Kniveton CofE Primary School

Inspection Report Kniveton CofE Primary School

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112834 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 289430 Inspection number 13 December 2006 Inspection date Glynn Storer 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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Kniveton School address Primary Type of school Ashbourne Foundation School category Derbyshire DE6 1JJ 5 °11 Age range of pupils 01335 342573 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils Fax number 59 Number on roll (school) Mr L Rose Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs L S Board Headteacher Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 289430 13 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 in one day.

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Description of the school

The school serves Kniveton village and surrounding hamlets. It is much smaller than the average primary school. Most pupils are of White British origin. There are no pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, although two speak French in addition to English. Very few pupils are eligible for free school meals. Attainment on entry is broadly average but the number of pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities, including statements of special educational need, is above average for a school of this size. The school has gained several national awards, such as Arts Mark, Active Mark and the Basic Skills Quality Mark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Kniveton CofE Primary School, 13 December 2006

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Grade: 1

Kniveton Primary is an outstanding school. Pupils of all abilities, from the most needy to the gifted and talented, flourish in an extremely caring environment and as a result, achieve exceptionally high standards in both personal and academic development. At the heart of the school's success is the inspirational leadership provided by the headteacher. She has the highest possible aspirations for the school and for the pupils. Her enthusiasm for the school rubs off on staff, builds morale and inspires enormous commitment. A major strength of the school is that everybody is pulling in the same direction. This is partly because they share the headteacher's vision, but also because rigorous management systems secure a high degree of quality and consistency in all aspects of the school's work. Standards are exceptionally high. In recent years, many pupils have attained above average standards in the national tests for eleven-year-olds. The work of pupils

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Grade: 1

currently in Year 6 indicates that all are on course to meet the very challenging targets that the school sets for them and some are already working at levels normally expected of much older pupils. Underpinning pupils' extremely good progress is the way that teachers personalise learning. They use information from the school's thorough assessment procedures to identify those needing additional support or challenge and to provide it. They also match pupils' on-going work very closely to their prior attainments, so that pupils of all abilities make the best possible progress. Teachers track pupils' progress carefully and use their marking and other evaluations to provide high quality guidance and targets to help them to progress to the next level. Pupils know their targets and how to achieve them and are highly motivated to succeed. Pupils' extremely positive attitudes, behaviour and response are also key factors in

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Grade: 1

the high standards that they achieve. Pupils thoroughly enjoy school; much of the teaching is lively and engaging and an outstanding curriculum promotes excellence and enjoyment in equal measure. Relationships between pupils and staff are excellent. There is a real family atmosphere in which highly effective pastoral care and personal guidance build pupils' self-esteem and confidence. Consequently they are unafraid to 'fail' and readily rise to the challenge to do their best. Staff promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development to a high standard. Procedures for safeguarding pupils fully meet current requirements and pupils receive a good grounding in how to be safe and to have healthy lifestyles. Positive attitudes and values, along with high levels of basic skills prepare pupils extremely well for their on-going education and for their lives as young adults. The school is going from strength to strength. Providing the new classroom for four-

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Grade: 1

to seven-year-olds has improved resources and facilities, particularly for the youngest pupils. It is already improving the progress that they make, although opportunities for outdoor learning are still restricted by the nature of the school site. The school is at the very heart of village life. Pupils support many village projects and in doing so gain very valuable insights into citizenship. Joint projects are already on the drawing board to use village land to extend playground space, which at present is extremely 2 Inspection Report: Kniveton CofE Primary School, 13 December 2006 limited. Such projects, along with the school's accurate self-evaluation and well-focused improvement planning, give it an extremely strong capacity for further improvement. The school provides outstanding value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Seek ways to improve further the facilities for outdoor learning for children in the Foundation Stage and the play facilities available to all pupils.

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Grade: 1

Children's attainment on entry to Reception is broadly average. They make good progress and attain almost all of the nationally expected goals by the time that they transfer to Year 1. Until 2004, standards at end of Year 2 were generally below average. However, 2005 saw a general up-turn, especially in reading and writing, and overall standards were above average. Standards by the end of Year 6 have generally been well above average and in 2004 and 2005 were exceptionally high. The trend of improving standards in Years 1 and 2 and outstanding achievement by the end of Year 6 continued in 2006. In Year 2, half of all pupils attained the above average standard in reading, science and mathematics and in writing that proportion rose from 13% to 33%. Pupils' 2006 scores in English, mathematics and science in Year 6, though above average overall, were somewhat lower than those of 2005. Nevertheless, because this

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Grade: 1

cohort entered Year 3 with well below average scores from Key Stage 1, their progress in Years 3 to 6 was exceptionally good. The school's tracking and the work of pupils currently in school indicates that many are making exceptionally good progress and that most are on course to meet the very challenging targets that the school sets for them.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are excellent. Pupils say that they thoroughly enjoy school because, 'teachers are firm but fair', listen to them and take on their ideas. They relate extremely well to staff and fellow pupils and behave exceptionally well in lessons and around school. By the time that they leave, most are very mature and confident. They show this in conscientious working habits and by striving to succeed. As a result, they are well-prepared for secondary education and have the key skills they will need for the world of work. Pupils are sensitive to things of beauty, have good insights into human emotions and act on an understanding of what is right. Their on-going project to help disadvantaged children in the Gambia has a strong impact on them. It deepens their understanding of moral, social and cultural issues and, along with the school's effective partnership with a culturally

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Grade: 1

diverse inner city school, prepares them really well for life in a multi-cultural society. The school does all that it can to promote the importance of pupils attendance. Indeed, 3 Inspection Report: Kniveton CofE Primary School, 13 December 2006 almost all pupils attend very regularly but overall attendance rates remain at an average level because of the prevalence of holidays taken in term time.

