Utkinton St Paul's CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Utkinton St Paul's CofE Primary School

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111261 Unique Reference Number Cheshire Local Authority 288906 Inspection number 4 December 2006 Inspection date Marie Cordey 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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Quarry Bank School address Primary Type of school Utkinton, Tarporley Voluntary controlled School category Cheshire CW6 0LA 5 °11 Age range of pupils 01829 732322 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01829 732322 Fax number 58 Number on roll (school) Mr Paul Sirett Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs A Barnett Headteacher 9 July 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 288906 4 December 2006 5 °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

This is a very small school in a rural village near Tarporley. It has three classes. All of the pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average. A well below average proportion of the pupils is eligible for free school meals. The school holds the Healthy Schools Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Utkinton St Paul's CofE Primary School, 4 December 2006

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Grade: 1

Utkinton St Paul's is an outstanding school providing excellent value for money. Standards are exceptionally high by the end of Year 6 and pupils make excellent progress. Achievement is outstanding. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make the same exceptional gains in their learning as their classmates because of careful planning and excellent support for their learning. The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage are good. Children settle in well to school life, are well taught and make good progress. There are, however, insufficient resources for creative outdoor play. The pupils are welcoming, articulate and caring. This is because of the individual respect and value placed upon them. The school aim 'To know and nurture our pupils' is achieved and, as a result, pupils become well rounded learners. The Christian character of the school helps to create a happy, moral and spiritual environment. Parents

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Grade: 1

overwhelmingly support and value the school. The school is exceptionally well led and managed by an inspirational headteacher. She takes the welfare of the pupils and staff very much to heart and all work very well together. Overall, teaching and learning are outstanding and pupils relish their lessons. Teachers know how to get the best out of the pupils because they know them very well and understand their needs. Pupils know how they are doing in their work and precisely what to do to improve it. They are taught to develop their thinking skills and actively demonstrate them, for example, revealing their views on evolution and tips on how to 'grow your brain'. Pupils receive a high quality of provision for their personal development so that they become responsible members of their community. Their behaviour is excellent and attitudes to learning are exceptional. Very high attendance reflects pupils' enjoyment of school. The curriculum is outstanding. It is planned to

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Grade: 1

match pupils' needs and to provide a rich mix of out-of-school events. Residential visits are enjoyed immensely and contribute to pupils' confidence, self-esteem and social skills. Leadership and management are excellent and foster the personal and intellectual development of the pupils very well. Very effective partnerships with the pupils' parents and outside agencies contribute to the excellent care and support that the pupils receive. High quality systems have been built up through careful evaluation of what works best for the pupils. The school is very much aware of its strengths and knows exactly what it wants to do to keep improving. Nevertheless, its self-evaluation is too modest because the headteacher and governors do not fully appreciate how effective they are. Governance is very successful in holding the school to account and providing very effective support. There has been excellent improvement since the previous

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Grade: 1

inspection and exceptional capacity to develop even further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Create more opportunities for outside play in the Foundation Stage in order to develop learning through play. 2 Inspection Report: Utkinton St Paul's CofE Primary School, 4 December 2006

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Grade: 1

Pupils enter the school with differing standards from year to year, but overall their skills are broadly in line with those of children of their age. By the time pupils leave the Reception class their standards have improved to above average. As they progress through the school their standards continue to improve. When they reach the end of Year 6 their standards are exceptionally high in all the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. This reflects a pattern of high standards and improvement over time and is due to teachers' high and accurate expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils consistently exceed their challenging targets despite these being raised each year. Pupils' high standards in literacy and numeracy provide them with a very strong foundation for adult life. Children in the Foundation Stage are not provided with sufficient outdoor play opportunities, however, and this prevents their progress

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Grade: 1

Personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils make exceptional gains in their personal development and become increasingly responsible. They develop into proud ambassadors for their school because they are respected and well cared for. Pupils and staff refer to the school 'family' because they feel they are a key part of each other's lives. The school's Christian character provides for a very strong spiritual and reflective atmosphere in the school. A very effective personal, social and health education programme ensures that social, emotional and cultural development are also of the highest quality. Pupils raise significant funds for a wide range of charities through their own efforts. They are very involved in their local community, particularly in helping the elderly. Pupils enjoy caring for each other and also take pride in the 'buddy' system. Pupils take regular exercise and eat healthily, gaining the Healthy

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Grade: 1

Eating School award. They feel safe and are aware of how to look after themselves. Pupils gain in confidence and develop outstanding social skills which prepare them very well for later life.

