Chilton Foliat Church of England Primary School

Inspection Report Chilton Foliat Church of England Primary School

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126397 Unique Reference Number Wiltshire LEA 282105 Inspection number 8 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 Inspection dates Eileen Chadwick RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Stag Hill School address Primary Type of school Chilton Foliat Voluntary aided School category Hungerford, Berkshire RG17 0TF 4 to 44 Age range of pupils

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01488 682630 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01488 682630 Fax number 104 Number on roll Mr Richard Clarke Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Anne Niewiadomski Headteacher 9 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282105 8 November 2005 - 4 to 44 8 November 2005 Inspection Report: Chilton Foliat Church of England Primary School, 8 November 2005 to 8 November 2005

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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 small school serves the village of Chilton Foliat and also attracts pupils from a wider area. All pupils are white British and none speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs is well below average. Attainment on entry is above average. A large proportion of pupils join or leave the school at other than the usual times. With the exception of the headteacher, there has been a complete change of teaching staff since the previous inspection.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Chilton Foliat Church of England Primary School, 8 November 2005 to 8 November 2005

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Grade: 3

The school judges its overall effectiveness as good but inspectors found it to be satisfactory, although improving. Pupils make satisfactory, but uneven, progress through the school. Their good progress in English and science leads to high standards in these subjects by Year 6. Standards in mathematics are average by Year 6, reflecting some underachievement by the higher-attaining pupils. The quality of teaching is satisfactory with strengths in Years 3 and 4. In Reception, progress is satisfactory for most children. However, weaknesses in planning for the higher attainers in mathematics, and in checking how well the children are doing, leads to them underachieving in mathematics. Throughout the school, the pupils behave well and have good attitudes to learning. There is a strong sense of community and family atmosphere in which pupils feel happy and safe. The headteacher and her deputy provide sound direction

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Grade: 3

for improving the school and are well supported by governors. Good systems have been created for raising achievement in English and the school is now implementing an initiative to do the same in mathematics. The issues from the last inspection have been tackled satisfactorily. The school has a good capacity to improve and provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

•raise standards in mathematics by increasing the proportion reaching higher levels in mathematics in Years 1 to 6 •improve progress for more able pupils in reception by increasing opportunities for them to learn at higher levels in mathematics •gather clearer information about how well children in reception are doing and make better use of it.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ achievement and progress are satisfactory. Progress is faster for the older pupils. Children enter reception with above average attainment and by the end of reception reach above average standards in most areas of learning, including reading. However, standards in mathematics are only average because the more capable children do not progress well enough. By Year 6, pupils reach high standards in English and well above average standards in science. In mathematics, standards by Year 6 are average. Whilst pupils make satisfactory progress in mathematics, a few higher-attaining pupils underachieve and this reduces the proportion reaching the higher level. Pupils use computers well to enhance their learning across the curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs make satisfactory progress. Their progress is good in Years 1 to 6 in English because they are given much effective extra support. In mathematics, their

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Grade: 3

progress is carefully monitored but not as much extra support is available to help them catch up. The school’s efforts to raise standards in English have been successful in Years 3 to 6 and the school is now implementing a project to raise achievement in mathematics. 2 Inspection Report: Chilton Foliat Church of England Primary School, 8 November 2005 to 8 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. Pupils like school and describe it as a ‘friendly and fun’ place to be. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and is promoted well through the school’s emphasis on Christian values. Pupils are reflective and respectful in their responses in assembly. They know that the school expects them to behave well and to appreciate others’ good behaviour, which helps them feel safe. They are aware of cultures beyond the small school community and speak positively about related activities, for example their fundraising to send a cow to Ethiopia. Pupils know that they need to keep safe and be healthy. They are calm and sensible. They feel that the school helps them to eat well and to take part in sports, particularly in after-school clubs. They contribute well to the village by preparing monthly church services. They make suggestions about how to improve their school through the school

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Grade: 2

council. Pupils of all ages develop good teamwork, decision-making and problem solving skills. This helps to equip them for their future economic well-being. They also enjoy learning cooperation and independence skills during a residential weekend.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Teachers’ good subject knowledge in English helps them to have high expectations and promote good learning for pupils of all abilities. There is some good teaching in mathematics in the lower juniors but this is not yet consistent throughout the school. In all year groups, teachers develop pupils’ oral communication skills and their subject vocabulary well. Pupils with special educational needs are helped effectively by support staff in reading and writing, although there is less additional support for mathematics. In reception, the quality of teaching is generally satisfactory and children settle well to a range of sound practical activities. However, further improvements are needed to check whether the children are doing well enough and the teaching does not always challenge the more capable children. Assessment systems in the rest of the school are satisfactory. They have

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Grade: 3

improved considerably since the school introduced computer-based tracking systems to enable it to examine the progress for different groups of pupils more easily.

