your school successful. What we have asked the school to do now: • We want the school to give you the skills you need to work independently. • We have also asked them to give you more opportunities

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to learn about a wider range of different cultures and traditions. Yours sincerely Jacqueline Ikin (Lead Inspector)

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