Sudbury Primary School

Inspection Report Sudbury Primary School

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112631 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE LEA LEA 284319 Inspection number 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Colin Humphreys LI 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 cause any school to be inspected. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School Lane School address Primary Type of school DE6 5HZ Community School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01283585251 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01283 585251 Fax number 38 Number on roll Mr.Nigel Francis Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Sandra Rimmer Headteacher 10 January 2005 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 284319 1 February 2006 - 4 to 11 2 February 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

When Sudbury Primary School was inspected in January 2005 it was judged to require special measures because it was failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education. Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools (HMI) subsequently visited the school on two occasions to monitor its progress. The inspection of February 2006 was carried out by one HMI over a two day period.

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Description of the school

Sudbury Primary is a very small rural school with 38 pupils. It is located in the village of Sudbury a few miles from the town of Uttoxeter. It has two classes. All the children are white and come from backgrounds that are neither socially advantaged nor disadvantaged. Two pupils (about 5%) are entitled to free school meals, which is below average, and 7 (18%) have been identified by the school as having learning difficulties, which is broadly average. Following the judgement that placed the school in special measures, the local authority paid for, and is still funding, an acting headteacher to improve the school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Sudbury Primary School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006

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Grade: 3

In accordance with section 13(4) of the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. Sudbury Primary School has recently improved significantly. It now gives the children a satisfactory education and is clearly on track to consolidate the progress made and improve further. The children are now making good progress and many achieved high standards in recent national tests. Reception children are well prepared for moving up to Year 1. The older children's books show that very recent work is of a much better standard than in previous terms, where there was some underachievement. Children with learning difficulties make good progress. The children's personal development has significantly improved and is now satisfactory, although some older children find it hard to concentrate all the time. The pupils behave well and feel safe. They enjoy their education and want to do

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Grade: 3

well. The quality of teaching has recently improved and is now good. The curriculum meets requirements and there is rightly a strong focus on the key skills of literacy and numeracy. The school takes good care of the children and they are given clear guidance on how well they are doing and how they can improve. The acting headteacher is leading and managing the school well. She has established a strong staff team and everyone is rightly optimistic about the future. Subject leadership is satisfactory but there is scope to improve it further. Governors have improved their work and generally monitor the school more effectively, although there is room to make governance even better. The school provides satisfactory value for money, although it is receiving substantial financial help from the local authority, which it will need to manage without in the future. The school has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection,

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Grade: 3

particularly recently, and has a good capacity for making further improvements.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Improve subject leadership, focusing on raising standards further. - Strengthen the children's personal development further, building on the progress made so far. - Consolidate all the improvements made so that the school will be well placed to manage without extra financial support from the local authority.

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Grade: 2

Because there are only a few children in each year group, comparing the school's results with other schools can be misleading. However, the results of the 2005 assessments and national tests show the children in Years 2 and 6 achieved good results and made good progress against their starting point in the school. Much of the progress they made was due to the extra help they had recently in 'booster' classes. Reception children enter the school with broadly average skills. They develop their skills well and are well prepared for moving up to Year 1. In Years 1 and 2 they are making good progress, reflecting the effective quality of teaching. The older children's books show that last term their work was not as good as it should have been and there 2 Inspection Report: Sudbury Primary School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 was notable underachievement. However, their books also show that very recent work

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Grade: 2

is of a good standard and is presented well, with children taking an obvious pride in their work. This significant improvement is a very positive development. They have also developed their computer skills recently. Children with learning difficulties make good progress because they are well supported.

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Grade: 3

The pupils' personal development used to be unsatisfactory because of some misbehaviour and silliness. Things have significantly improved and now their personal development is satisfactory. Because the teaching is good, the pupils engage with their work much more than before and are interested in their work. In the older class, these improvements in their attitudes are fairly recent and still developing. They have greatly improved their skills at working cooperatively in pairs and small groups. The pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development have considerably improved and are now satisfactory. In assembly the acting headteacher helps them to reflect thoughtfully on important moral themes and to look at social issues in a mature way. This work is effectively built on in their personal, health and social education (PHSE) lessons. The pupils have a developing understanding of a range of different cultures,

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Grade: 3

such as when they listened to some Maori music or studied Islam. The pupils behave well in school and in the playground. They feel safe at school and are mostly considerate of each other. They enjoy their education much more than at the time of the previous inspection and want to do well. They know about healthy eating and enjoy their fruit snacks. The quality of the freshly cooked school meals is good. The pupils have an appropriate programme of exercise through their physical education lessons. There are worthwhile opportunities for the children to contribute to the wider community through raising money for charity and through inviting the local residents to their church services at Christmas and Harvest Festival. They are prepared well for the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 3