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Grade: 1

Pupils progress well because they are highly motivated and very well challenged. Teachers plan work that matches their needs accurately and challenges them intellectually. Learning is made exciting and pupils are thoroughly involved. Very high expectations result in pupils who use sophisticated vocabulary as a matter of course and think reflectively. They are involved in setting their own targets and know exactly what to do to reach higher standards. Good teaching in the Foundation Stage is based 3 Inspection Report: Utkinton St Paul's CofE Primary School, 4 December 2006 on thorough and individually focused planning. This enables children to settle down quickly and make good progress.

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Grade: 1

An exciting curriculum is closely matched to the needs of all pupils. Those pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities are very well supported. This contributes strongly to an inclusive school where all pupils are equally important. Planning for the mixed age classes is meticulous in order to cater for individual need. Provision for information and communication technology has improved since the previous inspection and pupils are adept at using the wide range of new resources. Enrichment activities are outstanding and celebrated by the pupils and their parents. All pupils have the chance to play a musical instrument and musical events are very well attended. Touch-typing is very popular and sporting teams have been very successful despite the size of the school.

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Grade: 1

The quality of care, guidance and support is outstanding. The school provides a stimulating, warm and welcoming environment for its pupils. All pupils are clear about who they can turn to when they are troubled and the school knows its individual pupils very well. Displays of pupils' work are attractively presented and celebrate their achievements at all ages and abilities. The school has appropriate procedures for child protection and for safeguarding its pupils. Vulnerable pupils and those with additional needs are given excellent support. The three classes have small numbers and excellent support. As a result, pupils thrive on the attention paid to them. Pupils are very much aware of their standards and exactly how to improve. Tracking their progress provides reliable information, for use by the school and the pupils themselves.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding and contribute very strongly to high standards and high quality care for the pupils' well-being. The headteacher works with all staff and governors to thoroughly check and continually improve the performance of the school. Parents praise both the headteacher's contribution to the standards achieved and the way that their children are cared for and encouraged. Governors are very involved in the day-to-day life of the school in addition to holding regular meetings. They know the school and individual pupils very well. This helps them to support the headteacher in doing the best job she can because she believes that 'each child only has this day once' - and the school's performance reflects its success in making the most of each pupil's opportunity to achieve as best they can. 4 Inspection Report: Utkinton St Paul's CofE Primary School, 4 December 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 5 Inspection Report: Utkinton St Paul's CofE Primary School, 4 December 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 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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

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

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 1 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 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?

1 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. 6 Inspection Report: Utkinton St Paul's CofE Primary School, 4 December 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? 7 Inspection Report: Utkinton St Paul's CofE Primary School, 4 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for the very warm welcome you gave me when I came to your school. You were very friendly and clearly enjoy being at school. I think your school is outstanding. The best things about it are: • how well you are looked after and the very good attention you all get • your excellent attitudes and the way you all care for each other • the high standards you reach in English, mathematics and science and the excellent progress you make in your work • you like all the staff very much and your parents think this is an exceptional school • your headteacher, other staff and the governors work very hard to make school as good as possible for you. You have made a difference by planning the new toilets and the activities in the playground. I think the younger children need more equipment and a cover for outside so that they can go out more to play and learn. I am sure you will continue to do well because you are excellent

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

pupils and you always want the best for everybody. 8 Inspection Report: Utkinton St Paul's CofE Primary School, 4 December 2006

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