Ramsbury Primary School

Inspection Report Ramsbury Primary School

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126205 Unique Reference Number Wiltshire LEA 282076 Inspection number 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 Inspection dates Bradley Simmons HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Back Lane School address Primary Type of school Marlborough Community School category Wiltshire SN8 2QH 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01672 520244 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01672 520145 Fax number 184 Number on roll Mrs Clare Allman Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Richard Colley Headteacher 15 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282076 22 March 2006 - 4 to 11 22 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors. The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, individual staff, pupils and the chair of governors, scrutinised a range of documentation and pupils’ work and visited every classroom.

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Description of the school

Ramsbury Primary School is situated in a rural part of Wiltshire. It is slightly smaller than most primary schools; its roll has fallen recently because of the lack of affordable family housing in the village. This has necessitated some cuts in support staffing hours. There are very few pupils entitled to a free school meal and the percentage of pupils with learning difficulties is below the national average. A very small number of pupils are from minority ethnic groups.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Ramsbury Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006

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Grade: 1

Ramsbury Primary School has many very strong elements and several exemplary features. These combine to make an outstanding school which has no significant weaknesses and which provides excellent value for money. Parents are very pleased with the progress their children make, and rightly so. Pupils join the reception class with levels of attainment that are just above those normally expected for five year olds and by the time that they leave this class, most of them exceed the Early Learning Goals and thus are very well placed to continue to make very good progress in Key Stage 1. As a result, by the time they are seven years old, pupils at Ramsbury consistently attain standards in the reading, writing and mathematics which are overall significantly higher than the national average. Their very good progress continues in Key Stage 2, so that, by the time they leave the school, standards overall are outstanding. Since the last inspection, the school has worked to

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Grade: 1

very good effect to improve provision in information and communication technology (ICT) and standards are now well above those normally expected. Pupils with learning difficulties make very good progress because the targets set for them are precise and their progress towards these is checked fortnightly. Very high quality teaching is one of the exemplary features of this school. The impact of teaching on pupils’ progress over time is outstanding. Teachers have excellent subject knowledge and very good questioning skills. Praise is used judiciously to motivate pupils. Work is very well matched to pupils’ needs because teachers build consistently on pupils’ prior knowledge. Teaching assistants are very well deployed to ensure that pupils receive the support they require. Pupils work extremely hard because they are expected to and because they are regularly rewarded for doing so. At the beginning of each lesson, teachers discuss the learning objective and success criteria

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Grade: 1

with pupils; they return to these at the end of lessons, so that pupils are able to judge their own success. The best marking is outstanding and pupils love the ‘three stars and a wish’ system which gives them both praise and clear targets for improvement. One pupil said: ‘You know what you’re trying to aim for.’ The school realises that this feedback is not consistent in all classes and should now aim to bring all marking to this high level. One of the secrets of this school’s success is the rigour of the assessment systems. Day by day, term by term and year on year, the performance of pupils is carefully evaluated and teaching is modified to meet their needs. A parent expressed concern that the curriculum, although broad, is not balanced, because she felt the children do not do enough physical education (PE). A scan of timetables reveals that each class has a block lesson of around one hour each week.

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Grade: 1

In addition, pupils have recently started to undertake fifteen minutes vigorous physical activity at the start of each day. An appropriate level of time is therefore now devoted to PE. The school recognises that the curriculum does not entirely reflect the diverse nature of British society. It has devised an action plan to improve the cultural development 2 Inspection Report: Ramsbury Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 of pupils and should now prioritise its implementation to ensure that pupils are fully prepared to play their part in wider society. Pupils’ behaviour throughout the school is excellent; they are polite, warm and welcoming to adults and treat each other with respect. They enjoy school, as demonstrated by an excellent rate of attendance and by their excellent attitudes in lessons and cheery countenance around the school. Pupils have a high awareness of safety issues and highlighted the slightly hazardous nature of the path to the field

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Grade: 1

which the school has noted. They know that there is someone at school to whom they can turn if they feel worried. Child protection procedures are robust, and well understood by staff. Pupils have a very good understanding of the importance of eating a balanced diet. They drink plenty of water and each day a very high proportion of pupils eat fruit provided by the national scheme. Parents are very pleased with the school’s high level of involvement in the community. Apart from valuable fundraising activities, pupils contribute regularly to local events, with activities as diverse as providing a puppet exhibition for the village street fair and singing and playing instruments in the local church. There are a wide range of clubs and enrichment activities enjoyed by pupils, and particularly noteworthy in this small school is the large number of pupils who take up the opportunity to learn a musical instrument and join the orchestra. Both the orchestra

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Grade: 1

and choir achieve very high standards, although more boys should be encouraged to join the choir. Pupils feel that their views are heard at this school; the school council is rightly proud of the marvellous play equipment on the field – just one example of their deliberations to help improve the school. Leadership at all levels in this school is outstanding. The senior leaders of the school have a very accurate view of the school’s performance. They, and other subject leaders, share an unrelenting focus on maintaining and improving all aspects of pupils’ achievement. Regular and incisive monitoring of teaching and learning by the headteacher ensures that the teachers constantly strive to meet the needs of pupils of all abilities. It encourages reflection, so teachers evaluate and improve their own work. All this is underpinned by an ethos where very good relationships and a sense of humour are prized. There is much laughter in this school. Governors prioritise the

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Grade: 1

maintenance of the very high levels of pupils’ achievement. The strategic committee provides excellent support and challenge, and has not shied from taking unpalatable and, at times, unpopular decisions in order to maintain the school’s financial equilibrium. The school leadership is responsive to parental opinion. It has taken action to deal with the one major area of dissatisfaction revealed last year by the parents’ focus group and has improved the systems by which the school communicates with parents. Several parents expressed their satisfaction with the use of email and curricular newsletters written by pupils. 3 Inspection Report: Ramsbury Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 22 March 2006 The very high standards found at the time of the last inspection have been maintained and, in ICT, these have improved. The school demonstrates very good capacity to continue to improve.

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Grade: 1

This grade is explained above. 4 Inspection Report: Ramsbury Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 22 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. 5 Inspection Report: Ramsbury Primary School, 22 March 2006 to 22 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 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 1 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 2 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 the very warm welcome you gave me when I visited your school. As you know, I talked to many of you throughout the day to help me decide how good Ramsbury School is. I told some of you that I would write to you all to tell you what I found out. I think your school is fantastic. This probably does not surprise you, as most of you and your parents think the same! Here are just a few of the things I really liked about it: •Your headteacher, Mr. Colley, is an outstanding leader. He is always trying to make your school better for you. •Your teachers and teaching assistants do their jobs extremely well and work extremely hard. They make sure you all get work that suits you so you are able to make very good progress. •You like the many opportunities you have to join clubs and to take part in musical activities. I loved hearing the orchestra play and listening to the choir sing, although I do think more boys

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

should join the choir. I also think you have done a fantastic job in organising such marvellous play equipment in the field – my own children would love it! Several of you told me how useful the ‘three stars and a wish’ marking is. I’ve asked your teachers to make sure this is used well in every class so that you know what you have to do to improve your work. A few of you mentioned that the path to the field is uneven and not as safe as you want it to be, and I’ve asked Mr. Colley to give this some more thought.

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