Elton CofE Primary School

Elton CofE Primary School Inspection report

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112815 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 289419 Inspection number 20 April 2007 Inspection date David Speakman 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 32 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Graham Ducan Chair Mr Paul Hunter Headteacher 4 February 2002 Date of previous school inspection Main Street School address Elton Matlock Derbyshire DE4 2BW

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01629 650282 Telephone number 01629 650282 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 20 April 2007 Inspection date 289419 Inspection number .

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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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a very small rural school with 32 pupils, the majority of whom come from within the village. There are two classes, one for reception and infant pupils and the other for junior pupils. The proportion receiving a free school meal is below the national average. All pupils come from a White-British background. The number of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is below average and there are no pupils with a statement of special educational need. Attainment on entry varies from year to year but overall, is broadly typical of children at this age. The school had an acting headteacher for one term pending the appointment of the new headteacher, who started at the beginning of the Summer Term 2007.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Elton CofE Primary School, 20 April 2007

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Grade: 2

Inspection outcomes confirm the school's own assessment that this is a good school. Pupils of all ages and abilities achieve well and by the end of Year 6, attainment is consistently above average and sometimes well above. The school recognises the lack of reliability in looking at the performance of groups as a whole when year groups are small, sometimes only a few pupils. Consequently teachers track closely each individual's progress through National Curriculum levels each term. Pupils' attainment is compared to challenging targets, based on prior attainment in reading, writing, speaking and listening, mathematics and science. Teachers therefore have a good picture of how well pupils are doing, whether each one is reaching their full potential and how to meet their individual learning needs, which they do well. The school recognises that target setting requires further development in terms of its use in tracking pupils' progress

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Grade: 2

and informing parents about how their children are getting on. Grouping individual's data gives the school a good view of its overall performance, a significant part of the school's good quality self-evaluation. Pupils' personal development is outstanding. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary. Pupils show excellent attitudes to learning and in their relationships with others. A very important part of the school's ethos is the way in which pupils look after and care for each other, reflecting the positive role model set by the staff. This is an important factor in enabling pupils to feel very safe in school and they express extremely high levels of enjoyment at being there, consequently, attendance is good. Pupils make a highly significant contribution to school life and to the local community, to which it is central. Parents are delighted with what the school does for their children, but a few would like more information about events and their

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Grade: 2

children's achievement. The School Council is an influential group who work very hard to make life in school a pleasant and enjoyable experience for all. Pupils are extremely well informed about how to stay healthy through taking part in physical activity and through healthy eating. Good core skills in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT), together with competence in collaborative group work prepare pupils well for the next stages of their education. The quality of education provided by the school is good. Teaching is good. Careful planning of lessons and the school curriculum enables pupils at all ages and levels of ability to progress well in the mixed-age classes. There has been a significant improvement in provision in the Foundation Stage since the previous inspection, when the curriculum for younger children was unsatisfactory. Provision is now good. In Key Stages 1 and 2 there is some good practice in

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Grade: 2

linking subjects to make learning interesting and meaningful although these links are not yet formally written into the whole school curriculum plan to ensure progressive development of skills and to share the best practice. Care for pupils is good. Although the level of personal care for these pupils is extremely high, not all staff are fully aware of up-to-date child protection procedures and legislation. Leadership and management are good. Although new into post, the headteacher has made a very good start in evaluating the school's performance and its effectiveness. School self-evaluation is good. It involves staff and governors and has become well established since the headteacher's appointment. The good level of improvements made since the previous inspection and the clear vision for further development means that the school has a good capacity to improve further. It provides good value for money.

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Grade: 2

4 of 10 Inspection Report: Elton CofE Primary School, 20 April 2007

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What the school should do to improve further

• Include arrangements for linking together subjects in the whole school curriculum plan in order to ensure the progressive development of skills and understanding and that this good practice is shared across the school. • Develop procedures for setting pupils' targets to help check on their progress and improve the information given to parents about how well their children are doing. • Ensure that all staff are fully up to date with current child protection procedures and legislation.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well throughout the school. Starting with levels of attainment that are broadly typical for children of this age, they reach standards that are above average by the end of both Years 2 and 6. In both 2005 and 2006, standards at the end of Year 6 in English, mathematics and science were well above average. At the end of Year 2 they were well above average in reading and above average in writing and mathematics. Children achieve well in the Foundation Stage, reaching the nationally expected outcomes for the end of Reception and achieving above these expectations in their mathematical development and in their knowledge and understanding of the world. Pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities achieve well against the targets set for them in their individual education plans.

