Drayton CofE Junior School

Inspection Report Drayton Church of England VC Middle School

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131287 Unique Reference Number NORFOLK LEA LEA 282192 Inspection number 6 October 2005 to 7 October 2005 Inspection dates Mr. Tim Boyce LI Reporting inspector

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

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School Road School address Primary Type of school NR8 6EF Voluntary controlled School category 8 to 12 Age range of pupils 01603867504 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01603261410 Fax number 350 Number on roll Mrs.Margaret Mathews Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Martin White Headteacher 3 April 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282192 6 October 2005 - 8 to 12 7 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This average sized middle school serves pupils aged from eight to 12 years in a village close to Norwich. Most pupils are of white British heritage and almost all speak English at home. The number of pupils that are eligible for free school meals is below average. The school has a below average number of pupils with learning difficulties. Very few pupils leave or join the school during a year, giving it a very stable population. Pupils enter the school with levels of attainment which are above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Drayton Church of England VC Middle School, 6 October 2005 to 7 October 2005

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that serves its pupils well. The school views itself as being good overall and the inspection team agrees with this. Parents and pupils are delighted with the school and it is highly regarded in the community. Improvement since the last inspection is good and the school has dealt effectively with the issues identified previously. There is satisfactory capacity for the school to make further improvement in the future. Achievement is good and children attain above average results in English and well above average standards in mathematics and science. Personal development is good and pupils behave and get on with each other very well. Teaching is generally good and staff plan and provide pupils with a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum that is supplemented very effectively by a wide range of well-attended extra-curricular activities. There are particular strengths in the provision for science, music and physical

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Grade: 2

education (PE), for example. The quality of care is good and pupils overwhelmingly report that they feel safe and secure in school and could approach any member of staff if they had a problem. The school works hard, to good effect, to foster the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the children, but not enough is being done to prepare them for life in a multicultural society. The views of parents are sought, and acted upon, and there is an active school council that works diligently with the staff to improve the quality of life in the school. Leadership and management are good overall. The leadership and management of the headteacher are good and he is well supported in his role by his deputy and the other members of the hardworking and talented leadership team. Monitoring and evaluation are effective but the school does not make sufficient use of the information that is gathered to share best practice

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Grade: 2

throughout the school and to raise the quality of all teaching to at least a good standard. Governance is satisfactory and is improving rapidly. The value for money is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Ensure that the knowledge gained from the monitoring of quality and standards is used to maximum effect so that best practice is shared throughout the school and the quality of teaching is raised to a consistently high level. - Further develop the quality of the cultural provision in the school so that children are better prepared for life in a multi-cultural society.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress throughout the school and build effectively on the good start they made in Key Stage 1. Progress is good in Years 4 to 6 and in 2004 the pupils almost met the very challenging targets that were set, gaining above average results in English and well above average results in mathematics and science. The results of the tests taken in 2005 show a similar situation with the slight falls in English and mathematics being more than compensated for by the significant improvement in 2 Inspection Report: Drayton Church of England VC Middle School, 6 October 2005 to 7 October 2005 science. Pupils continue this good progress throughout Year 7 and attain well above average standards in all three subjects by the time they transfer to the high school. Standards have been consistently above average for the past five years and for the past two years the school has been improving at a faster rate than the national average,

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Grade: 2

after a dip in 2002. Pupils with special educational needs make good progress, as do those who do not have English as their first language. Boys and girls achieve similar levels.

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Grade: 2

The school considers this area of its provision to be good and the inspection confirms this. Pupils enjoy all aspects of school and are very well behaved. They take immense pride in what they do and work very hard in their lessons. They are polite, considerate to visitors and form very positive relationships with other pupils and staff. The school council is well organised and active in seeking the views of all pupils. It runs a tuck shop selling healthy snacks, organises various charitable events, and is currently working on ways to reduce the risk of bullying. Attendance is satisfactory and pupils arrive at school punctually. The school works effectively to foster pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, which is good overall. Pupils are made aware of other cultures through the sponsoring of a child in India and a trip to France for older pupils, for example. However, not enough is done to prepare them for life in a multi-cultural

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Grade: 2

society. There is good provision to develop pupils' well-being. They are effectively encouraged to keep safe and to stay healthy, to enjoy their time in school and to play a full part in a wide range of community projects. Pupils develop very good communication skills and by taking part in a range of work-based projects they develop a good understanding of the world of work.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good overall and results in effective learning in most lessons. Relationships are very positive and pupils are effectively encouraged to take responsibility for their learning, to work independently and to help and support each other. This has a very positive impact, for example, on the high standards that are achieved in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and science. Assessment and planning are strengths and great care is taken, in most lessons, to match work to the needs of individual pupils and to guide them to think about how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve. Several subjects are taught very effectively by specialist teachers. In the best lessons expectations are high and the interesting subject matter engages pupils' enthusiasm. Pupils in a Year 6 class, for example, thoroughly enjoyed practising their journalistic writing skills when suggesting a range of reasons why