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Grade: 3

The school provides a satisfactory curriculum. The work pupils do is broad, balanced and mostly interesting. Pupils benefit from learning French throughout the school. Teachers plan well to ensure that pupils develop and use their literacy, numeracy, computing and thinking skills across the curriculum. For example, in a mathematics 3 Inspection Report: Chilton Foliat Church of England Primary School, 8 November 2005 to 8 November 2005 lesson in the juniors, pupils compared data on the relative size of planets. This brought relevance to mathematics and helped pupils to develop more advanced thinking in science. Shortcomings in the content of the curriculum, particularly in mathematics for the youngest children, are being addressed through improved resources. At the beginning of reception in the Autumn term, not enough time is spent developing writing, considering children’s above-average attainment when they first join the

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Grade: 3

school. Pupils’ learning and their personal development are extended through a good range of after-school activities.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are well cared for. The small school environment means that staff know all pupils as individuals. They use this knowledge and the positive relationships with parents to support pupils in helping them overcome any difficulties that they experience at school and at home. Child protection and health and safety procedures are secure. Pupils say adults look after them well and that they can turn to adults if they are worried. They feel that their views are heard in the school council and that their ideas, such as how to improve their playground, are valued. This gives them confidence. Pupils feel that teachers and teaching assistants give good support if they have difficulties with their classroom work. However, pupils are not always clear about what they need to do to improve, either through individual targets set for them, or from the teachers’ marking of their books.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher and deputy headteacher have identified the main areas that require attention to raise pupils’ achievement. The steps the school has taken to improve have met with some success in English. The headteacher works effectively with staff, parents, governors and the local community. Most parents have high regard for the school. The management of subjects is satisfactory, although this aspect has lagged behind until the last year because of many staffing changes. Staff are well trained and prepared for their leadership roles. The satisfactory use of data to track how well groups of pupils and individuals are doing has drawn the staff’s attention to weaknesses in the pupils’ progress in previous years. Action is now occurring to ensure that such weaknesses are remedied. The school has recognised that better systems are needed for recording and checking

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Grade: 3

progress in reception. Governors are clear partners in the school improvement process and have a good overview of how well the school is performing. The leadership provided by the chair of governors is very good. He has enabled other governors to fulfil their roles more effectively. The budget is managed efficiently. Governors took the decision to have a very limited contingency at the end of the last academic year, in order to maintain staffing levels, despite a drop in pupil numbers. As numbers have now increased, this was prudent. The school gives satisfactory value for money and has a good capacity to improve further. 4 Inspection Report: Chilton Foliat Church of England Primary School, 8 November 2005 to 8 November 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. 5 Inspection Report: Chilton Foliat Church of England Primary School, 8 November 2005 to 8 November 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 2 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 2 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 3 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

Chilton Foliat Church of England Primary School Stag Hill Chilton Foliat Hungerford Berkshire RG17 0TF 8 November 2005 Dear Children, Thank you for your help when we visited your school in November. We enjoyed our visit, talking to you and seeing you at work and at play. We found you all to be friendly and polite. We thought these things were good about your school: •You are very helpful to each other, your teachers and visitors. •You are keen to learn and enjoy challenges. •You behave well and are a credit to your school. . •You make very good progress in reading and writing in Years 3 to 6. •You are learning well how to work in teams and make decisions together. •You arrive on time and attend regularly. •‘Six Hats Thinking’ enables you to develop your thinking and problem-solving skills well. •Learning French prepares you well for secondary school. We have suggested some things that would help your school do better:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

•We have asked the school to improve standards in mathematics by enabling more of you to work at higher levels throughout the school. •We have asked the school to check more often how well children in Reception learn. We hope you continue to enjoy your school, With our best wishes Eileen Chadwick Lead inspector

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