Teaching is better than learning. The quality of teaching has recently improved and is now good. This is helping the children to make better progress and they are taking more trouble in the way they present their work. The older children's learning, however, lags slightly behind the quality of teaching because they are still getting used to the teachers' higher expectations of behaviour and concentration. They are not yet working to their full potential, but are well on their way. In the best lessons, the children are actively involved in their learning and their ideas are listened to. Teachers often use questioning skilfully to stretch the children and to make them think more deeply. Teachers make sure that the children have a clear idea about how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve. For example, clear individual targets have recently 3 Inspection Report: Sudbury Primary School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006

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Grade: 3

been introduced. Lessons are well planned and teachers are good at making sure that the work is at the right level for the different ages and abilities of the children in their class. Effective use is made of the teaching assistants, who generally make a good contribution to the children's learning. They meet regularly with the teachers and the acting headteacher to plan and review their work, and this is a positive development. The acting headteacher works effectively with small groups to support their learning and boost their knowledge and skills. Children with learning difficulties are supported well.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum meets requirements and all subjects are allocated an appropriate amount of time. There is clear guidance for teachers on what they are to cover in the different subjects. There is rightly a strong focus on the key skills of literacy and numeracy. The management of some of the other subjects needs more work, and the school has identified this as a priority in its own school plan. The content of the curriculum is sensibly and appropriately planned to take account of the mixed-age classes. Opportunities for problem solving and investigative work are well planned for. Recently, the use of computers and interactive whiteboards across the curriculum has significantly improved. The school provides an appropriate range of extra-curricular activities and educational trips out of school. There are helpful links with other local schools, for example, a teacher from a local secondary school helps the school with the teaching

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Grade: 2

The school takes good care of the children. They are well supervised at breaks and lunchtime. In classrooms, there is a happy, family atmosphere developing because the pupils are responding well to the calm and productive tone that the teachers set. Children who are distressed are looked after well. Some children said there was occasional name calling in school but all agreed strongly that when the teachers are told, this is sorted out. The school has good policies for supporting the children's personal development, and these are already having a positive effect. There are appropriate arrangements in place relating to first aid and child protection issues. The children are given clear guidance on how well they are doing at school and how they can improve. Links with parents are much improved and they feel well informed about what is going on.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management across the school is satisfactory and improving. The acting headteacher is leading and managing the school well. Much of her time in recent terms has rightly been on putting the school back on track. She has set up the right structures 4 Inspection Report: Sudbury Primary School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 2006 and systems to underpin the schools work, so that everything is focused on improving the progress the children make. She has also spent a good deal of time working to improve teaching. Initially things improved slowly. However, she showed perseverance and determination and now the school is improving rapidly. She has established a good sense of purpose and a strong staff team is developing. The acting headteacher's evaluation of the school's work is accurate and effective. She knows where further improvements are needed. Everyone is rightly optimistic about the future. The school

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Grade: 3

is clearly on track to consolidate the progress made so far and the local community is justified in regaining its confidence in the school. Subject leadership is satisfactory but there is scope to improve it further. Clear systems are in place but these are in the early stages of development. Governors have improved their work and are better placed to monitor and support the school, although there is room to make governance even better. Helpfully, the school is being financially supported by the local authority, but clearer plans are needed to make sure the school can manage without this extra support in the future. Within this context, the school is providing satisfactory value for money. Now that all staff are pulling together effectively, there is good capacity for further improvement. 5 Inspection Report: Sudbury Primary School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 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: Sudbury Primary School, 1 February 2006 to 2 February 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 3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 3 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 3 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 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 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

I would like to thank you for making me feel welcome when I visited your school recently. You were very polite and helped me with the inspection, so I am writing to tell you what I thought of your school. As you know, the school was told a year ago that it was not providing you with a good enough education, and so we put the school into 'special measures', which means we would check each term to see how well the school was putting things right. Well, things are much better now and the school is not in 'special measures' anymore. Mrs Rimmer has helped the school a lot and has made many good changes. Because of this we think many things have improved. First, you behave better than you did before; in class, in the playground and at dinner time. Well done! Second, you make better progress in lessons and make much more use of the computers than you used to. Third, the work in your books looks like you are taking more pride

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

in what you do, and lastly, your teachers are making the lessons more interesting and making you work harder. Remember to thank your teachers for all they do for you. We have told the school that there are still things to do. These include making sure that the recent improvements carry on. Some of you still need to make sure that you concentrate on your work all the time. I wish you all the best for the future.

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