Stanbury Village School

Inspection Report Stanbury Village School

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107268 Unique Reference Number Bradford Local Authority 287773 Inspection number 9 October 2006 Inspection date Dee Brigstock Reporting inspector

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

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Main Street School address Primary Type of school Stanbury, Keighley Community School category West Yorkshire BD22 0HA 4 °11 Age range of pupils 01535 642270 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01535 646208 Fax number 98 Number on roll (school) Mrs E Bingham Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Graham Swinbourne Headteacher 12 February 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 287773 9 October 2006 4 °11 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 Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Stanbury is a small, rural village school but the number of pupils on roll is rising. Almost all pupils are from White British backgrounds and a few are from minority ethnic groups. The socio economic background of most pupils is above average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average, as is the proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational need. When pupils start school their skills and knowledge are broadly average, although this varies from year to year. Some pupils have had no previous pre-school experience. Few pupils leave the school between Reception and Year 6 but several join. The school has recently been re-granted the Activemark Silver Award and in 2006 gained the FA Chartermark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Stanbury Village School, 9 October 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school because the safety and well-being of every pupil is well established and their achievement is good. The school has strong links with the local community. For example, pupils were involved with the design of the local playground and influenced the colours of the play equipment because they wanted it to reflect the natural colours of the local fields and moorland. This is a small community but the school successfully promotes an acceptance of other cultures and faiths through inviting different religious leaders into school. The headteacher has established good partnerships with individuals and organisations outside school to promote pupils' well-being, health and enjoyment. For example, help in providing cross country running over the immediate countryside and using other local schools and their facilities for sport. Pupils' attendance is good and they love coming to school, describing the school as being, 'Like a big family'. They say they

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Grade: 2

feel safe and secure and the oldest are loathe to leave. Good leadership focuses firmly on promoting a love of learning, ensuring that the curriculum is varied, exciting, relevant and has links to other subjects - such as the 'evacuation' trip by steam train - which resulted in good learning in English, history and geography. Pupils really appreciate the extensive range of educational visits and visitors provided. This aspect of the curriculum plus the range of extra-curricular activities is very good. It has helped the school maintain well above average standards, particularly in English, over several years. Standards in mathematics are not as high as those in English because there are fewer links to other areas of learning, teachers' expectations of what pupils can achieve are lower and the curriculum does not have the same buzz of excitement. Staff relate well to pupils, manage their behaviour well and make good use of resources

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Grade: 2

such as interactive whiteboards to focus their attention. An effective assessment system tracks pupils' progress and provides staff with enough information to provide well-planned support for pupils who could be doing better. This helps pupils to improve their work. Good provision in the Foundation Stage means that children make good progress during this stage of their learning. The headteacher manages long term staff absence effectively so that pupils' learning is disrupted as little as possible. The school has successfully recruited governors with a wide range of expertise which is used well to monitor the work of the school and to help plan further improvements. All staff play a significant part in shaping school improvement but the criteria for measuring the success of new initiatives are not sharp enough. Likewise, the monitoring carried out by senior staff does not focus tightly enough on what could be improved

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Grade: 2

to raise standards even further. Stanbury values its traditional role in the local community but also looks to the future. The maintenance of above average standards, new improvements to the building, considerable investment in information and communication technology (ICT) and future planning to extend its provision demonstrate good capacity to improve. 2 Inspection Report: Stanbury Village School, 9 October 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in mathematics. • Sharpen the focus for monitoring teaching and learning and the criteria for measuring the success of new initiatives so that teachers and school leaders know more precisely what should be improved to raise standards further.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Children usually enter Reception with average standards, although this year they are below average. They achieve well in the Foundation Stage. All groups of pupils make good progress and achieve well in Key Stages 1 and 2. This year, standards are above average in both key stages. In previous years standards have been significantly above average by Year 6 but in 2006 they fell because changes in the year group had a negative impact on test results. Pupils' achievement is greatly enhanced by an exciting curriculum. For example, staff constructed the remains of a crashed spaceship in the playground and surrounded it with police tape. Soldiers (parents) arrived to guard the debris. Pupils were completely hoodwinked for a while and very good creative writing resulted. Pupils are proud of the standards they reach and the new skills they learn, particularly in sporting activities. Pupils' achievement in mathematics could be better. Their knowledge of multiplication

