Minety Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Minety Church of England Primary School

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126379 Unique Reference Number Wiltshire LEA 282102 Inspection number 8 December 2005 to 8 December 2005 Inspection dates Christine Huard RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Sawyers Hill School address Primary Type of school Minety Voluntary controlled School category Malmesbury, Wiltshire SN16 9QL 4 to 11 Age range of pupils

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01666 860257 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01666 860095 Fax number 124 Number on roll Mrs/Mrs Penny/Jill King/Hubbard Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority

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Mr Bernard Crooks Headteacher 10 July 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282102 8 December 2005 - 4 to 11 8 December 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is a small school where nearly all the pupils come from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs is below average although this is subject to fluctuation with each new entry. Almost all the children enter the school from the on-site pre-school having usually gained the expected levels expected 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: Minety Church of England Primary School, 8 December 2005 to 8 December 2005

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school that provides satisfactory value for money which confirms the school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness. Leadership and management, teaching and the progress made by pupils are all satisfactory. The only pupils who do not make as much progress as others are some who are just below average in Years 2 and 3 and who struggle when work set is too difficult for them to cope with. The school has made satisfactory progress since its previous inspection and good progress in the provision for and use of information and communication technology (ICT). Issues concerning the leadership and management of the school have been satisfactorily addressed but recently appointed subject co-ordinators do not as yet have a strong enough role in checking how well their subject is being taught in lessons. The good governing body is now fully involved in school planning and monitoring performance and provides

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Grade: 3

strong support and guidance. Children are given a sound start in the Foundation Stage and by the time pupils leave school at the end of Year 6 standards are broadly average. Pupils have good attitudes to their learning and participate enthusiastically in the activities provided both in and out of school hours. The school has a good awareness of its strengths and weaknesses and has satisfactory action plans in place to make the necessary improvements.

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What the school should do to improve further

•Improve the quality of teaching in Years 2 and 3, particularly for pupils who are just below average, in order to raise standards, particularly in reading. •Strengthen the roles of recently appointed subject co-ordinators so that they can monitor pupils’ learning effectively.

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Grade: 3

Children of reception age make satisfactorily progress towards achieving their Early Learning Goals and enter Year 1 with mainly average standards. By the end of Year 2 standards are broadly average. There has been an improvement in both writing and mathematics since 2004 but the percentage of pupils reaching the nationally expected Level 2 in reading was below average in tests in 2005. The school has taken steps to bring about improvement, and the school’s monitoring to date and inspection findings indicate that these are beginning to be effective. The school supports higher attaining pupils well in English and mathematics and these pupils achieve well because of the challenges they are given. Higher attainers do not progress as well in science and this is another area where the school has targeted improvement. Standards were broadly average in national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2005. Pupils’ progress was satisfactory overall and good in English where standards were above

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Grade: 3

average. The school acted quickly and effectively to improve weaknesses in writing after poor results in 2004. The school’s challenging targets for both English and mathematics were met in 2005, and those for pupils achieving Level 5 in English 2 Inspection Report: Minety Church of England Primary School, 8 December 2005 to 8 December 2005 considerably exceeded. Pupils have challenging individual targets in literacy and numeracy and, particularly in Year 6, are fully aware of these and what they need to do to achieve the next National Curriculum level. This provides an extra stimulus to improvement. Pupils with learning difficulties achieve satisfactorily in relation to their starting points, but some lower average attaining pupils in Years 2 and 3 make limited progress because work is not sufficiently matched to their capabilities and the tasks set are too difficult for them.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is good. Attendance and punctuality are good and reflect the strength of parental support and pupils’ enjoyment of school. Pupils are positive about school and keen to learn. Behaviour is generally good in lessons and at playtimes because staff have consistent expectations about pupils’ behaviour. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Spiritual development is promoted well through assemblies, which provide good opportunities for children to think about the spiritual dimension of life. Pupils are gaining a good awareness of growing up in a culturally diverse society and the school has a strong citizenship programme, which includes global citizenship helped by the school’s links with a school in Pakistan. Moral and social development are also promoted well. Pupils understand the need to keep safe and adopt a healthy lifestyle and encouraged by the school, a recent school survey showed that about a third are involved in sporting

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Grade: 2

activities outside the normal school day. They make a positive contribution to the school community through classroom responsibilities and the School Council. Pupils are developing sound literacy, numeracy and ICT skills, all of which will contribute positively towards their future economic well-being. Pupils have been given a very good chance to see the benefits of democracy in action when they joined with others, including governors and the local member of parliament, in successfully campaigning for a reduction in traffic speed limits close to the school.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. Strengths in teaching include the particularly effective teaching of literacy in Years 5 and 6 and also especially competent use of the interactive whiteboard in those years. Evidence of the improvement in the teaching of ICT in Key Stage 2 since the last inspection was seen in a science lesson in Years 4 and 5 where pupils were competently using a programme to create a range of parallel and series circuits meeting particular criteria. Teaching is mostly interesting and as a result pupils are attentive and responsive in class and complete their work carefully. 3 Inspection Report: Minety Church of England Primary School, 8 December 2005 to 8 December 2005 Marking is good and usually helpful in offering pupils good ideas on how to improve the content and structure of their work. Older pupils say they find this very useful. An example of the weaknesses in teaching in Years 2 and 3, which hold back the