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Grade: 1

Teaching and learning are outstanding. Teachers have real enthusiasm, which shines through the lively and appealing way that they teach. However, the real secret of their success is the consistency of teaching across the school. All teachers have very high expectations of pupils' behaviour, response in lessons and of pupils' capacity to cope with challenging work. This reflects in the way that they plan tasks that are closely matched to pupils' different abilities; tasks that make them think hard and promote really good progress across the ability range. The way that teachers involve pupils in their own learning and give excellent advice that motivates them to improve their performance, has also been an important factor in pupils' exceptionally high standards and achievement.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is excellent. There is a consistent emphasis on promoting literacy and ICT skills throughout the curriculum. The school also has a strong focus on creative and aesthetic subjects. Work in art, design and technology and music results in good standards because it is firmly based on pupils learning and applying skills. This approach adds enormously to pupils' enjoyment and achievement across a wide range of subjects. Cross-curricular links are highly effective. They make pupils' learning more relevant and appealing. The school enriches its excellent basic curriculum with an outstanding range of educational visits, visitors and special events, which bring learning to life and add much to pupils' academic and personal development.

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Grade: 1

Standards of care, guidance and support are outstanding. Pupils thrive in the school's very positive atmosphere. They feel secure because teachers and supervisory staff are attentive to their needs and readily provide guidance in matters of personal development. There are secure arrangements for safeguarding pupils. They say that bullying is rare and that staff deal quickly and effectively with any incidents that occur. Checks on the suitability of staff, procedures for child protection and the management of site security are thorough and meet current requirements. Procedures for checking pupils' progress are extremely effective. Staff set targets and, through highly constructive marking and on-going dialogue, ensure that pupils really understand how to improve their work. Teaching assistants and visiting teachers give sensitive support 4 Inspection Report: Kniveton CofE Primary School, 13 December 2006

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Grade: 1

to pupils with learning difficulties or disabilities, which enables many of these pupils to progress at a similar rate to other pupils.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are extremely effective. The headteacher is an excellent leader, whose example in the classroom and passion for the school inspire all who work there. Her vision, along with her rigorous monitoring of standards and quality, has been central to building a consistency of expectation and approach that adds considerably to the quality of teaching and learning. She motivates staff by giving them all a real part to play in improving the school. Their role is planned systematically and results in accurate school self-evaluation and well-focused planning for school improvement. Governors support the school very effectively. They are extremely well-informed and very good at holding the school to account for what it achieves. Importantly, they are central to the school's highly constructive relationship with the village community that adds considerably to the school's capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 1

5 Inspection Report: Kniveton CofE Primary School, 13 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. 6 Inspection Report: Kniveton CofE Primary School, 13 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 3 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 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. 7 Inspection Report: Kniveton CofE Primary School, 13 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? 8 Inspection Report: Kniveton CofE Primary School, 13 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

14 December 2006 Dear Children Kniveton Church of England Primary School, Kniveton, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, DE6 1JJ You may remember that I visited your school a little while ago. Thank you for making me so welcome and for taking time to talk to me and to answer my questions. I particularly enjoyed seeing your performance of Captain Christmas. I thought that the acting, singing and dancing were excellent. I thought that you would like to hear what I found out about your school. There are many really good things happening in your school. • Almost all of you make extremely good progress in English, mathematics and science and overall standards are very high. • You enjoy school because teachers, educational visits, visitors and special events make learning interesting and very enjoyable. • You get on exceptionally well with one another and your behaviour is excellent. • Your teachers and other adults help you when you have problems, make sure that you are

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

safe and give you really good advice about your work. • Mrs Board, the staff, governors, pupils and members of the local community work hard to make your school a better place. There is not much that needs to be improved at Kniveton but, because Mrs Board, quite rightly, wants everything to be perfect, there will always be something that she wants you to do just a little bit better. That is why your school is so good and I know that you will all do your best to help. I only have one thing to ask the school to do and it is something that you, the pupils, suggested to me. I would like the staff and governors to press on with plans to improve the outside learning area for children in Reception and to provide more playground space for all of you. As you said to me, it would be really nice for you to be able to see more of your brothers and sisters during the day and to be able to play with all of your friends at playtime.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I hope that you will all continue to work hard and do well. Yours sincerely Glynn Storer Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Kniveton CofE Primary School, 13 December 2006

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