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Grade: 2

'Humpty Dumpty' may have parted company with the wall. The teaching of science is outstanding and the school's success is firmly based on their understanding that pupils 3 Inspection Report: Drayton Church of England VC Middle School, 6 October 2005 to 7 October 2005 learn most effectively through practical and investigative tasks. Homework is set regularly and marked carefully and most pupils gain greatly from the involvement of their parents. Pupils with additional learning needs are well supported throughout the school, as are those who speak English as an additional language.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum, which meets statutory requirements, is broad, well balanced, rich and relevant to pupils' needs, with a strong emphasis on the development of skills in English, mathematics and science and the development of a good range of computer skills. The performing arts are given high priority and many pupils sing in the choir, play musical instruments and perform in the school orchestra. Pupils report that the Year 7 musical performances are 'spectacular'. The school also provides a wide range of sporting opportunities. The curriculum is supplemented very well by the work done to gain various awards including the 'Eco School Award' for its work on conservation and a 'School Travel Plan Award' for making the journey to school safer, healthier and more environmentally friendly. There is a very good range of well attended after school activities and educational visits that extend learning well. French is taught to Years 5

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Grade: 2

and 6 so that they are well prepared for taking the subject compulsorily in Year 7. The spacious building is well equipped and supports pupils' learning very well.

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Grade: 2

These aspects of the school are good. Staff provide high levels of care and commitment and the guidance and support they give contribute very effectively to the achievement of the pupils. The school provides pupils in Year 7 with suitable careers advice and prepares them well for their transition to the high school. Pupils report that they feel very safe in school and confidently state that they could approach any member of staff if they had a concern. Secure child protection procedures are in place and are effective. Risk assessments are completed diligently and pupils in a Year 7 class took careful heed of the safety advice given when they handled delicate slide covers in an excellent practical science lesson. Pupils achieve challenging personal targets and make a significant contribution to policy decisions in school. They are actively encouraged to adopt safe and healthy lifestyles and to contribute generously to

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Grade: 2

community projects and fund raising activities. The school has a good relationship with parents and other agencies who work together to make sure that pupils make the most of their opportunities. Pupils are encouraged to stand up for their beliefs and to judge when to seek support and guidance. In conjunction with staff, the school council is currently seeking to use the buddy systems to minimise the effects of the very isolated incidents of bullying and anti-social behaviour that occasionally break out on the playground. 4 Inspection Report: Drayton Church of England VC Middle School, 6 October 2005 to 7 October 2005

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The committed and hard working headteacher is effectively supported in his work by the deputy and a dedicated and talented leadership team. The assessment co-ordinator provides outstanding leadership and management of her areas of responsibility and has an excellent understanding of how well all groups of pupils are achieving. The effectiveness of the school's systems for checking how well it is doing is satisfactory and the school has a suitably accurate perception of its strengths and areas for development. The school has a satisfactory capacity for further improvement. Many subject managers are new to their positions and the school has already started work on developing their management expertise by giving them regular opportunities both to support their colleagues and to monitor quality and standards. However, this work is still at an early stage and has yet to make

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Grade: 2

a significant impact upon standards. The school needs now to act more effectively on the evidence it gathers about what works best and to share the very best practice throughout the school so that all of the teaching is good or better. Governance is satisfactory. The governing body has been working hard to improve their effectiveness and is improving rapidly. They are, however, still too reliant on the headteacher for providing information and are not yet sufficiently well informed to hold the school to account. Financial management is effective in the way in which resources are allocated to identified priorities and the higher than average under-spend has been allocated to prudently prioritised capital programmes and projects. Given the good achievement and the relatively low costs, value for money is good. 5 Inspection Report: Drayton Church of England VC Middle School, 6 October 2005 to 7 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: Drayton Church of England VC Middle School, 6 October 2005 to 7 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 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA NA 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 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 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 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 3 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 3 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 Yes 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

Following our visit to your school Mr Messer, Mr Naylor and I would like to thank you for making us so welcome, for answering all of our questions, for telling us all about the school and for sharing with us the things that you enjoy most. We were very impressed by the very confident way that you spoke to us and the very polite way that you always opened doors when you saw us coming. We think you are lucky to go to such a safe and caring school where all the staff look after you so well. The teachers are kind and they are working very hard to help you to learn. Most of your teachers prepare very interesting lessons and are helping you to do your very best. We are encouraging the most skilled of your teachers to share their best ideas with their friends in the staffroom so that you all get to enjoy even more exciting lessons more often. You get to learn about lots of very interesting things and we were amazed at how clever

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and well informed you were about a whole lot of different things, but we think you could be given better opportunities to find out how some people in other places in the country live, the different things they might believe and the reasons why they may speak and dress differently. We hope you continue to do just as well in the future and feel sure that your school will continue to improve and flourish.

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