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Grade: 3

progress of pupils who are just below average, was seen in their work when they struggled to create new words with a specific ending, because they were unable to read and understand the original word. The few pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities receive sound support, which enables them to learn effectively and achieve satisfactorily. Higher attaining pupils are generally well challenged in the tasks they are set.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It is interesting, captures pupils’ interest and meets their needs well. It mostly takes account of the needs of different groups of learners to ensure that children in mixed aged classes cover all the areas that they should do. The well furbished computer suite has been an important factor in bringing about the improvements in ICT. A good range of enrichment activities contributes effectively to children’s enjoyment and achievement. There are particular strengths in music and drama and French and football clubs have been introduced after views of parents and pupils were considered. Pupils enjoy and benefit from a range of visits and visitors such as speakers from various religious groups and a visit to the museum of the Royal Navy. There is a good range of out of school clubs and the biennial residential trip for older pupils develops pupils’ confidence and self-esteem well. The school’s personal,

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Grade: 2

social and health education is well planned and includes teaching on health, sex and drugs relevant to pupils’ age group. There are plenty of opportunities in the curriculum for pupils to work together in groups and this is helping them to develop self-confidence and contributing to the kind of skills that will hold them in good stead in the future.

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of its pupils and its attention to pupils’ welfare and safety are good. When interviewed, the pupils say they feel safe at school and have an adult in whom they can confide. The introduction of suggestion boxes means that pupils can express ideas and concerns confidentially. The school monitors pupils’ personal and academic progress well. Targets are sharp and clearly show what pupils need to do to improve and move forward in their learning, enabling most pupils to make satisfactory progress. They are very aware of the school’s systems for promoting good behaviour and helping pupils to achieve their academic targets. Child protection procedures are robust and risk assessments are undertaken regularly. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are monitored well and the school works closely with parents and outside agencies in order to provide the right kind of support.

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Minety Church of England Primary School, 8 December 2005 to 8 December 2005

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Grade: 3

The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The headteacher has a strong commitment to the school and provides sound leadership. He has been instrumental in raising staff morale after staff were led through the redundancy process two years in succession. The effective way in which the school went about improving standards in mathematics and literacy following the results of 2004 shows that it has the ability to do the same with other weaknesses it has identified. A new leadership team has brought with it improvements in planning and monitoring. The many recent staff changes have been handled well. Some good supportive systems are in place. The headteacher for example carries out regular lesson observations and provides comprehensive feedback on strengths and weaknesses in teaching. Self-evaluation and follow up action are satisfactory, but recently appointed subject co-ordinators are not as yet playing a prominent enough part in monitoring the teaching

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Grade: 3

of their subject. Management of the Foundation Stage is satisfactory and shows a sound understanding of the needs of young children. The governors fulfil all their statutory responsibilities. They challenge the school, showing a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They have ensured that the issues from the previous inspection have been addressed satisfactorily. They are fully involved in school improvement planning and their monitoring role has developed significantly in the last 12 months. Governor expertise has been used effectively in helping to resolve the school’s recent financial difficulties and the school is no longer in deficit. Staff and governors have a clear picture of how well the school is performing and have the capacity to carry out the improvements necessary to raise standards further. Communication with supportive parents has improved since the last inspection and any views deposited in a ‘parent suggestion box’ are taken seriously.

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Grade: 3

5 Inspection Report: Minety Church of England Primary School, 8 December 2005 to 8 December 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: Minety Church of England Primary School, 8 December 2005 to 8 December 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 3 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 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

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 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 3 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 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 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 3 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

Minety Church of England Primary School Sawyers Hill Malmesbury SN16 9QL 9 December 2005 As you know, we visited your school recently. We enjoyed our time there and would like to thank you for all the help you gave us. From talking to you we know how much you enjoy being at Minety. We thought you would like to know what we thought about your school. What we think your school does well: •You behave well and are really keen to learn. •Most of you take very seriously the importance of eating healthily at school and taking physical exercise. •All pupils have a chance to participate in music or drama activities. •The teachers and staff take good care of you while you are in school. •The governors work very hard to help to the school run smoothly. What we have asked the school to do to improve: •We think that the lessons for those of you in Years 2 and 3 need to be even better planned and taught. •Teachers in charge of subjects need to keep a more careful check on how their

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

subjects are being taught. Very best wishes Christine Huard Lead Inspector

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