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Grade: 1

All aspects of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are excellent. Their ability to relate to and understand the way in which children from different backgrounds lead their lives is impressive and is based on a very good spiritual development and understanding of life in a wide range of different cultures. Excellent social and moral development manifests itself in excellent behaviour, attitudes and relationships, making the school a safe and enjoyable place to learn. Although they did not win, a sports team was awarded the 'fair play trophy' at a recent competitive sports event, testifying to their excellent attitudes. The School Council makes a significant contribution to school life and amongst their many achievements are the provision of daily fruit and water for all pupils and the purchase and organisation of playground equipment.

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Grade: 2

Teachers' planning is good. It takes into account pupils' age and ability and ensures that they are provided with appropriate learning opportunities. Some interesting links are made between subjects that make learning interesting and meaningful to pupils. Teachers use a good range of learning styles that engage pupils in discussion and using computers whilst developing collaborative learning skills well. Even though the development of reading is a school priority, there are occasionally missed opportunities to encourage pupils to read as a group during the introductions to literacy sessions; however, this is done well in the summing up at the end of the lesson. The flexible organisation of support for those with learning difficulties and/or 5 of 10 Inspection Report: Elton CofE Primary School, 20 April 2007 disabilities is provided effectively. Teaching assistants contribute successfully to enabling these

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Grade: 2

and other pupils to achieve well. Lessons objectives are clearly stated at the beginning of lessons and because pupils are clear about what they are expected to learn, lessons progress at a brisk pace. Teachers know their pupils extremely well and provide for each individual's learning needs effectively.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and is planned well to meet the learning needs of pupils of all ages and abilities in the mixed-age classes. There are some good links made between subjects, although these are not yet formally set out in the school curriculum plan. Provision for pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities is good through good support and adaptable organisation, where pupils work with pupils of different ages on well matched tasks. The curriculum is rich; French is taught to all pupils in Key Stage 2 and a good range of visits and visitors add variety and interest to learning. Staff provide knowledgeable and skilled teaching in subjects such as science, where standards are consistently high, and in music. ICT was an area requiring improvement in the last inspection and now enriches learning opportunities effectively. This is an improvement since the previous inspection, when provision and standards in ICT were identified as areas for

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Grade: 2

Teachers and other adults know their pupils extremely well and provide excellent levels of personal care, guidance and support. However, the training of some staff in current child protection procedures is not up to date. Appropriate steps have been taken to ensure all staff, governors and volunteers have been properly checked to have contact with children. Health and safety checks are rigorous and the school is thorough in undertaking appropriate risk assessments on all activities. Procedures for assessing pupils' achievement are good. Progress is carefully monitored and pupils are fully aware of their targets and how well they are doing in achieving them. The school has identified the next steps in streamlining the target setting process and using the information more effectively in informing parents about their children's progress.

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Grade: 2

The quality of leadership and management at all levels is good and sets a clear and focused direction for school development and improvement. The new headteacher has already established a strong sense of teamwork, with staff and governors working well together to lead subjects, monitor school improvement and to identify priority areas for development. New leadership roles and responsibilities are now being embedded into school practice. Governors' involvement in school is good. Those spoken with during the inspection showed a clear understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses and staff confirm that governors are both challenging and supportive, effectively holding the school to account for its performance. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Elton CofE Primary School, 20 April 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Elton CofE Primary School, 20 April 2007

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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?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 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?

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. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Elton CofE Primary School, 20 April 2007

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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? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Elton CofE Primary School, 20 April 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

23 April 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Elton Primary School, Elton, Derbyshire, DE4 2BW Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school recently. I certainly felt the warmth of reception that other adults talk about after visiting your school. I enjoyed visiting your lessons to watch you learn, play at break times and I enjoyed the conversations I had with many of you during the school day. I was pleased that you said how much you enjoy going to school. You are lucky to have a good school, in which lessons are interesting and enjoyable and in which you all make good progress. You play a great part in its success by behaving extremely well, by getting on so well together and making the school a pleasant and happy place to be. Teachers are able to get on with their job of teaching you because you all cooperate so well with them so they do their very best for you. Most aspects of your school are good, but there are a few areas that the headteacher, teachers

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and governors could usefully develop further. • Include links between different subjects in the school curriculum plans so all adults working with you can benefit from this good practice. • Develop further target setting arrangements and share the information on how well you are doing with your parents. • Make sure all adults have up to date knowledge and understanding of the legal requirements of how to look after you whilst you are in their care. I wish you all the best in the future and hope your school goes from strength to strength, with your continued support and good behaviour. Yours truly, David Speakman Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Elton CofE Primary School, 20 April 2007

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