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Grade: 2

tables is not secure and this is slowing the speed of their work.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Their enjoyment of school is outstanding. Parents fully endorse this. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils have a thorough understanding of how to stay fit, safe and healthy. Older pupils are proud of their role in supporting the youngest children and take their role as monitors very seriously. Pupils have strong links with the local community, including with other schools, for example, in accessing external sporting facilities, and they are very aware of conservation issues in the local environment. Pupils' acquisition of skills they will need in later life is good.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Well qualified, confident teachers plan interesting work that captures pupils' imagination. They use the local environment well, for example, in going to the moors to participate in drama based on 'Wuthering Heights'. Where teaching and learning are most effective teachers and teaching 3 Inspection Report: Stanbury Village School, 9 October 2006 assistants work well as a team to deliver high quality education. Good relationships between staff and pupils generate good behaviour. On occasion, teachers' expectations of what pupils can achieve in mathematics are not high enough and they are too reliant on published schemes of work in this subject.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is broad, very well enriched and exciting. The local area, visits and visitors are used very well to provide first hand learning experiences and make learning links between subjects. The school has good involvement in the local community. ICT is used well to access new resources for pupils. The school timetables regular theme weeks and fun days, for example, French Week. As one pupil put it, 'It kind of persuades you to go there.' The teaching of French is well established. There is a very large range of extra-curricular activities for such a small school, including a wide range of healthy sports activities, to which 90% of pupils belong. The curriculum in the Foundation Stage is also enriched well. The range of physical education lessons is restricted on site because there is no field, although the school compensates for this by using other local facilities.

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Grade: 2

Staff know their pupils well. Procedures for child protection and health and safety routines are firmly in place and known to staff. Good links with professionals, such as the school nurse, make an appreciable contribution to pupils' well-being. Pupils feel safe and secure and staff are sensitive to the needs of the most vulnerable pupils. Good support enables smooth transfer for pupils when they go to their next schools. Academic guidance is good. Teachers' marking, particularly in English, is good and clearly guides pupils on how to improve further, with an expectation that corrections to work are completed.

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Grade: 2

Leaders know their school well. They set clear educational direction by correctly identifying what it does well and where it could improve further. The headteacher leads curriculum development and enrichment with enthusiasm and this is a key factor in pupils' enjoyment of school and learning. The school's tracking system clearly identifies pupils' achievement and this information is used well to provide additional support where required. However, the monitoring of teaching and learning does not have a sharp enough focus on how teachers can improve further. The headteacher, subject leaders and governors share a clear view of school improvement but, although the school improvement plan accurately identifies what needs to be improved further and how the school is doing this, the criteria by which improvements can be measured are not precise enough. This makes success difficult for governors to monitor. Leaders

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Stanbury Village School, 9 October 2006 have ensured that improvements to the fabric of the building make it accessible to pupils with physical disabilities, including the installation of a lift. Governors use their expertise well, for instance, in ICT and in business, for the benefit of pupils. 5 Inspection Report: Stanbury Village School, 9 October 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Stanbury Village School, 9 October 2006

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Stanbury Village School, 9 October 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Stanbury Village School, 9 October 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you very much for talking with me about your school and the things you like to do. You are rightly very proud of your school. These are the things that really struck me as being very successful. • How much you really like going to school. • The standards you reach by the time you leave school. • How well you talk and listen to each other and to your teachers. • All the extra things you do in sports, especially running through the countryside! • The way you worked with your village to help design the playground. • Your learning about other cultures: how people are the same and how they are different. • All those different visits and visitors you have. • The way your headteacher and governors are changing the school to make it even better. The headteacher and I think that your school could improve even more if: • all teachers made your lessons in mathematics a bit more exciting and expected you to learn

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

even more • the school's plan on how it could get even better was more detailed. You can help by learning your multiplication tables by heart! I hope you will carry on enjoying learning and helping your teachers to make Stanbury Village School a good place to be. 9 Inspection Report: Stanbury Village School, 9 October 2006

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